We, as descendants, are the phoenix of human life rising from the ashes of our ancestor’s lives. We return to ashes once again to become the ancestors of our descendants.
We must realize that the Earth is grossly overpopulated already and there is no need to continue churning out children at the previous rate. Perhaps if we were to embrace our “oneness” and recognize our eternity there would be far less need to perpetuate our personal DNA.
Do I regret not having children in this lifetime to carry on my blood line? No, even though I really wanted kids at certain times of my life, my consolation is that I will become a descendent of myself through future lives. So I strive to live this life, learning as much as I can, in order to enter my next life and take up where I left off. We cannot take any physical items with us when we pass out of this lifetime but we certainly will take the memory of the lessons we encountered and the wisdom we have learned from them.
We inherit the blessings and gifts of our ancestors as well as the baggage. The ancestors are always energetically supporting us as we travel our paths. As we heal ourselves, we should keep in mind that we are affecting the healing of at least seven ancestor generations backward and seven descendant generations forward. By healing the heavy energy of our souls we help lighten the load of future and past generations.
We are all connected, and what we do affects everybody. As we heal ourselves, we help heal others and the world. What we do for one person in the microcosm we do to the greater consciousness of the macrocosm.
THE VEIL
There is a veil that lies between incarnate and discarnate spirits. It’s there to help us focus on our physical goals while incarnated rather than be distracted by the activities in the spirit world. The veil is an aspect of our consciousness that keeps us from perceiving the spirit world. The other side is always there but we usually can’t see it’s there because of the veil.
There are specific times when the veil is considered to be thinner than other times. This allows spirits to pass through more easily. In other words, communication between the incarnated (physical) world and the disincarnated (spirit) world is more easily facilitated.
The veil is thinner during the in-between times. The in-between time is symbolically connected to ordinary reality and to spirit world reality. All places and times that are in-between are magically potent. In-between places are thresholds and gates. In-between times include: midnight, noon, dusk, dawn, Summer Solstice, Winter Solstice, Samhain/Halloween, and May Eve/Beltane.
THE PRINCIPLES OF ANCESTRY
An ancestor is any person from whom one is descended. An individual has a total of 2046 ancestors up to the 10th generation. A person has over a billion 30th generation ancestors. That’s a lot of ancestors. And it doesn’t even include ancestors from our past lives.
The ancestral group soul is the oversoul of all people of a particular heritage. For example, there exists a racial oversoul of all African people, of all Native America ns, all Europeans etc. Within the group soul there are subgroups, each having their own group spirit.
I would like to present the following three ancestor principles to consider:
PRINCIPLE 1: We have 2 ancestral lineages:
1. Our Physical Ancestors – Ancestors of our physical bodies that are connected to us through DNA.
2. Our Spiritual Ancestors – Ancestors through our past life bodies that are connected to us through our souls.
This means we have a lot of ancestors from many different cultures and if we go far enough back in history, it’s easy to understand that we all really are connected. Doing research for this article I read that all blue-eyed people have one common ancestor they evolved from 10,000 years ago. It is also known that all of us originated from a spot in Africa and then spread out across the world over thousands of years.
PRINCIPLE 2: We are our own ancestors.
1. We are the Descendants of ourselves in past lives.2. We become Ancestors when we pass over from this life.
PRINCIPLE 3: We should not only honor ancestors but open communication with them. Our ancestors watch over our shoulders. They are there for protection, assistance, and advice but only if we ask for it.
HOW TO CONNECT WITH ANCESTORS
To open communication with your ancestors, it is a good idea to ground and open sacred space. Then clear your mind through meditation, chanting, deep breathing, shamanic journeying, or self-hypnosis. You can call upon the ancestors for help or guidance, silently or aloud. Learn to “feel”, “see”, or “hear” the presence of the ancestor. To contact a specific ancestor, call the ancestor by name 3 times. To contact an unknown ancestor, command that they be brought forth. You can work with guides or guardians as a go-between. When you are finished, thank the ancestors for their assistance.
A fun way to connect with an ancestor is to create a black and white line drawing from a photo. Then color what you think s/he would have looked like while thinking about this ancestor.
One of the best ways to commemorate ancestors is to create an altar. The altar should be visited regularly and can be a place to sit and converse with your ancestors. An altar is created by allocating a special area in your home and add some of the following items:
- Cigars
- Crystals
- Flowers
- Candles
- Altar Cloth
- Ancestor Mementos
- Photos (do not put pictures of the living)
- Small Toys (for spirits of deceased children)
- Dirt from a deceased family member’s grave
- Mirror (spirits live on the other side of mirrors)
- Drink Offerings – water, coffee, milk, or whiskey
- Food Offerings – bread, fruit, candy, rice, chicken, and other white foods (never salt)
Monday is the traditional day to feed the ancestors. Leaving the ancestors hungry means they cannot act on our behalf, which is likely to result in problems such as poverty and other troubles. Allow them to eat for 24 hours. Any food stuffs removed should be place outside at the base of a tree.
BEST TIMES TO CONNECT WITH ANCESTORS
There are different times when the veil between the worlds (the incarnated world and the spirit world) is thinner than usual. These times traditionally are:
1. Daily: In your dreams, just as you wake in the morning, and just as you doze off at night.
2. Altered States: Meditation, shamanic journeys, and hypnosis trances. If you would like to receive a really clear, strong message from your ancestor in the form of a dream, you can sleep in front of the ancestor altar or directly on top of the grave of a chosen ancestor.
3. Yearly: Winter Solstice (Dec 21), Summer Solstice (Jun 21), Halloween/Samhain (Oct 31), Dia de los Muertos/All Saints Day (Nov 1), and All Saints Day (Nov 2).
