“‘Simba Simbi’: Holding Up That Which Holds You Up [no matter what that means to you] is keeping this living divine order to bless us and to hold us up to justice, to success, to life and to happiness for all, collectively. This work was written to remind us to hold up again, those individualized ‘Simbi’ energies that have helped hold up life on this planet from the beginning of time to the eve of this millennium before us.”
I love the KiKongo quote, above. "Hold Up That Which Holds You Up", Dr. Fu-Kiau reminds us that 'Simbi' is the ever present life-giving "God" essence in everything. Our ancient ancestors understood this and that's why they revered everything in nature including family who passed on into the invisible realms. A "God" essence that never dies and lives on even in the realms of Spirit.
"We, today, stand on the shoulders of our predecessors who have gone before us."
~Benjamin E. Mays
This is a powerful quote because the ancestors are apart of that "God" essence that holds us up and therefore, by honoring our ancestors we hold them up as well.
Many people ask, “How do I communicate with my ancestors?”
The answer to the above question will differ from culture to culture. We must also note that the word "ancestor" means different things to different ethnic groups. At the core of how a specific group will honor their ancestors, will greatly depend on the community's concepts and beliefs around morality.
"morality - principles concerning the distinction between right and wrong or good and bad behavior."
We must be mindful that morality is relative. It is not an absolute. What's deemed as good behavior to one group of people can be viewed as bad behavior to another group of people. I don't like using the words good or bad in this context. Instead, we should look to see if our behavior (moral compass) is in alignment with our own destiny, the destiny of the collective community, or the destiny that was laid out for us by the Creator. On the flip side, if we find that our moral compass is not in alignment, then we must decide what should be done about it.
When moral thoughts, feelings, and actions are in alignment, the person and/or community will grow and prosper even through challenges; and if the morals are not in alignment then the person and/or community can suffer dysfunction, setbacks, or stagnation.
What is an ancestor?
When most people use the word ancestor, they generally mean any deceased family member that is blood related and morality is not usually taken into account. However, "in many cultures, you cannot be an ancestor unless you have lived a good standing, morally correct life, and/or a life without harm to [yourself (suicide) or] others."1
Why is morality important when it comes to our ancestors?
It is important because we need to know the character and moral behaviors of our deceased family and friends. Knowing this helps us establish which ancestors are best to call upon and which ones to leave alone until we are better prepared to address their lowly energies. Therefore, it is in my experience that YOU should not talk to any spirit/ancestor without (YOU - YOURSELF) having a strong mental, emotional, physical, spiritual constitution.
Communicating with ancestors who had weak morals can be potentially harmful to anyone with a weak, negative or easily influenced mindset. It would be best for you to have protection and guidance from an elder who can assist and help you to remain safe. Trying to communicate with spirits without proper preparation, protection, or know-how can potentially ruin your life, set you back, make you physically or mentally ill, or become harmful if you are not strong and well guarded.
The spirit world is interacting with us all the time whether we are aware or not. This is especially true of "earth bound" souls who have not elevated and this will include many of our deceased family members. These souls are very much still attached to how they once lived in the physical. Some lived well and many not so well. Because of this, we must be careful about who or what we are potentially communicating with as I mentioned above.
Example: if you had a mentally ill and irrational family member in the physical realm, then the soul of this individual will more than likely be unbalanced in the realm of spirit.
In keeping with all that has been said, so far, how do you precede?
Before preceding to communicate with any spirit/soul, you must garner a certain demeanor. My cautionary words to my students, "spirits are opportunistic." Therefore, you must approach spirit with a strong and confident disposition. You must, first and foremost, get stronger and more empowered within yourself so that the outer forces, energies, and spirits will interact with you in a positive and respectful way. Do not approach the ancestors/spirits fearful.
As I have stated on my BlogTalkRadio Show, LUMINOUS SPIRIT, you should not deal with the spirits until you can balance and control your mind and your emotions. At a bare minimum, you should have self-control.
What is self-control?
You are mature in your thinking and actions.
You are not reckless or harmful toward yourself or others. This includes being quick tempered.
You have a great sense of right and wrong.
You can subdue sudden actions, impulses, and emotions.
You can think things out before acting to triggered thoughts and emotions.
True power comes to those who have the ability to control oneself. Lack of self control allows one to become controlled and there are plenty of spirits controlling people.
