A friend told me the other day that her son is old enough now that people are asking when she's going to have another baby. And she confided with me that she's not interested in sex anymore. Its a quiet death that many women experience after birth,

I've been on an intense spiritual journey this year and I've been blessed with a tribe of women and a family who have supported and guided me through an amazing time of awakening and growth. Its a journey that I would bless upon all humans in their own way, though I know not all are interested.

As you may have noticed, I talk a lot about empowerment in my discussion of fertility, pregnancy and childbirth. Recent conversations and articles have been pushing me to deeply examine what "empowered birth" really means, and how it affects women.

When women can birth freely, without fear and in the way that they choose, birth can be peaceful, providing the framework for peace and joy in the family and in the larger world. It really is that important and that far-reaching. It doesn't matter how she chooses to birth. What does matter is that SHE is the one who has made the educated decision.

There is a yogic principle regarding effort and surrender (the yogic terms are Tapas and Ishvara Pranidhana, and the words "effort" and "surrender" are two simple translations) that I believe applies directly to birth as well as to our larger life journeys.