We call out now to our departed loved ones.
You have crossed over from this realm,
But you are not forgotten.
You live on in all of us,
In our thoughts,
Our speech,
And in all that we do.
You live within us and within those yet to come.
We call to those who came before us.
You watch over us.
You guide us.
Tonight we thank and honor you.
Come to us and let us celebrate your time here on earth.
What I just read is a passage from my yearly Samhain ritual in which we remember and call out to our dearly departed.
In Wicca,
Practitioners regularly honor their ancestors,
Especially during certain rites and at certain times of the year.
We seek guidance and insight from them.
We revere them.
We love and celebrate them.
This practice is nothing new.
As many mainstream spiritualities also hold their ancestors in at least some regard,
Ranging from naming buildings after them to the act of praying to saints.
In both cases,
There is a common understanding that our ancestors are never forgotten and the spirit of our ancestors is eternal.
Wiccans see them as spirits that are continually offering forms of influence in our lives,
Our spiritual practice,
Our very essence.
The remembrance of ancestors and the celebration of their lives is well known at certain seasonal observances,
Such as Samhain for Wiccans,
The secular Halloween,
And the predominantly Catholic Day of the Dead.
But these aren't the only times when our ancestors are honored or venerated.
Across multiple spiritual practices,
Paying tribute to our ancestors is ongoing throughout the year.
So who are our ancestors?
My quick answer is those who have gone before us.
This means that our ancestors are many,
Even if we don't personally categorize them as such because we don't find them to be particularly endearing.
Some,
However,
We have high esteem for and choose to hold close to us.
Ancestors aren't saints,
Meaning that they were not canonized by the church,
Although some might be regarded as virtuous.
Blood relatives are certainly considered ancestors,
But a large part of our ancestry exists far beyond the familial and into the familiar.
Ancestors can also be those we are strongly connected to,
In a strictly spiritual sense,
Or come from a shared lineage of principles and convictions.
It isn't necessary to have actually known the person or persons for you to view them as your ancestors.
An ancestor can be someone you've simply read about or,
For whatever reason,
Feel a strong commonality with.
For example,
If you are an avid painter and take inspiration from the works of Picasso,
You would be absolutely correct in calling him one of your ancestors.
This type of person I commonly refer to as an adopted ancestor.
Many people who aren't especially close to their genealogical kin will often feel more of a bond with adopted,
Familiar,
Or cultural ancestors.
Each year at Samhain,
I set up an ancestor table with photos and names of those who have gone before me,
Whom I wish to remember or ask for guidance in the coming year.
Some are blood relatives.
Some are souls I've crossed paths with only very briefly.
Some are animals.
Some I've never met at all.
It's important to recognize that our ancestors are unique individuals with their own identities,
Just like those of the physical realm.
Just as we do,
They have their own personalities and individual traits,
And these often play a large part in why we feel a kinship with those we choose to honor.
Our ancestors live on in all of us in our thoughts,
Our speech,
And in all that we do.
They live within us and within those yet to come.
One day,
We will become someone else's ancestors,
Whether we know that person or not.
