Why do so many indigenous people revere and go to such lengths to commune with their ancestors?  There are countless examples of this all over the world and within most cultures.  Modern man may scoff and call these practices archaic, quaint or primitive, but I feel there is an profound need to honour those who have gone before us.

We all have ancestors, some good, some not so good and some that we would love to disown.  However, they are all part of our genetic make up and we can learn just as much from a rotten ancestor, even if that is how not to go about things.

We can also have an ancestral connection through our crafts.  We can call upon the spirits of previous practitioners for guidance where necessary.  This is something I have done many times by visiting locally the graveside of a wisewoman who departed this life over a hundred years ago.  It is traditional to take along some form of libation when one communes in this way.  This forms, if you will, the communion between yourself and the departed one.  It acts as a bridge between the worlds so that understanding and communication can be effected.  Then the avenue of connection occurs through the imagination, which has no boundaries.  Once a message is received, it is weighed and judged by the rational mind and the acquired wisdom and ethical structure of the psyche.  This is how it works for me.  Others may have differing methods.

Within the Dark Gathering, which is a significant community event which I help run, there has developed a strong ancestral motif which has gathered momentum over the years.  There have been several people who have performed the Ancestor Blessing for which I am very grateful, but in typical Cornish style I shall mention the first and the last for now.

The first was the unforgettable Will Fox who whistled up the spirits.  Go to 17.17 mins into this video to experience the atmosphere of Remembering the Ancestors:

The last (for now) is our Conjure Man, Peter Grey:

It has become a truly moving experience for many folk who attend, especially when everyone joins in with the Ancestor Chant that was introduced back in 2018.

Last year (2023) we had a group of Mexicans who came to the Dark Gathering.  They enjoyed the experience so much that they have decided to return again this year.  We have approached them and asked whether they would be willing to share their cultural Dias de los Muertos traditions with us, which they have agreed to do.

The Day of the Dead is largely seen as having a festive characteristic. The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.

Traditions connected with the holiday include honouring the deceased using calaveras and marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl, building home altars called ofrendas with the favourite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased.

During Día de Muertos, the tradition is to build private altars (“ofrendas”) containing the favourite foods and beverages, as well as photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so the souls will hear the prayers and the words of the living directed to them. These altars are often placed at home or in public spaces such as schools and libraries, but it is also common for people to go to cemeteries to place these altars next to the tombs of the departed

(Wikipedia – Day of the Dead.)

This group of Mexican friends have come together under the name of Takam and they will be constructing three altars (ofrendas) at the Dark Gathering with a narration explaining their traditions.  Later on they will be performing a special dance with songs that connects to their ancestral beliefs.  There will be an altar for adults, one for children and another one for pets.

If you are attending the Dark Gathering 2024 and have a loved one who has passed recently who you wish to be remembered in this ceremony, then please contact us on this link:  Ancestor Offering   You will then be contacted with further instructions of what to bring to the event.  We only have a limited amount of space for offerings so will act on a first come, first served basis.  Please state in your email the name of the loved one and whether they are adult, child or pet.

It’s as well to remember that we too will be an ancestor one day.  So how and for what would we like to be remembered?  It’s important to live a life that matters.

A Life That Matters

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end.
There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, days.
All the things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else.
Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance.
It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.
Your grudges, resentments, frustrations and jealousies will finally disappear.
So too, your hopes, ambitions, plans and to-do lists will expire.
The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.
It won’t matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived.
At the end, whether you were beautiful or brilliant, male or female, even your skin colour won’t matter.

So what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?
What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; not what you got, but what you gave.
What will matter is not your success, but your significance.
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.
What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others.
What will matter is not your competence, but your character.
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.
What will matter is not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you.
Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.
It’s not a matter of circumstance but of choice.
Choose to live a life that matters.

Communion – the sharing or exchanging of intimate thoughts and feelings, especially on a mental or spiritual level.

Oxford Dictionary