The Ancestral New Moon

Today is a powerful day of great importance and implication.

It is known in Vedic tradition as Pitri Amavasya. This is the New Moon related to your Ancestors. It lands this year on the constellation of the ancestors which is Magha.

Magha is the energy of honouring your ancestral lines, especially the masculine lineage.

In Vedic culture, a ritual known as 'tarpanam' is performed in order to give nourishment to the ancestors and to invoke their blessings.

The word for child in sanskrit, the language of Vedic culture, is 'putra/putri' which means 'he/she who has come in order to deliver me'.

So there is a strong virtuous cycle established in this culture that those who come next care for those who came before and in turn receive the blessings of their predecessors.

In the west, this process is often broken or unsettled.

You may have traumas and difficulties with your parents. You may have gone through a lot due to a lack of awareness in your culture, city or family.

Today is the day to bring that into your awareness for healing.

And as the New Moon sets the tone for the month ahead, there is a whole lunar month ahead to contemplate, journal and heal these subtle downloads coming through your genes.

In a chart, planets in Magha constellation indicate strong ties to lineage and such practices will really amplify those planets' effects. Moon affliction indicates a possible disturbance to the maternal lineage and Sun affliction indicates a possible disturbance to the paternal lineage.

This is one of those practices that is beneficial for everyone, and some will see positive shifts more than others.

So how to proceed?

The primary god in tarpanam is Ganesh. Naturally his appearance comes this lunar month, 4 days after the New Moon. First his blessings are invoked to ease the connection and clear any blockages. Then prayers can be offered. It is beneficial to face North East in this practice as that is direction of Rahu, ruler of the New Moon. It's also good to do from 4-7pm, Rahu's time of the day. As with everything, intention is the most important.

Traditionally when it comes to physical offerings, cooked rice is mixed with black sesame seeds, mustard seeds or kaloonji seeds, and made into small balls. The balls are placed on an offering tray and left outside for the ancestors to come and receive them. Afterwards, often the next day, the offerings are not consumed, rather they are then thrown into a river or ocean nearby.

You can adjust your own practice to what works for you. Your intention, opening up to dialogues, and honestly assessing how you are handling the male and female lines coming into you can open up powerful realisations. And the portal for that opens today.

Gratitude and Prayer are a powerful combination to assist in the processing of these forces. Often something is there simply due to neglect, as the default feeling in any family lineage is of overwhelming love. Which will be the default if it is allowed to flow.

So the next month is a great time to call on Ganesh's blessings, inquire within if there is any issue or disturbance in your lineage, and call on your ancestor's blessings and support to help clear anything that needs to be released.

- Sadhu 

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