Why Ancestor Worship is Important
Thousands of years ago, we worshipped the elements of nature — the sun, the moon, the earth, the water, the flames, the air. We gathered on ancient mounds in the mist at night, or by the shores of the sea to sacrifice food and precious metals. The practice of ancestor worship used to consume our rituals and be ever-present on our minds. Now, the practice of ancestor worship in the west has not been practiced for thousands of years.
This led me to wonder one question; why did our ancestors worship those that came before them? And why did it end?
The clues are back in time. Thousands of years ago on the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic past, before the arrival of the Neolithic age and the Romans that invaded the Brythonic shores. Imagine a world full of people that had been practicing rituals to connect with the natural elements and the ancestor spirits for as long as they could remember.
Archaeological evidence shows us that our Brythonic ancestors would bury their relatives under the foundation of their homes to keep their spirits close. It was important to them to keep a strong link to the past — but why?
The answer could be in who their ancestors were. Our ancestors saw themselves as descended from deities. The gods and goddesses of their lands — Danu, Brigid, Aine or The Dadga. This was the reason ancestor veneration started, but there’s more to this than meets the eye.
Why are ancestors important?
By proving and sustaining a connection to the past, our ancestors could keep the door to knowledge and enlightenment open.
Our ancestors saw their ancestors as gods and goddesses. Thousands of years before their own time, the gods and goddesses walked among people and imparted great knowledge to them. They taught them how to fish, how to build, how to use plants for medicine, and everything else that was needed to survive. So they would light fires on the mounds or sacrifice their best swords to watery bogs in the hope that the deities would still walk among them. They preserved this in oral tradition to keep the blessings returning. This was one of the reasons why Samhain was one of the most important days of the year to our ancient Celtic ancestors.
Ancestor cults tried to establish strength and prosperity; certainty in times of uncertainty. The ways by which our ancestors lived were tiresome and troubled. Through ancestor veneration, they were able to create a sense of stability and hope.
How are ancestral rites connected to mythology?
We’re all familiar with the story of Atlantis. After the deluge flooded the earth, people settled in small communities and tried to rebuild the once-great city of Atlantis with help from the gods and goddesses. In Ancient Egyptian mythology, Thoth is said to be the god that teaches the ancient Egyptians to write. In Greek myths, Prometheus gives the gift of fire to the humans. There is a perspective that the gods hold all the knowledge, while humans have forgotten any and all knowledge they once had.
We tend to see the gods and goddesses of ancient myths as separate from humans, but our ancestors did not see it this way. Our ancestors saw themselves as directly descended from the gods. Tribes in the dark ages even claimed their lineage from certain deities, like one Irish dynasty, Eóganachta, claim that they descend from the goddess Aine. The Mabinogion itself goes into detail to record the lineage of the gods and goddesses that ruled Wales as Kings and Queens, to show how this divine lineage is passed down.
If we look at ancestor veneration this way, it’s easy to see why our ancestors would want to keep the memory of the past alive. Their ancestors had amazing healing powers, figured out the very mysteries of life and were masters of their minds. They had done so much good in the world, and what’s more, our ancestors could say they were the direct descendants of them.
There was also a need to keep the gods and goddesses alive and welcome in case they may bring more knowledge back. Take the ancient myth of the Physicians of Myddfai for example. Two sons as the descendants of the Lady of the Lake, a prominent goddess associated with the lake, came back to give her sons all the healing knowledge she had which they wrote down to become The Red Book of Hergest.
Why don't we worship our ancestors anymore?
Over time as oral tradition faded and the cult of the ancestors faded away, paying homage to the ancient ones was no longer relevant.
One way to look at the decline of ancestor worship is through the framework of the Yugas. In Vedic philosophy, the world passes through certain cycles or Yugas that either ascend or descent in consciousness. At the time of the Younger Dryas and the myths of Atlantis, consciousness or wisdom was said to have been “Satya Yuga” or the golden age. The golden age actually ended with the deluge and then evolved into “Treta Yuga” where knowledge is a quarter reduced.
Satya Yuga was governed by the gods; a time where gods walked among men. There was a stable and solid sense of wisdom and knowledge. After the deluge, our ancestors kept the legacy of wisdom alive by invoking the ancestors regularity in myth and ritual. The golden age wasn’t so far away yet and so there was still a chance to connect more, to learn more.
In our time now, it is said to be at the end of “Kali Yuga” where knowledge and wisdom is at its lowest point. The middle point of Kali Yuga was during the medieval age — this is said to be the lowest point of consciousness and humanity.
In this context, the decline of ancestor worship makes sense. The golden age was so far away now and our more direct ancestors were those that became entangled with medieval witch trials or slavery. It’s hardly something to be proud of.
Although, we should consider ancestor worship again
In our modern-day, ancestor worship could be incredibly helpful for us. Yogi Bhajan once said that we must bless our ancestry, so we can move forward. Our family trees may be full of pain, but if we do not look at our shadow past and heal it, it will carry on and live through us generation after generation.
In psychology, this is called “generational trauma.” Trauma can pass onto our children and beyond through our genes, while also impacting how we act unconsciously on a day-to-day basis. Perhaps this is also something our ancestors knew.
If we ignore the past, it will repeat itself through us, whether we want it to or not. If we clear it and bless the past, then we can move forward with grace. We also clear the path in front of us, so we can ensure a good future for our descendants. Check out my Samhain article for some ancestor worship rites that you can do.