Ancestors (with intro paragraph)
I see Life itself as the ultimate sacred with Life seen as the whole cycle of birth, growth, death, and re-birth. The world is sacred to me as a manifestation of the impetus of Life. I therefore honor the Sacred Kindred for their roles in creating and sustaining this sacred thing that is the world. This is also why we must respect those we call Outsiders for they are not opposed to Life, but rather a manifestation of Life that is simply not part of the order we are trying to impose at a given time and They are the reservoir of alternate potential that the world can draw upon when a particular order fails. Lastly, we should honor other humans who work to shape the world in ways consistent with the impetus of Life.
The Ancestors are generally considered the Mighty Dead, who live on in some form of the afterlife or, perhaps, have been reincarnated. They are receptive to praise and willing to look after their descendants by offering protection and guidance. Ancestor worship as a historical practice seems to have two main roots. One root arises from tribes tying their ancestry to a deity in order to cement their claim to the land. Another root of ancestor worship comes from a rather opposite direction as great heroes of a tribe or nation who in their life achieve something great for their people and then, after their death, the living would remember them and call upon them for aid. A simple example would be a general who achieves great victory and then his spirit is called upon for aid in future struggles.
These historical examples tie into my world view as the Ancestors’ actions in life helped to shape our current world. The energy of their lives carries on in this world and by honoring the Ancestors we can call upon that energy to further our aims that are in agreement with their purpose in life. With this in mind, I believe we can call upon the spirit of artists, leaders, thinkers, and heroes whom we have no blood relation for aid in the areas of activity where they made their mark.
I am less comfortable with my own blood relations as Ancestors. I have never looked back at my genealogy with much interest, thinking that while I exist because of these people, the have not had much effect upon how I live my life. My family heritage is one of mostly farmers and with my life taking a distinctly different direction it is hard to relate to my personal predecessors for guidance. My personal values differ sharply as well from those of my parents and grandparents which has also made if difficult to look to my family Ancestors. To put in terms akin to what I wrote above, I don’t see that my world has been created by them. With that said, I have come to accept that I am in part the person I am because of the genetics and culture passed onto me by family (including those instances where I defined myself in opposition to them; my own personal Outsiders I guess). I believe that my strength of determination, intellectual curiosity, and ability to simply “grind-out” tasks both mental and physical are a direct inheritance from familial ancestors and I thank them for that. You do not have to like everything about your Ancestors to embrace their gifts.
The Ancestors are generally considered the Mighty Dead, who live on in some form of the afterlife or, perhaps, have been reincarnated. They are receptive to praise and willing to look after their descendants by offering protection and guidance. Ancestor worship as a historical practice seems to have two main roots. One root arises from tribes tying their ancestry to a deity in order to cement their claim to the land. Another root of ancestor worship comes from a rather opposite direction as great heroes of a tribe or nation who in their life achieve something great for their people and then, after their death, the living would remember them and call upon them for aid. A simple example would be a general who achieves great victory and then his spirit is called upon for aid in future struggles.
These historical examples tie into my world view as the Ancestors’ actions in life helped to shape our current world. The energy of their lives carries on in this world and by honoring the Ancestors we can call upon that energy to further our aims that are in agreement with their purpose in life. With this in mind, I believe we can call upon the spirit of artists, leaders, thinkers, and heroes whom we have no blood relation for aid in the areas of activity where they made their mark.
I am less comfortable with my own blood relations as Ancestors. I have never looked back at my genealogy with much interest, thinking that while I exist because of these people, the have not had much effect upon how I live my life. My family heritage is one of mostly farmers and with my life taking a distinctly different direction it is hard to relate to my personal predecessors for guidance. My personal values differ sharply as well from those of my parents and grandparents which has also made if difficult to look to my family Ancestors. To put in terms akin to what I wrote above, I don’t see that my world has been created by them. With that said, I have come to accept that I am in part the person I am because of the genetics and culture passed onto me by family (including those instances where I defined myself in opposition to them; my own personal Outsiders I guess). I believe that my strength of determination, intellectual curiosity, and ability to simply “grind-out” tasks both mental and physical are a direct inheritance from familial ancestors and I thank them for that. You do not have to like everything about your Ancestors to embrace their gifts.