Sabbath for Souls

Today is my Sabbath, and it's also the doorway to the dark half of the Celtic year, the opening of a new cycle. Blótmónað is the word for November in Old English; it means Sacrifice Month, but the sacrifice is joyful, as Persephone goes peacefully down to the underworld every year. Peace is the fruit of total acceptance.

In November I see the circle of life in all its full roundness - as it blossomed in spring and as it dies in fall. November is colder and wetter, drawing me deeper towards winter. This is a month when I celebrate the final fruits of summer’s work, and remember to express my gratitude.

The early Gaels believed that the border between this world and the otherworld became thin at this time of year, and so spirits of the dead could visit the living.

This is the time of year to welcome home the souls of your ancestors. But I definitely feel some angst regarding my relatives who moved here to the "New World" to take it away from the Native Peoples, and who bought into the false American Dream, built on the subjugation and decimation of so many other living beings. 

It has become my custom at this time of year to open my heart to healing the soul connection between me and my ancestors.

Agenda:

1. Unity Art for souls

2. Make Soul Cakes

3. Throw the runes

4. Have a soul ceremony

5. Offer ongoing support for my ancestors

1. Unity Art for souls:

While searching one year for how to go about healing my connection to the souls of my ancestors, I came across an article on ancestor offerings, from Lion's Roar: Buddhist Wisdom for Our Times:

"Ancestors are everyone and everything that existed on the planet before your birth. Ancestors can include the earth, moon, sun, and stars. They can include the people in your blood lineage (loved or unloved). Included are those we want to disown because we feel they did not walk with integrity or were harmful to others. Their “wrongful actions” have something to do with how we personally and collectively live, and they too are ancestors. Ancestors are also people in the lineage of your spiritual practice, and beings in the lineage of life itself. ...

 

When we bring in the ancestors at the beginning of a ritual or ceremony, we are starting with the bones. The bones, in this writing, are symbolic of wisdom. In some indigenous cultures, bones are said to hold memory. It is not our brains that hold the remembrance of human life before our births. The memories in the bone can be stirred or rattled, as they say, through ritual and ceremony. Through our bones, we can access wisdom that has been passed from ancestors to the present". 

Last year I set this intention, which I renew today:

My intention today is to invite the souls of my ancestors to gather with me, so that I can honor them, and thank them for my life; I intend to use my creative fire to rattle the bones of my memory, heal the rift in my heart, and forge a stronger connection between us. I'll do this with study, meditative baking, craft-making, and ceremony.

2. Make Soul Cakes:

It was a custom in many parts of the world to go ‘a-souling’ on Halloween - go door to door, singing and saying prayers for the dead; this is the origin of trick-or-treating! In Britain, these people were called Soulers, and folks gave them Soul Cakes. Each cake eaten represented a soul freed from suffering.

 

Today I will make a batch of soul cakes, while channeling all my female British ancestors who may have made a similar recipe at this time of year. The recipe is here.

3. Throw the runes:

Runes are used as a divination tool - I don't have a complete set yet, so I use virtual runes such as the ones at Ifate.

Today I asked the question: "What is my best direction as an artist?" and did a simple 2 rune reading:

1 - Situation today: 

Sowilo, or the Sun Rune, symbolizes energy, life and fertility. Warmth, positivity and drive flow from radiant Sowilo. While Sowilo indicates positive energy and success, it also reminds us of the necessity to move on even after achieving that success. Its action sustains itself and spurs the individual on to greater and more noble pursuits.

Sowilo represents an endless source of energy and brilliance: a renewal of hope and achievement. If a project or endeavor is beginning to "drag on", Sowilo indicates a resurgence of positivity and progress, and often refers to a dynamic, strong, steadfast, and charismatic personality. Energy, motivation, goodness, and all positive character attributes are referenced here. A very successful outcome is indicated, perhaps more successful than one had predicted. Sowilo is an extremely fortunate rune and is often considered the best possible rune in a reading.

2 - What will be: 

Wunjo is the glory, bliss, joy after a long struggle has ended. Victory gives way to days of song, celebration and rejoicing. Wunjo represents a spiritual ideal which cannot be maintained in the physical world. The facets of Wunjo that we are able to experience in life are thought of as minor tastes of what was promised in Valhalla: a purity of pleasure and spiritual contentment.

Wunjo is a rune of great happiness and deserved celebration. It is an indication to enjoy all that it has to offer - success and the true rewards of a job well done. This predicts the attainment of desire. Fantasies are soon to be fulfilled when this rune appears. One must be careful that the desires in this rune do not give rise to an obsessive nature. Too much focus can be placed on the end goal rather than the means of achieving it. The appearance of this rune may indicate a need to stop and reassess -- to take measure of the object of one's pursuits. Wunjo reminds us that some fantasies are best left to the realm of fantasy.

4. Have a Soul Ceremony:

When we do an action as a meditation, a prayer, anything we do in life can be a way to heal. So, I've designed this personal ceremony to culminate my sabbath for souls:

1. Mis en place: Gather and prepare the supplies - a lighted candle, soul cakes, my ancestor altar, and a list of the names of my ancestors.

2. Observe: Sit down, take a breath, and slowly read out the names of my ancestors, to really notice them and recognize them as being amazing and significant. Listen for messages.

3. Create: My intention is to use my creative fire to rattle the bones of my memory, heal the rift in my heart, and forge a stronger connection between me and my ancestors. I decided to make a bone pendant. 

 

4. Give thanks, share: The culmination of a Medicine Art project is to give thanks, and share. I will eat soul cakes and drink tea, slowly and silently, giving thanks to Creation for my life, and imagine the souls of my ancestors being freed of all suffering.

5. Offer ongoing support for my dead ancestors:

I found this wonderful article from Ancestral Medicine - Five Ways to Honor Your Ancestors:

"Once the dead have become ancestors, part of their post-death journey may include making repairs for wrongs committed while here on Earth. For their sake and for ours, it’s good to spend a little time now and again feeding our relationships with the ancestors. The five suggestions below, none of which require belief in any specific tradition or dogma, are safe and effective ways to assist our beloved dead and to welcome the ongoing support and blessings of the ancestors in our everyday lives."

What a healing way to look at it! So, I've set a third intention:

I intend to continue to honor my ancestors, and heal my heart, by:

-fulfilling my soul's purpose as an ethical and loving person, because this is the best ways to help my ancestors fulfill their's; 

-dedicating positive actions in the name of my ancestors; specifically, I plan to donate money to Native American groups, saying “I dedicate the positive energy from this donation to the well-being of my ancestors; may their spirits be at peace”; 

-continuing to study and connect to the cultural and religious traditions of my ancestors, and create meaningful objects that I can use to honor them, and remind me of our ongoing relationship.