The Sacrament of Birth
One of the most powerful experiences that came to impact the hundreds of people coming in contact with The Farm was that of birth, a practice enshrined in the phrase “Spiritual Midwifery.” Over the last hundred years, much of the western world has had the miracle of birth removed from the realm of direct experience. By the late 1960’s and 70’s, shuttered behind the doors of operating rooms in clinical sterile environments, birth was no longer a natural process, but a medical procedure.

Fathers were completely removed from one of the most significant direct life changing moments one can ever encounter. Drugs made mothers unconscious and unaware of their own personal miracle.

Back in San Francisco, several of the women associated with Monday Night Class had become mothers and were unhappy with how they had been treated while in the hospital. Stories also began to circulate about a few brave women that had chosen to give birth at home.

When The Caravan left to travel across the country, among the group were several women, including Stephen’s partner Ina May, who were due to give birth at some time during the journey. Several babies were born in buses along the way and the impact of those experiences was so powerful that it affected not just those present at the birth, but everyone in the group.

After arriving Tennessee, the sanctity of birth was acknowledged as one of life’s most important sacraments and a cornerstone of The Farm Church.

The Sacrament of Death
One of the babies born on The Caravan did not survive. Soon after arriving in Tennessee, a young man was killed by a lightning strike. These events and others to follow forced the community to face the entire circle of life, bringing Farm members into direct contact with another universal sacrament, death.

Death disproportionately visits the very young. The Farm’s midwives and a numbers of families were painfully aware that the task of delivering babies was a life and death responsibility and that sometimes despite everyone’s best efforts and intentions, in those early years a number of babies were lost.  

The great sorrow these families endured was shared by the community as a whole and brought into focus the importance of compassion as we accept the responsibility of caring for each other.

Again western society in many ways has built walls separating people from direct experience. The old are placed in nursing homes where they often die alone instead of surrounded by loving family and friends. Excessive medical procedures thwart the course of nature prolonging life, at times even against the will of the individual or their family.

Care of the Elderly

As a direct action and an alternative to this aspect of western culture, members of The Farm began to bring aging relatives to live with them in the community. While the number of seniors living on The Farm has neverbeen very large, their influence and impact has been extremely significant.

One of the first to come was Uncle Bill, rescued from a nursing home by his niece. The loving warmth of his new extended family brought an exuberant level of joy to his remaining years.

Susie was a homeless woman found in a local bus station that was brought to The Farm.

Joe Silvers saw Stephen and members of The Farm on a national talk show in the late 1970’s. Although already well into their retirement years, he and his wife Helen left their home in Chicago and moved to The Farm. The money from his social security checks was used to help fulfill Joe’s vision of community, purchasing playground equipment and a riding lawn mower so Joe could contribute his time and energy, helping to improve the community’s appearance by mowing along the edges of Farm roads. From time to time various families will bring in an aging parent or two to live with them.

Claire came with her husband Stanley when he became bedridden and she was no longer able to care for him alone. Stanley spent his last year living in the home of his daughter and her husband along with their three kids. After his passing a cabin was built for Claire so she could live independently.

Although in her 80’s, in many ways Claire truly blossomed like no other time in her life. She became a fully participating member of the community, serving as the ticket taker and money collector at virtually every Farm event. Her performances of old standards, decked out in snappy clothes and a sequined red hat, were an inspiration and a gentle reminder that every person has something to contribute, that life is to be enjoyed right to the end.

Each encounter with death produces a period of internal reflection and contemplation. While our contact with this experience does not provide answers, it can cause a person to evaluate the meaning of their life and to consider their past actions and how they will spend the time they have left, the essence of the spiritual path and the true definition of a sacrament. The