One great thing about witchcraft is that you get to work with people that you never imagined such as your ancestors. Working with them helps you to feel that you are part of something and since they have taught you so many things, you can use their magic based on your ancestral heritage. When you start working with your ancestors it will change your life but if you are like many other witches, chances are that you might have a hard time connecting with your ancestors. This can be because of the past problems and baggage that your families have held on to.
Ancestral magic is something that people often seek out but sometimes there are people that are not attached to their ancestors. This can happen for many reasons such as not having knowledge of who the ancestors are, feeling that you don’t have a right to ask for things because you have never known your ancestors or just for the fact that they are strangers. There are ways that you can make a connection with your ancestors, even if you don’t have one right now.
Why Do You Feel Disconnected from Your Ancestors?
There are many reasons why trying to connect with your ancestors can be confusing but one of the biggest reasons for the disconnect is that there is no real knowledge of your ancestors. You might live in a community where traditions are no longer honored and the idea of bringing back the dead is something that the western world has avoided.
How can you figure out your ancestors? This is almost impossible unless you have done a genealogy on your family. Even though you probably do know so much about your parents, grandparents and maybe even your great grandparents, most people don’t know much about other generations before that. Even though you might hear some stories that are passed down from generation to generation, these are sometimes not total stories and you do not have the right facts or even the correct details because of how many times the story has been passed down. This can cause you to feel like you don’t know who you are.
When you don’t know your ancestors and you are trying to work with them, it can make you feel that you are around strangers. It can make you feel strange, and you might not feel like you have a right to ask them to help you. Worse than that, you might not even be able to tell people that you are family if you are not connected to them.
Some people struggle with who their family is, even the members that are living and so trying to build a good relationship with family members that are dead makes it harder when you have a hard time dealing with the ones that are living. This often causes people to feel negative and stressed and this can affect your magic. Then on top of that, if you were adopted like many people are, you will not even know who part of your family is. How do you even find out who you are working with?
Some people often feel like their ancestors will not like them and this makes it hard for them to open up to them. This is especially true when you have different beliefs, and you aren’t really sure who you are or what your life is all about. If you have things that are different such as being married to someone that is not the same race as you or if you have different ideas such as practicing magic, you might worry that your ancestors will reject you and hate you for who you are. Even though people that are alive and, in your life, reject you for who you are, it doesn’t mean that your ancestors will be the same.
It is Never a Loss
Even in the event that you are adopted, or you have different beliefs and lifestyles, connecting with your ancestors is possible. Even if you have a problem dealing with family members that are around you on the daily, it is possible for you to have a stronger and happier relationship with your ancestors that have passed on.
The reason for this is that when you have a living family member then you probably don’t have that many people in your family circle. You might have a bigger extended family, but most people only have about 10 or 12 people that they call close family members. This is not what it is like when you choose to reach out to your ancestors. You have ancestors that have been there since the beginning of time. There are people that have existed for thousands of years, and these are all part of your family and there is a huge chance that you will find someone that you can connect with.
If you don’t want to talk to some of your ancestors because of who they were, that is okay, there are other people that will fit what you are looking for. You probably have had family members that were gay or family members that were the black sheep of the family and you probably have ancestors that were racists and bigots as well. You can find who you want to connect with and connect with them and leave the rest alone.
Connecting with Your ancestors
How can you figure out how to connect with your ancestors when you feel that it is impossible? There are different ways that people can do this, and this is different for everyone because everyone has different families that they come from and that means everyone has different ideas and different ways to use their magic.
Pick Who You Want to Connect With
The very first thing that you have to do is to know that you don’t have to connect with anyone you don’t want to connect with. This is the same kinds of rules that you have with all spirits and if you have one ancestor spirit that you don’t want to be around or talk to, you don’t have to. You don’t have to work with certain spirits and there are ways that you can keep them away from you.
When you look at ancestral work, you know that everyone has some kind of terrible people in their family history and the thing is, you don’t have to give them permission to speak to you, especially if they were against everything you believed.
Everyone is related to someone that they don’t like, and everyone has people in their family that weren’t good people. But, since you have so many people and generations to choose from, you will have your pick. Not all will be good and not all will be bad either. Some of them you will love and others you might even hate them. It is okay to ignore a spirit that you do not like.
Look at Your Family Line
Looking at your genealogy is not always easy. Some people have already created genealogies and other people have no genealogy and they don’t know where to start. When a family keeps good records, it can be easier to find ancestors but when there is no real documentation, it can be hard to trace your family history.
You don’t have to know your complete genealogy to connect with your ancestors. If you don’t feel like you can do all the research needed, just find out the least you can find out and then go from there.
People that love doing genealogies will love this and they probably already have some kind of family tree to go from and this is a great way that people can connect with their ancestral line. Having a family tree can help you to know more about who you are and why you are drawn to different things that you don’t understand.
