Honoring the Dead

By Berig - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=3628492

This is the time of year when the veil between the worlds is at its thinnest. At this time, it is easiest to contact our guides in spirit and our honored dead. The honored dead is a term referring to the ancestors, friends, and loved ones who have shaped our lives. It is important at this time of year to celebrate our loved ones, both for ourselves and for them. (They need to know they live on here and that you appreciate the lessons they have taught you.) At this time of year, it is easier for them to hear us as well.

I put up a temporary altar around Samhain with pictures of those I remember, light a candle for them to follow and put out a plate for them. (I got a real shock in the morning when the pizza slice was gone, and the dogs were put up for the night. The cat however decided since the honored dead weren't going to eat it, it was up for grabs).

I think honoring our friends and family in spirit helps us as well. I recently was thinking about someone who passed over just before Samhain, and all the contributions she made to my life. Not all of them were intentional. We sometimes learn more from watching others journeying on their path as we do from journeying on our own. This is the time we thank them for touching our lives both actively and passively. When the ceremony is finished, we need to let them go. Remember they have work on the other side to accomplish and our calling them to us intentionally or accidentally could hamper their ability to influence others. So thank them and let them go with blessings.

Blessed Be my friends here and on the other side. Thank you for your lessons.