During the All Souls Festival I saw respect and caring for the souls who have passed over and the love and caring that was given through the acts of chanting and the many pledges.  Seeing the altars carefully prepared was beautifully sacred and inspired me to set up my own altar in my home.  This act has brought me peace and reverence. I am so grateful to have been a part of this celebration.

 

~ Linda

 

[English follows]

Au cours de mes nombreuses années de pratique du les arts Tai Chi Taoïste^®, je n’avais pas développé d’intérêt pour ce festival. N’ayant pas de croyances religieuses, je ne voyais pas de sens pour moi de participer au festival ou de demander une plaque commémorative temporaire.  J’ai été présente à Orangeville à  deux occasions pendant le festival mais, à part de plier de l’argent en papier, je n’ai pas participé.

Avec l’arrivée de la pandémie, on nous offre la chance de participer virtuellement et on nous annonce alors qu’on ferait du chanting pendant 4 heures.  C’était surtout pour moi un défi de pouvoir en faire pendant 4 heures.  Je ne réalisais pas qu’il y avait des pauses mais, malgré tout, ça demeurait un défi pour moi et j’ai réussi à le réaliser.

En 2021, ma participation au festival a pris une nouvelle signification. Ma mère est décédée en fin de 2020 et j’ai demandé une plaque commémorative temporaire pour elle. Alors le Festival de toutes les âmes a changé de signification pour moi : ce n’était plus seulement un exercice, mais quelque chose de spirituel.

Depuis ce temps, j’ai continué à réfléchir, surtout qu’avec le Festival de toutes les âmes on cherche à aider les défunts à se trouver en paix. Cela m’a fait penser à l’ex-mari de ma fille qui est décédé en 2019. C’était une personne très troublée et pleine de colère. Quand ma fille en avait divorcé, il avait continué à la harceler en envoyant des textos, etc.  Il avait un cancer et savait qu’il allait mourir.  Malgré ça, il n’a pas pu lâcher prise de sa colère et de sa rancœur.  Alors, j’en ai conclu que si jamais il y avait une âme troublée qui avait besoin de trouver la paix, c’était bien la sienne. J’ai demandé une plaque commémorative temporaire en son honneur pour le Festival de toutes les âmes 2022.  Avec ce cheminement, j’arrive à lâcher prise sur mes sentiments négatifs envers lui.

 

Deepening Appreciation of All Souls Festival

 

For many of the years that I have practiced Taoist Tai Chi® arts, I wasn’t very interested in this Festival. Since I did not have any religious beliefs, I didn’t see the sense of participating in it or ordering a temporary commemorative plaque. I was present in Orangeville twice during the time of the Festival, but other than folding paper money, I did not participate.

Along came the pandemic.  We were given the chance to participate virtually and it was announced that we would be chanting for 4 hours. For me, it was a challenge to see if I could chant for 4 hours. I didn’t realize there would be breaks. But it was still a challenge that I managed to complete.

In 2021, my participation took on a new meaning. My mother passed away at the end of 2020 and I ordered a temporary commemorative plaque in her memory.  Thus the All Souls Festival had taken on a new meaning for me. It was no longer merely an exercise, but something spiritual.

Since that time, I have continued to reflect, especially that with the All Souls Festival, we seek to help the souls of the deceased find peace. This led me to think of my daughter’s ex-husband who passed away in 2019. He was a very troubled person who was full of anger. After my daughter divorced him, he continued to harass her by sending threatening texts, etc. He had cancer and knew he was dying. Nevertheless, he was not able to let go of his anger and bitterness. So I concluded that if ever there was a troubled soul who needed to find peace, it is his. I have ordered a temporary commemorative plaque in his honour for the 2022 All Souls Festival. By following this path, I have come to let go of my negative feelings towards him.

~Rosemary

Many other participants have shared their thoughts and feelings about  All Souls Festival on our Facebook page.

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Many participants have reflected on their experiences during the recent All Souls Festival celebrations. Below are some of the comments received on Facebook.

 

I feel the All Souls Festival is a time of special connection for us with our ancestors and ALL souls. And feeling it so strongly now, that the connection carries on throughout the year. I feel humbled by this feeling. Thank you.

~Shelley

 

Thank you for the peace and harmony through the message of this post. Helping us through sorrow after the loss of a really kind friend. Helping to find joy and the value of the daily moments. 

~Zsofia

 

Thank you for the enlightening talks about the importance and significance of the All Souls Festival.

~Oimei

 

Much caring, dedication and working together making for a very successful All Souls Festival! I participated on Zoom but certainly felt like I was part of it. I experienced the peace from the chanting and felt I had helped with the intention of the Festival. Thank you to all!!

~Barbara