What if the Hungry Ghost Festival is also a season to reconnect, honor and celebrate?

In Taoist traditions, the seventh lunar month, known as Zhong Yuan Jie, is not only a time when wandering souls roam the earth. It also marks the birthday of the Earth Official, who descends on the 15th day to record the good and bad deeds of each person. It is also a time when sins are pardoned and ‘hungry ghosts’, particularly those who died tragically or were not remembered, to roam the earth and look for food.

Buddhism coincidently observes this same period as the Yu Lan Pen Festival, telling the story of Mu Lian, who offered prayers and merits to free his mother from suffering as a hungry ghost. Both traditions highlight compassion, filial piety, and the importance of doing good.

Introspectively, both stories are actually telling a tale of release, doing good and compassion. 

Rituals such as burning offerings and preparing food for ancestors are more than tradition. They are acts of remembrance. They help us process grief, longing, and even unspoken emotions like guilt or regret. They also strengthen our bond with family and our roots, even if they have already passed on.

During this season, many sense a slowing of energies. Some will feel calm reflection, giving us the opportunity to learn about oneself with increasing awareness about what fulfills us and make us happy as a unique individual.

Others feel heaviness on our chest and shoulders or uncertainty about what lies ahead. If you have felt this too, here's the good news, you are not the only person feeling this way. Many others are feeling the same way too. It’s the effect of the cosmic energies shifting and with a switch of persepctive, this shift can be seen as an invitation to care for yourself, speaking openly with loved ones, and find mutual support in your community.

Family and community support

Despite the festival’s solemn associations, it is also an opportunity for connection. In our increasingly fast paced and physically disconnected society, the Hungry Ghost Festival is also an avenue for families to come together across generations, passing rituals and traditions from elders to children. In doing so, heritage is preserved, and younger members learn values of respect and remembrance.

Extending beyond family, acts of giving and service—donations, volunteering, simple kindness—are ways to accumulate good merits. At the same time, do not forget to show yourself kindness and understanding too. As a collective energetic result, every individual and the world will become a more compassionate place to live in.

Finding peace and balance from within

In today’s fast-paced world, it is easy to feel drained by external pressures. Protecting your energy starts with awareness. Instead of reacting to life’s triggers, look for glimmers - small sparks of joy and gratitude. Stay grounded, being realistic and connected to your true self and values can help maintain calm, balance and inner stability. Most importantly, be present, focusing no the present moment and what is happening right no instead of holding onto the past or over-worrying about the future.

For those who seek tools to support this, crystals are often used to anchor balance. Since July, we have been focusing on the use of darker crystals like Black Tourmaline, Obsidians and Smokey Quartz for grounding and connection to the Earth. They ease stress and anxiety, promote stability, and act as shields from negative energies. If you practice meditation or mantra chants, holding them during meditation or chants can deepen their effect.

To balance grounding with openness, these can be paired with heart chakra stones such as Rose Quartz, Rainbow Tourmaline, Moss Agate, or Peridot. These encourage compassion, joy, and emotional healing, reminding us to keep celebrating our growth and our being, even in uncertain times.

My personal intention for you :)

This article is written with the hope that I can help some of you understand the way you are currently feeling, feel less alone and begin looking from within yourself for peace, strength and happiness.

It's also to try shifting perspectives - The Hungry Ghost Festival is more than rituals for the unseen. It is an invitation to honor the past, connect with family, practice kindness, and nurture your inner self. Whether through traditions, acts of service, or mindful practices like meditation with crystals, each step builds peace and compassion within and around us.

This season, may you find strength, clarity, and a renewed sense of connection to yourself, your loved ones, and the world you live in.

Stay good.