The Love of the Ancestors is Yours
Walking with the Ancestors
Last evening was Halloween ~ and it brought us the blessing of a Blue Moon, which is the second Full Moon of the month. We were lucky enough to have a rare moon occurrence on such a sacred day. In the Celtic Tradition, Halloween was originally Samhain (pronounced Sow-in), a holiday that honors the Ancestors. Similarly, today is the Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, which is celebrated by those with Latin American ancestry to honor the family and friends who have passed. As a child, I absolutely loved dressing up and going out with friends and family to collect treats from neighbors. As I've grown older, I've learned that our modern culture has come far from understanding the original meaning of this sacred celebration, which is a beautiful opportunity to connect with those who have walked before us. On this particular day, it is said that the veil is thin: contacting the spirits of those who have gone before us who now reside in the Otherworld is easier on this day.
As the sun set, I journeyed to ask my Ancestors how I should honor them. Instead of an altar cloth, I was shown that I needed to honor the blanket of blue night sky glittered with the stars above me. I was shown to perform the ceremony by the Nature Spirit Altar I built outside. I was shown to bring particular offerings, such as apples cut in half, revealing the stars in the center, as well as nuts, dried fruit and sweet wine.
I prepared these offerings and brought them outside to the altar. I then began to rattle to the directions, beginning in the West, which honors closure and endings. Samhain is, for the Celts, the last day of the year, which was a time when harvest was finished and preparation was done to hunker down to welcome the dark of the coming Winter months.
As I aligned myself with the Spirits of Nature as well as the Ancestors, I could palpably feel them with me. The messages they brought were strong. As I rattled to the sky, I was told to acknowledge the stars and the bright Blue Moon. They said to remember that they have walked under them. I was shown the strife and hardships they have endured. I was shown the love and the joys as well - all under the same sky. They are quite aware of the hardships we are currently navigating on Earth at this time. They reminded me that this Earth School is not easy, but it is well worth it. They reminded me that life is sacred. It is a gift: The life we are given is a blessing, even when we encounter challenges.
As I began to rattle to the Earth, they said to rattle around my feet and move up to honor my entire physical being. The message was clear that in doing that, I am also honoring my own presence here. In honoring the skin I live in in this life, I also honor them. They continued: When you honor your presence here in the Now, you also honor us. Your blood, skin and your bones are filled with our DNA. When you welcome your own presence here in the Now, you are co-creating with us. You honor us by honoring you. By extending love to yourself, you are also extending love to us. The reciprocation and interconnectivity was palpable. They went on, You are made of stars, you are made of us, you are made of the Earth. You share commonality with everything here in this Universe.
Let's think about that: when you hold in your heart of the love you have for your children and grandchildren and the unknown future generations, you are holding them in reverence of your own beautiful hopes and dreams for them. That is the same with our Ancestors. They are no longer in a body, but that does not mean they do not see us, hear us and walk with us in times of great joys and challenges. They are wise, they are loving and full of strength that we can tap into at any time.
They continued, It is not for you to be weighed down by the heaviness of your current time on Earth, but instead to dream up the world you wish to gift to yourself, which is a gift to future generations. It was clear, they were not just speaking about humans, but of every living creature we share this world with. They spoke of balance.
Again, the lesson of interconnectivity was repeated: As above, so below. Nothing is separate from another, that is an illusion.
I closed ceremony with a grateful heart and a deeper wisdom of how to navigate through this current time. The Ancestors were clear that I share this message with you, in hopes that you begin to honor yourself, to extend love to yourself just as you would to your own loved ones who are no longer: your grandmother, your parents, your extended family member who are no longer on this Earth. The ones who gave you the skin you walk in and the lungs you breathe with. From this place, you might be able to extend that same love and compassion to every creature who walks alongside us in this world ~ human and non-human alike.
