
Photo taken at Haymarket Studio's Utpala Dharma Center 2017
September 5th marks the beginning of Pitris Paksha, the two week period to remember and pay homage to our ancestors. This is a ritual and contemplative practice from the Vedic Tradition. The Vedas inform us that one of the highest universal laws is repaying our debt to our ancestors, including parents, grandparents and loved ones who have passed. During these fourteen days, we offer prayers and perform a simple sacred water ritual to bring peace and healing to our ancestral line. There is a particular focus on remembering those that have passed, and on looking inward to heal relationships with those in our ancestral line that are still living. The open and honest acknowledgment of our ancestor's spiritual, emotional and physical challenges allows for our deeper healing and resolution.
Our ancestral lineage is not limited to those with whom we share a genetic heritage. Our ancestors include teachers, mentors, friends and loved ones who have inspired and shaped our lives. Our ancestors continue to sustain us with their spirit, energy and memory patterns long after they have passed. Each year during Pitris Paskha we engage meditations and commit to clearing unrest or pain lingering in our personal lineage.
We've been practicing this healing meditation at Haymarket Studio for sixteen years. I have witnessed an extraordinary transformation in the lives of my students who have taken up this meditation during the ancestral healing period.
For these two weeks, we are supported by the greater energies to pay respect to those who have passed on, and to strengthen positive circumstances with family members that are still living. This brings enormous peace and harmonious shifts in our physical and psychological health, and in our relationships with one another at large.
Many blessings for Peace at Pitris Paksha,
In Dharma,
Cary