Ancestor cult

The ancestor cult, the ritual and usually sacrificial worship of the spirits of the deceased ancestors, the ancestors or manes (hence the term manism, from the Latin: manes), was widespread in ancient times as an original form of religion. The mortuary cult also includes corresponding burial rituals and is, and often has been, regularly practised in the immediate vicinity of the graves of the deceased. The concept of ancestor worship is broader than that of the mortuary cult in that it includes not only the directly deceased, but also the mythical ancestors and founders of the tribe or people. In fact, the relationship was sought with the etheric body that was laid down after death, which remained relatively long in appropriately developed people. Through this etheric body, the Spirits of Time, the Archai, could reveal themselves; it was these who were actually worshipped.

Literature

• Rudolf Steiner: Das Karma des Berufes des Menschen in Anknüpfung an Goethes Leben, GA 172 (2002), ISBN 3-7274-1720-X English: rsarchive.org German: pdf pdf(2) html mobi epub archive.org

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