birth art

I'm reading a book about a birth class / philosophy called "Birthing from Within" that is designed to help women (and the guys) recognize (and get over) their ideas about birth. The theory is that our society gives us lots of terrible images about the horror of something that is actually quite normal and natural (and not necessarily very painful, if approached in the right way). The book encourages practicing 'birth art' as a way to get in touch with your hidden fears and replace them with positive images. Although I generally consider myself exceptionally un-artistic, Joey and I have done a few projects together and we've both been surprised by how fun it is. So here's my faceless little indigenous clay lady - an image of strength and openness and a reminder to me that childbirth is not something to be feared but a part of the universal human experience.