Full Moon of the ancestors
“What you are, is what you have been. What you will be is what you do now.” Lord Buddha
From what we know now, I think everyone needs to work with ancestral healing. There is really now way around it because in order to heal our wounds and learn to speak our truth, we should understand what is that truth that we are speaking. Where is it coming from? What is it’s foundation? Where are it’s roots hidden?
When we accept and understand the workings of Karma, we also understand that the effects of the actions all the people that came before us will have an effect on our present life, personality, decisions and circumstances. Who we are today is the accumulated results of the actions that our ancestors have taken. To this formula we add the results of our actions and the result is felt in the quality and rhythm of life we have.
In my personal journey this was an incremental step I took to begin looking what is behind me. Where do I come from? Who and what shaped me into becoming who I am today? I found healing when the I began seeking answers to these questions. I found wisdom when I understood the answers to these questions.
The Vedic Vision regards each and one of us as a unique individual, made up of sheats and layers of intricate colours, flavours and aromas within a culture, because we all belong somewhere. We all belong to this Earth, to this expansive and vast space and within all those unique and intricate layers of what makes us, us, lies a shared universal seed from which everything else is born, including us. The seed cracks open and the sound it makes is the sound of LIFE. At a macrocosmic level, we are all a big family, and like in all families we have responsibilities towards and ourselves. Moving from the macro to the microcosmos we travel from space to land, then to culture, then to family and social structures which give us our unique flavour.
We need to trace back to where we come from to find answer to the question “Who am I?”
The Full Moon on 24/02/24 is an opportunity to dwelve deeper into seeking the answer of who we are from the perspective of where have we come from.
The Moon will become full in the sign of Leo which is ruled by the Sun the Giver of Light, symbol of spirit, authority, tradition and leadership. Leo is a Fire sign which has a solar flavour and it brings in themes related to freedom, leading others, kingship and queenship, regal manners and sacrifices for the higher good of all.
The Moon will be passing through the nakshatra of Magha, the royal throne. This portion of the sky is rulled by the Pittrs, our forefathers and foremothers, our spiritual and biological ancestors. This is the last pure Full Moon before Eclipse season begins with a penumbral Lunar Eclipse on 25th March. When we are in between eclipses, the LIGHT is being shadowed making these “portals” sensitive to unexpected events and karmic issues brought to the surface.
Our Karma starts with our ancestors, and during eclipses if the light is switched off in the sky, then we turn to rely on the inner light. The Sun as the centre of our solar system and the symbol for our spirit is the one which reflects light on all other planets. The Moon is the reflector of the Sun and at this Full Moon we are given it’s fullest luminosity before moving into the shadow of eclipse. This cycle prepares us for what is to come, and the effects of what we do now will reflect in future cycles.
What is it a good time for?
remembering your spiritual & biological ancestors through stories, food and bewerages
ideal time for showing generosity and balancing the relationship between giving and receiving
taking out the old black & white photos and revisiting memories
enquiring about your ancestors if you haven’t done with curiosity and excitement
cooking their favourite foods and sharing it with others
listening to music that you know was a favourite of a departed grandfather
reading stories or watching documentaries about the land that you were born and brought up in
visting the land where you were born
sharing stories and asking questions to local people
lighting candles and offering prayers and flowers to your ancestors
visiting burial places of your ancestors
offering flowers, and sharing food with others
For this generous Full Moon be generous with yourself and others and pick one of the above as a day time activity.
Then for evening of 24th if you would like to do a little ritual pick one ancestor that you may wish to ask for a boon or a blessing, that is for the greater good of your long term vision. It can be a spiritual or a biological ancestor, knowing that even if you may not know who your biological ancestors are, there are karmic ties between you and anyone who had a responsibility to care for you, or raise you, even feed you and most importantly, shape you.
You can create a special altar and if you have pictures of the chosen ancestor, then place them on the altar. Sprinkle water, light a candle and burn some incence. Offer flowers and begin an honest conversation with that ancestor. Let yourself speak loudly and speak your truth. Offer your prayers and ask for a blessing. When you finish, burn another stick of incense and make a food offering, anything from the Earth or to make it more special something that you know your ancestor would have loved. Make that your ritual for this Full Moon and then with the experience you had sit in reflection and let it move through all the layers of your body.
If you are finding it difficult to find an ancestor, then I would recommend you go to your Ishta Devata, your chosen deity to whom which you normally pray, surrender and ask for miracles.
Ask for wisdom, guidance and ilumination and with the potency of this Full Moon, remembering and honouring the people that have come before you, shaping the path upon which you are walking now go out there and design your destiny.
When you are done with the ritual, offer the flowers and the food back to the earth or to a flowing river. Keep your reflections close and take them within your inner space and being as the Moon begins its wanning phase.
Blessed Full Moon
OM TAT SAT
