'The little space within the heart is as great as the vast universe. The heavens and the earth are there, and the sun and the moon and the stars. Fire and lightning and winds are there, and all that now is and all that is not.' -The Upanishads.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

ancestors

Lucky Turquoise Amulet Earrings


Roses For the Ancestors

Other societies all over the world, past and present, honor their ancestors, some to the point of burying them under the hearth, keeping their heads or their mummies around the house.  When my (now) 92 year old mother asked me some time ago what I planned on doing with her when she died, I told her I was going to have her stuffed with a lampshade on her head.  She didn't bat an eyelash.  "Nah", she said.  "You'll never remember to dust me."

Ancestors are not just limited to family members; they can include people whose lives have had a positive impact on us in some way or the spirits that occupy the lands where we live. One of the things shamans all over the world do is open communication channels with the ancestors. I keep a little space in my room for an ancestor altar where I might put a flower, a chocolate kiss, a beautiful seed pod or a pretty shell from the beach. I tell them that I remember them with deep gratitude and that they live in my heart.  I ask them to watch over and protect all those I love.

The earrings above are an expression of that gratitude.

2 comments:

Penelope said...

What a lovely post... trinkets are a great way to connect to past souls- I have my great grandfather's pinky ring and every time I wear it I get a great sense of dignity and tenacity; I never knew anything of him, but I don't think I need to.

Maggie Zee said...

Thank you Sparrow. I believe you're right. I wear rings that in life, never left the fingers of my two grandmothers. They connect us, like your great grandfather's ring. Very powerful.