Page 92 of Bad Influence
‘Of course, it’s one of the best antenatal classes you can do. It will make you feel renewed,’ Ebony said calmly.
‘I could do with that to be honest,’ Lucy mumbled, rubbing her back.
‘Please join us.’ Ebony put a gentle hand on her back. ‘Let the full moon guide you. Just as the moon goes through its phases, our lives and experiences follow a similar pattern of growth and change – and there is nothing more symbolic of this than a pregnancy. The full moon is also associated with the release of negative energy and letting go of what no longer serves us during this time – emotional baggage, high blood pressure, that kind of thing.’
‘Cancelled weddings and related admin?’ asked Lucy, one eyebrow raised.
‘If that is what you need from it, yes,’ Ebony replied. ‘By embracing the energy of the full moon, we can surrender and make space for positive transformations.’
‘I’m in.’ Lucy nodded.
‘I’m out, if you don’t mind,’ Mum added, and I linked my arm with hers in solidarity.
‘Let’s get started, Cosmic Beings.’ Ebony smiled.
Then she placed a bowl of crystals by the side of the pool and lit some incense. ‘To create our sacred space.’
Mum and I took this as our cue to back away from the poolside, put on our dressing gowns, and cover ourselves in towels, as we lay back on the sunloungers to quietly observe the ritual from a ring-side seat – or pretend we were dead – we weren’t sure which way it would go yet. A neat waitress came past to offer us coffee, though it seemed like a ruse to rubberneck the spectacle unfolding in the pool before us.
We watched closely as Mandy, Natalia, and Lucy held hands with Ebony, making a circle in the centre of thepool. At least twenty candles floating on lotus flowers were bobbing around them.
A low humming sound emanated from Ebony who had closed her eyes and was chanting something indistinguishable. Every now and then she would break the circle to place her hands on the midriff of one of the women, and the humming would get louder before subsiding into a whisper.
She then encouraged Mandy and Natalia to turn to face each other, and Lucy looked to be on the periphery. At one point Lucy became distracted and engaged in a game of air hockey above the water, batting away lit lotus flowers with her hand every time one floated too close to her bump for comfort.
After every chant, Ebony turned and threw her hands towards the moon dramatically as she called upon each element to honour their presence within the woman’s body.
Lucy shot a dark look at Mum and me, as if we should throw her a lifebelt. She seemed to be regretting taking part, but, just like us, felt too scared of Ebony and disrupting her cosmic vibrations, to say or do anything out of turn.
‘Do you think she’s okay?’ I muttered to Mum, behind my hand. ‘Should we do something?’
Mum was silent for a moment, then she smirked wickedly. ‘Lucy will be fine. This is much better than any show I’ve seen recently.’
Ebony began to move through a series of affirmations which involved a womb blessing where she placed her hands gently on each woman’s belly, to ‘channel cosmic mother energy’, as she blessed the womb and the growing life within.
She then encouraged the women to take part in a series of affirmations, encouraging them to ‘speak their truth’ by repeating mantras after her: ‘I am a cosmic vessel’, ‘I birth galaxies within’ and ‘My body dances with constellations’.
Suddenly we noticed things turning emotional in the pool, as tears streamed down Mandy’s cheeks. Instinctively Natalia put her arms around her, hugging her and soothing her.
We could hear her saying, ‘I’m here for you, Mandy, we both are.’
And then Ebony joined in, placing her strong arms around the two women.
‘It’s like the reality of becoming a mum is just hitting me,’ Mandy snivelled. ‘And I don’t know if I deserve this.’
‘Of course you deserve this, heavenly Mandy,’ Ebony comforted her, drawing Mandy’s damp head towards her large bosom in a motherly hug.
‘But I bought my baby on my Amex,’ Mandy whimpered.
‘There are lots of ways to become a mother,’ Ebony continued. ‘You tried many of them, and this decision was not taken lightly by you. You were destined to be a mother, and the universe brought Natalia to you at exactly the right time; it was written in the stars. Remember when we worked on your cosmic birth chart?’
Mandy sobbed, ‘Yes.’
‘This was in your cosmic blueprint. It is your destiny. There is no right or wrong way to become a mum.’ She looked across to Natalia and Lucy, drawing them back into the ritual. ‘I understand this can be a deeply emotionalactivation, and this is because your soul is remembering your cosmic origins. Let’s do some breathwork together.’
Mandy composed herself, and the women’s hands joined again, as Ebony guided them through a series of breathwork exercises, chanting, ‘Inhale stardust; exhale fear.’
This seemed to calm Mandy, who smiled, but still looked sad. As Ebony whispered gratitude to the stars, the full moon, and the women’s cosmic lineage, she placed both of her palms on Natalia’s bump. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she seemed to surrender to the moment, perhaps leaning in to the mystery of creation itself. As Mandy watched, her expression now looked serene, peaceful, as if a shift had occurred and she could be invested in this pregnancy.
