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 )