ANCESTORS of Blood & Spirit
- Salicrow
- Feb 23
- 3 min read
Our ancestors knew the value of honoring and communicating with their Beloved Dead, often reaching out to them for support and wisdom when times were hard, or when they were at a loss for direction, something we could benefit from incorporating into our own lives.
Creating a living relationship with our ancestors means sharing with them the bounty of our lives, as well as asking for support when times are heavy and chaotic. It means welcoming your grandmother and father in spirit to the family feast, and calling upon your teachers and soul friends in spirit as guides. It means allowing your relationship with the ones you love and have lost to grow into another form, one that recognizes their presence in our lives, even when they are no longer in physical form.
Ancestors of blood are those directly connected to us by lineage...our parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and great-great-greats, whose lives laid the foundation for ours. In general when we are seeking to connecting with ancestors of blood, we are seeking the wise, kind, supportive realives. This is something many of us are doing already, as we move through and heal family wounds and curses; recognizing that while we are woking on it in the physical, one or more of our realatives are working along side us in spirit.
Ancestors of Spriit are the people who came into our lives, who taught , nurtured and guided us. They are our family of choice, and on a soul level they are no less important than those we are directly related to. While these people are not physically related to us, they are often part of our soul family; those people we have chosen to share multiple lifetimes with.
Regardless of whether we are working with biological ancestors or ancestors of choice, one of the easiest ways to begin working with our ancestors is through an ancestor altar!
To venerate is to give honor or show respect for something. Venerating the dead is the act of creating a sacred practice in which we make time and hold space for our loved ones in spirit. It is an act of love, and it carries great healing potential, giving us a healthy way to express the sorrow and grief we feel at our loved ones passing, after all the hardest part of death to deal with is the absence!
One of the easiest ways to start a relationship with our beloved dead is by creating an ancestor altar. An altar is a shelf, table or cabinet set aside for spiritual or religious purposes. Items placed on an altar are done so with intention; chosen for their energetic significance or sentimental value. Ancestor altars are specifically focused on loved ones who have crossed into spirit, and can be created as individual shrines or family altars. Altars erected for individuals are often created with healing in mind; giving those who mourn a place to grieve, whereas altars connected to our family/tribe are more traditionally places utilized to honor our ancestors and ask them for guidance; both are places of magic and healing. Ancestor Altars are not meant to be stagnant, instead they are meant to change and grow as our relationship with our beloved dead evolves. It is my hope that through this book you gain a deeper understanding of the afterlife and rekindle a relationship with your beloved dead. Know that it all begins with a simple act of remembrance such as this.
Working with our ancestors is in many ways like other relationships; we need to dedicate time to the connection to make it worth while!
spreading love-salicrow
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