Ancestral Work

Ancestral work is the practice of connecting with the spirits of those who have come before you, for wisdom, guidance, protection, and strength. 

There are many ways ancestors can aid in our practices. They can act as spiritual guardians, mentors, and foundational power sources. They can offer a macro-perspective, and guide your path in the physical realm, provide guidance, and even mentorship.

Some practices view magic as a collaborative effort backed by a court of ancestors. As ancestors have invested in the success and survival of the bloodline, they can intercept negative energy, curses, and ill intentions. They can also boost intuition, vivid dreams, and give physical signs to pay attention. 

Ancestors can act as "translators" of the spiritual realm, passing information to your subconscious, protect you from untrusted entities, and help interpret divination details. Lending their energy to spellwork can boost it, and enhance manifestation. 

Ancestral work can heal generational trauma and send healing backwards through the generations, possibly even unlocking ancestral blessings, strengths, and talents. 

Types of Ancestors

• Blood Ancestors - biological relatives, including unknown family lines
• Chosen Ancestors - close friends, mentors, adopted family
• Spiritual Ancestors - historical figures, artists, or past spiritual practitioners who inspire your path

Remember, you do not have to consent to working with anyone you don't want to. You do not have to honor, invite, or work with abusive, toxic or harmful ancestors.

Hearing the Call

Ancestors usually communicate through repetition, emotional resonance, and everyday synchronicities. They use your immediate environment, your subconscious mind, and your sensory perception to get your attention. 

The dream realm is the easiest place for spirits to contact you because your conscious mind and skepticism are asleep. Repeatedly dreaming of a specific deceased relative, even if you weren't thinking about them before sleeping, could be the loved one trying to make a connection with you. Dreaming of an unfamiliar person who treats you with intense familiarity, love, or protection could be an unknown ancestor trying to reach out. Being handed an object like a key, book, ring, or even a piece of fruit from someone in your dream is a classic sign of an ancestor trying to pass down wisdom or an inheritance of power. 

Spirits also frequently manipulate the air and sensory memories to make their presence know. Suddenly smelling something distinctly associated with a deceased loved one where there is no physical source nearby (examples: specific type of tobacco or cologne, a cooking spice, favorite flower), could be an ancestor making their presence known. Also hearing your name being called out clearly by a voice you recognize, usually right as you are falling asleep or waking up, can be an ancestor trying to get your attention.

Spirits sometimes use small animals or physical objects to leave a metaphorical "paper trail" for you to follow. Specific birds, insects, or other animals suddenly behaving oddly around you, like lingering longer than normal, or staring directly at you, could be messengers from ancestors. Repeatedly finding specific tokens, like coins, feathers, or unique stones, on your path could be gifts from ancestors. Clocks stopping at the exact time a loved one dies, or a specific song that reminds you of them suddenly playing when you are thinking of your family, could be calls from ancestors saying "pay attention!"

If practices like meditation are already things you do, pay attention to how your body may shift during these moments. A sudden localized drop in temperature or a wave of goosebumps running down your body when you mention or think of a deceased loved one, may be them reaching out to you. Feeling a comforting weight on your shoulder, or sudden overwhelming waves of emotion could be an ancestor touching you. If a candle flame on your altar suddenly leaps, dances, and acts wildly when you approach or reflect on your family, this could be an ancestor saying "I'm here!"

Sometimes though, the sign isn't an external presence acting on us. Sometimes its an unshakeable internal compulsion, usually to look into your family history. Deep desire to look through old photo albums, ask older relatives about their childhood, desire to build a family tree or trace lineage could be a "pull" triggered by an ancestor to look for them. 

Establishing Simple Connections

• Set up a simple ancestral altar
• Cleanse the area, usually with smoke or sound
• Light a white or neutral candle to show that the space is open for communication 
• Speak aloud to introduce yourself and state your clear intention to connect only with healed and benevolent ancestors, or a specific ancestor
• Give yourself time to feel their presence, visualize a light of connection between you and them, or allow space to receive their message or response
• Thank them for their presence, leave an offering to show your gratitude, and extinguish the candle. Remember to clean and remove offerings before they spoil.

The Silent Supper

Sometimes referred to as a "dumb supper," this is a silent meal held to honor and remember deceased loved ones or ancestors. 

Set Up - set your dining table normally, but add an extra place setting at the head of the table, reserved for spirits. The spirit chair is often draped in black cloth.

Food - serve seasonal foods or recipes passed down through the family. When serving, the spirit plate receives a small portion of every dish first. 

Silence - from the moment you sit to eat until the meal is finished, stay absolutely silent. Eat mindfully and meditate on loved ones, listening for subtle shifts in the room's energy.

Closure - once the meal concludes, the silence is broken and participants traditionally share stories about the ancestors they were remembering. The food from the spirit plate is usually taken to be left at a crossroads or under a tree to return it to the earth. 

Simple Ancestral Tarot Spread

A three card ancestral tarot spread can assist in communicating with ancestors and receive their messages.

