One of the pillars of traditional Maya spirituality is that of paying homage to the memory of our ancestors through our ceremonies, prayers, and rituals, as we understand the importance of the roads they walked before us and the power of their heritage, guidance, and wisdom in the path that we are traversing together as a lineage.
We acknowledge how essential and powerful it is that our ancestors remain present in our spirituality and in our hearts, and while we are grateful for and honor our Elders each day, we also have a special time to remember them. This time is the days of November 1st and 2nd, which is when we celebrate the memory of those who left this dimension before us.
Although these dates coincide with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, which is somewhat related to the religious syncretism that took place after the Spanish invasion of America, the Maya Elders tell us that the true importance of these dates lies in the Heart of the Sky. During these days there is a subtle line in which the realities of this world and the world of those who have passed touch, this energetic portal that connects us with the other dimension is opened by the Nadir passage of the Sun. During the Nadir the Sun is directly below us, shining over our ancestors and bringing us closer to them.
The Nadir and the Zenith passages of the Sun —during the Zenith the Sun is directly overhead—, are complementary astronomical events that connect us with the Heart of the Earth and the Heart of the Sky, with the realms and dimensions of above and below.
On this moment of Nadir, let us honor our ancestral Grandfathers and Grandmothers. Let us remember that we come from a long lineage of ancestors and that their accomplishments, struggles, and evolution have been passed down to us as a legacy for our lives. We are influenced by all the ancestors that came before us, which is why reminiscing their memoryand value, celebrating them and being aware that their existence is part of our origin, of our destiny, also helps us to come closer to our own purpose in life.
Today and tomorrow let us have them present in our altar, let us light candles on their memory, let us feed their souls and share with them, connect to their energy, wisdom, and essence. Let us thank them for their heritage, and let us say a prayer to honor them, to remember that a great part of who we are, a great part of our being, exists thanks to them.
“Oh Great Grandfathers and Grandmothers, great ancestors who have preceded us in this reality, in this day in which your presence is stronger we want to honor and remember you, we want to thank your legacy, your guide, and your protection. Our heart calls you so that your heartbeats attune with ours; we are your descendants, the seeds that you planted, the offspring that succeed you in the transit through this reality to carry on with the process of healing and growth of your legacy, for this we give thanks. Your consciousness has influenced the lineage of which we are a part, your achievements and shortcomings have brought us to this moment and for this, we ask that together we can move forward to fulfill the destiny that was outlined at the beginning of Creation. We ask your guidance to fulfill our individual life’s purpose and the destiny that we share as a lineage. We give thanks for your existence, your heritage, and your energy in our lives. We honor the life of each and every one of you and for it, we give thanks, three times we give thanks.”
-Prayer by an ancestor of my lineage, Elder Carlos Barrios
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