For about 16 years, I have been teaching courses in Afro-Caribbean Shamanism around Europe. I am passionate about teaching people the rich traditions of the Yoruba, Bantu and Congo-based traditions and religions. Concentrating on ancestral veneration in particular.
Why ancestors you ask? To answer that I need to first explain a few things. When we look at the word Ancestors, we are talking about something much larger than just our family members that have moved on to the higher plan. The word Ancestor means “those that have gone before us” so with that in mind we need to look at a bigger picture. Of course, we always start with whom we know our parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters and so on. They are the base ancestors our direct bloodline and should be the first we honor.
Next, if you are a believer of reincarnation that means that in your previous life/lives we had parents, grandparents’ brothers and sisters it stands to reason that there are also our ancestors from that period. Of course, we may not remember them because when we are reincarnated. The memories of that life we left behind is in many cases were deleted. It is through regression therapy, deep meditation or hypnosis that we can explore the far reaches of our minds and tap into glimpses of our former selves.
In either case, we have inherited some characteristics from these ancestors. The most common would be the direct DNA from the ancestors of your present life. What we may have inherited from those of our previous lives can be seen as a pull to a particular culture (not necessarily true but a possibility).
If you are looking to have a better understanding of yourself connect with your ancestors starting with the ones you are familiar to you. Once you have a better understanding of who they are and how they play a role in your life then you can venture into your other lives. I like to believe that the ancestors of our previous lives are more like spirit guides. Through their guidance, we can look into the dimension of the past life.
Now to answer the question; why teach about the ancestors. My hope is to help people have a better understanding of themselves and perhaps their situation they might find themselves in today. In my years teaching here in Europe, I came to realize that because of the devastation of both World Wars many Europeans lost so many family members that they may not know who their ancestors are. Many people never knew their grandparents even some of your parents did not know their grandparents. It is as if an important link is missing in our understanding. By helping you to connect to the energy of those that have gone before us, I hope to provide you with a little insight.