Rachael is the creatrix of the Elemental Birth Rites course journey and has been nurturing and caring for the seeds of this project since 2019. Having come to midwifery with a background in Alternative Healing through her study of massage therapy, sound healing, herbal medicine, and many other modalities, she always felt a deep call to fuse these passions.
After she graduated midwifery school and got certified as a professional midwife in 2015, she began caring for clients and providing homebirth in the rural mountains of Colorado. She witnessed many homebirth scenarios where women were left traumatized or let down by how their birth stories transpired. She felt a powerful need to honor the holistic experience of birth by addressing issues beyond the physical reality that had shown to play out and contribute to challenging births.
She created a synthesis based on her personal study of ancestral healing, transpersonal psychology, and earth based spirituality, that became the basis of the Elemental Birth Rites course journey. She is so excited to have a space to share her passion for shadow work, personal transformation, and her deep reverence for the sacredness of birth and life.
Rachael devotes to the art of birth keeping in her practice, Elemental Midwifery, located in rural Maine where she takes each of her clients through the Elemental Birth Rites journey.​​​
HEY THERE!
I'm Rachael
Meet The Team
Why us?
Elemental Birth Rites started as a team of three super inspired midwives who are reimagining the art of midwifery. Over the last 4 years our team has grown to include 2 other amazing medicine women who went through our practitioner training for 2 years and wanted to continue to to work with us.
​We all are committed to ceremony within birth and beyond as well as returning the sacred feminine arts to modern culture. We each offer uniquely deep care in our private practices and enjoy the community of inspiring one another to greatness in our synarchy here at Elemental Birth Rites.
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Connect with us through joining our practitioner training or tuning in to our podcast.
Aba Oyedi
Midwife
Aba is our prayer beaconess and a wisdom teacher in all of our coursework and trainings. She is a founding core member and has contributed so much of her time and love to this project.
Aba Oyedi, registered nurse and professionally trained midwife, has been working with families welcoming new life into the world since 2006.
Her journey and call to birth work began with the free birth of her own daughter; an experience which inspired her to commit to supporting women and families in health and wellness through the childbearing year and beyond. Aba’s love and respect for indigenous, pre-colonial cultures and the traditional modalities that assist with maintaining physical, mental and spiritual balance have been a key part of her practice and a pathway facilitating her ongoing interface with traditional cultures in the Americas and abroad.
Having just moved to North Carolina, Aba left her behind her solo practice as a community midwife in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties. Her current well womban practice, Urban Bush: The Living Traditions focuses on Whole Woman Wellness, wholistic health education, and utilizes Elemental Birth Rites to prepare families for the deeply spiritual work of bringing forth children at home.
“Elemental Birth Rites rides the crest of a beautifully expanded energy around our boundless human potential and how we can truly prepare to realize that potential through the journey of pregnancy and birth. I am deeply honored to hold space in such a necessary community.”
Val Patroni
Midwife
Val is our embodiment guide in all our course work and offers her many guided meditations and soulful journeys to all of our coursework and trainings. She is a founding core member and has contributed so much of her time and love to this project. Val is a Mother to her four extraordinary daughters, and wife to her beloved husband. She is a community midwife, in service to childbearing womben and their families in varying capacities, and has been involved in Birth Work for just over 15 years. With a background in teaching Yoga and Cranio Sacral Therapy, mindfulness, Holistic health, and intuitive healing have been the invisible thread, still leading and inspiring her today.
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Val lives in Florida with her family and offers midwifery care through her business Green Lily midwifery.
After her own profound experiences within the realm of shadow work, journeying deeper into healing her hidden wounds, and uncovering the precious gifts that lie behind them, it has become an integral and profound part of her work as a midwife. Ushering Mother’s through the magical seen and unseen metamorphosis that is birth/death/rebirth, is an honor to witness and be chosen to be a part of.
Kimberly Moon
Medicine Woman
Kimberly has lovingly offered her musings to the Elemental Birth Rites Community since 2021, when she joined the practitioner training as a student. She has contributed her musical gifts and open heart to this project since her involvement began and has provided a gorgeous soundtrack to support the work singing live on many of our teaching calls.
She has been apprenticing with the work for 3 years and was a big sister mentor for the 2023 cohort. She brings so much heart and authenticity to this work. Her music is featured on our podcast and available through our coursework portal.
Kara Crawford
Midwife
Kara has been a vital part of Elemental Birth Rites since joining our practitioner training in 2021. She has been through the wheel 2 years in a row and contributed as a big sister mentor to our 2023 cohort.
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Kara is a community midwife with her own private practice in Connecticut and has been apprenticing with this work for 3 years and brings so much presence and wisdom to this work.
