No matter who you are, you are here because of those who came before you – your Ancestors. There are some who feel very disconnected to that knowledge because of experiences they have had with the living people in their families. Our Ancestors though stretch the span of humanity. There are some we will perceive as bad, and some good. Some that have done great things for their people, and some who committed heinous acts. Just because some have left a bad taste in your mouth, doesn’t mean you need to disconnect from all of them. Ancestors can be our biggest allies and teachers.
So, as we continue on with this introduction series we have come to the last of the Guides and Allies I will be sharing, which is Ancestors, and then we will move into the magical side of me.
Perspectives on Ancestors
As with everything, these are my perspectives on Ancestors based on personal experience. When I say Ancestor, I am talking about direct blood. Others include friends, no-related historical figures, Masters of specific crafts, and so forth. To each their own, go with what works for you. For me though, it is about direct blood ties for a couple of reasons…
Why Blood Lines
There are two main reasons why I specifically work with Ancestors in my bloodline. The first being my perspective of the soul and genetic memory. I wrote about it in more depth here, but I’ll do a quick summary to catch you up:
As I said before, I have a lot of science minded in me, and there is science that backs the ideas around genetic memory. Memories passed down through DNA/blood. We see it often in nature through instincts, in people through their natural talents and similar personality traits between different family members (even those that they never met). Many older traditions believed this passing along process was linked to the soul. An Ancestral Soul, that makes up part of our whole soul, where we carry these memories, skills, and abilities. I believe in the Ancestral Soul because I have experienced it personally. I can also see it both from a scientific and spiritual knowledge base, which helped solidify it for me.
So if there is an Ancestral Soul – Ancestors that are directly linked to us through genetics/blood relation – who better to work with. They are already a part of who we are. Our destiny and achievements in this life are directly linked to them because we are their legacy, as someone else down the line will be ours. It is in their interest to help us along, protect us, share what they have learned, and in my experience they do.
The second reason is simple, because I love genealogy. I spent decades tracing and learning about my ancestors. Where they come from, how they moved around in the world. Collecting their stories and seeing glimpses of myself here and there – things I am drawn to, landscapes that fell like home, personalities. I have all this knowledge and still so much more to discover straight from them.
The Good and The Bad
When it comes to my living family, rough would be a mild word. Part of that disconnect comes from me though. My mother always said our women passed a blessing and a curse to each female descendant. The blessing: strong willed, independent, intelligent, and fire to take on the world. The curse is felt when we become a mother: because of the blessing we do not submit to authority and clash heavily with our mothers due the fact our personalities are so similar. Blessings and Curses go hand in hand, two sides of one Duality. I wish I had really understood this when I was young and when my mother was alive.
A Perspective to Keep in Mind:
We have our own perspectives and assumptions about every situation. Built from our own experiences, emotions, how we perceive the world, and how our mind processes it. The other person may see it from a totally different viewpoint. Both are true for them, but that does not necessarily make them The Truth. I find the real truth lays somewhere in between. My mother was an extremely intelligent woman and had the gift of seeing in hindsight due to age and her experiences – as I got older, I could finally see that. It didn’t make all her actions good, she made lots of mistakes, but we all do.
I feel we can pick and choose who we decide to work with. I also recommend, at least in the beginning, working with those you did not know in life. Our living people that we experienced have a lot of preconceptions and assumptions placed on them due to our experiences with them. It can make communication murky sometimes.
You will find people you think are good and bad in your bloodlines. I have people who sheltered and fought with natives during the removals – who defied the patriarchy – who built Clans and countries – who were beloved leaders and who healed people. I also have people who killed their own – were part of the crusades – who started wars – and who dominated others. History is long and complex. What was accepted then vs now, what is actual truth vs stories – so much subjectivity. So be careful how you pass judgment.
The Ancestors I Work With
This is a list of Ancestors I currently work with and the roles they play in my life and practices. I used the same discernment and “checks” processes as I did with Deities, when building the bonds and trust with each of these ancestors.
My Ozark Women
These are my 2nd-5th Great Grandmothers following my maternal line. They are the Ancestors I work with consistently and have very specific roles, especially in my magical practices.
5th G-grandmother Ellender. Her father was born in Ireland and migrated to the Appalachians. Her mother was half or quarter Cherokee or Catawba depending on the source being looked at. She married Moses Byrd of Cape Girardeau. The Byrds were one of the founding families there. Ellender is probably the quietest of them all. She is an observer, watching but rarely intervening in anything. She has some really interesting stories and a unique perspective on time though. Her biggest lessons are blending in – be the shadow in the back -and seeing what others miss in situations.
My 4th G-Grandmother is Mary Bryd, who goes by “Polly.” She married John McLain, grandson of Alexander McLean of the Isle of Mull (Scotland). Together, along with one of his brothers and another friend, founded Old Appleton, Missouri along side the Shawnee.
Polly is the ring leader of the group. Keeping everything flowing and ensures harmony between all of them. Which can be challenging at times due to Sarilda who you will meet next. Polly is blunt and firm, but fair – teaching me Leadership for All sides. Polly was also a healer. She has taught me a lot about animistic perspectives, how to build relationships with plants, and weaving energies for healing.
Sarilda is my 3rd G-Grandmother and my wild card. If I had to pinpoint where the Blessing and curse started, I would say it was her. She was a non-conventionalist and saw her husbands as a means to an end. She exerted power through their name and I have no doubt was who ruled her household. Sarilda is also the one deepest into magic and spell creation. Anytime I am creating a spell or ritual, Sarilda is my go-to. She loves spell crafting and her spells always work perfectly. She is the one who designed every step of my Bridge Spell last summer. Sarilda also has a mean streak though. She will always warn me of danger, but her methods can be kinda scary. Her ethics and morals are much looser than mine and has caused some conflict between us from time to time. I appreciate and hold gratitude for our bond though. She is really amazing and her skills are incredible.