As I have said on numerous occasions, the spirits can see/sense our weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and faults. And, if they chose to, the more cunning spirits/ancestors could exploit those weaknesses for their own gain or amusement.
There's a saying, “familiarity breeds contempt.” What does this mean? It means a loss of respect, usually over time.
Since the spirits are very familiar with you and your faults, they will, sometimes, not respect you to the level that you would expect them to. This is why you don't want to go to them in a weakened or low vibrational state. This does not mean that they will not help you nor does this mean that you have to be perfect. Obviously, we all have our shortcomings and character flaws, however; there is a way to approach the spirits with confidence and a knowing that you are safe.
If you think about it, we do the same thing on the human/physical level. We, sometimes, will not respect, listen to, or hold our family and friends in high esteem because we are familiar with their faults and shortcomings. We know too much about them. We love them but we may not hold them to a high standard. We tend to feel like and will say to ourselves, “who are they to say anything to me when they themselves don’t do what they are supposed to do?” So, familiarity breeds contempt” and because of this, we must be careful when speaking with and calling the spirits toward us. We must also be careful when calling ancestors whose characters and behaviors are unknown to us.
When approaching the spirits or ancestors we must deal with them from an empowered, mature, clear, and strong position. We must know what we want. If we do not know what we want, how would they know how to help us? As well, we should not go to them confused as this could attract other spirits which can stir in more confusion, just for kicks. Our heads should always to clear and senses sharp. For the same reasons we should not drink and drive because alcohol or drugs can impair our senses, confusion impairs you and makes you vulnerable to negative spirit/ancestral influence. Therefore, you do not want to communicate with the spirits mentally or emotionally unstable. Again, if we are confused about what we want or what direction to go in or who we want to be with or what our needs are, then it makes it difficult for the ancestors and spirit guides to know how to help us. When dealing with your ancestors or spirit guides, you need to be clear, concise, and sure. Even if problems or drama is happening in your life, it is beneficial to go to them as if you are a problem solver. You should go to them with resolve and with the mission and tenacity for attacking your problem head-on. Be direct in what your needs are and have goals that they can help you toward. Important, you can make a list of your wants and needs, and tackle them one at a time. If some of your desires are similar you can group them together, but be clear.
DO NOT leave it up to your ancestors or the spirits to do whatever they want for you, this is a grave mistake. You have to remember that they have personalities and characteristics just like us. Each spirit will have their own agendas, ways of doing things, and ideologies that may or may not be helpful or supportive to you. Sometimes, the ancestors and guides may have an idea that is out-dated and not necessarily suited for current times. Sometimes, they feel they know what is best for you when in actuality their idea can hold you back.
For instance, say you are asking for money because you are struggling. Now suppose your ancestors have the idea that money is bad, causes all kinds of problems, and is the root of all evil. This ancestor or group of ancestors could, potentially, block your prosperity, feeling that they are protecting you and keeping you out of harm's way. They may feel that they are doing you a favor by keeping money out of your path for fear that someone may take your money, you may lose your money or you may be robbed or caused harm in some way; this is a typical way of thinking. Some ancestors will criticize, judge, hinder/block or bless you depending on their successes or failures. Many ancestors will bring their experiences into your life, however, just because something happened to them doesn’t mean it will happen to you. We do the same thing in the living. Just think about how overprotective you get over your children or family sometimes based on your experiences and fears – based on your successes or failures? Just think about how, sometimes, you have an idea about how something should go for your child or a family member – you interfere – only to find out later that your idea or interference wasn’t the best approach. Well, the ancestors are no different – they can be overprotective to a fault sometimes. Now on the flip side, if your ancestors know that you are irresponsible with money, they may block your money all because they know that you will blow it, anyway. They may also block your money or your other desires if they feel that you will get distracted and fall off your path. However, this should not be their call, although, they hold lots of power in our lives. On the downside, an ancestor or group of ancestors may not want you to get ahead out of sheer misery – they never had any money nor should you. Dealing with the ancestors can be tricky, sometimes.
Why would the ancestors think this way? Usually, when a person dies they die with the beliefs that they lived with while on Earth. If a person believed in the living that there are white pearly gates when you go to heaven – then they will have the same belief on the other side. If a person believed that money was bad in the living then they will have the same belief in death.
