When do we honour our ancestors? I’m a huge fan of dress up parties. Nothing builds rapport faster that donning a costume that helps you express your alter ego or in my case on Saturday, the shadow side of my personality. Aside from choosing costumes or trick or treating, many of us forget the spiritual meaning behind celebrating Halloween.
The Pagan celebration of Samhain literally means ‘Summer’s End’ and in the Northern hemisphere it is celebrated on October 31 (in the Southern Hemisphere its May 1). Over time, the influence of Christianity changed the celebration to All Saints Day to commemorate the souls of the dead that had been canonized that year.
Our ancestral history has a lot to do with the karma we carry in this lifetime. In 1:1 balance sessions we muscle test the body to see if there is a physical, biochemical or physical block that is ready to be released. When we further test for an original time, the blockage doesn’t always come from this lifetime, but sometimes from past incarnations.
A chronological time can be related to a past life but a genealogical aspect is related to either our mother or father’s line. The characteristics that we inherit shape our personality and influence the decisions we make in our lives. The karma we receive as well as the genetic inclinations we inherit impacts the life we ultimately lead, the addictions we are predisposed towards and the quality of our mental & emotional wellbeing.
- Was your mother passive aggressive?
- Is your father emotionally detached?
- Are women treated differently to the men in your family?
- Does your family have a poverty consciousness and fear wealth?
If this sounds familiar, then perhaps you inherited a pattern in your past that predisposes you to carry the same issue in your life. This is a matter of the messages you received in your childhood from your parents and relatives, as well as messages carried in the DNA and chromosomes inherited from your ancestors.
They say that when we honour our ancestors, we heal our own hearts but most of us tend to ignore our backgrounds in our quest for individuality and personal identity. We think we create our lives from scratch without the influence of the past. However our past haunts us in a myriad of unseen ways when we don’t recognize the sway of our relatives on our unconscious decisions and life styles.
Many other cultures such as the Chinese and Eastern Indian cultures recognized the important role ancestors play in the individual’s life. Many of their homes have altars commemorating the deceased relatives and offerings of food, drink, flowers or other gifts. These altars are made to pacify the ancestors and ask for their blessings.
I saw this ritual used at a wedding I went to recently. The groom’s beloved mother had passed away only recently so he set up an altar for her near the signing registry so that she could be a part of his special day. What do you do to stay connected to your ancestors? I’ve been thinking of this as photos of mine are currently tucked away in albums and I’m inspired to do something a little more inclusive.
Do you have pics of your relatives or ancestors in your home? I don’t as I work from home and prefer to keep my space more minimalistic. What about you?