AncestOrs & AnceStars
Honouring our roots
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Ancestors
On 2nd November it was the Mexican tradition of “The Day Of The Dead” (dia de los muertos).
It is a celebration of life.
A time to celebrate and honour those who have come before us. To remember they created the foundation upon which we now stand and to notice how it acts as a springboard for new life and ideas to be born for us.
I recently saw the Pixar movie Coco which showcased this tradition and told the story of how a young boy reconnects with his musical ancestral roots. I really enjoyed the movie and it’s worth watching if you haven’t already!
During this tradition many people create ofrendas (altars) as a home for the spirits to come back to. The altar includes an offering of the elements; Earth (food to feed them), Fire (candle to light their way), Water (for their thirst), and Wind (paper banners).
I feel those who have died haven’t really gone anywhere.
They have left their body, but they are not gone.
I’m reminded me of a story about an Indian saint called Sri Ramana Maharshi. He was dying of cancer and his disciples said,
“Why don’t you heal yourself?!” and he replied something to the effect of, “No this body is done now.”
In a state of desperation his disciples plead,“Please don’t leave us!”, and without hesitation he replied,
“Don’t be silly where will I go?!”
He wasn’t afraid because he knew he wasn’t really going anywhere. He was simply dropping his costume.
Everyone and everything that has ever been is here inside the One Source, which is accessible in this present moment.
When you view life from this perspective you cannot delineate where one thing begins and another ends. Everything is in the present.
If you quieten the mind, and reconnect to your body, you will feel it - a vast and ineffable connection to it all.
This picture best represents how I feel:
AnceSTARS
Our ancestors do not only come in human form, but also as stars.
Before Mother Earth and any other planet was created, stars were present. And they had to explode in order to create the building blocks of the rest of nature.
The American Museum of Natural History explains it well:
“Every atom of oxygen in our lungs, of carbon in our muscles, of calcium in our bones, of iron in our blood - was created inside a star before Earth was born.”
We literally come from the stars.
I wrote a poem about this in my poetry book Searching in Silence:
the stars look upon us every night and wonder,
maybe tonight is the night they will understand,
that when they look at us,
they are not looking at the sky,
they are looking in the mirror.
If you want a more scientific explanation that will leave you in awe, watch this TED talk by Michelle Thaller. It blew me away:
Roots
“You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the ocean in a drop.” - Rumi
Let us honour our ancestors both biological and spiritual.
Let us call in the ascended masters, animal spirits, tree spirits, angelic guides, and other higher dimensional beings working for the good of all to guide our way.
Let us honour every moment that went into our existence and evolution.
Let us honour the Earth Mother for giving us a home.
Let us remember the truth that we are all connected.
Take 15 minutes to listen to this instrumental. When I listened to it for the first time earlier this week I felt like I was carried into a different realm. Find somewhere you can lay down, close your eyes, connect to your breath, and let yourself be carried away too.
You won’t regret it.
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One love ❤️
V
such a beautiful thing to be reminded of our star lineage. thank you for that <3 it is our common heritage. the ways we are all woven together and ultimately come from the same source. I find my ancestors often in the trees and stones and soil, yet sometimes forget to look to the stars. oh how quiet they are in their unwavering presence. especially in big city life when their light dwindles into faint ripples. yet there is not missing the big presence of a sky unaltered, full of stars. no wonder the ancient ones praised the heavenly night. they hold the wisdom of all past present and future.
I love the way you have brought examples from every part of the world, in different creative forms, and made it into a beautiful writing that’s so easy to read. Coco is one of my favourite Animations and that quote from Rumi always get me✨ we are truly magical!
Thank you for this wonderful essay🤍