Now, think about the hundreds and thousands of ancestors whose DNA lives in your blood. Just imagine a lot of these ancestors with their own opinions, feelings, and ideas about how your life should go. It is important that you have your own ideas and plans about how your life should go and take a strong stand to create and manifest that which you desire. Making it clear to your ancestors that they are there to help you and guide you to be progressive and successful but this starts with your own attitude. You will want to make sure that you are on the path toward your destiny, allowing your soul/Ori to express itself. You will appeal to the ancestors to help you achieve your goals without any negative interference or hindrance on their part. This is important to remember.
When approaching the spirit realm you want them to know what your end goal is. You want them to know that you are serious and those ancestors that choose to help you will be rewarded as you are rewarded in the physical plane.
For instance, if you are looking for a job, you can explain to them that you need a job but you also need help from them in acquiring opportunities for obtaining a job. You also need to let your spirits know that you have a plan to network, look in newspapers, online, etc. You will ask them to remove any and all blockages or interferences in the way of you getting what you need. This is all provided that you are doing your part 100% in the human physical realm. If the spirits see that you are procrastinating, wishy-washy, and half doing your job to look for employment they may only help you a little bit or not at all. If everything pans out, you can give them a thank you offering for their help.
The reason you need to take a strong stand with your spirits and ancestors is that you don’t want them to get the idea that they can boss you around. Many people, spiritualists, priests, and priestesses have been taught the wrong way to communicate with their spirit guides and as a consequence, the spirits are running the life of that person and it is not supposed to be that way.
Many do not realize that sometimes the ancestors are jealous and envious of the fact that we are still living and because of this they can act funny toward us. Just because we may do ancestor reverence in many forms – it doesn’t mean all our ancestors are nice to us. There are many people that are spiritual, religious, scholarly, priests and priestesses of a high order that feel and have said, “STOP!, calling the ancestors to you!” They say, “you should not call upon your ancestors or any spirit until you are absolutely in an empowered place of being and then and only then are you able to help the ancestors elevate to a point where they are beneficial to you and the family line.” They understand that when you call your ancestors toward you unprepared, you are inviting more trouble into your life. The downside is that the ancestors will come with all of their problems (mental, emotional, financial, and/or physical) exacerbating yours and they can complicate matters.
On the same token, many people hold on very tight to deceased loved ones. When you are very close to someone that dies it is extremely hard to let go. The downside is that when you don’t let go, the deceased cannot elevate. They cannot go on to do what they need to do for the evolution of their soul or yours in some instances. So for those of you holding on to your loved ones, you must TRY hard to let go. Letting go allows them to move forward and come back to visit you at a later time. Another point to the downside is stated in the above paragraph, they can complicate things for you when you hold on to them. They need their freedom. Even though you may be holding on out of love, that love chains them causing both the living and the dead continued suffering. This is NOT good.
By now, some of you may be thinking, “what’s the positive to ancestor reverence?” Well, asking this question would mean that you haven’t read my other articles or my book and you should do so. There are two sides to every coin. We live in a dualistic reality and therefore we live both polarities – positive and negative. So of course, there is a positive and beneficial side to ancestral worship which many people from various cultures speak about all the time but this article is to speak about the other side that we don’t hear much about.
For those of us who follow nature-based spirituality and honor the ancestors through worship and reverence, understand that we do not do this to imprison the ancestors or have them to work for us. We revere them so that they can help us. It is a partnership. Helping us, helps them to elevate but it also lightens the load and helps to clear karma for the entire bloodline. To those unfamiliar, there are rituals and ceremonies done by specialized Elders that can align the ancestors with the living so that they are helpful and not hurtful to the family line. It is known and common practice that it is essential to spiritually heal the ancestors before extensive communication takes place.
What should you know if you decide to communicate with the spirits and ancestors?
You should know that it is the living person who is supposed to be in charge and in command when communicating with spirit, however; many people do not know this. You, the living person, are in control, although, you may need the help of the ancestors. As commander in chief – you must act like it. When the spirits see you taking control of your life and handling your business to make things happen they will follow your example. It will require you to be firm and confident like I said.
In most cases, it will require you to address karmic issues that may be plaguing your life.
