Lesson: Respecting your ancestors

Honouring your ancestors will be one-third of YOUR power. The other two-thirds of the power comes from your relationship with nature and elemental spirits and from your relationship with Divinity.

Ancestors may not be able to conduct magic spells for you in the next life (if they haven’t been magical in this life), however, as they know what it’s like to be human, they can help you with your human love needs! The key is that I want you to get used to talking with spirit. Start with your own people. In Hoodoo, you need an ancestral altar, but many new practitioners feel uncomfortable setting candles to their departed family members. But it’s not just a hoodoo practice. Ancestral worship is done around the world.

At least 90% of the world’s population give ritual offerings and prayers to blood relatives. The practice is universal in nature, common to people raised in Eastern cultures such as the Chinese, Koreans, Japanese, and Tibetans, as well as large segments of South America, Mexico, Cuba, Haiti, in the indigenous religions of Africa, Bali, Indonesia, Polynesia, Mongolia, spreading into Europe in the Baltic States and Iceland, as well as among the ancient Celtic peoples whose modern descendants still carry on customs associated with the dead to this very day. Honouring the ancestors can provide you with the knowledge that all of life is a continuum, and enable you to actually communicate with the energy of your departed.

How will my ancestors communicate with me?

In most instances, the deceased will communicate with their living family members through dreams. I recommend keeping a notepad beside your bed to capture your dreams as quickly as you can. The messages that you receive can be subtle and you don’t want to miss out on the important information your ancestors may have for you.

In this example, the relatives provide winning lottery numbers…….

“In my own experience one afternoon I was taking a nap. I dreamed that my mother, two of my brothers, who are currently living, and I went to visit my grandmother. Now my grandmother had been deceased for six years prior to this dream. In the dream, before going to my grandmother’s house we stopped at the home of a relative living on the same street for a short visit. My brothers had disappeared, so I set off to look for them and found them playing in the back yard of our grandmother’s home. I noticed that the back door was open, so I went inside to look around. When entering, I saw my grandmother sitting in the living room and I said, “Oh, Grandma you’re home.” Then she said to me, “Yes, I’ve been waiting for you. Where’s your mom?” I said, “She is down the street, visiting Alice. I’ll go get her and tell her that you are home.” My grandmother replied, “Fine. I’ll cook some ground beef for y’all to eat when you get back, but I want you to play numbers 6, 3, and 7 in the lotto.” There I woke up. Every day I played the numbers given in the dream, except for the following Saturday. I was so busy that day that by the time I was able to purchase my ticket it was too late for the night’s lotto drawing. That night the numbers given to me in the dream were drawn. Had I been able to play the numbers, I would have been at least $5000 richer.”

In the video, I give a very easy example of setting up a home altar to honour your ancestors. The more traditional method for honouring your ancestors was given to me by Miss Melinda.

Most individuals set a table covered with a white cloth in a corner of the room. On this table are placed as many photographs of their blood relatives as possible. It is permissible for you, yourself, to be in the picture, but not any other living person. To do so could hasten that person’s early demise, and you could be held accountable spiritually for murder.

Many people place on their ancestral shrine favourite objects associated with the deceased relative. Whatever item you choose must have, in your mind, a strong association with that deceased person. Many people use white flowers as an offering on their ancestral altar. Other offerings might include fruit, a portion of cooked food (especially a favourite food of the ancestor), coffee, rum, wine, cigarettes, honey, cane syrup, pastries, or anything else that you feel they might like.

It is the practice to keep a vigil light burning at all times for the deceased, but it is not necessary.

To begin you should get info & photos of all your blood relatives—the ones that are important to you. You will also need a white candle to be lit for the ancestors, and a clear glass of water set out. I would practice every day for at least 10 minutes until you feel comfortable in this spiritual connection of waking up your ancestors and strengthening your spiritual muscle/connection to their energy.

Idea for your prayers:

Blessings to all my departed ancestors. 

I pay my respects to my great, great grandparents (say each name three times).

 I pay my respects to my grandparents (say each name three times). 

I pay my respects to my great grandparents (say each name three times). 

I pay my respects to my great aunt(s) (say each name three times). 

I pay my respects to my great uncle(s) (say each name three times). 

I pay my respects to my aunt(s) (say each name three times). 

I pay my respects to my uncle(s) (say each name three times).

 I pay my respects to my deceased father or mother (say their names three times). 

Then proceed by saying something like: 

Accept this cool water that you may have refreshment. 

Accept this light and energy, so that you may have comfort and strength. 

Your presence is greatly missed here on earth. 

Forget not your posterity. 

May you continue to bring to us your guidance and wisdom, peace in our lives, health and prosperity for our homes.

You may extinguish the candle after your prayer time is over and relight it the next day. The glass of water is changed every seven or nine days.

After you have done your daily prayers for the first nine days, you can begin to discuss your problems with your ancestors.

It is appropriate to ask them to intervene only in life’s serious problems, such as with the loss of a job, illness, etc. If you are not involved in a serious situation for the moment, simply ask them for continued guidance, health, prosperity for your home, and peace. 

As the ancestors grow in strength, they will speak to us more frequently. It will take at least six months of prayer and weekly offerings to begin to make any real contact in communicating with the ancestors.

If you think that you hear “spirits” talking to you, avoid talking to them. Continue the offerings and ask for help and guidance, and thank them for the guidance they give. The reason you avoid speaking to any spirits who may be speaking to you is that while you may think it is your ancestors speaking, the voices you hear may be trickster spirits, and not your deceased relatives at all.

In spite of your conviction that you can tell the difference between the voices of trickster spirits and your ancestors, you will not be able to do so.

There are two rules that you need to follow:

1. never place Salt on your ancestor altar.
2. never place a picture of a living person on the altar

The spirits will not come around where there is Salt and you should never place the living among the dead. The ole folks will tell you that if you place the living among those who have passed it makes our ancestors hunger to be with the living. It could cause an early death for a loved one.

Additional prayer ideas:

Below are some prayers, conjure workers use for ancestor contact.

Example 1:

I (your name),  call on my ancestors,

blood of my blood;

I call on those of my ancestors who are willing to come to my aid and help me.

I call on those who have loved me in life and death;

also those who are known and those who are unknown to me.

Example 2:

Blessings, to all my departed ancestors; Particular blessings and thankfulness to {repeat the names 3 times}, as well as all those whose names I do not know but whose blood runs through my veins.

Please accept the coolness of this water so that you may be cool and comfortable. Please accept the light and energy so that you may have brightness and strength. I love and miss your presence here on Earth but gather strength and wisdom from your continued energy and guidance.

May that guidance continue to open my paths and roads and the paths and roads of those I love. May your wisdom bring love and prosperity into my home. May you place a wall of protection around me and those I love; that no harm or anything negative will be able to breach.

Prayer for Altar Dedication

Ancestors, Ancestors, bright and well ancestors. I ask you to join me at this altar, to take delight in the offerings I have prepared for you, and to engage in a relationship with me.

Ancestor Prayer for Protection

Ancestors within me

Wild and free

Guide and protect me

For eternity.

Ancestral Healing Prayer

Blessed Ancestors hear me this night

Grant me your love and healing light.

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