Friday, December 4, 2015

Ancestors

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In many cultures our ancestors are deemed very important. They are honored, and even after they have passed into that other world a place will be kept for them in this world.

Truth be told, if it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be here right now! So from that perspective there is no doubt our ancestors deserve our respect and gratitude. They have brought us into this world, for us to live our own lives, walk our own paths, and yes, learn our own lessons. Without them we couldn’t have made it this far.

But the reverence for our ancestors goes further than that.
It is through our ancestors that we are born into a certain culture, both a ‘family culture’ as well as the culture that is part of the area they lived in, and therefore we grew up in. Through our ancestors we were raised according to certain principles and habits; but also with a foundation of things learned, abilities and professions that often can be traced back for generations.
As such, our ancestors truly are the roots we are growing from.

That wisdom of the ancestors was passed on from generation to generation; from mother to daughter, father to son. And when we find ourselves in a situation we don’t know how to handle, we may call upon those that have more experience…

So we call our parents.
We call our mom for that awesome recipe that her mom used to make. We call our dad for advice.

And sometimes it seems like we should take the time to do that more often.
Somehow, in our zest to do everything we want to do in our lives our own way, in our desire to figure things our for ourselves, we forget that the previous generation(s) has accumulated a wealth of wisdom that we can tap into. We may even feel that how they did things was ‘backward’, outdated, and that their ways have no place anymore in today’s fast paced, digital society.

Let alone that we set a space apart for our ancestors. An alter, a closet, a little room where we can be with those who went before us. Where we can call upon the wisdom and the help of those with far more experience than we have. A place where we can remember the stories of our grandparents and great-grandparents.
A place where we can go in order to re-attach ourselves to our roots…

Perhaps that is something that just doesn’t fit our belief-system, our perspectives on life anymore. And there is nothing wrong with that. Although it might be a good idea to every once in a while pause, and realize that we wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for them…
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