The Magic of Ancestor Veneration
This is a blog post on the magic of ancestor veneration! Ancestor worship has its place in earth witchcraft, as the people from our past, are often where our roots stem from. Our roots are connected to the root chakra, which is the closest link to Mother Earth, the ancestors, and the in-between realm.
During the autumn season and often starting in September, the veil begins to become thinner and thinner. When this happens, I often find myself reaching out to my ancestral spirits more.
I try to connect with them year-round, but there’s something special about this time of year that connects me with the spirits of the past. This is the death season, meaning depending on where you live, the leaves begin to fall, animals begin to hibernate, and a new shadow work journey begins.
I took a long hike in the forest yesterday and reached out to my ancestors. For days, I had been feeling them reaching out to me, encompassing me with their warmth and comfort. They often do this when I need them the most.
During my forest hike, I prayed to the ancestors and saw signs to light the way and give me direction. I found a rock with a candle painted on it, the leaves slightly trickled down from the trees and poured upon me. Their magic was within me and all around me.
Ancestor veneration is where you give honor and thanks to your ancestors. You light candles for them, nourish them with water and food, and pray to them for comfort and divine assistance.
In my case, I usually call on my ancestors as a collective and as a whole entity, even though there are times when I can feel a specific identity coming through. Like many families, ours is a complicated story.
My heritage goes back to Middle Eastern Europe, where many of us did witchy stuff like working with herbs and practicing divination. I believe some of my ancestors were persecuted and some got away.
There are two main spirits I work with. A man named Wren and his son. I have also worked with the woman he was in love with, as she’s a bit of an herbalist at heart.
These are my people and I feel a strong, unbreakable bond and connection with them. I will light incense for them, give them golden delicious apples, and set out water for them. I’m currently working on making a new ancestor altar for them, as I have fallen out of worship.
When my ancestors reach out to me first, it comes over me like a candle being lit and creates a warm glow within me. They have a warm and comforting presence, like that of a candle flame or a fireplace. They always make me feel safe.
The magic of ancestor veneration is that you are carrying the torch for your family history. If you are anything like me, maybe you come with a complicated past.
We have people in my family who were evil murderers and wife abusers and we have survivors. My great-great-grandmother Sylvia was murdered by my great-great-grandfather for leaving an abusive situation. She left four children behind and a haunting legacy.
My great-grandmother Carrie was a good Christian woman who sewed clothes from scratch and made her whole life church and family. She left a legacy of prayers behind that continues to this day.
Families are complicated and you may have a yearning to work with your ancestors with a touch of hesitation. That’s completely normal and you can do what I do. Reach out to the ones who love you and are willing to share their ancestral wisdom with you.
Ancestral worship means healing the past and moving beyond the wounds and trauma of your people. The past does inform the future, but only if you allow it to be so. With your ancestors by your side, you can conquer ancestral wounds and trauma.
The Magic of Ancestor Veneration
The real magic behind ancestral veneration is in the teamwork! Imagine having a team of people who love you and have your best interest at heart, working around the clock to better your life. That’s what the ancestors do!
The ancestor spirits love you and have your back. They are an emotionally supportive team of people who were once living and are connected to you by blood and spirit.
An ancestor will often be someone related to you, but they don’t have to be. People adopt families all the time. It’s the same way with your ancestors.
The ancestor spirits were once people and people are complex. They are deceased loved ones and their pets. It can be the loyalty of a family dog from your childhood to a grandmother you never even met.
I’ve even had cases where I felt closer to my loved ones after their death than I did when they were alive. That’s the power of working with your ancestry!
This happens a lot in cases where you either didn’t get a chance to know your family member or died before you were ever born. When you are working with the spirit and essence of a deceased loved one, sometimes you understand them better in the afterlife, without all of the physical mundane stuff of life getting in the way.
It’s important to remember that an ancestor was once a living, breathing human being just like you and me. They understand what life is like and have now found more meaning in it in the afterlife.
