What is an ancestor or what is the definition of ancestor? Traditionally “ancestors” are viewed as departed blood relatives: parents, children, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. However, depending on the culture, the definition of ancestor has many meanings. In some cultures, you cannot be considered an ancestor unless you have lived a good standing, morally correct life. In other cultures, women are not considered ancestors at all. However and generally speaking for most, “ancestor veneration” or “ancestor worship” (meaning to maintain an on-going relationship with those who have departed) is not only a tradition shared amongst our Afrikan brothers and sisters, but the concept has existed through almost every known culture including various parts of Afrika, the Pacific, South American, Indonesia, certain parts of India and Indochina, even among those of Islamic or Christian faiths.
Even Jewish people have been known to light candles and say special prayers honoring their family member’s anniversary of death. And in celebration of All Soul’s Day, many honor the dead by putting gifts, flowers and food on the graves of their family members for it is believed that once death occurs, the physical body is left to decay and the soul transits into the realm of spirit where such spirit continues to live as an ancestor or a spirit guide. In many instances, the living will leave money, clothes, animals, and messages at grave sites of their deceased relatives in hopes that the deceased might use these things on their journey. In addition, many cultures will honor the dead with festivals, drumming, singing, dancing, and drinking for it is believed that to honor our ancestors is to honor our lineage and our roots and this is the first step to reclaiming our spiritual heritage. Therefore, the ancestors are consulted for guidance, prayed to, venerated with rituals and are given offerings for their continued influence on the living by helping them to resolve their day-to-day problems.
Because so many cultures, primarily outside of the United States, believe that the invisible world plays such an enormous part in everyday life, it is custom and is extremely important to pay a great deal of attention to the dead and the ancestral family. I think we all can agree that death is a universal fact and is the inevitable end of all human life. However, in many cultures, life does not just end there. The soul continues on, just, in another form (spirit) and in another world. It is also believed by many that the dead are reborn into family members so that they can finish whatever business they were not able to finish while on earth and for these reasons a great deal of concern, care, time, and money is spent on proper burial rites. From the preparation of the body all the way through to the prayers, ceremonies, and sacrifices given to help ensure that the deceased is satisfied and appeased for an easy transition from the land of the living to the land of the dead. For it is believed that if proper funeral rites are not performed for the deceased, the spirit of the dead person will become a ghost to roam the world without peace, lost and confused with the abilities to harm and haunt people and relatives until it gains attention and proper acknowledgment of the proper burial rights, prayers, offerings, or ceremonies that will bring contentment to its soul.
In Afrika, the ancestors are called “egungun” and they, too, believe in the continued existence of the ancestors in the life of the living. They believe that there is a link between the dead and the living and that the egungun represents ancestral spirits that periodically return from heaven to visit and commune with the living during a 7-day festival where honor is given and sacrifices are offered at shrines specifically set for the ancestor spirits.
How important is ancestor reverence? Let's see, try to put yourself in the shoes of your ancestors. If you were an ancestor and your family members and friends were to just forget about you, how would you feel? If you were alone, lost, and confused in the spirit realm and there was no one person praying for you or giving you light so that you could find your way, what would you do? If you wanted to save someone or help them to better their lives and they just ignored your messages, would you give up? If you wanted forgiveness or just wanted know that you were still loved, and there was no one to show you some attention and your efforts was ignored, wouldn’t you feel alone and abandoned? And God forbid, but, if you were ill and approaching death or you died suddenly, how important would it be to you that someone, even if one person, were to remember you?
Ancestor veneration is important because your ancestor’s memories continue to live inside of you, flowing through your blood. Their memories, over time, become etched into your DNA. These memories in many cases will continue to manifest (show up) in your life whether for good or bad. What is deemed good or bad will depend on the issue or circumstance that is influencing you or your family. Many people do not realize that their suffering or good fortune in many cases is a direct result of their ancestor’s past thoughts, behaviors and/or actions. Simply put — just because a family member dies doesn’t mean that their energies are forever gone.
For instance: if the ancestor was a great person, their good energies will continue to flow through the living family spreading goodness. But if the ancestor lived a troublesome life, their bad energies could negatively impact an entire generation. Sometimes an ancestor’s power (influence) is so strong that it could operate against your will — for better or worse. In some cases, the ancestor’s interference can appear too bad or a hindrance but in actuality, the ancestor may be trying to protect you from an ill fate. This is very common in issues of money where many of our ancestors believed strongly that “money is the root of all evil”. In this case, the ancestor will block your money believing that they are saving you from some type of ill fate, devastation, heartache, or problems attached to having money. Of course there are many reasons why your money could be blocked especially if the negative energy is coming from your own thinking but if your ancestor believes “mo’ money – mo’ problems” and that people get hurt over money, then they will block your cash flow for fear that you may suffer in some way. In cases like this, you could opt to commune regularly with your ancestors asking them to bring blessings, explaining to them what your plans are for having money. You could also ensure them that they do not have to worry because you are responsible and safe, that you will not brag or boast, and that you have protective measures in place for being able to store large sums of money, etc. There are other ways to unblock the ancestors using traditional or modern methods but is just a simple hypothetical example.
Because the ancestors have such powerful influence over the living, you can see why many cultures find it important to honor the ancestors and why they place so much emphasis on maintaining a positive relationship with the ancestor spirits. You can also see why ancestral healing would be extremely important for healing family and community dysfunction.
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