Honor Them, Honor You

“If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.”   --TNH

   Our ancestors journey with us through life, not only in our DNA, but also in our current situation which is in some way shaped by their dreams and failures.
     There were things that your relatives were unable to accomplish in their lifetimes. Maybe it was an inability to quit drinking alcohol, or to stop using tobacco, or to use loving speech instead of abusive behavior, or to let go of grudges. As a capable, fresh set of eyes, you are the opportunity to transform these inter-generational burdens. As a son or daughter, you are presented with the responsibility to say "I'll do it for you, for myself, and for our future generations". Taking care of yourself helps your family and in turn, humanity. It is never too late to begin transformation.

     Periodically, I take my daughter to the cemetery to visit family.

     This most recent visit, she flitted from grave to grave, adorning different tombstones with tiny treasures.

Sharing a carrot with her great grandfather.

       We enjoyed the spacious peace.

     
     I have always stressed reverence and the graveside side-step, but this visit was different. She was showing up as the light that she is; singing, playing store, picking flowers... I watched in awe. Her freedom and love took my breath away.

     Almost every (and I dare say every single) world religion practices some form of veneration of ancestors/guides who have died. However, talking about death and the dead in America is taboo. Most of us are not used to incorporating it into our lives.  

     Through grieving and honoring legacies, health and joy arise. Besides visiting places of rest, another wonderful way to honor passed loved ones and their (your) energy is by creating an 'ancestor sanctuary'. This is a place for YOU to get quiet and practice meditation or to display objects and pictures of people you love. It nurtures your essence and can lift the energy of your home. 

      * * *
To Create An Ancestor Sanctuary:
On a clean shelf or small table place the following:
- Pictures of relatives, friends, spiritual guides/mentors, and pets that have crossed over
- A vase of fresh flowers (maybe your grandmother loved pink carnations?--hook her up!)
- Small objects that belonged to your loved ones: a piece of jewelry, a fishing lure, a paintbrush, a toy, etc...
-Religious? Items like incense, holy water, rosaries, statues, books can help you connect with your spirit and help ground your altar
-Candles (7 day candles sold at the grocery/dime store are perfect)
-A chair/cushion nearby that you can pull up and enjoy the space you have created. You have now built for yourself and your family a safe place to pray/meditate/read/drink tea/think out-loud/ etc...

       

      Show respect for your deepest parts, your roots. See what movement occurs in your life as a result.

   



Further reading, click HERE

Confessions Of A Cellular Junkie

     As I was strapping the baby into her carseat a couple months ago, I put my iPhone on top of the car. Then I drove off. My phone, well... I've imagined it in a ditch, in the clutches of some teenaged boys, and in shards, crunched by a semi in the middle of A1A. All of those are possibilities.

I had my "LIFE" in that phone! (...Or did I???)

Notice what came next. It surprised me;

Freedom.  

Like a technologically naive grandmother, I could spread my wings and soar under the cellular radar, to a land where no calls nor texts could touch me. Like a lone mama wolf, I could curl up with my pup, tucked away in our reclusive den, without electromagnetic radiation clouding our cuddle.  I seriously considered not buying a replacement. I'll get a landline, I said. It'll be old school. Yeah. I'll be plugged into the DIRT.

 But alas, I eventually caved.

Any silly guilt aside, this got me thinking about addiction. I am a cell phone addict. iPhones ARE the new cigarettes. Just reach down and get one out of your pocket, light it up, and tune out the world around you.

They need to add a cellphone to this

Are you addicted to your cell phone, too? I stumbled across an article by Dr. Andrew Weil that helped explain WHY CELLPHONES ARE SO DAMN ADDICTIVE. You can read it here. 

Short story: Harvard Rats were put into three groups. One group pressed a bar and got a treat every time. The second group pressed a bar BUT only got a treat sometimes--and it was RANDOM. The third group got squat. Guess which group was all cracked out, pressing the bar nonstop? The second group. Our phones are the levers that RANDOMLY give out treats. You might check your email five times in an hour and only get an email ONE of those times. But that's enough--that random positive feedback conditions you to keep checking. Obsessively. All. Day. Long.

Must. Keep. Refreshing.

Ding!

Now we hear other people's phones going off wherever we are and are sent into a Pavlovian hunger to check our own. Was that for me?

All this cell phone business is keeping our minds active and chatty. (Not to mention feeling the slow burn of electromagnetic radiation)

Andrew Weil turns his phone off every day at 4. Do you have the guts to try that? Set the boundary and see how it feels, even if you just try it for a week. Anxiety at first is normal. Freedom might be just around the corner.

Ill sign off for now with a couple laughs, thanks to comic genius, Louis CK. * And by the way, if you are gonna put your cellphone next to your pillow at night, keep it on airplane mode!!!