Talking to the Dead
April 9, 2024
Have you ever talked to your ancestors? Just think of it. You would not be here right now but for them. We talk about our lineage, but we do not know the people who came before our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. We trace our family tree and go back as far as 1500 or so; we may see their names on censuses, deeds, or birth certificates, but we do not know them personally. Even still, they lived, laughed, and loved just as we do today. And we carry their DNA. In fact, we would not be here if they did not live, have lives of their own, celebrate, grieve, express delight, love, and make love.
Our forebears were not personality-less personages that walked through history; they were beautiful little girls and boys who sneaked a piece of pie, ran through pastures, and climbed trees. There were mischievous teens who rebelled against their parents, They became adults who fell in love, found their mates, and birthed their children. They cried when their children struck out on their own; they lost their parents and sometimes their babies. They grieved, celebrated, winced, and smiled. Some of them must have wondered about us … what we would be like, what kind of world their descendants would live in, and if we, their progeny, would carry them on in some way. Don’t you, at times, wonder these things?
All the experiences of their lives were encoded in their DNA, and we inherited the cumulated genetic material from thousands of years of the family who eventually bore us.
The love they gave their families was essential to life. Without love, our ancestors’ families would have fallen apart. But instead of falling apart, the family line from which you came loved each other from one generation to the next. Now, it falls upon us to carry that love to the next generation.
Are you thankful to these people who loved each other enough to eventually bring you and your generation into being? Are you grateful for their courage to preserve and nurture righteousness, action, compassion, creativity, wisdom, kinship, joy, strength, and all the loving peace they created? The above qualities correspond to the nine points of the Enneagram of Soul, and every one of these soul points is within you because they were nurtured by your family you never met.
Have you ever considered connecting to the vast reservoir of love that is your ancestry? This concept is not far-fetched in some religions and cultures. The veneration of ancestors is known in many religious communities (e.g., Confucianism, Shintō); shrines in honor of the ancestors were maintained in Greek and Roman homes in antiquity. In the religions of many native Africans, ancestors are thought of as being with us in the here and now.
Inquiry: Would you ever think of writing a letter of thanks to everyone who held each other in love until you came to earth? If it is true that your ancestors lived and laughed like you and that their souls are still alive, do you think that by honoring them and connecting with them, you may receive their blessings and energy?
Dear God,
I give you thanks for these dear people, all the way from cave dwellers to farmers to city dwellers. I ask for their blessing and to let them know I am thankful for all the love that paved the way for me.
Amen.
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