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Ancestors

b2ap3_thumbnail_hangingcandle1.jpgNot everyone finds it easy to communicate with the gods, and even when we talk to them, they don’t always answer. And that is perhaps for the best. Being too god-touched makes being in the embodied world difficult. Driving for example demands one be present in one’s body. Raven Kaldera describes different ways of being god-ridden, and one involves being “locked in the trunk.” Raven has a human driver to make sure he gets from place to place, and I’m sure that’s a very good thing for other people on the road.

Our ancestors understand the requirements of embodiment. They’ve been there, and while most of them will never have driven a car – it is, after all, a fairly recent invention – they have used sharp tools, and had to get away from danger. And they want us to succeed. An Ancestor practice is one of the best and dare I say, safest, ways for an inexperienced beginning Pagan to connect with the non-embodied world. This is true because our beloved dead care about us in a most personal way.

I have a friend who plunged into Paganism not long after we met. One of the things I offer to new Pagans is to drum for them while they Journey to find a power animal. The search is basic, and involved the visualization of entering the lower world through a hole in the ground to conduct the search. In this particular case, she could not enter. Her deceased sister stood most firmly in her way and would not allow it. Our dead know what is best for us.

There is more than one type of Ancestor: Ancestors of the blood, Ancestors of the heart and spirit, and Ancestors of the land. Although, these categories are a matter of convenience, and can certainly blur, so don’t get hung up on them! Ancestors of the blood are those who are connected to you genetically, that share your DNA. Ancestors of the heart are those who knew you and cared for you, but are not connected by DNA. This would include any fur persons. Ancestors of the spirit are those whom you might not have known personally, but whom you admire and whose lives offer inspiration. Ancestors of the land are those who lived in the place where you live now and retain some presence. Let me give some examples.

Ancestors of the blood would seem obvious, but what about adoption? In the Jewish tradition, when one is adopted into the religion, no distinction is made between converts and those born into the tradition. Adoption can be like that. I have in-laws who are adopted and they have no interest in finding those who share their biological DNA. Their spiritual DNA is right where they want it. And not all ancestors of the blood are nice people. There is no requirement that you honor the parent who abused you or the aunt who you never met. It is always good to start with someone towards whom you have warm feelings.

I have quite a few Ancestors of the heart including several cats, a dog, and a horse. Our furry companions may have been closer to us than our parents or siblings, and the relationship is usually far less complicated! The humans on the list include my in-laws, and the Mennonite babysitter who cared for me as a child, and who remained close to mom and myself long after I had graduated high school. Ancestors of the spirit might be writers, scientists, artists, musicians or any other person who has passed who is willing to serve as a guide on your personal path.

Ancestors of the land anyone who is tied to the place where you live. If the person who built your home had a strong attachment, they may still be hanging around and willing to bring your attention to things the house needs. I am fortunate in that I get to spend a lot of time in the house where a great many of my genetic family were born and died. In our mobile society, my situation is fairly unique. I have one ancestor who, instead of leaving, has stuck around so long that he is really more like a land spirit than an Ancestor of the blood.

The most important Ancestors of the land are the native people who lived here before us. Whether the relationship they had with our own Ancestors of the blood was bad or good – and there were indeed a few places where it was good – our diseases and cultural bias over-ran theirs, and we owe them, at the very least, the debt of memory.

I will write more in a later post about methods of contacting the Ancestors, but the best place to start is with learning more about them. Find out what native tribes lived on the land you now occupy. Who were they? What stories did they tell? What did they honor? Ask questions of your living relatives about those who have passed and explore geneology sites. Learn your family tree. Read biographies and write down cherished memories or express them in art. And if an Ancestor happens to touch you in the process, ask what they would like, and open the door to a relationship.

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Selina Rifkin, L.M.T., M.S. is a graduate of Temple University and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. In 1998 she graduated from the Downeast School of Massage in Maine. She has published articles in Massage Therapy Journal, been a health columnist, and published The Referral Guide for Complementary Care, a book that describes 25 different healing modalities. In 2006 she completed her Masters program in Nutrition with a focus on traditional foods, and the work of Weston A. Price.
Currently she is the Executive Assistant to the Director of Cherry Hill Seminary, the first Pagan seminary to offer Master’s degrees.

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