the river that flows both ways

gazing into those new bright baby eyes

Gazing into the eyes of my newborn granddaughter, I feel the river flowing, and, wondrously, gazing back. The river that holds, carries, and bestows the blessings of those who have gone before on those just arriving.

I wonder if there is an exuberant chorus of cheers and encouragement from the beings of the far shore as they help another baby courageously leave-take their familiar womb world, push tenaciously through a narrow passageway, and enter our rather strange, unfathomable world. For baby, this “kick out of paradise” that we call birth might seem a sort of death. So being swaddled in love and rejoicing helps a newborn get their bearing, and hopefully helps them discover that this side of the shore can be home too.

And I like to imagine the same kind of outpouring awaiting us when we take our exit from here, to be born into the world from which they have just come. So that far from a nothingness, our death is a rebirth, another homecoming, in the river that flows both ways.

Gazing into those new bright baby eyes… my heart is forming a new channel for love to pour through. So much love, where does it all come from? And where does it go? Or is it always here and radiating more fully when noticed?

It’s suddenly easy now to hold in the palm of my hand, as it were, the span of five generations: my grandmother, mother, myself, and now my daughter and her daughter. One of the treasures of becoming a grandparent, it’s becoming clear, is bodily feeling this generative fecundity.

I’m now sensing more deeply that we are all so finely connected, giving, receiving, and taking our place as far ancestor, near ancestor, earth alive ones, on to those peering in from the soon-to-be-born realms. An umbilical cord of belonging, weaving the kin-doms of earth and spirit, over and over again, an enchanting and infinitely mysterious tapestry.

And now, the beam of ancestral light shifts to encompass this new family. My husband and I have long been the beneficiaries of this largesse; it has helped us weather storms and nurture our children. The discovery that we have ancestral resources that we can lean on expands our little worlds when we most need it. But it’s a door that needs to be acknowledged, honoured, and opened.

I’m waxing prosaic right now. I’m allowed. A new born in my arms does that. Also, I’m not the new mother, who, even with an uncomplicated homebirth and wonderful support, hasn’t slept in a week—has a bruised body, and is painfully trying to breastfeed a baby around the clock… Oh, how I remember. Would that we could acknowledge and bring more honour to this kind of heroism of body and soul that seeds our future.

Another birth is in process, too—my book baby is due soon. I never would have imagined that these two births would coincide. Nor that Elena would be spending the day before she went into labour reading this book that weaves death and birth together in recounting the lives of her mother, grandparents, and ancestors. It warms my heart to hear she couldn’t put it down! Now that’s a powerful conduit to usher the next generation in with.

More birth announcements: thanks to my wise-woman friend Andrea Mathieson (author of the Book of Snake, and Raven Essences) and web designer Kristie Taylor-Muise, I now have a dynamic, new website: nancymacmillan.com

There are also upcoming book launches. If you are in the neighbourhood, please join me on May 8^th, 7:00 p.m., at Next Church, 89 Colborne St., Kingston, Ontario. I’d love to see you.

Podcast interviews have also been requested, and scheduled. Since I’m not a techie person, a lot of the social media side of promoting a book is, frankly, quite daunting. So, deep breath. I must remember that this newborn book’s journey in the world will best be blessed the word-of-mouth way, reader to reader, friend telling friend. The ripples will spread where they will, the river flowing along just fine of its own accord, mysteriously so. As always.

More on these themes are found in Nancy’s book published by Inner Traditions, April 8th, 2025.

Order The Call to the Far Shore: Carrying Our Loved Ones Through Dying, Death, and Beyond through your local bookstore, Amazon, and most major booksellers.

https://www.amazon.ca/Call-Far-Shore-Carrying-through/dp/B0D9TMVNL9

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Call-to-the-Far-Shore/Nancy-MacMillan/9798888501092

Endorsement: "You must read this book and you must make sure that those you love read The Call to the Far Shore because it offers profound spiritual wisdom and practical empathic guidance for navigating the inevitabilities of death. Beautifully written, this is as much an essential resource for helping the dying as Spiritual Midwifery was for assisting birth. Sure to be a classic." —Perdita Finn, author of Take Back the Magic: Conversations with the Unseen World

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