Ancestors can assist us with the physical, mundane issues of life because they once lived through them themselves. They understand how hard life can be and how complicated it is to be a human being on this earth.
In the case of family pets, which are very much part of the family, they might have an understanding at a childlike level. They understand loyalty and devotion. They can act as animal familiars, pointing the way to a better future.
As you can see, working with your ancestors is a life-changing experience! Every time you work with them, you become enlightened and your connection becomes deeper and more compassionate. They can show you things about yourself you never even knew existed!
How to Work With Your Ancestors
To work with your ancestors, try to spend some time getting to know them! Learn what you can from your family tree and use stories and pictures passed down through past generations.
What do you see? How do the stories make you feel? We might hear things that make us angry or we might feel compassion for the person who never really found happiness in life.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to identify with more current family generations. Everyone is different. You might feel more of a connection that goes way back.
For example, I feel a strong connection to my strong Native American roots. Even though I also feel connected to my Irish roots and look more Irish than anything, my Native American side comes out in my green witchcraft.
We stand for a lot of the same things. I am a big believer in animal spirit guides and working with plant life. I believe in sustainability and wasting nothing, just like my Native American ancestors before me.
Many of these things are passed down through the generations! I have discovered that my plant witchery comes from my ancestors as far back as Middle Eastern Europe, a time when practicing witchcraft of any kind was dangerous.
Therefore, it’s highly important to learn about your ancestors as tribes, groups of people, and as individuals, too. Working with the ancestor spirits allows a look into your past and your future.
Creating an Ancestor Worship Altar
To work with your ancestral spirits, you might like to create an ancestor worship altar! Even though we call it a worship altar, all you are doing is honoring their spirit and the life they once lived.
The altar is used as a pathway between our world and the Other Side. Think of it like bridging a connection between two worlds. The ancestors can be found on Middle Earth.
An ancestor altar doesn’t have to be complicated. They like flowers and roots, apples are always really popular, and some water.
Sometimes, if it feels right, I like to add a tarot card that reminds me of a particular ancestor or the collective. For example, Ten of Pentacles talks about family money and legacies while the Queen of Pentacles reminds me of my herbalist ancestor who took great pride in her home and herbalism.
For ancestors who have passed in more recent generations or your lifetime, you can add pictures, songs, and memorabilia. I have a box filled with memories ready for a future generation to open! I’m also creating my plant witch grimoire so that my grandchildren will have a place to get to know me someday.
It’s important to note that food and drink are highly important to ancestor veneration! Regular offerings must be given. Water is a direct link to the ancestors and the Middle Earth realm where they reside. Apples represent the harvest, fertility, and nourishment.
When you ask the ancestors to perform a task, they need to be fueled and nourished! They are different than the Gods and other spirits in that way. They need human food to be able to go to work on a problem!
I also recommend picking flowers and roots that the ancestors might like and praying to them on a nature walk or in the garden. I find that once you connect with the ancestors, they are always around for life!
You can always count on them and they will never leave your side. You are the closest link to Mother Earth for them and remind them of something familiar and nostalgic.
Ancestral Wisdom: What They Might Share With You
There are many things you might learn from working with your ancestral spirit guides! You’ll be able to accept help when you need it and break the bonds of generational trauma. Ancestor guides are here to show you the way and guide you through this life!
How to break a generational curse on the family
Breaking generational addictions
Healing wounds and trauma from the past
The art of forgiveness
Slow living and a simpler place in time
How to be a survivor and not a victim
Witchcraft practices passed down through the family
Patience, compassion, and understanding
How to find your inner magic
Energy healing
How to overcome persecution
Sexual healing
Gardening, sewing, and other mundane things
The ancestors are warmth, comfort, and unconditional love. Getting to know them and growing to love them has changed my life forever. I dedicate this post to my ancestors in gratitude and thanks for all that they do. Blessed be! xoxo
