A necessary ritual for everyone

How to do an Ancestor Ritual at Home

 

The purpose of this ritual is to strengthen and improve the relationships with the ancestors, so that they may aid us in facing our life, maintaining a good relationship with our still living family members and fulfilling our desires.

Sometimes such ritual is also done if one suspects that one of the ancestors is creating some kind of problem in our lives, maybe because at the time of their death the relationship with that ancestor was not very good. Such ritual however is very different from the ritual described here, should be closely monitored by the healer and is not be undertaken without more guidance.

The essence of a general ancestor ritual is an expression of love towards the ancestors. If this essence is absent, the ritual is useless. To produce the feeling of love, always keep the attention in the heart centre and especially when giving something during the ritual.

There is no contra-indication for these rituals, except when a strong negative emotion is present in a way that it totally blocks the heart connection. Then the emotions first have to be neutralised, by meditation, breathing, relaxing the body, etc…

If in your family there would be a tradition on how to do an ancestor ritual, then disregard what follows and instead use the traditional way of your ancestors.

 

TIME & PLACE

Ancestor rituals are best done around sunrise and no later than 2 hours after sunrise. They might also be done around sunset.

The best days of the week to perform ancestor rituals are Monday, Thursday and Saturday.

The best time to do a regular ancestor ritual is in the morning of new moon. Since it is advisable to do such ritual once a month, the habit of a new moon ritual for the ancestors is a very auspicious habit.

These rituals can be done in any place, but it is most fruitful if it is done always in the same place. The place should not be in public view.

As an exception to other rituals, ancestor rituals are done facing south.

 

THE PUJA PLACE (ALTAR)

Since ancestor rituals are usually not done in a daily fashion, the altar used is temporary, set up for the ritual itself.

The place should be clean and if possible some fresh air should be available at the time of the ritual.

The puja ritual should best be performed on the floor and the puja place should be a little elevated from the floor. A ground floor room is better than an upper floor room, if available.

Usually an "asana" is provided for the puja place, which is a clean sheet of natural material, such as cotton, silk, etc.. If a short table is used, then such sheet is not necessary, but always good.

If the puja place is located in a public place where for example visitors might also enter, then it must be hidden in a closet or under some cloth after the ritual.

 

OFFERINGS NEEDED

• A water pot or vase. Copper, silver or gold are best, but ceramic or glass is also possible – though if you can find a copper pot at the local Indian shop then buy it. A disposable paper cup is also possible.
• A natural lamp with ghee, vegetable oil, or a beeswax or coconut oil candle (preferably no paraffin candle).
• At least two incense sticks or cones and an incense burning cup or plate.
• One or more flowers or leaves, picked during the day and not while it is dark.
• Some fruits or sweets.

• Some fresh water, which comes from nature or from tap water, not from a mineral water bottle.

 

OPTIONAL OFFERINGS

• Some curcuma (turmeric), vegetable oil, rice, black sesame.
• Whatever you believe or know that one or more of your ancestors might like, such as some favourite food, tobacco, alcohol, chocolate,…

 

PREPARATIONS

It is very advisable to take a full bath or shower before the ritual, cleaning the teeth also.

Put on fresh clothes after the bath or shower.

If possible, no food or drink should be taken before the morning ritual, except some water.

Then the things needed for the ritual are gathered, though it is also possible for example to do this already the evening before in case of an early morning ritual.

All the offerings are gathered on some plate and another disposable (paper) plate is also needed on which the gifts will be put.

 

THE ACTUAL RITUAL

Put the lamp or candle on the disposable plate and light it with matches, no lighters.

Now remember the ancestors that you have known and greet them mentally, wishing them well. With some where you have an especially good connection, you might spend some more time connecting with them in your heart. Also greet all the ancestors that you have never known, but are still your ancestors.

Then announce to your ancestors that you have brought them some gifts and proceed to put the offerings on the disposable plate in this order, each time using the ancestor (Pitr) mantra AUM PITR DEVAYA SWADHA :

• First fill the water pot or vase to the rim.
• Then add any flowers or leaves to the vase.
• Now arrange all other offerings one by one on the plate in a nice way.

Now light the 2 incense sticks and keep them in your hand, while mentally addressing the ancestors again, saying something like :

• Hi, how are you doing?
• I hope you like these gifts, please enjoy.
• I hope I am not doing anything wrong in your eyes and if so, please forgive me, I am doing my best and I am willing to learn and improve.
• Please help me to be more happy, healthy & wise.
• Please also help our family members in their life, at which point you might also ask for some special help towards a living family member that is facing a particular problem.
• Please help me with … (whatever problem you feel that needs support you can name it, but do focus on problems to be resolved rather than on specific solutions that you imagine are needed).
• Thank you so much for your help - AUM PITR DEVAYA SWADHA.

Now put the two incense sticks on the plate, greet the plate one last time and mentally say that you will leave the plate there till the next day, after hiding it from public view as described above.

If the lamp can remain lit till it burns out, that is best. If not, then put the lamp out without blowing on it, but using a wave of the hand or some spoon.

If no lamp is used, then the incense sticks have to be lighted from the very beginning of the ritual, as they then provide the fire element.

 

THE NEXT DAY

First again greet your ancestors and mentally say that now you will return the offerings to nature.

Take the plate outside in nature, in your garden or in a flower pot which has some earth in it.

Say AUM BHURASI DITTIRASI BHUPATAYA NAMAHA (returning the offerings to earth) while emptying the plate or putting the disposable plate on the earth. The water pot and any other non-disposable thing (oil lamp or a plate for burning the incense for example) are also emptied there and then taken inside to clean.

 

MANTRAS AUDIO FILES

• AUM PITR DEVAYA SWADHA
• AUM BHURASI DITTIRASI BHUPATAYA NAMAHA