#communing with the ancestors

[coppertopkinnie]

[harmoonix]

Understanding your ANCESTORS with your 2nd/4th and 9th house signs in the birth chart! They represent the ancestors.

🌼🤍This photo is so deep & beautiful!🤍🌼

[genderkoolaid]

european italians when italian americans have their own pronunciations & spellings because we are a linguistically isolated diaspora & most of our families spoke regional dialects instead of standard italian when they immigrated anyways:

[skansennow-arghans]

Certainly it is a bit depressing how so many otherkin accidentally fall into ecofascism and such because of hating humanity. loathing humans won’t do anything, humans are also an animal species, but also with a unique capacity of altruism and caretaking. A cat does not care that a bird species can go extinct, but humans do, and there is truly something beautiful in humanity. It also alienates us otherkin where our kintypes are actually very close to humanity—drakons are protectors of human houses, pantries, and givers of health. My kintype is bound by humanity yet there is barely any representation for otherkin such as myself.

[the-clumsywitch]

Tarot Spreads to Connect with Deceased Loved Ones & Ancestors

[crazycatsiren]

My ancestors, watching me make coffee: our darling witch child is at her precious concoctions again, bless her.

[identityquest]

allysion... girl i havent drawn u in 3 years

[xdextarx]

literally pagans 🌳are more open to identities, social aspect, diversity and genders than modern society 🔬

Vikings:

you are woman who want to live as man? sure! why not! women can be strong as men! it's not so often here but we have no problem with it!

Modern society:

b-but women have their own standards and men as well!! g-gender role!! it's our tradition that men do nothing and women do everything at home! cooking and cleaning is a woman's job because we said so to have less work!! women are weak child machines and men are strong hunters!!! women must be submissive to men!! it's a tradition!! 😩

Inuits:

you lived alone in the forest for a long time and now you became a shaman and can talk to spirits? that's so cool! let's go on an igloo and you will make an astral trip and then you will tell us what you saw and where all you were!!

Modern society:

what the hell? Impossible. you must be schizophrenic. it is not possible for you to have a sixth sense and be able to connect with things that we cannot see. surely it's just delusions in your head. there are no supernatural things and I don't care that science can't fully explore it yet and that we don't even know how we really got here!

pagans in general:

it's so cool you made your own mask! you are an animal, entity, devil, spirit or something else? let's celebrate us all!

you have wild spirit? that's so cool!

you were an animal in your last life? me too!

you can travel astrally? omg!

someone was born? let's celebrate!

someone died? let's celebrate they are in after life now and their soul is still with us in connection!

god's are our friends and not our masters! we all are just beings!

modern society:

therians, alterhumans no humans are sick! you cannot be anything else than human! you have human body so you're human!

you have woman body so you can't be man!

you have man body so you can't be woman!

there's no reincarnation or soul!

someone was born? oh no we have to pay bills for making one human in this capitalist society

someone died? damn it cost so much!

there's only one god and other religions are fake! you will burn in hell you atheist!

god is the creator and master!

landlord is owner and my master or I become homeless!

my boss is my master or I will starve!

we celebrate Christmas, valentine and Easter just because of having to feed markets and capitalist materialistic society!

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Birth of the World :: Joan Miro

* * * *

"All human lives are so profoundly and intricately entwined - those dead, those living, those generations yet to come - that the fate of all is the fate of each, and the hope of humanity rests in every heart and in every pair of hands."

~ Dean Koontz, 'From the Corner of His Eye'

[aesethewitch]

Spirit Work: The Power of Hanging Out

Elaborate rituals, intense meditations, and huge gestures have their places in spirit work. There's value in putting a massive effort into something for the spirits you venerate or work with. And sometimes, you need to do these big things for a particular outcome or as part of your tradition.

I have a bias against big, elaborate rituals for this purpose, though. In my practice, it's just unnecessary. All of the relationships I have and maintain with spirits are, at their cores, friendships. They're not working relationships, they're not worshiper-worshiped relationships, they're not transactional relationships. My spirits are my friends.

So I approach working with them like friendship. I'll light a candle and set a cup of coffee or tea on their altar in the same way I'd offer a friend a cup of tea when they visit. If I'm working on something, I'm accustomed to body doubling as someone with ADHD, and I like to invite my friends to work alongside me. In the same way, I'll invite my spirit friends to participate or just hang around while I work.

Heck, they hang out while I write these posts sometimes!

Not everything in spirit work has to be intense and serious. Yes, you should be respectful -- in the same way that you should be respectful to your neighbors and your friends. And yeah, not all spirits can or should be treated this way.

But I would like to posit the humble power of Hanging Out.

What I Mean By That

Literally. Hanging out.

