It’s always during Samhain, All Saints Day & All Souls Day (Oct. 26-Nov. 2) that my heart yearns to honour loved ones that have passed. It’s also a time that I wonder about my ancestors, who they were, what type of people they were & how they lived their lives.
Ancestor – “any person from whom one is descended” – Wikipedia. That small description alone puts my mind into an exciting tailspin of who & how & when & where. How many centuries back? What would be some similarities or differences?
When you hear the term “the Veil is thinning”, they are referring to the time of the year when the energetic & psychic barrier between dimensions, Heaven & Earth, is said to become thin. At this time of year, we can “feel” what’s going on around us a little more intensely than the rest of the year. We may feel our loved ones around us by touch or whisper, by a shadow or a familiar scent.
In my Spiritual practice, I have come to understand that my ancestors are with me wherever & whenever I may need or call upon them. They are a part of my “Guide Tribe”. I look to them for wisdom & answers; for encouragement & support. They have so much to teach me even if I’m not really up for the lesson.
I was INCREDIBLY blessed & lucky to have my two Nanna’s & a Grandpa a part of my “everyday life” for almost my entire childhood. I spent huge amounts of time with them & for that, I am thankful. I miss them terribly & think about them A LOT. They were the greatest, grandest & closest of ancestry that I’ve had.
My Grandpa, the mighty Patriarch of the family, a soldier who spent horrific times in the trenches of WWI, sent most of his children off to fight in WWII, was an artist and an avid bread baker & marmalade maker. He also loved to garden & puttered around ours every spring & summer. He taught me how to whistle but warned me never at the Northern Lights. He taught me about herbs & flowers & all their magical powers; about the great stones of the earth & what secrets they held and most importantly how to head my Nanna.
My Paternal Nanna was the Matriarch or our very large extended family & was held in high regard. She was my first Spiritual Guide & in our quiet time together, she taught me about the Druids & the Fae; the light & the shadows; other realms & her practice which she termed “the Gift”. She is my “Queen Poo Bah” and I ask for her guidance on a regular basis. When they both passed in their late eighties, I was blessed by them both in dreams right before my Dad woke me each time to let me know of our loss.
To honour your ancestors is to think kindly of them & simply being grateful for their existence. Some other ways would be to set up an altar in your home dedicated to your lost loved ones; creating a meal in their honour & having a place setting for them; lighting a specific candle dedicated for this purpose; asking them to join you in thought or meditation to give you assistance & support for your highest good.
Today, with the help of genealogy & DNA tracking, we can get a better snap shot of what our ancestral lineage may have looked like. With the world wild web, we can view our native lands, topography & even right into the cities, towns or villages we once may have come. When I meditate & ask for my Guides & Ancestors to work with me, I can visualize little glimpses of what they all look like. Young & old, male & female & from different periods of time. They feel known & comforting to me & I allow them to take my mind & energy where it needs to go. This process takes time & trust & to see the familiar faces return time & time again assures me that I’m on the right path with the right beings on the right side of the light. XO
