The Ancestors
“I was born by myself but carry the spirit and blood of my father, mother and my ancestors. So I am really never alone. My identity is through that line.” — Ziggy Marley
Witches are thrice-blessed when it comes to ancestry. We have the line of blood through the mother, the line of blood through the father, and the line of Witch, those who practiced before us and those who will rise after us. To pretend we float through our craft unmoored from all that lineage is cute… and wrong. Our people, by blood, by bond, and by craft, are a living current. When we honor them, the work gets teeth.
Modern witchcraft loves to talk about personal power, happy vibes, and manifesting on a deadline. Fine. But power without roots is a pop-up tent in a windstorm. Your dead are ballast. Their love, pain, failures, and ferocious wins are the compost that grows your magic. Even if you’re adopted or estranged and don’t know the stories, you’re not barred from this river. You can build relationship through spirit contact, research, offerings, and the simple, steady act of remembering. In many ways, adoptees are doubly blessed—you can stand in both your blood ancestry and the family that chose and raised you.
The hard truth: not every ancestor is on your side
“Our ancestors are totally essential to our every waking moment, although most of us don't even have the faintest idea about their lives, their trials, their hardships or challenges.” — Annie Lennox
Do all ancestors have your best interest at heart? HELL NO. Death doesn’t automatically make a person wise or kind. If Grandma hated you for being queer when she was alive, she probably didn’t get a magical lobotomy crossing over. Don’t invite spirits into your practice who work against your life. You can set boundaries. You can say, “Only the well-inclined, the wise, and those committed to my thriving may approach this altar.” You can also work with older, uplifted dead and with the spiritual line of witches separate from tangled family ghosts. Discernment is not disrespect; it’s survival.
The grave doesn’t sanctify bigotry. Spirits carry their flaws with them. That means you need discernment. Some ancestors will uplift you. Others will try to drag you back into old patterns. Know the difference.
Do I have to work with ancestors to be a “real” witch?
Short answer: No. I love ancestral work and I recommend honoring the dead, but anyone telling you you’re not a “real witch” if you don’t is peddling zealotry. Honor your ancestors, yes, acknowledge the line that got you here. But active work? That’s your choice. You’re not less of a witch if your craft doesn’t revolve around them.
Still, giving them a place at your table, even if only in passing, is wise. A photograph on a shelf. A candle lit in thanks. A glass of water refreshed weekly. Recognition is not servitude, but respect.
“Let them look to the past, but let them also look to the future; let them look to the land of their ancestors, but let them look also to the land of their children.” — Wilfrid Laurier
How to Begin
The simplest way? Learn their stories.
Sit with your elders. Ask about the family. Pull out old photo albums and feel the charge humming from those images. Cook their recipes. Set a plate for them at the table. Invite them in, not all, not indiscriminately, but those you choose. And be ready for honesty. If you butcher their favorite stew, you might hear about it. Ancestors aren’t polite, they’re real.
For the adopted among us: your bloodline is layered. You inherit the dead through blood, but also through the chosen family that raised you. Both can be lines of power. You are not cut off, you are doubly blessed.
Practical cautions (so you don’t learn the hard way)
Consent & clarity: Call only the wise, well, and willing. Exclude the bitter, the bigoted, and the boundaryless.
Keep your word: If you promise an offering, follow through. Spirits, like saints and some deities, will collect, and sometimes by wrecking your schedule or your wallet to get your attention.
Don’t be a lazy conjurer: Research the Ancestors you plan to engage. Learn the stories, likes, taboos, and beefs.
Ancestral altars (simple and strong)
Where you place it depends on your home and comfort level. Bedrooms are debated; use discernment. Begin clean, physically wipe the space and spiritually cleanse (salt water, smoke, sound). A basic setup:
White cloth (cleanliness, clarity)
Clear water (refreshment—change weekly)
White candle(s)
Photos or items of the dead only (no living folks in the frame)
Space for offerings (food they loved, coffee, whiskey, seasonal fruit, flowers)
You can pray, read aloud, share meals, or just sit and remember. If you serve perishable offerings, decide ahead of time how long they stay before you take them outside to a tree or crossroads. Keep the altar tidy; the dead notice.
“But I don’t know my people…”
Work the line you do know: the family who raised you. Honor beloved dead (friends, mentors). Build a “Craft line” altar for witches who made the way for you. Research the places your body comes from. Let the Genius Loci of your neighborhood be your first ancestor of place. Ancestry is more than genealogy; it’s participation.
Boundaries, again (because it matters)
State house rules: “No zealots. No bigotry. No sabotage. Only those who come in good faith to protect and prosper this household.” If someone rancid shows up anyway, dismiss them. You can ban an ancestor just like you can ban a living relative from your doorstep. Your altar is not a public bus stop.
Simple practices to start (today)
The Weekly Water: Every [choose a day], refresh the water, wipe the altar, light a candle, and say three true things you’re grateful for from your line, skills, recipes, grit, survival.
Story Night: Once a month, read a family recipe, letter, or anecdote at the altar. If you don’t have one, write your own, “Tonight I tell you about our latest win…”
Ancestor Check-In Spread: Shuffle your deck and pull three cards, not for a god, not for the spirit of the land, but for your blood and spirit line. Let the ancestors speak through the cards.
What is the current state of my ancestral line?
This card shows you the overall tone of your ancestors at this moment. Are they restless? Proud? Silent? Watchful? It’s a snapshot of how the line is carrying itself and how connected (or disconnected) you are from it.What do my ancestors need from me right now?
Ancestors aren’t passive. They’ll tell you if something is off. This card can show you if they need offerings, if they want you to remember a particular story, or if there’s an old wound in the bloodline that needs acknowledgment.What offering or action would honor them most at this time?
Sometimes it’s food, sometimes it’s prayer, sometimes it’s speaking their name aloud so they’re not forgotten. This card will help you discern how to bridge the living and the dead this week.
Ancestral work isn’t cosplay or a box to tick. It’s relationship. It’s remembering where you come from and choosing what you carry forward. Some of your dead will comfort you. Some will call you out. Both are a blessing. Build the altar. Pour the water. Say the names that deserve saying—and refuse the ones that don’t. Then go live in a way your honored dead would recognize: honest, potent, and unafraid.
