New Worlds of Body, Mind & Spirit Since 1901
| Color of the day: Coral
Incense of the day: Rose The Roman feast of Parentalia was to honor ancient ancestors. Not just the grandparents you can remember or the great-grandparents about whom you've heard stories, but ancestors from centuries before who have been forgotten. Make two small poppets, one male and one female, to represent the gender of each ancestral line. Dress them, decorate them, stuff them with favorite herbs (such as rosemary, lavender, angelica, mullein, and basil) as well as batting. Prepare an ancestral altar with items special to your family. Light one black, one white, and one red candle. Talk to your poppets. Honor them, thank them for what they passed down to you through the generations, ask for their advice. Listen to them; don't assume you know what the ancestors will tell you. Store them in black cloth or a secure box. Take them out to honor the ancestry they represent on family holidays, during the Samhain ancestral rituals, and at future Parentalia celebrations. |
