Divination, Witchery, and Ancestors

As the days get shorter and the air gets cooler, we find ourselves walking with the energy of what has come before us. Across culture and time October and November are marked as invitations to connect with our ancestors, those who wrote the prologue to your story and who are supporting you as you write the prologue for those to come. Today we’re discussing Divination, Witchery, and Ancestors.

If you’re the tarot reading type (and if you’re not, click here to learn how and join the magic train), you can use your cards to connect with the messages of your ancestors and do some exploration of your relationship to them and the lives they lived or beliefs they held.

Here’s a list of other ideas for you:

- - Visit your ancestor’s favorite places during life
  - Go to their resting places and say hello
  - Write a letter to them on some earth friendly paper and bury it somewhere meaningful
  - Use a tarot spread for connection or communication
  - Use a pendulum for connection or communication
  - Daydream about your ancestors and live interaction with them through your thoughts
  - Make their favorite meal or purchase it and have a quiet dinner for them
  - Tell their story as if you’re telling a great tale
  - Carve their names into a candle and burn it in their honor and memory
  - Revisit your family history, genealogy, and lineage
  - Simply talk to them
  - Make a meal from your ancestral culture
  - Dive into transformation from the way your ancestors were to the way you are
  - Forgive them
  - Forgive yourself
  - Consider yourself as an ancestor and how you want to contribute to those who will come after you
  - Learn about those who lived on your land before you
  - Explore your upbringing and societal surroundings as part of your ancestral lineage and how it has contributed to who you are
  - Make an ancestral offering with printed photos of those who have come before and those currently living on this earth, bundle it up, and place it on a special spot in your home with candles for a period of time

And, there is no “should” in connection, communication, or conjuring up a relationship with those who laid the groundwork for who you have become.

One of the questions we receive around the topic of working with ancestors is whether or not one “should” try to connect with a relative who has passed on who had different religious beliefs than the person asking the question. Here’s the thing about those who are no longer on this earth, they are no longer worrying about these earthly matters. And, there is no “should” in connection, communication, or conjuring up a relationship with those who laid the groundwork for who you have become.

As the veil continues to thin and we are in the reflecting portion of the year where we are motivated to dream of the future, consider the stories of your ancestors that you are carrying with you. Are your future dreams based on your desires or the desires you carry from others? In our Enchanted Journey program (open exclusively to those who have registered for Holistic Witchery with us) we have a unit called “Heal Like a Witch” where we learn all about Mother, Sister, and Witch Wounds.

While this time of year can feel really cozy with the falls leaves, fuzzy socks, and pumpkin everything, it can also bring up some feelings of sadness or hurt when we consider the family gatherings to come as the holiday season approaches. It’s no coincidence that all of this aligns! Feeling the depth of ancestor connection along with the weight of real world familial matters can be heavy.

One way to combat this is to consider your thoughts and perceptions of what is happening to and for you. Click here to learn more about the suit of Swords in tarot and how to use it as a tool for digging into your thoughts.

Being a family member is tough. Being the recipient of ancestral baggage, stories, and beliefs isn’t any easier.

Together with a few of our Holistic Witchery and Enchanted Journey students, those of us at The Sisters Enchanted spoke about the topic of ancestors on this week’s podcast episode.

One community member, Melane, shared that her ancestors were Catholic and Jewish and as the current elder in the family, she sees the depth of connection that goes beyond belief and DNA connection.

Sarah Milne, Program Director and Teacher for The Sisters Enchanted, shared that she always felt disconnected from her family and that through the study of Astrology and her own connection to the concept of being a starseed she actually now feels more connected than other to those she calls family.

Being a family member is tough. Being the recipient of ancestral baggage, stories, and beliefs isn’t any easier.

What if you don’t know who your ancestors are? Ancestors don’t have to be those with whom you share DNA. They are really anybody who has laid the foundation for your life today. We all share an amazing amount of collective ancestors and carry their stories within us in one way or another.

The veil is thinning and your connection to all that could be and all that has been is thickening.

Click on the link below to listen in on our podcast episode from this week and leave inspired by our community chat.