Ancestor Witchcraft: Deepening Ancestral Relationships

Ancestor Witchcraft: Deepening Ancestral Relationships teaches the practices of ancestor veneration, graveyard magic, and a rosemary ancestral-wisdom tea spell with The Green Hearth Witch! Working with ancestral folk magic is the perfect way to honor those who came before you and keep their memory alive.

Today, we will discuss ancestor witchcraft and deepening ancestral relationships, a topic near and dear to my heart! Working with my ancestors has been one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done, as my craft has evolved through the years. The magic of ancestor veneration is a bond forged from blood, bones, and water!

There’s nothing and no one closer to you than your ancestors. You are family to them, and they are family to you. Often, you share a bloodline, but even if you don’t, your ancestors will still feel like family to you.

With your ancestors, it’s like an entire spiritual team that has your back through everything! You’ll experience loyalty, emotional support, and a protective force field with them.

The ancestors are not just family in the traditional, blood-kin sense. Your ancestral family is an umbrella of family, pets, and close, personal relationships. Many adoptive families experience this kind of bond.

Many of us grow up in dysfunctional families or feel estranged. This makes it difficult to open up to the practice of ancestral veneration. I’ve experienced this firsthand myself.

I’ve got people in my family who were everything from peeping Toms to convicted criminals. We have family members who abandoned their children, were domestic abusers, refused to pay child support, and ended up in prison. My family tree comes with a checkered past.

Yet, there is so much beauty and strength that runs like an invisible thread through my family's ancestry. There are so many family members in my past who were kind, thoughtful, spiritual, and enjoyed working with herbs. These are the ancestors I seek to know better.

Many women in my family were survivors of domestic abuse, including myself. My great-grandmother, Sylvia McCarty Potts, left her abusive husband to make it on her own with six children in tow in the 1940s, only to be killed with a shotgun by her ex-husband, who refused to let her go.

I admire these women, and I consider them the greats. Maybe great-grandmother Sylvia didn’t survive, but she tried to do the right thing. It takes strength and courage to leave an abusive relationship, and she had all of that and more.

You may have a family tree that doesn’t make for a proud past, but know that goodness runs long and deep, like your family lineage. Working with ancestors will help you uncover the hidden gems in your family as they step into the light.

Each family member, whether pet or human, blood-kin or non-related, will come forward, one by one, to create a full picture of your life through their eyes. Your ancestors know you better than anyone.

Are you ready to overcome your fears and deep dive into ancestral witchcraft? Let’s go! Ancestor Witchcraft: Deepening Ancestral Relationships teaches the practices of ancestor veneration, graveyard magic, and a rosemary ancestral-wisdom tea spell with the Green Hearth Witch!

In this article:

• Ancestor Witchcraft: Deepening Ancestral Relationships

• Graveyard Magic and Family Cemeteries

• Building an Ancestor Altar

• Create An Ancestor Veneration Playlist

• Ancestral Family Recipes

• Ancestral Heirlooms, Mementos, and Vintage Accessories

• Design An Ancestor Spell, Ritual, Or Prayer

• Rosemary Ancestral Wisdom Tea Spell

Ancestor Witchcraft: Deepening Ancestral Relationships

How does one go about deepening their ancestral relationships? Get to know your ancestors! Put the time and energy into the relationship, just as you would any other human relationship.

How does one go about doing that? Start with any connections you already have established from your family history. For example, my mom has always told me stories of the grandmother she grew up with. They were very close, and hearing the intimate details of their relationship made me feel close to her, too.

There may be people in your family who have already passed on. Some you will have known in your lifetime, while others you know through photographs, memories, and tradition. If there are family members you resonate with, these are the ones you might like to start a relationship with and watch it grow.

I had always heard stories about my great-grandmother, Sylvia McCarty Potts, from my mother. She had always heard stories about her throughout her childhood. One day, my youngest daughter and I decided to do research and found everything we heard to be true.

If there’s a piece of history you’re unsure about, do some research! There’s bound to be something online or in the ancestry registry. Research and get to know your ancestors, the way you would a powerful deity!

Working with the ancestral spirits is one of the most powerful, magical things you can do! Once you feel a connection with your ancestors and a relationship has been established, you can develop it further. The ancestors are a powerhouse of ancestral wisdom and knowledge.

Graveyard Magic and Family Cemeteries

Another thing you can do is visit the family cemetery! Someday, I’d love to visit Dripping Springs Cemetery in Oklahoma, where many of my family members on my mom’s side are buried. By revisiting, you’ll deepen the connection in your relationship.

