Dear Mother to Come,
a letter to the person who will birth our next incarnation
What if we really knew in our bones that we all come back? We return to the seeds we have sowed, the world we have made, and the love we have known. I often say that the only real sobriety from civilization’s ecocidal human supremacy is this reclamation of the long story of our souls.
My book Take Back the Magic shares my own very personal experiences with that long story—how the soul that I said, “no” to in college returned at a better time, how intimations of past incarnations informed my fears and my predilictions, how my husband and I shared memories, revealed to us in dreams and intutions, of past lives together that we were able to validate for ourselves.
My next book is about the Way of the Mother—which is not just about changing the heavenly pronouns but radically reorganizing our experience of reality. How do we stop living in merciless straight lines, conveyor belts into oblivion, and claim the generosity of the eternal return?
To show what that really looks like, practically, I invite my readers to write a letter…to the embodied soul who will give birth to their next incarnation.
Where is the soul who will become your next mother? What are your prayers for this mother, even now? What are your dreams and hopes for the body that will birth your body?
I will be choosing nine of these letters to include in my book MOTHERS OF MAGIC.
My dearest Mama,
Even now I pray you are held by soft hands, cared for by gentle hearts, surrounded by moss and soothed by wind and waves. May those that circle you keep both fear and conformity at bay. May they encourage you to gaze into the fire and up at the stars to claim the wildness of your soul. May you know love so love is yours to give.
I pray that wherever you are, right now, you are not hungry, you are not scared, you are not scrounging among the rubble or the garbage bins. I pray that there are not bombs overhead or men with guns at the door. I pray that yours is a sanctuary of peace in this collapsing world.
My dearest mama to come, may my actions today serve you whereever you are. May I recognize you in the face of every soul I meet. May I help midwife the world into which I long to belong.
What is your letter to your next mother? Share in the comments. The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, March 12.
Perdita Finn is the author of Take Back the Magic and the forthcoming Mothers of Magic. With her husband Clark Strand she is the founder of the feral fellowship The Way of the Rose, and the co-author of the book of the same name. She teaches workshops on collaborating with the other side.
My paid substack also includes a monthly Zoom conversation about working with the dead. Our next meeting is on Sunday March 16 at 3 pm est. Zoom information is sent out on Saturday to paid subscribers.
This post was such a surprise. I love looking into the future, but had never considered who might birth me next time should I return here instead of another universe. It made me cry, it was so loving and tender, and made me think it would be wonderful to create (invite?) a loving, supportive mother for my next incarnation. I have Covid, and while I would love to send in a letter, my Covid brain may not afford me the linearity needed to make sense for your deadline.
My Dearest Future Mother,
How many lifetimes have we wandered apart, longing for each other? Who knows how many centuries have passed since that sacred moment when we promised to meet again?
Until our paths cross, may all that unsettles your soul or dims your light stay far from you. But I must warn you—I will unsettle you, and I will reshape the rhythm of your days.
I still marvel at the mystery of it all. Why would a spirit as wild and untamed as yours choose the path of motherhood? Was it to find me? Or to taste the weight and wonder of devotion? Whatever your reason, I am grateful.
As I await my arrival, I see you walking barefoot through the forest, along the shore. With each step, you press a kiss into Mother Earth’s cheek. I hope that when I am born, you will kiss and hold me with the same tenderness.
I hear the rustling of the trees and the song of the waves. They whisper lullabies to your wild spirit. I hope that when I arrive, you will pass these lullabies down to me—the ones you learned from leaves and tides.
May you bring me into this world in a place where your spirit feels safe and at ease. May gentle hands steady you, and kind voices soothe you as you bring me forth. May our reunion be accompanied with joyful, soaring songs.
I am waiting with wonder, knowing I will be born to a mother who pours her love and light into the very essence of life. And I pray that together, we nourish and transform each other—and this planet.
May we never be tested by scarcity or excess but instead live each day in harmony with what is given.
Love and Blessings from your future child