Ancestor Work
Ancestor work has quickly become one of my favorite subjects. We all have ancestors that we are connected to by either bloodline or by soul/spirit. There are so many ways we can honor and learn from them.
If you are lucky enough to know who your ancestors are, that's incredible, but if you don’t, or perhaps you would like to trace your line back further, you might be able to use these techniques:
What I used to find my ancestors:
If you’re like me and have very little understanding or knowledge or connection with the people in your family (aside from your immediate family) you can use the above methods to map out your family tree. What you can do is use “find a grave” to look for names of people that you know passed that were in your family, then you track it by using the free Family Tree app. You cross reference the information on Google and Genealogy to make sure that the names and dates all add up. I used this method and traced one bloodline all the way back to the 1500s and on and that's just following one bloodline. Up until age 30, I didn’t know I was connected to so many people. Particularly a badass bloodline that started with Richard and Isabel Blood, who traveled to the colonization of Massachusetts, U.S in the 1600s from Great Britain. Richard was a constable in a local town and his wife, Isabel, is one I feel particularly connected to - soul wise. (story time about what I found out about that particular bloodline this morning)
If you are an orphan, an adopted child, or something else and you don’t have a way to find your ancestors because you don’t have any names to go off of and you’ve exhausted all possible options, go to a medium. Specifically a medium that works with spirits.
Adele Lavine @adelalavine is an Intuitive & Medium and could potentially help with something like this. She co-hosts the podcast @thewitchandthemedium
How to Honor Our Ancestors
It’s important for me to also note that Charley from The Witch Bitch Amateur Hour has a great segment on working with ancestors - Episode 54 (click here to listen)
Acknowledge them! Even if you don’t know any of their names (I did this before I started my research). They want to know you think about them.
Thank them for everything they’ve been through. You have to imagine where your bloodline started. If I traced mine back to the 1500s, and then following another one back to literally the 900s… imagine who is connected to you and what they endured during their lifetime.
Light a candle on your altar for them! I inscribe a sigil on a candle for my ancestors because I don’t have any physical pictures of any of them. Some people like to add pictures or have a dedicated shrine/altar just for their ancestors. A candle to me, is a way to invite your ancestors to you. It’s a welcoming thing.
Light incense, this is also a welcoming thing for them and incense often is a soothing way to invite positive energies and spirits to you.
Leave offerings. Your ancestors probably enjoyed chocolate and coffee, these are things I leave as offerings for them, as well as a mirror for them to use (I’ve heard via the Witch Bitch Amateur Hour that mirrors are often hung up in dining rooms so that way our ancestors can eat meals with us using mirror magic.) I’ve also heard of tobacco being really attractive for ancestors as well
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Remember, you have the ability to keep out negative energies and spirits, just because you want to connect with ancestors, doesn’t mean you need to connect with all of them. We all have a few negative people in our lives we may not want to be close with, when you invite your ancestors, simply say aloud that no negative spirits are welcome. Feel free to sage/cleanse your space if you are worried.
Signs to Look For From Ancestors
Birds:
From times immemorial, birds have been regarded as omens or forecasters of future events and also believed to have deep symbolic significance. Several ancient cultures have held these winged creatures to symbolize the human soul and considered their flight to be representative of the soul’s journey in pursuit of higher knowledge. Additionally, the flight of birds makes them powerful metaphors for a range of human emotions and moods.
Birds are generally considered a link between the earth and the heaven, and symbolic of transcendence and eternal life. With their ability to roam the earth as well as soar up into the sky, birds symbolize freedom. Meanwhile, their proximity to the heavens made them seen as messengers of the gods. As a result, sighting different birds came to be regarded as good or bad signs, with their appearance being like indications from God.
Uluru Ayers Rock:
The Uluru or Ayers Rock is the symbol of Australia. It also symbolizes Indigenous land rights. The Uluru is a large natural sandstone formation in the center of Australia and it plays a part in the Aboriginal Dreamtime story. The Aboriginal people believe Uluru was created in the beginning of time by the ten ancestors. The Aborigines believed that the Uluru is one of the original creations from their ancestors and there are many petroglyphs found on the large rock devoted to Dreamtime. By touching the rock Aboriginal people believe that they can communicate with their ancestors and Dreamtime.
Solar and Lunar Symbols:
The celestial bodies have intrigued man since the primordial times. Our ancestors observed these marvels of nature keenly and used that knowledge to try to understand and explain the working of their own lives. The Sun and the Moon particularly captivated their imagination and were considered to be the center of human existence. These awe-inspiring heavenly objects were worshipped by all the ancient civilizations for the mystical powers given to them by the Creator; the amazing phenomenon, such as eclipses, related to them; and the critical impact they have on human life. Therefore, the Sun and the Moon have long been part of ritualistic and religious practices of different cultures across the world.
Triple Spiral or Triskele: It is a tripartite symbol consisting of 3 interlocked spirals. This ancient Celtic symbol is associated with the earthly life, afterlife, and reincarnation. The Triple Spiral is also related to the Sun and a spiral represents the movement of the Sun in three months. Therefore, the Triple Spiral denotes nine months and is considered a symbol of pregnancy.
Credits for these symbols and descriptions: https://www.ancient-symbols.com/solar_lunar_symbols.html
