mysticechoes:

Introduction:

What is Ancestral Veneration

Ancestral Veneration is one of the most ancient religious and spiritual
practices.  The respect and belief in an afterlife as well as honoring
ancestors can be traced back to paleolithic mankind.   It is believed
that honoring our ancestors was the first religious and spiritual form
of ritual work.  From ways the dead were buried to views of the
afterlife ancestors and the dead were never far from the mind of our
paleolithic ancestors, and for some this truth remains today.

Ancestral
veneration is not worshiping our ancestors, at least not in the common
sense of worship. Ancestral veneration is more like honoring the dead in
a respectful way.  Its a belief that they are still with us in a spirit
form.  That they can hear us and can effect our lives from the other
side.  Its a belief that our ancestors like other spirits can help us
become the best person we can be and to live the life that we really
want and desire.

There are exchanges of offerings and gifts.  This
isn’t worship.  In some ways I think of it like when I put a flower on
my ancestors grave.  Its giving something to them to signify that you
remember them and care for them.  These gifts can be basically
anything.  Though some cultures do have rules against some items being
given to different spirits.
In some cultures flowers are only for
the dead and it’s ok to leave offerings to the dead till they rot as
this signifies they have taken everything.  In other cultures and
practices only water is offered to the dead.   Even Christianity has
mention of the value of prayer for the dead.  Working with and honoring
our ancestors is a powerful spiritual path and there are many ways to go
about it.

The act of the gift and the offering is the important
thing though.  Its through these exchanges that relationships with our
ancestors can develop and grow.  Its believed that a gift will ensure a
gift.  Its also believed that because the dead and our ancestors are
beyond the veil they have access to energy and powers of the universe
that we don’t so by asking them to help us in our work and our lives
they can tap into those energies for us.  Granted they dont help us
unless we help ourselves.  So the gifts symbolize our part to do our
work.

Many religions and traditions have celebrations and days of
the dead.  Halloween, All saints and All Souls day,  Samhain, Dia de los
Muertos(Mexican Day of the dead), The Bon Festival (Japan), and Pitru
Paksha (Fortnight of the Ancestors-Hindu) are different festivals in
different cultures.  They have one thing in common.  They are all
festivals to honor the dead and the ancestors.  These are only a handful
of celebrations that exist to celebrate ancestors and the dead.  The
point is that the concept of honoring the dead is still alive and well
in this world today.

The practice of honoring the dead is starting
to become more common in Pagan practices today as well.  Part of that
is that many of us are reclaiming this practice.  It was a part of
ancient pagan traditions, so the practice was largely destroyed in the
west.  For many reclaiming ancestral veneration as a part of our
practice not only connects us to our more recent ancestors and keeps our
passed loved ones in our lives, but it also allows us to reach the
deepest ancestors we have which can be powerful guides for those
starting down pagan paths.

Personal Development of Ancestor work

One
of the reasons I am writing this post today is in honor of a new
ancestor.  A loved one of mine has just crossed the veil.  It is this
passing that has once again made me think about working with my
ancestors and how is really always been a central part of my practice.  I
haven’t always considered the contact with my ancestors and the shrines
to my past loved ones ancestral veneration.  I thought it was simply
remembering them and keeping them alive.

Ancestor veneration is a
large part of my practice and spiritual work.  My ancestors have a lot
to teach me.   I have an ancestor altar that I pray at everyday. While
it is a strong part of my practice these days, ancestral veneration and
honoring has not always been a large part of my path.  In fact it was at
one point something I really only did on the festival of the dead
(Samhain) as that was the focus.  I thought that was really all that was
needed, and at the time maybe that was for my best.

When I
started to practice witchcraft I had recently lost my Grandmother.  Many
of the psychics and readings I had done at the time confirmed that she
was staying close to me as a spirit guide (I was having dreams of her).
So I started working with my ancestors through a single ancestor as a
spirit guide.  That was 17 years ago.  Now I have an altar to all my
ancestors as I have learned that any of our ancestors can be our guides
and guardians.

Originally I didn’t offer any prayers, or much to
my ancestors.  I would simply say hello to them when I needed to feel
their presence.  I had a place of memory for them where I could see them
and keep them in my life.  Then when I started to explore traditional
witchcraft as a religious and spiritual practice I heard of the concept
of giving them offerings and having shrines and altars to them.  So I
created one and started an ancestral prayer working.

