Ancestor Veneration: Offerings and Practices By Elizabeth Ramos

Elizabeth Ramos discusses the offerings and practices to honor your ancestors.

Ancestors- when you hear this word, what do you think of? Do you think of home DNA kits like Ancestry.com, forensic genealogy and how it affects cold cases, or a spiritual approach? In spiritual and witchy circles, ancestry and lineage are honored and considered sacred. There are several different ways to honor ancestors: offerings, music, altars, traditions/celebrations… if you are interested in getting more in tune with those who came before you, and aren’t sure where to start, this segment is for you.

Libations are a popular and easy way to honor the deceased (pouring one out for the homies is a libation offering). Liquid libations can be both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, as long as it is provided ceremoniously as an act of remembrance and worship. When I have more time in the morning or am off, I like to make a cup of coffee or tea and provide that as my offering. I make the offering cup first as a sign of respect. Later on I may make a hot cocoa, or I will give a beer, shot, or glass of wine, again before my own. I typically do not do food offerings (also considered libations) unless it is Samhain (Halloween), but if I do I typically do sweets or cake. The next day, all offerings are disposed of. If you are able to, pour the drinks outside into the ground. If not, it’s ok, as the intent is the most important part of libation offerings. And as always, enjoy your favorite family meals. These meals live on because they are loved and cherished by those who make and eat it. My cousin Cassie makes a pretty damn close version of my grandmother’s German chocolate cake. This cake was made for special occasions and even was sold to friends and neighbors who would call upon my grandmother to provide for them.

As I mentioned in my previous article, altars and photo placements are personal and unique to every person. Some people change their altar decor and items seasonally, while others keep their altar the same year round. A typical ancestor altar will have photos, mementos, candles/incense, crystals, florals, memorial pieces (angel statues, cardinals), etc. and will be located in a specific spot (bookcase, dresser top). If you choose to honor the ancestors throughout your whole house, then an altar may not necessarily exist.

Tattoos; how many of us have gotten tattoos to proudly display our love of our lost? We’ve all seen the name tattoos, crosses, or other symbolism to remember them. I personally have a hummingbird on my arm to honor my grandmother Eleanor (who made the German chocolate cake.

Joss Paper. Traditionally in Chinese ancestor worship, Joss Paper is a special paper that is made into a spiritual money. The papers are burned as offerings to the dead to provide them with currency and comfort in the afterlife. The papers also are sometimes placed unburned in the coffins with the deceased. They are used in ceremonies on Zhong Yuan Jie, the Hungry Ghost Festival. Joss Paper is bright and colorful, and when burned can have a wide array of colored flames.

Incense is a popular offering in ancestor veneration practices. Incense smoke is said to carry messages and prayers to the afterlife, so many light this when doing ancestral workings (think Mulan’s father Fa Zhou in the ancestor shrine lighting the incense when Mushu was the incense holder in the Disney Classic). Incense comes in many forms, with specialized uses and scents available. Incense can also be made at home, and your local Barnes and Noble or metaphysical store should have a variety of books on the topic should you want to create your own blend. It is also acceptable to meditate or pray while incense is lit to commune with the ancestors. This can be done by thinking about what you want to say, burning your concerns on paper with the incense, or simply speaking out loud.

Traditional spiritual practices are popular among witches and spiritualists alike. Pride in our cultures and where we come from has always played a vital role among civilizations throughout the centuries. Our foods, songs, stories – they all come from those who came before us. For the Irish, the Tuatha Dé Danann were the original inhabitants of the Island before the Milesians, who are the ancestors of the Irish people. The Tuatha Dé Danann are said to be the gods of pre-Christian Celts, and include Danu, Dagda, Morrigan, Lugh, and others. They are today called the Faerie Folk. Many practitioners of Celtic Magic (including myself) work with one or several of these deities. My matron goddess is Brigid (also known as Saint Brigid in Christian practices), and I have also worked with Morrigan and Lugh. Ancestor worship in this manner can be as simple as learning the culture and history of where they came from, and if inspired, take up some of the cultural practices. You do not need to do deity worship if you do not want to. This is just a way that I personally connect to my ancestors, and it brings me peace and comfort to do so. Non-deity worship ways to honor your ancestors can include learning traditional songs and dances, telling the ancient stories, learning traditional hairstyles, or making traditional regalia (my Oneida Nation Turtle Clan cousins and aunt make traditional beaded jewelry and honor other traditions from their clan). If you are someone who likes history, this may be a wonderful project for you.

Learn your ancestry. Meet with your elders if you can to learn your genealogy. I find it fascinating to look at photos from over the centuries and compare the faces of my loved ones to them to see how our facial features and style preferences carried over throughout the ages. This is also the time to learn the stories about the deceased so that they are not forgotten. This is how we live on – we are remembered and talked about.

It is also important to learn family history to see potential patterns (generational curses) and start the steps towards breaking them. For my husband and his sisters, this means learning to fluently speak Spanish. My mother in law was born in 1955 in the Bronx, and was a first generation American (his parents are both Puerto Rican, and his grandfathers on both sides fought in our military for their families to gain citizenship). Mami has darker skin due to having a higher percentage of Taino (native Puerto Rican) in her DNA. If we look at history, we know that Jim Crow Laws and other segregation practices were common in that time period (Mami was eight years old when MLK did I Have a Dream, and thirteen when he was assassinated), and I cannot imagine how scary that had to be for her and their family. Because of this, she did not teach my husband or my brother and sister in laws how to speak Spanish. This has enraged my older sister in law (in her late 40’s), and there were several times she got heated with Mami because she felt she was denied opportunities and lost so much of her heritage. I was fed up when she was so aggressive with Mami and made her cry (again, because Mami never stated her position) that I reminded her of this history and told her if she wanted to learn so badly, she could get an app or Rosetta Stone. She did apologize after asking Mami if this was true (and Mami finally explained it all to her) While I don’t think she’s learned the language, she’s never brought it up to Mami again. Other curses could be parenting (or lack of), how finances are handled, mental illness… anything that we can see as a pattern in a family and can make steps to correct.   

No matter how you choose to venerate your ancestors, it’s a special and personal practice that looks different for everyone. How you may honor your ancestors may not be how your mom or sister does – and that’s OK. What matters is that you are proud to honor them and are happy in what you choose to do. I leave you with this question: how will you honor your ancestors today?

Elizabeth Ramos is a magic practitioner who specializes in nature focused, healing, protective, and ancestral magics. She is a Reiki Master-Teacher and lives with her husband and their several Feline Leukemia Positive kitties in Upstate New York.