Wyrd Designs – Working with the Ancestors

Wyrd Designs – Working with the Ancestors July 5, 2010

To be Heathen is to be an animist, meaning that in addition to worshipping the Gods and Goddesses, we also honor our deceased ancestors as well as the land wights. But while most people coming to our religion have some concept of how to honor a deity… when it comes to honoring the ancestors they are stymied as to where to even begin to work with them.

I find that a great place to begin is to set up an altar for your ancestors. All you need to do is find space: part or all of a bookshelf, part or all of some sort of counter space, or the top of a piece of furniture. Back in my college dorm days when space was at such a premium, I even used a small basket (a little smaller than the size of a12 oz soda can) and used that for my ancestral altar, placing items like photos & ancestral jewelry inside to represent the ancestors, and I also placed offerings like chocolate & tobacco inside.

Ancestral Altar - Mini Basket

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