Card 1 - What ancestral trauma or pattern am I currently breaking?

Card 2 - What wisdom or strength do my ancestors want to bless me with right now?

Card 3 - What is my ancestor's message or guidance for me as I enter the dark half of the year?

There are plenty of other tarot spreads to use, but this is a simple one to get started with.

Ancestor Work Reflection:

When discussing ancestral work with my lovely coven, one member shared their experience with hearing the call from ancestors. They gave me permission to share:

"I was raised in a protestant cult. The kind of cult that was terrified of demons, of ancestor worship, of ghosts, of secular music and movie theaters and jazz chords. Everything was evil. The world was swarming with perdition and hell paths. And why did my Caribbean family choose this cult? Well… because they were running away from things the church said were “ultimate evils."

On my father’s side, there was Rebecca. I’m named after this woman, and yet I never got a chance to meet her. She died before I was conceived. She was my paternal great-great grandmother, and by all accounts she was a very powerful witch. Except, we don’t talk about Rebecca. All we know, all that has been discussed, is her choice to be a witch and how naughty that decision was. I don’t know anyone in my family that has anything of hers aside from a picture, and no one wants to discuss with me what her practices were because everyone on that side is still deeply in the cult and feel that Rebecca was worth running from. 

On my mother’s side, there was Isabel. She’s my maternal great-great grandmother, and that one is finally being excavated by our family. Not everyone on my maternal side is in the cult, a lot of them are even more curious about her now that I’ve started asking questions. However, her namesake, my grandma who has late stage dementia, is still traumatized by her childhood experiences with this woman and her spiritual practice. More running. More fear. 

Until two weeks ago, even I was trepidatious about fooling around with whatever it was she was into.  I also never met Isabel’s son, my great-grandfather Angel. They both died before I was born, and while Angel was spoken of as a great father, husband, provider, and general gentleman, Isabel was spoken of as a powerful medium who did strange things. She was loved in her spiritual community, healed many people, was a real Curandera that received acknowledgment and mourning at her passing. In her own family, however, she was a bad omen. She played with spirits, ghosts, tinctures, blood, and many other things that the cult says is a huge no-no. To the immediate family, being associate with her was shameful. 

Two weeks ago, I was putting myself through the ringer. My introduction to polyamory was messy. I participated unethically and its been hard to forgive myself despite my life being 180 wonderful and blessed now after years of shadow work, therapy, and reconciliation. I saved my marriage. I saved my other marriage. I lost one though, and their impact still had me asking every few weeks “am I crazy?”

So I’m on my umpteenth round of that when I suddenly feel this… tug. That’s it. A tug. 

See, I’d already written about Isabel. I’d sent a submission to an indigenous YouTube channel that features viewer stories about spooky things, and I’d felt her presence enter the chat then. That was months ago. But, no talking, no dreams. Nothing but a feeling that she was there, watching me. 

Anyway, so two weeks ago I’m lamenting to my therapist about my sanity and I felt this tug. This “remember who you are Simba” type shit. 

I said to my therapist, “You know, my great grandfather already broke the generational curse of staying in toxic, abusive relationships. Angel left his first wife and remarried, bought a farm, had more children, and died loved. His ex wife died and was left in a cemetery with a simple slab of stone with numbers spray painted on top to find her. She died racist, abusive, angry, and alone while her ex husband died abundant, loved, cared for, and peaceful. SO WHY THE FUCK AM I WONDERING IF LEAVING THIS PERSON WAS THE RIGHT THING???”

It hit me in the chest like a ton of bricks. The curse was already broken. He broke it. His mother broke it. So what if my other relatives choose to live as though that wasn’t the case? Am I seriously gonna spit in the face of all that power because a cult guilt tripped my living relatives into subservient fear?

Ugh, that shit was wild. That shit had me swirling. My IBS was threatening me that day. I shared this with my wife and they made a loaf of bread. As the aroma of the bread wafted through the living room, I heard clear as fuck “Dinner is at 8 then, mija.”

I went on a walk. Put my feet to earth and breathed deep. I found a horned owl feather and placed it on a plate with some powdered flower petals. Then my meta comes in later and says “I found a pigeon feather and I thought of you.”

I thought of Angel and Isabel. Dinner was for two. I was meeting them officially for the first time and I was gifted offerings. You see, owls are not bad omens for the Taino people, its just the symbol of our cemi of the underworld. 

It was time to meet them. One white candle for peace and reverence, one black candle for protection and grounding. And then Isabel said “You’re gonna give me bread with no cafecito, mija??” Like whoops, I haven’t had coffee in years because it flares my IBS like crazy but I fuckin' found some coffee and made her a cup! We had a candle lit dinner. I won’t tell you the details, that’s no ones business but ours, but what I will say is I walked away with a sense of absolution. 

I felt more like myself than I ever had before. Angel was gentle, sweet, and a bit busy. Isabel was keen and intense, but kind. And I… wasn’t afraid anymore."

-as told by Acolyte HBA