Ancestors
We can honor the soul by nurturing our relationships with the dead, whether by visiting and decorating their graves, by praying for them when their memories drift into mind, by naming our children after them, by preserving and using objects they left behind, or by telling their stories and keeping photographs and paintings of them within sight.
Our ancestors give us something irreplaceable and precious in their relationship to us. They are truly our links with the eternal, and it is no wonder that many religions place emphasis on honoring them. We can learn from these rituals and practices to honor our own ancestors and our departed relatives and friends.
(Thomas Moore, Soul Mates, p. 202-3)
10 January 2016