The practice
with ancestral veneration got even deeper when I started to explore
Germanic paganism and found I had Germanic ancestry.  When I read how
they honored their ancestors and the powers of wyrd and Oorlog I decided
that I had to develop my relationship even further.  So I started to
work them into Germanic rites and rituals through the phrases “The Alfar
and the Disir”

There was a time when I stopped practicing
basically everything.  Then I started to explore Hoodoo.  My interest
and desires to understand magic and witchcraft returned.  Through this I
found more focus on ancestors and honoring your culture.  I found that
ancestors will be powerful allies in spells as well as in meditations
and trance work.  So through Hoodoo my work with my ancestors started to
develop further and I learned new prayers to use for my ancestors.

Now
today I have a prayer I say to them every morning and I have a prayer I
say every evening to my ancestors.  I give them offerings when I
perform rituals and I invite them into my ritual circles.  They have a
part of my day to day life and my spiritual life. I couldn’t imagine my
spiritual work without my ancestors at all.  They are always there for
me and they always will be.  I may not be able to physically hold them
and see them, but when I need them I can feel them and I know they are
always there for me.

The types of ancestors:

Being
adopted my ancestors actually come in different forms and types.  Not
all of my ancestors are of the blood.  Some are of the spirit and some
are of the heart.  I have legal blood ancestors and blood ancestors.  I
have ancestors in all of my families that I don’t know but are my allies
through the bonds of the heart and the spirit.  I even have ancestors
that are not really in my family at all but are in my spiritual family.
All of these ancestors have roles to play in my life and I honor them
all.

I dont consider ancestors limited to just the blood and the
heart though.This post is going to discuss the different ancestors I
have through my adoption and my spiritual practices and how I can honor
and work with each of them.  For the longest time I didn’t engage in
ancestral veneration because of my adoption.  I wasn’t sure if I should
honor my ancestors of my adoption, my foster family, or my biological
family.  Thinking about this also was painful so while I wanted to honor
my ancestors I didn’t go about it until I had answered my confusion.

How I came to see the types of Ancestors

That
was how I came to see the different ancestral lines.  One year I went
to the local Pagan Pride day.  I typically attend a few of the workshops
that go on.  This year there was one about ancestral work and
contacting your ancestors.  The key component of that workshop was a
meditation on ancestral lines.  During this meditation I saw three lines
of ancestral blood flowing from my body.  There was a fourth that was
some what gray at the time and today its now clear.

It was then I
knew that I was to honor all of my ancestors.  Those of my foster
family, my blood or biological family, and my adoptive family.  It was
through this work that I came to see that there are many different types
of ancestors and that not everyone will have access to blood
ancestors.  Through these meditations and concepts I came to see that
there are
four primary types of ancestral allies: You have your
ancestors of the Blood, your ancestors of the heart, and the ancestors
of the spirit.  Adoptive ancestors are actually a mixture of two types
which I will get into in the next sections as well as being their own
type of ancestor.

Ancestors of The Blood

Every
one is familiar with the concept of blood ancestors.  These are those
of your family or blood line that goes back generations.  These are the
strongest allies that one can have.  These are the ancestors that
everyone thinks about when they think of ancestors.  Ancestors of the
blood also include ancestors gained through marriage and long term
committed relationships.  When I got engaged to my fiance his ancestors
joined mine and mine his.  We are a family unit.  These ancestors go
back generations on each side.  So the lines of blood ancestors are very
long.

These are the strongest allies that you can have as a
spirit.  They are the ones that have your best interest at heart.  
Through the strands of Fate, and the workings of Wyrd we are always
directly connected to our ancestors.  Our actions reflect them as much
as their actions reflect on us.  So we need to honor them in our lives
and we need to keep them close to us.  Before any other spirit is
petitioned the ancestors will work stronger for you and faster for you.
There is little that is stronger than the power of the blood.

Adoptive Ancestors

For
me I also have my adoptive ancestors,  These are the ancestors of my
adoptive family.  They are the family that raised me and that belongs to
me.  In ancient cultures at times the roles of the blood ancestors
would be replaced by the foster and or adoptive family.  In my case I
never considered them to replace the blood ancestors at all.  I
considered them additional ancestors that I was blessed to have.

