A cold, overcast morning with fog and occasional flurries. Yesterday we received some ten inches of soft, fluffy snow. Overnight we had heavy sleet and a bit if freezing rain that contracted the snow into dense drifts. This morning Jennie refilled the bird feeder and there is now consistent traffic to it.
We discovered that Nori the cat loves to watch big flakes of snow dance through the sky but hates snow in general. Given the option to take in the outside world through the screen door, something she generally craves, she bolts from the room. The door safely closed, she returns and looks out over the snow rich landscape with an expression of disgust.
I was just about to mention that the Ancestors have been very close this morning when a small flock of crows flew into the trees near the feeder. Crows are understood by many cultures as Ancestors, or as spirits intimately connected to the ancestor realms.
Their arrival seems portentous as this morning the Ancestors came to remind me that even in times of madness and calamity, we remain connected to them. They also assured me that they have seen it all, and that no matter how bad things get, they will walk with us. Finally, they asked that our next house have a place for our full mesa (alter). That makes sense as we have been unable to find a location that works for the mesa in this house.
I’m not sure where anthropologists got the notion that cultures worship ancestors. The cultures I know do not worship ancestors; rather they hold them in the highest regard and work diligently to remain in contact with them. The mesa is a door between realms and an aid to connection and communication, and deserves to be placed in a location that acknowledges and honours that.
We have been feeling heartbreak and rage at the second ICE murder in Minneapolis. There can be no more excuses for this government’s barbarity. The Ancestors reminded me once again that this too shall pass. In the meanwhile, we must do what we can to stop the madness and support those who are being harmed.
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