My Sister’s Backyard Rebirth Party Involved a Craigslist Womb — I Said No

In this astonishing and deeply personal story, the poster grapples with the surreal world of their sister’s spiritual transformation—one that has escalated into performance art. The sister, formerly known as Lindsay, underwent what she describes as an “ego death” following a hallucinogenic experience at Burning Man. Since then, she has fully committed to a new identity—Obsidian Wombfox—complete with a legal name change and a lifestyle that intertwines mysticism, performance, and symbolic rebirth. Her planned “Rebirth Party” is described with vivid, theatrical detail, culminating in a faux birth from a papier-mâché uterus via a Craigslist-sourced man named Curtis.

The poster finds themselves at a crossroads: on one hand, respecting their sister’s spiritual journey, and on the other, confronting the sheer absurdity (and discomfort) of attending such an elaborate event. Their polite refusal to participate in the ritual draws family criticism, with accusations of close-mindedness and being stuck in a “linear” worldview. The question at the heart of the post is whether this refusal makes them unsupportive—or simply sane.

Discovering your true self is a deeply personal journey and sometimes, it takes unexpected turns

One man shared how he had no interest in attending his sister’s bizarre “rebirth party”— which featured a papier-mâché uterus, and  a Craigslist-sourced womb setup

Cultural Context, Family Boundaries, and the Line Between Support and Enabling

Spiritual and identity reinventions, especially those involving rituals, are not uncommon in postmodern culture, particularly within New Age and countercultural communities. Anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann notes in her research on alternative spiritualities that rituals of transformation can serve as powerful personal resets, allowing individuals to reframe trauma or redefine their narratives (Luhrmann, Persuasions of the Witch’s Craft, 1989). However, such expressions can also clash with the norms of family members who don’t share the same beliefs or aesthetic values.

Legally and ethically, adults are allowed to define their identities and host private events celebrating those identities. But when those events demand the participation—or even the mere attendance—of family members, the situation becomes more complicated. Family systems theory suggests that every member of a family plays a role in maintaining homeostasis, and a radical departure by one member (like a full-on spiritual rebirth) can provoke resistance or discomfort among others. The poster’s reaction, then, is not simply about the spectacle of the event, but about a shift in relational dynamics they didn’t consent to.

More broadly, the concept of “support” in familial relationships does not equate to unconditional participation in every personal endeavor. Psychological boundaries are essential in maintaining healthy relationships. Clinical psychologist Dr. Ramani Durvasula emphasizes that it’s okay to say no to behaviors or situations that violate one’s sense of reality or comfort—even if those requests come from loved ones (Should I Stay or Should I Go?, 2015).

Finally, when rituals involve public performance and symbolic rebirth through theatrical means, there is also an ethical dimension to audience participation. Some would argue that attending and silently observing such a surreal event implicitly validates the experience. For someone who doesn’t believe in the ritual’s premise—or finds it viscerally unsettling—attendance could be both dishonest and emotionally taxing.

In short, the poster’s decision not to attend is less a matter of close-mindedness and more an exercise of personal boundaries. Supporting someone’s journey doesn’t require witnessing every metaphorical (or literal) crawl through a papier-mâché canal.

People online chimed in with sarcasm, saying they’d love to witness the spectacle firsthand, if only for the sheer absurdity of it all