My 2nd G-Grandmother is Mary. There is a huge disconnect between Sarilda and Mary so when they work together as a group, Polly really has to step up. Unlike Sarilda, Mary truly loved her husband. When he died she went a little off the deep end, becoming obsessed with spirit communication and the Otherworld. This created a lot of tares in the family. It also made her a master in Spirit Walking/ Communication. Working with Her has heightened those aspects in myself, giving me some different perspectives and approaches. She also serves as the main Guardian/ Gatekeeper when I deal with the dead.
Poppa of Normandy
Poppa was the first to really reach out. There was something about her story that nagged at me when I found her in my genealogy research. Things just didn’t fit right and so I started to dig – Then she started to talk.
The story goes that when Hrolfr- Rollo landed in France, he took a noble French woman as his wife – Poppa. This story comes from the genealogical papers that Richard the 1st, Poppa’s grandson, had commissioned. There is speculation on some of it because it was being used to establish the family’s legitimacy in royal senses. Yes, it is stated that Rollo was also married to Gisela of France, but it seems that was more to appease the church and to solidify alliances. Poppa was the only mother of his children listed. Another historical story states that Poppa was from Ireland and that Rollo had married her before going down to France.
Lastly is Poppa’s story, from her. According to her, she was from the Orkney island of Papay. She had a gift for sight. Seeing the patterns and cycles, knowing what to alter and how to create the outcome she wanted. She served her people with it, and later served them in Normandy. She never used the word Seidkona, but many of her stories show aspects of that craft. She passed down her craft and spiritual beliefs to her female descendants.
For Poppa, it is all about family, traditions, holding strong to the foundations of where we come from and passing the stories down. These are the aspects she gets involved in most when it comes to my own path and magic. She has a lot of stories and is a great story teller. Each one has lessons and ethics interwoven into them.
Adeliza de Clare
Adeliza a the fourth great granddaughter of Poppa The most interesting recorded story was that of her mother and was recorded in church records. Cliff notes version: She refused to go to church, and even when she was made to, would flee before the end. One day they had four soldiers hold her in place – she started screaming, tore free, turned into a bird and flew out the window. The church went on to declare the countess was the wicked fairy, Melusine, thus making all her descendant (the decendents of deClare) to have “devilish ancestry”. One of Adeliza’s brothers was quoted as saying “must needs go back to the devil. Do not deprive of us our heritage, we can not help acting like devils.” Of course I don’t think the story is true, and was either concocted to discredit the family, or to excuse their heathenry behaviors and beliefs since they held a lot of power in the region.
My experience of Adeliza is that she is about matriarchy and holds disdain for patriarchal systems. Any time women’s rights or power come into play, Adeliza tends to pop up. For her it is about knowing and owning your personal power – and holding it against the tides. She is a source of strength for me.
There are a few others, but these are the main ones who are consistent in my life and hold specific domains for practices.
What if you do not know your Ancestry
When I first started incorporating ancestors into my spiritual practices I did not have any specific ones I was reaching to. I didn’t pick a name and start building bonds – like with my Deity, the specific ones came to me after I opened the door.
When starting out I would just call to and honor my ancestors as a whole “Blood of my Blood.” Just like with Deity, even if we do not know their name, they are a part of us, connected to us. A name helps us get specific, but you don’t need specific when you first start. Be general, call to them as a group, and I feel eventually specific ones will come once the door is open. Then they can tell you their name and stories.
Ancestors in Practice – starting out
There are many ways to incorporate ancestors into your practice.
Setting up a shrine/ altar for them. Put things on there that are part of your history or the things you are drawn to. You can include photos, flags, heirlooms – or just something simple like a candle, some flowers, and perhaps a bowl of water. This is for you to get in that mindset, and creating space in your life for them.
Tell the stories of your family. Pass down the things you might know, have heard, or found about them. By passing down their stories we keep them alive in memory.
Say a prayer to them. Something you create that lets them know you are thinking of them and wanting to connect.
My Personal Practices
I have special poppets designed for my Ozark Women on my altar. Each one holds some specific herbs and dirt from their graves. The design itself was theirs, I just followed instructions. (Note here: I had been working with them for awhile and built the trust aspect. I would not just follow instructions on a spell or ritual without having that bond firmly in place.) The poppets sit in a place of honor and are cared for. I also have a small ancestor tree that has different associations of my heritage and the land recent ones shared. It sits on my altar next to the poppets.
I honor them through my actions and how I live my life. Grateful for the Blessing that have been passed down. Trying to be the best me I can be. Always stumbling, but always getting back up and trying again.
We remember them and share their stories with our children throughout the year. Writing them down and keeping all the records we find, so they will be there for future generations. Some get a candle lit on their birthdays or death-days. We have ancestor dinners a few times a year, that is done in thanks, for we would not be here if they did not come first. No matter how we view them – that is still a fact.
I already went into some of the roles certain ones play in my magical practices. I will go even deeper into that soon. How we craft spells and rituals together – different ways they give me the components and instructions – and how I put “checks” into that work.
What’s next? – My Personal Magical Practices!
What kind of magic I do. How I construct it and carry it out. What has influenced me. What are my results. – All about my personal magical practices..
We will go into how I spell craft, different ritual styles, my servitor spirits, my style of candle magic, Runic magic, Sedir/Spirit Walking, prosperity and protections, my divination techniques, and more.
It may take a few articles to get through it all, but we’ll just see.
If you have any specific topic of magic you want to know my perspective or practices on, put it down in the comments below!
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