Whatever you normally do to "call" your spirit(s), do that. My method is lighting a candle of some sort. Sometimes, I'll choose a scented candle if I'm trying to lure a particular spirit to the area, but an unscented taper candle will do just fine.

And then, you hang out. That's it.

If you're watching YouTube, invite the spirit to watch with you. Ask their opinions on what to watch, if you have an easy way to communicate with them. (One of my spirits loves Ghost Hunting TV Shows. He thinks it's hilarious.)

If you're playing a video game, leave space on the couch for the spirit to settle next to you to watch.

Make dinner, chat about your days. Set aside a little plate for them if you want. Eat together.

The Value in Hanging Out

The idea here is that time is valuable​. Time spent with someone else is valuable on its own, even if that time is spent doing little to nothing "productive."

Think about your friends and the people you enjoy spending time with. It isn't always clubs, parties, exploring, hiking, running, traveling, or whatever else you do. Even if that's how you met or your main activity together, there are always casual moments. Easy breakfasts, simple conversations, sleepovers in your PJs, watching movies.

Quality time is powerful. Choosing to spend your time with someone sends a clear message: "I value your presence."

Not everything has to be an elaborate party. Sometimes, all you want is to sit down and hang out.

Why can't it be the same with spirits? The answer is that it can. In my practice, I rarely do anything that elaborate. I'll put extra effort in for special occasions like holidays, but usually, it's a simple act of lighting a candle, saying hello, and then sitting down with the spirit to just hang out.

Not every relationship requires constant, intense focus. Especially if you're looking to befriend​ your spirits, rather than just work with them, the Power of Hanging Out is a valuable asset to keep in mind.

It doesn't have to be every day, either. I have a sort of open, standing invitation for whichever spirits to hang out whenever they like. They're welcome to chill anytime, unless I ask to be left alone. Because of our relationship, they respect that. (Usually -- the only time they don't is if something urgent has come up or they need something.)

I developed the theory of Hanging Out years ago. Spirit work was where I started, and it's always been Home to me. But it's intense sometimes, and a lot of what I was doing was burning me out very, very fast. So I adapted on the fly, as one does, and it ended up working really well.

Now, Hanging Out is my primary method of doing spirit work. Even with spirits I don't know or in new locations, there's value in projecting an aura of "I'm just here to chill. Feel free to talk to me, or don't. It's cool." Spirits, shockingly, respond to that. I end up with a lot of interesting, casual conversations, light taps on the shoulder to let me know I've been acknowledged by something that doesn't want to talk, and various visual anomalies from shy critters in the shadows.

Think of it like slow blinking at a cat or offering the back of your hand to a dog. Approaching respectfully and calmly in a very casual way attracts things that otherwise wouldn't show themselves. The Power of Hanging Out is alluring to even the shyest spirits.

Again, obviously, this won't work for all spirits. Do what works for what you work with. I've found Hanging Out works best with ancestors, house spirits, land spirits, and assorted ghosties over the years. It's not so good with, say, the Good Neighbors. But hey, maybe your experience will differ.

Extra Benefits of Hanging Out

Aside from the relationship benefits of casually sitting and hanging out, there are even more practical benefits. As a side-effect of adapting spirit work in this way to work for me, my senses for spiritual energy shot through the roof.

I've always been pretty sensitive. I'm that weird kid at the next table over in the restaurant who clocked the spirit of your recently-deceased aunt who left you her necklace which you're wearing under your shirt and which I couldn't have possibly seen. But when I started Hanging Out and just existing in a space with spirits, everything sort of... exploded.

It's like recognizing your family's footsteps coming down the hallway. When I stopped trying to force myself to understand and recognize every scrap of energy, it all washed over me instead. And in the Energy Soup, I started to recognize more signs and signals without effort.

This is, in my opinion, the greatest benefit of Hanging Out, even for people who don't do spirit work at all. There's no meditative aspect to it, really (though you can certainly meditate to enhance it, if that's something you do). It's just sitting and being receptive.

I don't think this method will work for everyone. People who have zero sensitivity to spirits may not see any results. But I think it has value even for those people.

At its core, Hanging Out is a mindfulness exercise. If you can't be with spirits, be with yourself. Put the call out to whoever or whatever you work with, venerate, sense -- or things you'd like to get to know better. See what answers.

​Light a candle.

Say, "If you want to come sit with me and watch TV, feel free. I have popcorn."

Hang Out.

If you like my work, consider tossing a tip in my Ko-Fi tip jar! Supporters get extra, early, and exclusive content every week. You can also view this post on Ko-Fi here!

Also, consider throwing a response at my Divination Theory Survey! This is an ongoing research project that needs all the help it can get. Thanks!

