As the momentum of summer draws to a close and the seasonal heat of life subsides, we must take time to honor our ancestors. Feng Shui recognizes the non-religious spirituality that comes with remembering ancestry. While we may physically resemble our family members, we are spiritually connected by tradition. With the end of summer, we must ask ourselves: How do we make our ancestors proud?
The end of the summer is a time to gather in peace and assess how we as individuals are making our ancestors proud. In Aelita’s Latvian tradition, she remembers paying respects to her ancestors through annually cleaning and maintaining their gravesites.
Similarly, in Chinese Ancestral Worship, living family members honor the dead through maintaining a tombstone, paying material tribute, and recognizing their ancestors. This recognition may be practiced on a daily basis with an altar in the home where incense can be lit and offerings of food can be made. With this practice, the memory of ancestors can be brought into the daily lives of the family, carrying memories through generations.
Ancestry is a key component to Chinese Polestar Astrology (which will be the focus of our next article). Polestar Astrology divides the stars into “Twelve Houses” to interpret an individual’s fate based on their birth. One of these Houses is the Ancestral Palace. While this may reveal a karmic relationship with one’s parents, the Ancestral Palace reaches beyond immediate family to your relationship with the entire family line (including the deceased).
In Chinese tradition, the “spirit world” where the deceased reside can influence the living, material world. Understanding the Ancestral Palace helps to illuminate the spiritual affinity one may have with their family line. In a way, this can bring us closer to our ancestors. Like making an offering or cleaning a grave, Polestar Astrology recognizes the importance of our ancestors in our daily life and honors their continual influence.
Even without a tombstone or urn, family members can still enact traditions which honor their ancestors, like using a grandmother’s recipe or reading a great-grandfather’s journal.
With the end of summer, it is vital we come back to our roots and pay our respects to the people who have shaped our lives. Coming together as a family to create traditions honoring ancestors ultimately builds bridges between generations. In Feng Shui, one of the greatest symbols of longevity is connection between multiple generations. We would not be who we are today without our ancestors, so we must honor them and make them proud.
Fully comprehend your ancestral past with an astrology reading by Aelita Leto today!