ABSTRACT
This chapter explains psychoanalytic principles to promote an understanding of the psychic benefits of a traditional Chinese practice. It discusses the relevance of the use of symbolic images in ancestor worship. The chapter explores the idea that images and symbolic objects assist in objectifying and de-objectifying of the dead. Thomas H. Ogden described how the potential space is an expression of the capacity for symbolisation. The chapter demonstrates that the act of veneration, like playing, is an experience that resides in the potential space. It describes the practice of ancestor worship and provides examples of how images and symbolic objects are used in the rites. The chapter outlines the space of experience that assists in the maintenance of healthy links with the object. It explores the Chinese practice of ancestor worship to study how emotional link and imago of the objects can be kept alive even from the effects of physical death.