You can use this to help you to find out more about your family history and to put facts with pictures and to find out who your ancestors are. Once your ancestors see you working on this, they will know that you want to connect and build a relationship with them.
Doing this will help you to get to know them one at a time and when you begin to work with them, you will not feel worried that you will be with people that you don’t know or a bunch of strangers. Once you get to know who they are, you will have more ideas on who they are and what they are like.
Problems with the Living and the Dead
People that have problems with family members that are alive are often worried that reaching out to their ancestors will be the same situation. It is easy to think that since you have a hard family that you will have a hard time connecting with your ancestors but that is not always true.
Sometimes you will have hard ancestors but not all of them will be this way and you have a chance to make a huge and great connection with some of them. Of course, there will be ones in your line that you might not like, but what if the majority of them are the greatest people you have ever met? By refusing to get to know them, you will miss out on meeting great people.
You never have to give in or work with any kinds of spirits that you don’t like. You can cut off contact with them immediately just like someone that is living. Never think that your ancestors are going to feel the same way about you that other people do and don’t think that just because you are judged poorly by your family that your ancestors will be the same way. Your ancestors have their own thoughts and feelings and some of them will love you just for who you are.
Communicating
Some people have a hard time communicating with their ancestors because they don’t know how to connect with them. You have to try different ways to talk to them so that you can get to know them. Some people will try tarot cards, listening to music, meditating, pendulum work and will ask for signs. There are different ways that you can communicate with the spirit world, you just have to take a chance.
Even though you start communicating with your ancestors, it doesn’t mean that they will answer you immediately. This can take some time and you might have to wait around for them to show up. Keep trying to talk to them in every way possible and see where you get with them. You never know when you will be able to get the answers you are seeking.
Do Rituals to Connect
One of the best ways that you can connect with your ancestors is through a ritual. Doing these rituals on a regular basis can make it easier for you to build a relationship with them. If you want to date a person, you have taken time to get to know them and spend time with them. You have to form bonds with them and make sure that you are friends before you take the next steps. That is the same way that it will be with your ancestors.
Do a ritual each week that allows you to try to connect with your ancestors. Do this any way that you want. There is no wrong or right way to do this. You can even try different ways to connect each day or each week and see what happens. Some people will offer foods or drinks to their ancestors, others will meditate, some will light candles and others will just chant or do a short ritual. You need to try to reach out and then listen to see if they have anything to say in return to you.
Sometimes your ancestors will take time to talk to you but sometimes they will start talking right away and you will be surprised at how fast they show up. This will help you to listen and to pay attention to what they are saying to you.
Ask Them
Connecting with your ancestors is not going to happen if you just sit there and stare at the wall. You need to sit down, light a candle, and ask your ancestors to show up. They might answer you this time or they might take a few weeks to show up to you. They will never come though if you don’t ask them. You need to make time for them and show them how excited you are to meet them.
I found this article profoundly enlightening. It beautifully articulated the complexities of ancestral connections in witchcraft, especially for those of us who feel detached from our familial roots. The idea that we can selectively choose which ancestors to work with, and the assurance that we are not bound to connect with anyone we find uncomfortable, is incredibly freeing. Additionally, the emphasis on using genealogical research as a tool to foster these connections was a crucial point. I’ve always been curious about my heritage but never fully understood its potential significance in my spiritual practices. This article has inspired me to explore my lineage more deeply.
This was a wonderfully insightful read. The discussion about feeling disconnected from our ancestors resonated with me on many levels. It breaks down the barriers to understanding and connecting with one’s lineage, even for those of us who might have been adopted or have complex family histories. The advice on picking and choosing which spirits to engage with is particularly poignant—it gives us the autonomy to forge our spiritual path without the baggage of unwanted ancestral negativity. Moreover, the notion that our ancestors, regardless of our differences in beliefs or lifestyles, might still be supportive is incredibly comforting. A truly empowering perspective on ancestral magic!
Ancestral magic is indeed a complex topic. For those interested, I highly recommend reading ‘The Ancestral Connection’ by Dr. Susan Palmer. It offers profound insights and practical steps for connecting with one’s heritage.
This article raises valid points, but the notion that you can selectively connect only with ‘good’ spirits is overly simplistic. Ancestral relationships are complex, and negating the negative aspects might be counterproductive to personal growth.
Oh, great! Now, not only do I have to deal with my annoying living relatives, but I also need to worry about the dead ones? Can I un-read this article somehow? 😂
What a beautifully insightful article! It’s refreshing to see the emphasis on personal choice and connection when it comes to ancestral magic. Indeed, our ancestors, regardless of their flaws, can offer immense wisdom and guidance.
This is absolutely preposterous! The idea of communicating with ancestors, especially when you don’t even know them, seems delusional. We should focus on the present and real connections, not fictional spiritual ones.