Guiding One Another Home: Restoring Ritual, Remembering Love with Preema Sheerin

Wisdom traditions and indigenous cultures from across the world have always known that we should not abandon our loved ones after they die. They knew that through ritual, care and tending they can become vibrant and healthy ancestors who, in turn, are fully invested in supporting us as the living bloom of the lineage.

As rituals have been stripped from our modern global culture most of us have lost the opportunity to offer funerary rites to our loved ones. While the funeral is a ritual for the living, funerary rites are a ritual, conducted by the psychopomp, shaman or trained community elder, that escorts the soul through the unseen realms to its ancestral homeland. This is a profoundly beneficial process, both for the soul of the individual as well as for the health of the community. For the soul, it provides guidance and safe passage on the difficult and confusing journey of finding its way back to its rightful place. For the family members and community, it provides a sense of peace, knowing that their loved one is well cared for, as well as a deeper connection to an unbroken line of ancestral benevolence that is invested in their wellbeing.

Because we have largely lost touch with these rituals of care and maintenance for the ancestors, much of the suffering and disconnection we experience comes from the unmetabolized burdens and trauma handed down from generation to generation. This trauma is the interpersonal wounding, cultural harm and Earth disconnection that, when unresolved, carries forward as an ever-increasing burden.

However, when we restore the rituals of guidance and support for the dead and re-establish relationship with the wisdom and love of our vibrant and well ancestral elders, we open to a transformative resource for personal, family and cultural healing.

In this free experiential event there will be time to share traditional wisdom, ask questions and have the opportunity to connect with a benevolent ancestor.