In the west we are approaching Halloween and Day of the Dead or All Saints Day at the end of October and beginning of November. In the Hindu calendar the 2 weeks leading up to October 9 [depending on Lunar Calendar] are a time to honor ancestors.

There are special rules according to the date the loved-one died, but if you don't know the date, October 9 is the day you can collectively honor all your dearly departed. Pitru Paksh strikes me as very similar to Halloween. Same notion of the veils between the worlds being thinner at this time and the dead being more accessible to the living. Different dates but a similar vibe nonetheless.

One interesting difference I just learned from a YT video--for Pitru Paksh you only honor people who have been dead longer than 1 year. For the first year after a person dies, it's considered different.

Do you do any rituals or practices to honor ancestors at this time of year? If so, what?

My ancestors have initiated a new type of divination/communication with me recently. I guess you could liken it to astral card readings 😊. I journey to my sanctuary, the place where I consult ancestors and perform magic. And there they have made an altar-like platform with a deck of cards. The cards are like nothing I’ve ever seen before, the images move and scenes unfold inside the cards. I believe each card is unique for every reading, at least so far I have not seen any repeats and they feel very specific for the context of each question. I have understood that the ancestor wishes to guide and communicate with me this way. So it is something I will explore further tonight.

I agree that this time of year is particularly conducive to ancestral communication. I also understand why they treat ancestors differently depending on how recently they passed on. I have never had an ancestor who recently passed on, show up as a guide for me. It is a process both for the dead and the living.

Because I really don't have any clear ancestral… heritage to to speak (to clarify: my family came from a big mix of poor immigrants, of different nationalities & ethnicities, so there isn't a single cultural "thread" that I feel I can call ancestral), I do not feel entitled to any standard rituals or celebration.

That said, I do like to take the photos of my dear departed ones - human and animal family -, light a candle in remembrance and thank them for the love and the time shared. I do it on the 2nd of November, which is "Dia de Finados" (the day of the dead) here in my country, because there is a whole collective energy already focused on it.

I guess it counts for something, even though it's not anything magical or profoundly spiritual

Edited September 26Sep 26 by Marina
Typo

3 hours ago, Marina said:

Because I really don't have any clear ancestral… heritage to to speak (to clarify: my family came from a big mix of poor immigrants, of different nationalities & ethnicities, so there isn't a single cultural "thread" that I feel I can call ancestral), I do not feel entitled to any standard rituals or celebration.

That said, I do like to take the photos of my dear departed ones - human and animal family -, light a candle in remembrance and thank them for the love and the time shared. I do it on the 2nd of November, which is "Dia de Finados" (the day of the dead) here in my country, because there is a whole collective energy already focused on it.

I guess it counts for something, even though it's not anything magical or profoundly spiritual

Strike out "not being entitled" from your brain right now Marina!!!

If you see a practice that you like - who says you can't make it your own and enjoy the richness & beauty that it adds to your personal experience? IMO.

"Culture" has been mixing, incorporating and intermarrying for Aeons, if you really start digging up the roots of everything as an historian.

Look at the RWS for instance - how many cultures are actually jammed into there? Remember, The Golden Dawn's aim was to invent a new and better spiritual path - from mixing the best of a number of ideas from different cultures together.

Edited September 26Sep 26 by Tanga

4 hours ago, Raggydoll said:

My ancestors have initiated a new type of divination/communication with me recently. I guess you could liken it to astral card readings 😊. I journey to my sanctuary, the place where I consult ancestors and perform magic. And there they have made an altar-like platform with a deck of cards. The cards are like nothing I’ve ever seen before, the images move and scenes unfold inside the cards. I believe each card is unique for every reading, at least so far I have not seen any repeats and they feel very specific for the context of each question. I have understood that the ancestor wishes to guide and communicate with me this way. So it is something I will explore further tonight.

I agree that this time of year is particularly conducive to ancestral communication. I also understand why they treat ancestors differently depending on how recently they passed on. I have never had an ancestor who recently passed on, show up as a guide for me. It is a process both for the dead and the living.

That sounds fascinating @Raggydoll .

I've never thought of speaking to my ancestors when I am in my sanctuary. But that's probably because I don't have much of a relationship with them. I do speak to my guides though.... and thinking about this now - two of those guides are actually what one would call "ancestors of time" (alla Nancy Hendricks) - because they are actually people from somewhere else on the planet from another time... not related to me by blood.

(Generally when people say "ancestors" I immediately think of ancestors of blood, which is what you are talking about here).

@Misterei I honour my recent dead - people I have known who have passed on..

One thing I do is set up an ancestral altar (a pop-up altar as it's only up at this time), and put on it a representation of all these aforementioned people (this can be a piece of jewellery that they once owned, a crystal that reminds me of them, a business card of theirs that I still have - etc) and I decorate the alter around the objects. I'll usually then contemplate (meditate on) these items and the people they represent and remember them. I may pray or chant. I may light a candle. I may decide to design and perform a whole ritual with a section speaking directly to them. Depends on what I fancy.

As for the full moon. Today - I did an online Tarot reading swap with a stranger, who was referred to me by my brother (for our matching interests in Tarot). We've been chatting on WhatApp for a little while and our first swap was awesome! We've decided to continue with a monthly full moon swap (in or near the full moon).

Ideally - I'd love to be celebrating an Esbat (ritual full moon gathering in Wicca) with a group of like-minded people out in the open under Diana - but as yet, I have not found one that I really gel with (well - not entirely true, but the one I loved moved out of London, where I live). Plus the second problem is, if the full moon is on a weekday - I generally can't attend as it's too late for me. Need to be sparkly eyed the next day for work.

For my own personal practice - I encompass the full moon, the day before and day after - all as one. This gives me more leeway (diary wise) with doing a solitary full moon ritual if I so wish.

In the Wiccan calendar the September Esbat follows on from the 2nd Harvest/Feast of Mabon/Autumn Equinox and is the Wine Moon (there may be other names but this is the one I use). It's Wine harvest time.

Here are the grapes in my front yard 🙃.

Wine ofcourse - is a traditionally known libation 🍷

If one is celebrating a Wine Esbat - one might consider designing a ritual which invokes (calls upon for support) or evokes (brings to mind) a Wine deity. Though I haven't given it much thought today - except of course for the most obvious deity - Bacchus.

It's always interesting to google and read up on these things with each season, and sometimes this might be all that I do on such an occasion.

Edited September 26Sep 26 by Tanga

On 9/26/2026 at 7:18 PM, Tanga said:

Strike out "not being entitled" from your brain right now Marina!!!

If you see a practice that you like - who says you can't make it your own and enjoy the richness & beauty that it adds to your personal experience? IMO.

"Culture" has been mixing, incorporating and intermarrying for Aeons, if you really start digging up the roots of everything as an historian.

Look at the RWS for instance - how many cultures are actually jammed into there? Remember, The Golden Dawn's aim was to invent a new and better spiritual path - from mixing the best of a number of ideas from different cultures together.

Thank you for that, @Tanga ! The truth is that I am a bit afraid of disrespecting or appropriating practices not my own… That said, in the world of spirituality we eventually end up adopting traditions without being 100% sure where they came from originally. Humans have been having spiritual traditions and experiences for aeons, after all!

I do feel it's important to acknowledge the lineage that has helped birth us into this universe, for this lifetime. Life is a blessing, and death helps us see what a precious gift we have been given here, regardless of what we believe comes in the afterlife. That's the vibe I try to bring to my little ritual, when I sit with my dear departed ones.

Edited September 28Sep 28 by Marina