The end of February was always a time to celebrate my parent’s birthdays… February 26th for my Dad and February 28th for my Mom. Although, my mother never liked anyone to know how old she was, she still liked to celebrate.
So, this week I will be creating a special ritual for my parents.
Honoring and Acknowledging ancestors is a tradition that has been alive and well for thousands of years. It is understood that the ancestors live within you. By acknowledging the past generations (even if you have never met them), you forge a bond with your spiritual lineage.
I will discuss breaking negative family patterns at another time, but for now let us see how we can honor our ancestors. And I do believe that our ancestors do learn and grow and can become their best selves once they have passed on. That is why we offer prayers and do rituals to the ancestors.
Remember, even if you had a dysfunctional childhood, your ancestors gave you the gift of life. And that is very precious.
Create an Altar: This is a way to create a sacred space in your home.
Place a photo of your ancestors on the altar.
Include symbols of their lives - maybe you have a special candle holder that belonged to your grandmother, piano music that your grandfather played, a ring that your father wore, and/or your mother’s favorite earrings.
Alternately, you may include symbols that represent where your ancestors originally came from: sand from the dessert, a bowl of water if they lived near the ocean, photos of the countries they came from.
Food: include their favorite food or drink: I like to put a bar of halvah that my dad loved or some scotch that my mother enjoyed when the sun was setting.
Include flowers and incense if that is something that will uplift you. Smelling gardenias always reminds me of my mother and makes me smile.
Candle: Light a candle and from your heart, offer up prayers to your ancestors. If possible, open up your heart to forgiving them for anything they did consciously or unconsciously that has harmed you in any way. Ask for forgiveness if you have harmed them in any way by your words , deeds or actions.
Open to receiving back healing, wisdom and blessings.
Make sure to keep the altar clean and fresh. Replace dead flowers and offer food to the earth when your ritual is over.
My parents, Diana and Julius Winer
IG LIVE ON WEDNESDAY
I am looking for people to interview on my Joy of Ritual Segment on Wednesdays. If you have an interesting ritual and/or ritual product to share on my IG, please contact me at info@barbarabiziou.com.
For those of you who celebrate: HAPPY PURIM!!!
Many Blessings,
Barbara