You can leave an offering of something they would have enjoyed when they were living, breathing human beings. Many ancestors enjoy offerings of alcohol, weed, tobacco smoke, flowers, sweets, treats, and money. They will enjoy it, and it’s just a nice thing to do!

If you plan on asking something from them, you’ll want to leave something behind that nourishes them, so they can carry out the tasks you have asked of them. In this case, I recommend simplicity! Apples, pumpkins, purified water, and/or a glass of wine will often do the trick.

The purpose of this is to feed them! Ancestors, unlike deities, need food, water, and nourishment to enable them to carry out tasks. It’s also a wonderful way to honor them!

By the way, the ancestors will let you know when it’s time for a fresh meal! The food you have given them will become pale, gray, and lifeless. It will be as if something sucked the nutrients out of it.

Beyond feeding your ancestors and leaving them offerings, you might like to take a little of their dirt or ashes. It’s important to always ask permission first! You can also use their gravesite to create spells.

I will say, this part might come a little later, after your connection with your ancestor has deepened and become stronger! Once you have permission, you can create a small hole in the ground where their headstone is and insert the organic ingredients of a spell you’d like to work with them.

I usually include herbs, tiny gemstones, and a petition! Sometimes, I’ll insert a tiny spell jar into the ground, depending on the nature of the spell and what I’m trying to accomplish.

Next, it’s time to call upon your ancestor to work with you to bring your spellwork to life! This is called conjuring. This is where you conjure spirits to work with you in accomplishing a spell goal.

Be sure to give thanks to the ancestors you’ve worked with! Thank them verbally and leave them a nourishing offering that will give them the energy to carry out tasks. Pray to your ancestors often to keep your spell alive!

Building An Ancestor Altar

Beyond gravesites, you can also create an altar for your ancestors! I use a minimalist approach to my ancestral altar. I keep a counter space open where I place apples, gourds, and drinks for my ancestors. Sometimes, I leave them flowers, notes, and candles, too.

I like to keep my ancestor altar in my kitchen because it’s part of the hearth and the heart of the home. It’s a place of power, in which I know that I can conjure them easily. It’s the place they call home.

Some people like to create an ancestor altar using pictures, mementos, and family recipes passed down through the generations. Ancestors love that sort of thing, too!

I have a limited amount of space in my tiny home, and I use what I have to the best of my ability, but who knows? Maybe someday I’ll create an elaborate altar for them with many things they love.

The biggest thing about creating an altar is letting your intuition guide you! Your ancestors will be in the background, guiding you to place different objects and items they love on it. They will lead the way!

Create An Ancestor Veneration Playlist

Create an ancestor veneration playlist! You can play their music at your ancestor's altar while performing rituals and spellwork.

It’s important to choose songs that remind you of your ancestors and the connection you have. Whenever you play their music, it will create a bond between you, drawing you even closer. It’s a fabulous way to strengthen the ancestral relationship!

I carefully chose my songs based on how they make me feel when I think of my ancestors. I also chose songs based on what they love, focusing on themes of heirlooms, nostalgia, and life and death. When an ancestor passes on, it’s only the beginning of a new journey for them!

Ancestral Family Recipes

Another thing you can do to connect on a deeper level with your ancestors is to learn how to cook family recipes passed down through the generations! This works especially well if you are a kitchen witch or a green hearth witch.

Whether it be baking or cooking a gourmet meal, it’s always helpful to turn on music (Ancestor Playlist), dance around the kitchen, and make food for those you love using a recipe from your great-grandmother. Be sure to share the recipe with your ancestors by setting a plate on their altar!

Unfortunately, in my family, there weren’t any recipes that were passed down from the greats, so we’ve been working on creating our family cookbook! This way, we can pass it down to future generations. Our family cookbook is a hodge-podge of recipes that each of us has created throughout the years.

This is also something fun you can do together as a family! Be sure to include your ancestors in the process. They may lead you to an old family recipe that was lost over time.

If you decide to create a family cookbook, you can add ancestral recipes to it, as well. You can then add a dedication or a short bio for each family member and their recipe.

I recommend practicing food photography and taking snapshots of the meals you prepare. This way, you can add them to your family cookbook and bring the recipes to life!

Ancestral Heirlooms, Mementos, and Vintage Accessories

A great way to strengthen your connection to your ancestors is to spend time with keepsakes and maybe even use them in your craft for spells and rituals. Do you have a pearl necklace passed down from your great-grandmother? Enchant your nature-inspired accessories!

Was your great-aunt a phenomenal seamstress? You could wear the apron she sewed from scratch and used to make apple pie back in the 1950s. It might make you feel closer to your aunt by wearing something she used to wear.

Do you have old pennies your grandfather used to collect? Start a collection! It can be anything from arrowheads he found to marbles he used to play with.