The other thing that you want to do is call on the highest Power possible. This can be the Creator, God. This can be the Orisa, your Ori/Higher Self, this can be other high vibrational ancestors, deities, divinities, or forces that have power over the dead – keeping them in line and in check. Of course, this is all done in a respectful manner. You don’t want the ancestors or guides to stick it to you out of spite. You will notice in my prayers that I pay homage and make mention of the Holy Ancestors, Heavenly Ancestors, Mighty Ancestors or Omnipotent Ancestors because I only want ancestors of wisdom, strength, power, courage, prosperity, abundance, and confidence to come forward. You want to work with the ancestors that are the “shakers and movers.” You want to work with ancestors that know how to build and create; the ones that understand currency and trade. They can make things happen. They play no games.
The lower vibrational ancestors and spirits will bring problems and issues from the other side into your life. My spirits are teaching me that it is not always wise to call every ancestor unless there is a higher power to keep them in check and keep them from negatively impacting your life. In the living, we say, “misery loves company.” There are ancestors or spirits that love misery and will be attracted to family members that they can make miserable. There are ancestors who can try to bring you down. However, as we become more empowered we can gain more control over this. I don’t want to be mean but you may have loved your mother or your father, your brother or sister, or some other kin but it doesn’t mean that they should be around you in a weakened state nor should they be around you to add more issues. If your loved one was a control freak in life, most likely they would be trying to control you from the realm of the dead. And if you are hearing un-supportive voices in your head, dismiss them immediately – you have the power. As I said before, be strong – spiritually, mentally, or emotionally. This way, you can lessen the impact of psychic (spiritual) influence coming from the low vibrations of a negative or un-supportive ancestor.
Another point I would like to raise is that the memories of all our ancestors live within us. These are the good memories as well as the bad memories. These memories affect our genes from birth. It is scientifically proven that we suffer from those that walked before us. This is known as suffering from the sins of our forefathers. Many of the problems that we have in our lives are genetic and a direct result of how our ancestors once lived in the past, for good or bad. For instance, not only can we be predisposed to health issues that run in our genes, from family members dead or alive, but we can also inherit emotional problems, negative behaviors, and poor character traits.
For instance, we all know that glaucoma (eye problems) can be genetic but so can procrastination, lack of motivation, or poverty. Fear of success can be a genetic flaw as well. There are millions of examples.
Maybe you had an ancestor that was a liar, a cheat, a manipulator, a thief, or abuser. These are traits that can be passed on to the living. Some people feel stuck and in a rut and don’t know why. They may be legitimately trying their best but no matter what, things seem to fall short. This could be the result of bad genes.
Now, you as the living person can alter this by not allowing these energies to run your life. You must find ways to counteract and override the negative memories or programming that you are struggling with in your genes. In a lot of cases, this will not be easy.
For instance, say genetically you have poor parenting skills, you can counteract this by learning how to better communicate instead of being abusive. You can learn better-coping skills, and maybe psychology to understand why people do the things that they do.
Maybe poverty or money problems are genetic issues for you-you can counteract this by learning the meaning of money, what it means to have money, how to manage it, and adopting positive ways of thinking about money.
Relationship problems are common and can be a big problem genetically. There have been examples where all the women in a family line have man problems. This can be the result of bad memories in the genes coming from an ancestor who felt that the women in the family can do without a man. This ancestor could have been hurt or traumatized by a man and therefore feels the need to protect the women in the family line. Even worse, this ancestor didn’t have a man or happiness and feels that no one else deserves to be happy. Maybe a male ancestor felt guilty that he could not protect someone when he was alive and now this ancestor feels that the only way to protect the women is by keeping men away – a sort of cockblocking. There are hundreds of examples that I can give.
I want you to know that ancestral trauma is very real and many of us suffer from this energy coming from our genes every day in some kind of way. There are many ways to counteract the pitfalls. The simplest way is to decide to break the negative patterns plaguing your life or your family. This works well for many people. Teach your children to break the patterns as well. For they have the same genes that you do. Other ways are to eat better, think positive, keep your vibration high, high, high, learn to control your emotions and re-educate yourself about health and money for example. Whatever you don’t know – teach yourself and learn.
A lot was said and I have given you much to think about. On a positive note: we have many supportive, nurturing, beautiful, uplifting, and wise ancestors that can help guide our steps and protect us as well. These are the ancestors that you want to be around you.