As per the Indian calendar, the first full moon of the month Bhadrapada ( Sept 6, 2017) is considered as the start of a fortnightly period dedicated to the transformation and healing of various ancestral patterns.

Why is it important to heal the various ancestral patterns or so to say make peace with our ancestors?

Whether you like it or not, most of us carry the pain and pride of our forefathers in our very DNA, it quite makes sense to me because if we are to carry the gifts and positive traits of our ancestors then it is but fair that we carry their pain and trauma too!

Esoterically speaking, this  period is considered to be a time when the veils between the human and  the spirit world are more transparent, thus allowing interaction with the so-called other worlds.

I was talking about this period with a friend who belongs to a native shamanic tradition in the eastern Himalayas and he informed me that they also observe a similar period around the months of August and September, wherein traditionally many members of the tribe go for silent retreats in the forest and work on ancestral healing.

Upon further inquiry, he mentioned that probably the reason for choosing this time of the year is that the earth in a sense is relatively more relaxed after rejuvenating rains and also due to the fact that earth moves slowest around this time of the year.

I found this wikipedia page about Pitru Paksha quite informative and maybe you want to check it out too!