Ancestor Honoring Ceremony

Sunday, October 30, an altar was erected to the Ancestors in the Longhouse. The ‘Walking On’ song was offered around the place of the Fire-Flower altar, for who among us has not known of someone(s) who has ‘walked on’ in the recent or long ago past? It would be appropriate to use candles, fruit, flowers, candy, tobacco, a photograph/token/favorite food of loved one(s), or vice, as the case may be, that their lives on the other side might carry our best prayers and well wishes ... these things were placed on or around the altar upon entering ... 'accepting and releasing into the light’ as we go. 

I invite you to consider taking this harvest and honoring time into a personal earth walk whether in community or solitude. In this way we begin to approach the Gaa Biboon Ked, the Winter Wisdom Teachings whereby we begin to ‘Fire Our Seeds of Inspiration’ for the new year to come. Begin watching for the Orion Constellation to appear low in the eastern sky at early night, as the ancient harbinger of Winter Bringer. 

The Spirit plate is prepared by selecting very small and representative pieces of each feast food on the table ... mindfully collected with the left, offering hand, taken outside, and offered with a prayer of recognition and gratitude ... I like to raise the plate and turn it to the seven directions, lastly approaching the Mother Earth four times before lowering the plate to the earth ... Shewen dagzewin! A blessing is visited upon us this day!