“Motherhood is the ultimate confrontation with yourself. Whatever is there to discover at the bottom of your soul, whether dross or treasure, motherhood will help you find it.”
Lisa Marchiano in Motherhood: Facing and Finding Yourself.
muse- mothers uniting in stories and emotions
Matrescence is a major life transition and a dramatic rite of passage that “affects the brain, the endocrine system, cognition, immunity, the psyche, the microbiome, the sense of self” (Lucy Jones in Matrescence: On the Metamorphosis of Pregnancy, Childbirth and Motherhood). Complex changes occur in every sphere of a mother’s life, without giving a proper voice to the aches, pains and also the beauty of this transformation within our society.
Led by an educational psychologist, muse - Journaling through Motherhood is a community that has been created with the hope of providing a safe space to hold these aches and pains, but also to celebrate and cherish the joy and beauty of motherhood.
Join our muse community to:
be part of a community of journaling mothers both online and in person
be inspired by literature concerning motherhood
journal and write about different aspects of being a mother
reflect and discuss the beauty and pain of this transformative journey
unite with other mothers through sharing stories and emotions
Online Community
Join our private Facebook group to gain access to resources related to motherhood, journaling tips and tasks and to be updated with our upcoming events
Drop-in sessions
Join our monthly sessions to have the opportunity to connect with mothers within our community and carve time for yourself to breathe, journal and drop inwards
Journaling
“I should advise you to put it all down as beautifully as you can - in some beautifully bound book…Then when these things are in some precious book you can go to the book and turn over the pages and for you it will be your church - your cathedral - the silent places of your spirit where you will find renewal.” (Analysis Notebooks, C.G. Jung, quoted in The Red Book, Liber Novus)
Journaling will be used as a tool to reflect, look within and make sense of the new identity of becoming a mother. Journaling involves an expressive and creative process which puts thoughts, feelings and experiences into concrete words, drawings or scribbles. We hope to give participating mothers the safe space and opportunity to see their various experiences of motherhood and be seen by other comrade mothers.
Drop In Sessions
We are excited to announce our new muse adventure; offering a safe space for mothers to meet in person on a monthly basis to read, write and share our own motherhood stories! The space will always be open during the first Saturday of every month, starting April 2025, from 4:00pm till 6:00pm. Make it a self-care habit to join us!
Babies are welcome to join, if they are happy with staying close to mum, until they become too curious and start wandering off! A small fee of £5 will be collected to cover expenses.
Literature as a Muse
We will introduce passages from books related to motherhood as a muse to writing, reflecting and journaling, alongside visualisations, meditation and discussions. Reading and writing help to ground our experiences within contexts that are relevant to all.
Sharing and Community
Motherhood can be an isolating time. The village we sometimes hear about is not always at our disposal. We hope to create a community of mothers who see each other through listening and sharing stories and emotions. Uniting together to embrace the diversity and unique experiences of motherhood.
Guided Writing
How often have we set down, willing the words on paper? We feel so much, and yet, it is not always easy to express ourselves in tangible terms despite the eagerness. At muse, we aim to provide guidance and tips to help the words flow easier, so you make the most of your journaling sessions with us, and beyond.
Subscribe to the muse mailing list and get more information about joining our community
who we are: muse - mothers uniting in stories and emotions
We are a team of two mothers, a psychologist and a writer, with two tiny shadows each! We came together through our love for journaling, self-reflection and motherhood.
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Psychologist & FounderI am a warranted educational psychologist with a passion for intervention and therapy with young children, teenagers and families. I am also specialising in Jungian sand-play therapy, as I believe in the healing powers of sand and creative expression. Throughout my career, I have contributed to the wellness of children, teens, parents and their educators, through conducting individual and group therapeutic sessions. Journaling is one of the tools many families have left with as a way to cope and take care of themselves and each other. Becoming a mother has shifted my focus towards mothers’ lived experiences after going through my own baptism of fire. Through creating a community of journaling mothers I hope contribute to mothers’ wellbeing within our local context that isolates rather than celebrates the day-to-day triumph that it is to be a mother.
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Writer & SEOWhen Sarah approached approached me with the idea for a journaling workshop for mothers, I was immediately sold. Not only does it combine my two biggest passions - writing & motherhood - but I could also see the link with Songs of Motherhood, an anthology we publish every year and which celebrates mothers through their own writing, illustrations and creative work. The community aspect that muse creates is the safe space I believe every mother needs. Whether new, or mothering granchildren of her own, mothers thrive in an environment that listes, understands and lifts them up. This is what muse means to me.