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I'm just starting to get into ancestor veneration, but I have a very diverse ancestry. I'm Scotch-Irish, African of some sort, Chinese, and Cherokee. The problem is that I really have no idea what region of Africa my ancestors came from, and none of my relatives know either. Also, I'm not really sure how to unite all of these different beliefs or how to really honor them. I think that herbalism is important in all of these cultures, and I've studied that a bit, but I feel like I should be doing more for my ancestors

Go ahead, if you feel a pull towards loas or orishas I say dip in it. I couldn't say I have "recent" African ancestry at all but I got visited by a loa once and I got it's veve the day afterwards, I'm just waiting for the moon to be in it's correct phase so the loa's can bless my florida water and get on with the program.

In other words, I'm pale as a ghost with hazel eyes, from what I've gathered I have a lot of European lineage, it's awesome that just today I decided to research more deeply my ancestry and you post this.

I don't know how much money you have to burn, but atleast some of those places that do those mail order DNA tests for geneology type purposes say that they can tell which regions your ancestors were from. But I can't remember if it's region like AFRICA or region like A PLACE IN AFRICA.

Anyway, I've never used any of those services before, but there's a few around and they usually seem to be around $100.

Perhaps you could start trying to peer into your families past during meditation. Maybe you could get some visions of something that is verifiable. Like seeing someone wear certain tribal clothing, or a landmard (mountain, monolith, etc.) that could let you know what area to look at. Even an animal that might only live in certain areas and not in others.

Voodoo seems kind of spooky to me, haha. I had an uncle who lived in Louisiana for a few months and saw some "voodoo stuff" that he wouldn't expand upon, but everytime someone lit a candle after that he would have a panic attack and run out of the house. I don't think I'm ready for it, loas don't particularly call to me. Fareries seem to like me, I think I know why but that's a fairly long story.

I'm also not really trying to spend any money at the time. I like the meditation idea, and I've had visions of other places and people and such, but I've always interpreted those places as past lives. I've never really thought much on the connection between ancestors and past lives...

All good things.

Those visions you've seen could still be from past lives. Or, I suppose it's possible that someone may have been showing you something from your ancestors because you were wondering about it so much...

And you could even have overlap....past lives that coincide with you ancestors.

I was thinking, maybe, that you could meditate on the question. Like,...meditate on, "Where are my African ancestors from?" or something like that. Then, I would think, that it would be more likely to give you results that were about your ancestors instead of about you directly (past lives).

Also, (just throwing this one out there) maybe try to pick out a particular ancestor to meditate on. I know you probably don't know anything like names and stuff, but you could try something like your great, great, great, great, great grandfather. Or....the first person in your family to leave Africa. Things like that where you don't have to know too many details. I mean, because probably most people have a great, great, great, great grandfather in their family history and....if you're not in Africa, somebody must have left.

May i suggest you ask yourself, Do i have to develop a system of magick that incorporates my entire heritage?- Why not take another angle and just practice the system/s you have an affinity too and place a symbol of recognition of your ancestors in your personal temple? Perhaps, a symbol for each particular gene? i have Scottish, English, French and with that strong jaw line and hair in unwanted places Italian. Fortunately for me, European magick is Western magick.

I think you will find that the true gods of magick are about advancement of the human race- not any particular race. Racism just is not an issue, all high magick serves the needs of mankind. Alternatively, just practice the magick you love the most and do a family history search. This would allow you to acknowledge your ancestors another way.

The real task of magick lies elsewhere

Q

Damn, IDK why I made that reply LOL.

One thing about ancestors, the best you could do for the moment is to connect to close one not very far away from your origin, from what I gather not because somebody is your ancestor means you'll be able to work with them as some dead people were just plain evil, one could also account for personality compatibility.

That said, perhaps there is an ancestor that is calling you, who knows? Do you work with sigils? you could make a sigil of contacting your most compatible ancestor, or better yet, to connect to those whom wish to work with you. I recommend you make an ancestor altar with candles, pictures (if you can get them) and also food and water offerings.

Read a good book on necromancy or root work, most books on African based practices mention about altars and working with ancestors.

I am researching my closest ancestors not because of heritage but to see if there's compatibility and character assets, for example although I will pay homage to all of my grand parents, I will first focus on working with my diseased grand mother first since she was able to see ghosts and chat with them, it turns out those are the ancestors more easily worked with. If you establish a deep connection with them, they will also in time tell you that certain ancestor further down the line might be useful to you and introduce said ancestor to you for incorporation of him/her in your altar.