We
have no physical blood that ties us.  However to all of the world and
all legal meanings they are my flesh and blood.  That is how I feel
about them as well.  In all honesty at times they are more my family
than my blood and biological family simply because I have minimal
contact and my relationship with that family is in its infancy (until
recently was non existent).  Which is why they are both ancestors of the
blood and of the heart.  The time that they spent raising me and being
involved in my life can not be undone.

They gave their blood,
sweat, and tears to me.  They are for my my most powerful allies.  They
have been there for me more than the blood ancestors.  They were the
first ancestors I have contacted and they were the first ones to make
themselves known to me.  This is the ancestral line that has been the
strongest for me.  My blood ancestral work is focused on more ancient
pagan ancestor while my adoptive ancestral work is more with Saint and
angel work (Hoodoo influences as well).

It is because my adoptive
Ancestors gave so much of their blood, sweat, and tears into my life and
that they took me in they are also ancestors of the heart.  They are of
the blood because of the family ties and concepts but of the heart
because there is no physical blood.  Its a spiritual and memory based
blood love.  The bond of the heart here shows how even just being in a
family for a short while can create strong family bonds.

Ancestors of the Heart

Those
of the heart are the family that has passed that are not connected
through marriage or blood or even legal adoption.  In my case this is
where my foster family lies.  They did not adopt me but are still my
family.  I have lost several members of that family and they were all
close to me.  They are now my ancestors and they watch over me.  Our
bond is somewhat stronger than blood or law.

These
ancestors are some of my more recent ancestors.  It was my Uncle
Cleve’s passing which made me think about ancestors.  He was my foster
uncle and is an ancestor of my heart.  His two brothers are also my
ancestors here.  I have a Grandfather here as well.  To them and to me
the fact that I did not live with them, and was not legally a part of
the family after my adoption never mattered.  I never stopped being
their family.  That is what the ancestors of the heart are all about.

The
ancestors of the heart are those that have passed on we considered
family even if there was no blood between you.  These can be friends you
thought of as brothers and sisters, close friends and even those who
you would consider “father"or “mother” figures.  If you feel that they
were and are apart of your family in your heart than they are your
family and are your ancestors.  Never let anyone else tell you any
different.

Ancestors of the Spirit:

Finally
there are ancestors of the spirit. For me I consider any Occultist,
Witch, and Magician who worked hard to preserve the magical and
spiritual arts are my spiritual ancestors.  Even though I dont agree
with all of their teachings and philosophies people like Gerald Gardner,
Aliester Crowley, Doreen Valiente, Scott Cunningham, and many others
put a lot of work into making magical spirituality acceptable and part
of our day to day lives again.  Those are a few of my spiritual
ancestors as a witch based on the practices I have taken into my
practice.

As I explore Hoodoo and other magical systems other
spiritual ancestors will come into my practice.  For example Marie
Laveau is a famous Hoodoo worker in New Orleans.  In some respects I
could consider her a spiritual ancestor.  Other ancestors in the case of
Hoodoo would in general be any one who struggled to keep African
American spiritual heritage alive through Hoodoo and Rootwork.  When a
teacher passes I would add them to the spiritual ancestors as well.

You
can also have ancestors of the spirit when you are spiritually adopted
into a tradition.  There are many religions and paths where they are
only open to people of a specific culture.  Occasionally through the
practice of spiritual adoption outsiders are initiated and welcome into
that spiritual family.  The ancestors of your initiator in these
situations become your ancestors and guides as well.  It is a spiritual
family you have entered into and like all families they will help you
and work with you if you honor them as taught.

Working with your ancestors

Now
that we have covered the types of ancestors out there and I have
mentioned the importance of working with your ancestors its time to
actually start thinking about how we can work with them.  Why do we work
with them, and what the best ways of working with them are.

There
are two primary ways aside from meditation and spirit travel work that a
person can work with their ancestors.  These two forms are the altar
and prayers.  They work well together and serve as a starting point for
building power with your ancestral allies.  Unless one is experienced in
astral travel and spirit communication using those tools right away to
work with your ancestors is not the best of ideas.  Prayers and altar
work are all you really need.

The altar

Really
when it comes to working with your ancestors the only real must do I
have found is having an altar of some sort where you can offer prayers
and other items to them as you get to know them.  These altars can
evolve and change over time. The point of the altar is to serve as a
focal point in your work.  The altar is a place for you to offer your
prayers and your gifts to them.

