This blog post is a continuation of the topic that began in my May newsletter: Honoring Life.
When we honor our roots and traditions, we are honoring our Mothers. Do you really think that you were placed in your family willy-nilly? Everything has a purpose. Now, we might not always know what that purpose is, but it’s there.
If you could go back in time, you’d find that all of our cultures honored Mother Earth and, indeed, all that gives life. It doesn’t matter what continent our forefathers came from, or what their religious backgrounds were… it’s there. Honoring all that has given us life. And the holidays that you were brought up with do have meanings. Unfortunately, some of those original meanings have been lost due to the passage of time and the onslaught of commercialism.
Maybe you were like me and, at some point in time, you didn’t want to have anything to do with the religion you were brought up in, or be connected to your roots…your cultural background. There were memories that were not so nice associated with those things, so one way of getting rid of them was to disown them. I didn’t want to be known as Irish, or a Catholic.
As I healed, I was able to see things differently. It was not my culture or roots that caused me pain; just some people who were misguided. And it wasn’t the religion that I grew up in that caused me pain; just some people who just happened to be part of the same religion, but who were ill-advised.
As part of my healing about 12 years ago, I took my children to Ireland to meet my father’s family in the south and my mother’s family in the north. I was really able to take in all the wonderful characteristics and traits of the Irish, and was able to see how those very things helped me be who I am today. I honor those traits and characteristics in me today.
When occasions arise, I go to church and participate. I see through the dogma and enjoy the message of Jesus of Nazareth, the readings of the saints, and all that others receive from the ritual(s).
In this way, I honor my roots and culture; all that which has brought me life.
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