If you have a random elixir of items passed down from the family tree, you can create a keepsake box to keep them in. You can add personal mementos to the box so that it can be passed down to your great-grandchildren someday.

If you don’t want to add them to a memento box, you can always add them to your ancestor altar! This way, you can look at them throughout the day, reminding you to reach out to your ancestors.

Design An Ancestor Spell, Ritual, or Prayer

To strengthen ancestral relationships, you can design an ancestor spell, ritual, or prayer that can be used in your witchcraft practice! For me, I pray to my ancestors throughout the day, especially when I need wisdom, guidance, healing, and protection.

Praying to your ancestors is an effective way to deepen your relationship with them! It creates a bond that runs deep, far, and wide. It keeps their presence alive in your life.

Ancestors, I pray that you will be with me and my loved ones throughout the day, watching over us, and guiding us. I pray for the strength and courage to face each day. I pray you would have our back, ancestors, and that you would hold our hands, and be by our side. Ancestors, your blood is our blood. I can feel you in my veins. Strengthen us, ancestors, and make us wiser than we would be without you. I love you and I know that I am beloved by you. Thank you for your safety and protection. Amen. It is done. Blessed be!

You can use the daily prayer I’ve designed above, or you can create one for yourself! Praying to your ancestors will help bring you closer to them. You will feel their presence and warm embrace.

In addition to prayer work, you can create a spell designed to work with your ancestors. Is there something in your life you need help with? The ancestors would love to help!

They are great for assisting with healing, shielding, protection, and abundance. I incorporate my ancestors into spellwork focused on different family members or beloved pets.

When I turn to my ancestors for help, I always go to my altar, say a prayer, and give them an offering or libation. Nine times out of ten, it’s usually an apple, either a golden delicious or a red candied apple. For libations, I like to offer them moon water, sun tea, or a glass of wine.

This is my prayer, spell, and ritual for deepening my relationship with my ancestors! It’s something I do religiously and has become second nature to me. Feel free to improvise and create an ancestral spell or ritual that resonates with you!

Rosemary Ancestral Wisdom Tea Spell

For this spell, you’ll want to break out your favorite mug or antique teacup! This spell is intended to uncover the ancestral wisdom that lies in wait for you. What wisdom do your ancestors wish to share with you?

You’ll want to create a hot cup of warm and cozy tea the way you normally would, using fresh ingredients from the garden. I’ve listed the magical properties of each spell ingredient below to guide you along.

Rosemary - (Heart of the Spell) Rosemary is known for evoking strong memories and bringing them to the surface! Memory retention, nostalgia, health, home, family, and protection.

Lavender - gentle, reassuring, and evoking a sense of wonder in your heart! Calm, peacefulness, fairy magick, and gardening.

Catnip- Catnip is known for good luck and connecting with the dream realms, making it perfect for gaining ancestral wisdom and guidance! Friendship, bonding, romance, luck, and kinship.

Thyme - The thyme herb is best known for strength, protection, and courage! The ancestors understand our human struggles, as they once walked before us. Cleansing, purification, longevity, and transformation.

Honey- Honey can be used for dealing with sticky situations that require thoughtfulness! This is something the ancestors are undoubtedly good at handling. Sweetness, binding, and tenderness.

Be sure to put your intention into each spell ingredient, one by one. Your intention, in this case, would be to gain ancestral wisdom from your ancestors. You want to know what they know.

Be sure to make a cup of tea to share with your ancestors, as a way of thanking them for their ancestral wisdom! The ancestors will be sure to appreciate it.

As you drink your ancestor's tea, imagine your ancestors are sitting at the kitchen table or around the fire, drinking their tea with you. As you take your last sip, know that new information will be coming to you soon. Sometimes, I receive downloads of information while I’m in the process of drinking it.

How soon will the spell take? Again, this will be different for each person and their ancestors. It could be as soon as while you are drinking it to weeks later. Most spells take 28 days to complete a moon cycle. I usually give my spells three full moon cycles to reach completion, though they usually come true sooner.

How will I know when my ancestors are sharing wisdom with me? You’ll know. They usually make it crystal clear. Again, this will be different for everyone. You might receive signs, receive a phone call, hear a song on the radio (add it to your ancestor playlist!), receive information downloads, or stumble upon something that resonates with you.

Can I ask for specific wisdom from my ancestors? Absolutely! For example, if you are in the midst of a sticky situation and don’t know how to untangle yourself, you can ask your ancestors for insights on how to deal with it. I have a daughter who is in a domestic abuse situation, and I’ve been seeking ancestral wisdom to navigate the darkness. This is just one example of something they can assist you with!