I come from a vastly intermixed racial background, and instead of spending all my time getting back to roots, I decided it was an opportunity to get closer to all races. I've since stopped claiming any bloodline, claiming only to be human and a citizen of the world. Instead of drawing from native american, or european, or siberian, etc. etc. magickal tradition, I draw upon all of them, seeing the world as a whole and recognizing it's all part of a human tradition.

Sure the fundamentalists arent' fond of the idea, but their thinking is flawed. I once was told by a native american who called himself a medicine person that I couldn't use the shamanic techniques I use because they were founded upon native american practice and that I didn't have enough native blood in me.

so I told him he's not allowed to use the term medicine person. Those are english words....

I think he got the point

Thanks, this is a lot of a good stuff. Right now I kind of have two alters and a shrine, and I think I just want to develop those and include my ancestors in them. And also to mediate more on specifically who they were. I don't know, race isn't really important to me, but right now I incorporate things from different systems that don't always agree (some of which I have no ancestry in), which can be kind of confusing. but in the end I think it's all just different words for the same things

Maybe you'd be into Shintosim also, give it a gander.

biguns wrote:Go ahead, if you feel a pull towards loas or orishas I say dip in it. I couldn't say I have "recent" African ancestry at all but I got visited by a loa once and I got it's veve the day afterwards, I'm just waiting for the moon to be in it's correct phase so the loa's can bless my florida water and get on with the program.

Yeah, I was thinking Palo or Vodou too when I read this. Neither system requires that your ancestors be black, and there are plenty of resources for both systems if you look hard enough.

keiasu wrote:I'm just starting to get into ancestor veneration, but I have a very diverse ancestry. I'm Scotch-Irish, African of some sort, Chinese, and Cherokee. The problem is that I really have no idea what region of Africa my ancestors came from, and none of my relatives know either. Also, I'm not really sure how to unite all of these different beliefs or how to really honor them. I think that herbalism is important in all of these cultures, and I've studied that a bit, but I feel like I should be doing more for my ancestors

That must be rough.

At least seemingly in thought you are reverend to those disconnected ancestor spirits.

keiasu wrote:I'm just starting to get into ancestor veneration, but I have a very diverse ancestry. I'm Scotch-Irish, African of some sort, Chinese, and Cherokee. The problem is that I really have no idea what region of Africa my ancestors came from, and none of my relatives know either. Also, I'm not really sure how to unite all of these different beliefs or how to really honor them. I think that herbalism is important in all of these cultures, and I've studied that a bit, but I feel like I should be doing more for my ancestors

If you live in the U.S. and are a descendant of slaves, it is likely that they came from west Africa. Given that there was a great deal of tribal mixing once they were "in the system" you are likely a mishmash of several tribal genetics. There are businesses on the net that claim to be able to check your DNA to determine exactly, but I wouldn't dare vouch for their credibility. You don't have to unite your beliefs. Everything is your legacy....or not depending on how you look at things. You are free to mix and match whatever you want and make it your own.

Ancestor veneration isn't about venerating your ancestors culture, it's about venerating your ancestors. Stop worrying about where they came from, I doubt they care now, and look into who they were as individuals, what kind of lives they lived, what impact they had in the world and why they deserve your attention and mutual respect.

keiasu wrote:I'm just starting to get into ancestor veneration, but I have a very diverse ancestry. I'm Scotch-Irish, African of some sort, Chinese, and Cherokee. The problem is that I really have no idea what region of Africa my ancestors came from, and none of my relatives know either. Also, I'm not really sure how to unite all of these different beliefs or how to really honor them. I think that herbalism is important in all of these cultures, and I've studied that a bit, but I feel like I should be doing more for my ancestors

keiasu, I am an African. I have been raised surrounded by ancestral reverence and worship. The path of ancestral rites and rituals is quite clearly spelled out in Nguni culture. THe Zulu, Xhosa and also the Chokwe are very good sources. If you have any Zulu contacts, they should help. Look into something the call "iSangoma" which is a Nguni Shaman. THey are the ones who go through certain rites of passage to gain access and visitations from the spirits. THere is sickness involved in the early stages of initiation, and lots of visions and dreams.

We can definitely speak further on this. For ancestors are a very central part of African consciousness.