Celebrating and Remembering the Dead

by Rev. Bridgette Siepker

(Sunday, 23 November was Remembrance Sunday. The Act of Consecration of Man was preceded by a contemplation to bring to mind the meaning of this Sunday in our year, and to remember those who have crossed the threshold in the last 12 months.)

On this day it is often customary to take a moment and to remember those who have died. Those closest to us, those a little more removed and those completely unknown. We especially remember those who were part of this community who have crossed the threshold in the past year. 

We have the opportunity to be reminded of the fact that the spiritual world is very real and active in our world on earth. It is the place of learning, of initiation, of work, and the spiritual world is very active and interested in it. This includes those who have died. We are invited to think about and endeavour to understand a little more, their presence in our lives.

It is a spiritual reality that those who have died are always with us, interested in us and working for us whether we are conscious of it or nor not. In our sense perceptible world we are able to see everything around us clearly - in colour with outline form and shape. This is all due to the effect of the light - but the light itself is actually invisible - that which reveals remains hidden.

So it is with those who have died. Their presence is invisible but real and we can learn to feel it more and more, recognise it more and more if we endeavour to become a little more conscious. It is only due to a lack of understanding, a lack of thought, a lack of imagination that we do not feel their presence and working.

For the more we think about it and ponder and imagine this world in which the dead are present the more this invisible world will reveal itself to us – to our soul eyes.

We can also be reminded that it is not just the dead working in this realm, but it is also the hierarchies of angels including our own guardian angel as well as the Christ. Just as the sun is constantly shining its light onto the earth so we can be sure that the forces working for the Good in the spiritual world are also working in us and for us – only ever with our co-operation and in freedom.

We can imagine that those who have died, that especially shared a karmic connection with us, unite themselves with us. They remain interested in our work; they help and inspire us. The more conscious we become of this relationship the more fruitful it can become and the more this spiritual reality will become a living one for us – for it is constantly happening in the unconscious realms of our soul.

How do we raise this consciousness?

Words and everyday conversation is not so important and effective in this relationship. Rather it is through our will that we are called to direct our feeling life with thoughts and ideas to the one we are remembering. This is an active task. We are to fill our souls, our hearts with feelings of respect, gratitude, compassion and love for the one who has died, we generate and hold feelings of real warmth. We remember moments when we experienced their true nature, their essence, when they made an impression or showed interest in something specific. We allow these feelings to grow in us and we become aware of the thoughts that accompany these feelings – thoughts that may turn to questions or develop further and we offer these feelings and thoughts to the one who has died. 

We can imagine that just as we offer our thoughts and prayers to our angel or to God we offer these thoughts to those who have died, and it is particularly when we are asleep that these offering have a chance to work and take effect.

It may be that there are times in the day when you feel that from somewhere inside yourself you have received the knowledge, insight, conviction or idea that you have been searching for and needing. You may attribute this to your own work and striving and rightly so. You may at times also feel that this idea or thought may come from your angel as a gift, a form of grace and often this is the case. More and more as you try to become conscious of those who have died you will experience those times when it has been a gift from one who had died. Another form of help from the spiritual world.
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This relationship is not only beneficial to us. Our warm and penetrated thoughts are a gift to them too. We can imagine that this gift is like a beautiful work of art with which they can adorn their new home. These thoughts, heart warmed, inspire them, encourage them, just as their work and presence in our life can inspire and encourage us.