Channeling my dead ancestors

Channeling my dead ancestors

fiction
edward w pritchard

The only time I can come close to channeling and understanding my dead ancestors is when I am very sick with a severe chest cold, fever and physical ennui resulting in myself being unable to carry my weight in contemporary society. When I cough enough to disturb the sleep of those closest to me I experience distant racial reminiscences of how our ancestors would have had to isolate one of their society when they are sick to the point of alerting enemies and animal predators to weakness in the tribe.

One thousand generations ago our ancestors would have laws and customs of how to isolate a severely impaired person. Of course even then members of the group would be treated humanely. Perhaps the sick person would be placed in a sweat lodge to use heat to facilitate communications with the divine seeking healing and remission of illnesses. Later perhaps a spiritual leader would inform the impaired that they will be be reborn again after earthly death better than before. At some point however the impaired would have to be abandoned with a small chance of natural healing the only humane remedy.

Now in my case the pain from the cough has moved down my back away from the lungs to the rear abdomen. Medicine of choice when I am sick is halls cough drops, baby aspirins and an extra blanket or two to re-experience the sweat lodge sensations. As for Doctors, alas too expensive, we must have faith in the Idols of the Tribe to heal us.