Your altar doesn’t need to be
fancy.  Many people start off not knowing any of their ancestors. In
which case a candle, a cup for water, and a plate for offerings is all
you would need to contact them.  If you know your passed on loved ones
and you have photos of them you can and should add those photos to the
altar.

The altar also serves as a place of remembrance of the
dead.  So its a place to put items that make you think of your ancestors
as well as their photos.  You want it to look nice and appealing.  This
is going to be their home for you in your house and their place in your
life.  So its also important to keep the altar neat looking.

There are no
limits on your ancestral altar.  Let their spirits come through.  There
are reasons for the symbols I have placed on my altars.  They grew as
my focus and my relationships grew.  One thing has always been common
though-the focus has been on remembering them and keeping their memories
alive in my life.

Ancestral Prayers

The
best way to work with your ancestors even before starting an altar is
simply to pray to them.  Prayers to your ancestors aren’t really any
different than prayers for gods and spirit guides.  You are simply
having a conversation with your ancestors.  Prayers are how we can
communicate with them directly and its our best way to communicate with
them.  They can communicate with us in different ways (dreams, scents,
meditations, sudden insights etc) but we can really only speak to them
through prayers.

The easiest prayer is simply:
“Blessed Ancestors I welcome you into my life.  May you bless and guide me and may you teach me what you yourself can”

That’s
all your prayers to your ancestors need to be.  You dont need to praise
them.  You don’t need to have a fancy invocation.  You simply can
address them as your ancestors and they will listen to you.  You dont
even really need to ask for a blessing.  You could simply say something
along the lines of:
“Good Morning Ancestors.  I welcome you this day”.

All
you are doing with your prayers is acknowledging that they exist and
that they are apart of your world.  By giving them a simple welcome
everyday you will start to feel their presence build up.  You will begin
to know them and feel them like you do can with other spirits and
beings that you work with.  The more attention you give them the more
you will notice them.

Prayers can be more complex and verbose.  My
personal prayers evolved from a simple Hello and welcome to a full
blessing and daily petition for them to be here.  There is a bit of
praise and there is a bit of thanks.  These prayers are offered twice
daily.  I feel that they flowed from me into the written form when I was
channeling spirits and writing prayers for them.  My ancestors let me
know what they wanted.

Offerings and Gifts

The
final way that we can work with our ancestors is in offerings and
gifts.  These gifts are ways that we say thank you and show our
appreciation to them.  There are many ways types of gifts that can be
given to our ancestors.   You can give your ancestor basically anything
you would give yourself or a person.  They are still family and they are
still people.

For myself I consider flowers on graves a gift to
them.  I also place flowers on the altars every so often as remembrances
of them.  I try and give them their favorite flowers.  I also try and
give them their favorite things.  For my grandmother I will think of her
when I go bowling and send her some of that energy as play and a memory
of our times together.

On holidays I will set aside a portion of
the food on my plate for my ancestors.  I will let it sit till the end
and eat that last.  They eat the essence of that portion while I eat my
meal.  When I have finished the portion for me they will have had their
fill and I can take nourishment from the food.  Other cultures burn food
offerings to ancestors and spirits.  Some burry the food in the yard.  
Other throw it into the woods for animals to eat.

There are some
taboos in various cultures about what can and can’t be given to
ancestors and the dead.  If you belong to a specific culture, religion,
and or tradition I suggest that you look into ways that they honor the
dead.  By honoring the traditions of your culture, your religion and
your tradition you are honoring your ancestors in that way as well.  
These traditions after all were ancestral in many cases.

Conclusion:

This
post has covered my own discovery into the importance of ancestral
veneration.  It has covered the types of ancestors and a few of the ways
that we can work with our ancestors.  Your ancestors are part of who
you are.  They are powerful allies that can teach you things you
wouldn’t imagine and who can be there for you in ways none else can.  
Your ancestors are still here in this life and in this world just in a
different form.

There are many ways to work with them.  Once you
start working with them you will find that there are many more ways and
reasons to work with them.  I’ve been working with my ancestors actively
for several years and my relationships with them continue to grow and
develop.  I am constantly learning new reasons to honor them and new
ways of working with them.  The more I learn the more I realize there is
to learn.

These allies seem to be the ones that develop the most
as I develop spiritually.  The more I understand spiritual and magical
practices the stronger they seem to become and the more things we seem
to be able to so together.  Its my hope that any one who has read this
will start to develop their own relationships with their ancestors and
start to find the power and comfort in ancestral grace and guidance.