It happens every year – yet it never ceases to be amazing. The spectacular color change of the fall foliage is just so…soothing. Yesterday, I found myself utterly mesmerized by the sight of wind-induced golden maple leaf ‘rain’.
Nature is our reflection, and if our tree allies are dropping their life force into their roots, what does this mean for us?
It got me pondering about what our ‘roots’ are, and how being ‘rooted’ is very different from being grounded.
For me, being rooted means being internally connected to yourself. It’s a palpable felt sense of being completely at home, and of belonging to yourself or rooted within yourself. AND our ancestry contributes to this, because they’re a huge part of who we are – on the inside.
As a nation of people who’ve transplanted themselves – often for reasons of survival – many of us have lost touch with our ancestral roots. We don’t have a connection to what our more distant ancestors lives were like, what their native language sounded like, what their food tasted like, or how it felt to walk on the land they belonged to.
It’s an empty space that, I think, affects us so much more than we realize. It causes our internal roots to be shallow – affecting our inner resilience.
Re-claiming our connection to our ancestors and even honoring them can provide a sense of belonging and grounding in a time when we’re becoming more rooted to externalities than to ourselves and to each other.
Right now is prime ancestral time – the veil is so thin – and globally the energy is alive with All Souls Day (November 2) and Día de los Muertos (November 1)
SO there’s no time like the present to start exploring your ancestry. We can ride the wave of the many cultures around the world that are gathering to honor their ancestors with prayers, offerings, and communal meals. (To me, the fact that all of this is happening right now just proves the point of how important it is to maintain a connection to our roots!)
There’s no model for how to do this here in the US, so you get to create it and here are some ideas below. And the beauty of stepping into this terrain is that our ancestors really benefit from our witnessing – afterall, they aren’t static – they change as we change.
5 Simple Ways to Honor Your Ancestors
- Light a Candle: Light a candle in remembrance of those who have passed. Tell your ancestors that you see them and offer them healing light should they choose it. Let it be a candle that’s dedicated to them. You can burn it completely or light it periodically as you connect to them.
- Create an Ancestral Altar: This doesn’t have to be anything fancy – dedicate a small space with photographs, heirlooms, or items that represent your ancestors? Over time, this space will become more and more potent with your meditation and reflection. You can even adorn it with plants, flowers, etc.
- Write a Letter: Consider writing a letter to your ancestors, it can be to a specific ancestor- one you feel particularly connected to or a general letter. Introduce yourself and tell them about you. (Please note – it’s impolite to right away just start asking for help – you need to create a loving and honoring connection first.)
- Explore their way of life: Read about your cultural background – what types of rituals, traditional meals or spiritual practices were most likely alive with your ancestors. Better yet, do you know of any ancestral stories that got passed down? Take time to imagine what their life would have felt like.
- Spend Time in Nature: Take a walk outside and consider inviting healed and compassionate ancestors to walk and explore nature with you. Allow the changing energy of the season to remind you of your connection to the earth and your ancestry.
Connecting with our ancestors fosters healing and instills a sense of inner rootedness. It enables us to cultivate a stronger sense of personal identity. This is such a powerful counterbalance to the myriad of distracting and destabilizing forces we encounter so regularly now!
Let’s see those who came before us with gratitude, for it’s because of them that we’re here today.