Honoring the ancestors

Through art, storytelling, and creating our yearly altar, I have offered my son RaYa traditional and non-traditional ways of connecting with and celebrating our ancestors.  In doing so, he has always managed to keep an open door between him and the spirit world.   Through storytelling and the rituals, his bond with his deceased relatives keeps growing stronger.  

Paper flowers are a new favorite way we honor our ancestors.  They are traditionally used for Dia de Muertos in Mexico and many Latin American countries on November 1st and 2nd.  Paper and fresh flowers are used in ‘ofrenda’ for the ancestors who have passed as a reminder that their souls are always seen as bright as flowers, full of life and joy!    The brightness of each flower helps them find their way home according to tradition.  These are just one of the many ways this tradition honors our deceased relatives.   Every time we make a paper flower, we deepen the love between us and our ancestors.    

OFRENDA

This family altar (ofrenda) is a fusion of halloween pumpkins, art, and Dia de Muertos traditinal items that incude painted skulls, candles, paper flowers, and photos of deceased relatives.

We celebrate the Day of the Dead in our family because the celebration is so festive, colorful, and the tradition is so rich. And also because my son is part Mexican from his Father’s side. The movie Coco is excellent for introducing this holiday and its traditions to children. Perhaps this ceremony has been altered from its original way; nonetheless, it has been one way for us to anchor to the beauty of celebrating death.

But, there are many  ways to honor the ancestors.  Find a way that works well for you, and I encourage you to open your mind and heart to the possibility of deepening your trust and love between you and those that have passed.

This is our home altar decorated by various colors of paper flowers made by me and my son RaYa.

TALKING ABOUT DEATH

Death has been something we talk about often. As a young boy, he lost both his maternal grandmother and paternal grandfather and our beloved black cat ‘Star’- shown next to my parted pets shown in the photo to the left.

RaYa started fearing my death more because of my ‘sick boobie,’ a word we use for breast cancer diagnosed in 2017 when he was four years old. There have also been many friends who have passed because of cancer. And he had also witnessed my struggle with my inherited ‘health opportunities’ since 2015 when my son was just three. There is no doubt that he has been picking up subconscious fears of losing me from all of our family close and far.

The honoring and celebration of death have helped our family bridge the worlds between life and death, including the unseen realms.

Although I would like to shield RaYa from any suffering from the fear of possibly losing me, I've had to accept that he chose these lessons as much as I have. I don't force the topic of death upon him, but it's clear that it has shown up in our family's life for a reason. Because of the fear of death, he has more trust in the Angelic realms and guidance from beyond the veil.

Overcoming the grueling fear of loss through death is not easy.  I love teaching both children and adults that death is just part of the transformative process of life.  There is beauty in understanding that our ancestors are always in our hearts, and they, too, can communicate with us and even help guide our way.  This trust transforms fear into the light. 

I celebrate my ancestors more now than ever because my heart has shattered into pieces repeatedly over the years.  In this breaking, I have stretched my capacity to love beyond my mind's understanding.  I was willing to look at the pain, honor the love, and transcend the fear, which makes me see our existence in a circular, non-linear way.  I wish this for my son to embrace all of life's cycles and trust that we never indeed die. 

Celebrating those who have passed is not just a once a year thing.  We hold our ancestors near and know that they have a place in our hearts for our family.  Ancestral healing is the core of my work as an individual and as a healer. 

I wish for all of you to remember that each of us has a place in our family system.  Including the Universe.   All we must do is remember each being's essence and celebrate them.   See them in your mind's eye as a brightly lit star in your family's stellar configuration radiating love.  Each of us has our divine blueprint and contribute in our way to the light of all existence.  

Remembering and honoring each soul is adding to their light and affirming their importance.  As I tell my son each night, "the love of your mother and ancestors are always in your heart."

In the light of love,

Yve