ANCESTOR VENERATION
People who seek providence from their deceased ancestors practice ancestor worship or ancestor veneration. Veneration means profound reverence, respect or awe.
Ancestor celebrations can be traced back as far as the ancient Egypt when departed souls were honored during the great festival of Osiris.
The core belief of ancestor veneration is that there is continued existence after death. Therefore, the Spiritual Scientific Research Foundation identified the following benefits that ancestor veneration can provide:
• Protection: Ancestors may be guardian angels, providing protection and guidance. They may have special powers that can influence events or control well-being.
• Intervention: Ancestors may be intermediaries between family members and deities.
• Fear and Reverence: Neglected Ancestors may cause disease and other misfortunes.
• Communication from the Afterlife: Departed ancestors may have the ability to communicate with the living through dreams and possession.
• Help in Life’s Decisions: Ancestors may provide guidance when contacted séances, mediums, or Ouija boards to help make important decisions.
Some cultures are more closely in touch with their ancestors than others. For instance, in Yoruba, families bury their deceased in the floors of their homes. Their beloved ancestors are literally under their feet living close to the family.
The Hispanic culture reveres their ancestors with a glass of water and a candle, thus giving their ancestral spirits luz (light: to guide their way), progreso (progress; advancement), and refresco (refreshment). In the United States, remembering ancestors occurs year round and at special times such as Memorial Day, Easter, Christmas, Candlemas, and All Souls’ Day people put flowers, wreaths, grave decorations, candles, or small pebbles on graves year-round as a way to honor the dead.
Many cultures have specific days set aside to celebrate and commemorate the ancestors. Following is a list of all the ones I was able to find:
Samhain (so’wen) – Celtic Pagan Oct 31. The dead are believed to return to the world of the living so offerings of food and light are left for them.
Kalan Gwav (Cornwall) / Calan Gaeaf (Wales) Nov 1. Autumn ancestor festivals.
Halloween / All Hallow’s Eve – Western Europe and North America Oct 31. Evolved from pagan festivals of the dead. Wearing masks and costumes provides a disguise that allows people to be unrecognizable to the spirits that wander the earth at this time.
Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead (Mexico) and Finados (Brazil) Todos Los Santos & Undas / Araw ng mga Patay (The Philippines) Nov 1 is the day to remember deceased infants and children. Nov 2 is the day to remember deceased adults.
Dia de los Ñatitas / Day of the Skulls – Bolivia Nov 9. The skulls of family members kept at home to watch over the family are crowned with fresh flowers and given offerings of gratitude.
All Souls Day and All Saints Day – Catholic Church Nov 1 is All Saints’ Day (Hallowmas). It is a day to honor all the saints, known and unknown. All Souls Days commemorate the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven.
Gai Jatra – Nepal Cow Pilgrimage, where a cow leads the spirits of the dead into the next land.
Wag (Wahg / Wagy / Ouag / Uak) Festival – Egypt Aug 8. The Egyptian Day of the Dead celebrated in honor of Osiris.
Fet Tout Namn – Haiti Nov 1 & 2 is Fet Ghede, a vodou feast. Ghede are the family of spirits (Loa) associated with the death and fertility.
Chinese New Year – China Respect is paid to the gods and ancestors before the New Year’s festivities begin.
Tomb Sweeping Day / Grave Sweeping Day / Qingming Festival / Pure Brightness Festival / Clear Bright Festival / Ancestors Day / All Souls Day – China around Apr 5. Respect and homage is paid to all ancestors at the grave sites.
Hungry Ghost Festival – China 15th day of the 7th lunar moon. Ghosts of deceased ancestors come out from the lower realm to seek food on Earth. Their sufferings are absolved sufferings and offerings are made for comfort.
Double 9th Festival / Chong Yang Festival – China 9th day of the 9th lunar month. Respect is paid to ancestors and elderly.
Bon Festival / Obon Festival – Japan Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of the ancestors. There are 3 different times of Obon based on locality. Hachigatsu Bon (around Aug 15) – most commonly celebrated time. Shichigatsu Bon (around Jul 15) – eastern Japan. Kyu Bon (Old Bon) is celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month – northern Kantō region, Chūgoku region, Shikoku, and the Okinawa Prefecture.
Faun Phii – Thailand The spirit dance or ghost dance is a religious ceremony honoring ancestral spirits.
Tarpan and Pitru Paksha – India Month of Ashwin. Pitru Paksha (fortnight of ancestors) is a 2 week period when Tarpan is offered to all the ancestors. Tarpan is a ritual conducted 1½ years after a family member dies and then is repeated every year on the anniversary of the death.
Jerye / Jesa – Korea Ancestral rites fall into 3 categories:
1. Charye – tea rites held 4 times a year on major holidays such as the Korean New Year.
2. Kije – household rites held the night before an ancestor’s death anniversary.
3. Sije – seasonal rites held for ancestors who are 5 or more generations removed (typically performed annually on the 10th lunar month)
Munmyo Jerye (Apr and Sep) is conducted to commemorate Confucian scholars and Jongmyo Jerye (1st Sunday of May) is conducted to commemorate kings of ancient times.
Chuseok / Hangawi is a day that people visit the tombs of immediate ancestors.
Feast of the Lemures – Ancient Rome May 9th, 11th, and 13th. There were two kinds of souls: the Lares (guardian spirits and family friends) and Larvae (restless and hungry ghosts). The Lares were honored in the household year round. The Larvae were fed black beans (a food for the dead) then driven away with loud noise and violent gestures.
Dies Parentalia – Ancient Rome A 9-day festival during which the burial rites of one’s departed parents were renewed.
The Anthesteria – Ancient Greece End of Feb. Great annual festival of the dead celebrated with wine.
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