Ancestors: Honoring Them
"Tonight I will call my ancestors and they will come, they
MUST come, for until this moment, the only reason for their existance,
has been me."
~Amistad
The pages of time fly past us and we begin to notice ourselves
changing. They way we look, dress, even our opinions change. We
become entirely different people from the children we once were. Every
now and then, a window into the past is opened for us. "You have your
grandmother's eyes" "Your uncle loves that song" We brush aside these
comments, never paying attention to their significance. Never realizing
that the souls of the past, those who have moved on to other places, all
live, through us. We are the keepers of the past. The people of a time
long ago continue to impact the world through the living. What of the
afterlife? While some are afraid of it and dread the day they must face
it, some look forward to it as a new beginning, THE beginning. I've
discussed with my people of different faiths their views on the
afterlife and have learned that although different faiths view it from a
different perspective, everyone is seeing the same thing. If two people
were placed in a room in oppposite corners and asked to describe what
they saw, they would both describe the same room, however, they would be
giving their own seperate interpretations of the appearance of the room.
The color is cherry to one person and red to another. The past is a
sacred object that deserves to be revered. We often blindly walk
through life without really giving a second thought to where we came
from. Those before you MUST have thought about your future, otherwise
the human race would have died out long ago. To become more aware of
ourselves, it is important that we reflect on the past, and the people
that have made us who we are today.
~M/SR
An Ancestral Altar
November 1st can be a time to remember those who have passed away.
This is a suggested altar setup. Mis it up however you want to...
so that it has personal meaning for you and those you wih to honor
during this time. Suggested for your altar:
Scent: Cypress Oil
Flowers: Marigold (They are common, but use whichever flowers you
think best)
Food and Drink: This is also a common practice to place on the altar
the favorite food and drink of the person you're honoring.
Personal Items: Items belonging to the deceased person...or something
that was dear to him/her.
When done erecting your altar, or even while setting it up, here's a
chant you can use:
" Ancestors
Those who lived
before me
Ancestors
Of good intent
Welcome
Ancestors
Blessed Be "
( Feel free to switch it around however you like )