[buriedpentacles]

Why I Don't Have An Altar

One definition of an altar is:" in religion, a raised structure or place that is used for sacrifice, worship, or prayer" from Britannica and they have a number of different forms but typically in Pagan or Witchcraft communities they're a surface dedicated to a deity, spirit, ancestors or just their general craft. They're super common and a lot of people take real pride in them, as they should.

But I don't have one.

I used to have one just a year or two ago. So why did I get rid of it?

In a way, I didn't. Not entirely. I no longer have a set place to worship Mother Nature or Commune with my Ancestors but my altar is now scattered across my living space - my plants sit on my windowsill, my tarot cards are wherever I choose to keep them that day, I have crystals all over my room and pieces of nature on my bedside table and desk. I don't have a dish for offerings, or a place to perform spells.

The reason is because I realised that my altar would never give me the feeling of closeness and connection as the world outside gives me. When I prayed before my candles and crystals I felt connected to my Goddess of course, but praying to the wethered old oak in the woods, or to the waves that crash onto cliffs, or to the mother fox that watched me from across the stream is when I *knew* that she was there, that was when I felt her so intensely and deeply.

My altar was performative, it was an act I put on because I felt like I had to. Now, I don't feel that pressure. Now, I feel my ancestors more deeply because *I* am the altar - I am their blood and soul, so I worship them through myself. Now, I feel Mother deeper than before because I am actually experiencing her - not the faux version I had built inside a box.

It is, of course, all personal preference. In the future when I hae a more permennat home I may built an outdoor altar or have a small one for my ancestors, I might not. But, you don't NEED one, and you definitely don't need to spend a lot of money building the biggest and "prettiest" altar. If you want one, build an altar that suits you and whatever purpose it will serve, not one built for a performance.

[witchofthenorthernshores]

Some of the most useful advice I’ve heard when it comes to spirit discernment and imposter syndrome came from Jason Miller’s Consorting With Spirits. It goes like this:

Engage in an experience without doubt while it is happening. Analyze it critically after it is over.

This method has allowed me to have much deeper and more vivid spirit communications, because I’m not second-guessing everything while it’s happening. Then, thinking critically once the cards are back in the box allows me to really unpack the experience.

[cursecuelebre]

Coins are Essential to Hellenic Worship and Witchcraft

In Ancient Greece Drachmae (the coins/currency of the time) were used not just in everyday life but honoring the dead. It was believe that coins were offered to the deceased right before they were buried. The coins were given to grant the spirits passage to the underworld by paying Charon who will ride across Acheron, a river in the underworld to the afterlife, fearing they will get stuck on the shores if they don’t have the payment to cross. Though it is a very old superstition it is still very important to offer such a gift to the spirits that crossed over, though whether you don’t believe such a belief or do about paying the ferryman the act of the gesture is a sign of great respect and admiration for the departed. Collect your spare change and don’t be afraid to use them for various reasons:

- Offer them to your ancestors.

- Place a coin on gravestones when you visit a cemetery.

- Offer coins to your deities as money being one of the great sacrifices to give to them even if it’s just a penny.

You can also do spell work with coins as charms, divination (flipping heads or tails), talismans, focal point of power, etc.

[seeinginthedark]

I love being a human woman. And a mother . I wouldn’t trade it for anything . I won’t bio -upgrade myself with technologies when they start introducing that to us. I won’t be stepping onto any space ships and exploring the galaxy with “friendly” aliens. I don’t need to “shift” into other realities . I’m happy right here on Mother Earth. And after I die , I will get buried in the Earth , next to my ancestors, nestled in, nice and safe to rest in Mother Earth’s embrace.

[the-clumsywitch]

A Few Tips for Connecting with Your Ancestors

The first thing I would like to say is please don't just connect with your ancestors because you want them to do something on your behalf. Just as most people would form a genuine relationship with a person before asking favors, your ancestors are no different. They are not your servants. Deal with them just as you would with loved ones in the physical world, of course people will always do what they want to do. So at the end of the day, do as you will. With all of that being said, here are a few tips that might help you to connect with your ancestors.

Light a white candle for them.

Prepare them a meal they would have liked when they occupied their physical vessel.

If you are asking them for guidance, create a playlist with songs that remind you of that particular ancestor or that you used to listen to with them. Ask for their guidance, then place it on shuffle.

Celebrate their birthdays and their special occasions as if they were here, decorations, cake (it doesn't have to be a full cake), their favorite foods.

Become familiar with where your ancestors typically make their presence known in your home or places you often go. At times where you are looking for a deeper connection them you can go there and feel their presence or ask for guidance.

I hope these tips are helpful and remember that as you spend more time getting to know your ancestors you will become more familiar with their messages and what they want. Like the title mentioned these are just tips, if they do not feel helpful please disregard them.💖

- Erika, The Clumsy Witch

[sanyu-thewitch05]

Black Diaspora, if King Charles dies on Black History Month we need to…

TURN IT UP!!!