Ancestor Work
I have always had a deep connection to Autumn...the changes in the land, the quickening in the air as the first cool mornings and nights arrive...all the traditions that surround this time of year from pumpkins, to harvest festivals, to putting a garden to bed for the coming Winter...and of course Samhain (Halloween).
With the passing of the years, as I have had the opportunities to expand my magickal studies and encounter some other traditions...Southern Conjure, VooDoo, and Mediumship. These other traditions (and Pagan/Heathen Traditions) all have a focus on Ancestor Work. I am finding that it has been always the Ancestor Work that has first opened any new Door, revealed a new direction for me.
Of course, when one is on a journey, one sees what is right there or just in front of them.. It is with the collection of time and experiences that one can look further and further back and see the Thread of certain Traditions that hold the strongest and have signaled the Waypoints on the road.
Having gathered more time on this journey, I realized when reflecting on my Soul's Path, that it has always been my Ancestral Spirits, the Voice of My Ancestors, speaking to me that have guided me.
Honoring Ancestral Blood:
When I was a young girl, I had the good fortune to get to know 2 very cool Aunts, one from each side of my family. My Great Aunt Gladys was from my mother's side and of Irish decent and Great Aunt Anna was from my father's side and of Italian decent. Both these ladies were quite forward thinking and "unusual" which I think is why they took a special liking to me and I to them. I would spend hours listening to them on various family visits and loved my time with them. It was only when I became an adult, that I came to understand how "different" they were. They were bold woman that had not followed a ordinary path and in the times that they lived in women typically had way less choices, I came to admire their courage, intelligence and resourcefulness. Both of these aunts were master seamstresses and help support their families with their craft. One made dolls and the other worked as a seamstress. They both spent hours encouraging my creativity. They were the first folks to see and recognize something in my spirit when I was just a little girl.
One Aunt had a baby out of wedlock in the early 1900's and kept the child. She learned to be a seamstress to support herself. She eventually married and had a very happy life with her husband. But I think back to her courage to keep her child in a time period when she was sent away while pregnant so no one that knew her family would see her.
The other Aunt had childhood diabetes and eventually became "legally blind" but remained independent. She lived well into her 80's and was always full of laughter and stories, never once did she complain about her health challenges.
I believe in the power of heritage, that is is passed down to us in our DNA and in our blood.
It whispers to us, gently calling out to our Soul. If we learn to listen to the Voice of our Ancestors that speak in the language of our blood, they also reveal keys to the answers we are seeking and provide clues to where the Path lies.
With the passing of the years, as I have had the opportunities to expand my magickal studies and encounter some other traditions...Southern Conjure, VooDoo, and Mediumship. These other traditions (and Pagan/Heathen Traditions) all have a focus on Ancestor Work. I am finding that it has been always the Ancestor Work that has first opened any new Door, revealed a new direction for me.
Of course, when one is on a journey, one sees what is right there or just in front of them.. It is with the collection of time and experiences that one can look further and further back and see the Thread of certain Traditions that hold the strongest and have signaled the Waypoints on the road.
Having gathered more time on this journey, I realized when reflecting on my Soul's Path, that it has always been my Ancestral Spirits, the Voice of My Ancestors, speaking to me that have guided me.
Honoring Ancestral Blood:
When I was a young girl, I had the good fortune to get to know 2 very cool Aunts, one from each side of my family. My Great Aunt Gladys was from my mother's side and of Irish decent and Great Aunt Anna was from my father's side and of Italian decent. Both these ladies were quite forward thinking and "unusual" which I think is why they took a special liking to me and I to them. I would spend hours listening to them on various family visits and loved my time with them. It was only when I became an adult, that I came to understand how "different" they were. They were bold woman that had not followed a ordinary path and in the times that they lived in women typically had way less choices, I came to admire their courage, intelligence and resourcefulness. Both of these aunts were master seamstresses and help support their families with their craft. One made dolls and the other worked as a seamstress. They both spent hours encouraging my creativity. They were the first folks to see and recognize something in my spirit when I was just a little girl.
One Aunt had a baby out of wedlock in the early 1900's and kept the child. She learned to be a seamstress to support herself. She eventually married and had a very happy life with her husband. But I think back to her courage to keep her child in a time period when she was sent away while pregnant so no one that knew her family would see her.
The other Aunt had childhood diabetes and eventually became "legally blind" but remained independent. She lived well into her 80's and was always full of laughter and stories, never once did she complain about her health challenges.
I believe in the power of heritage, that is is passed down to us in our DNA and in our blood.
It whispers to us, gently calling out to our Soul. If we learn to listen to the Voice of our Ancestors that speak in the language of our blood, they also reveal keys to the answers we are seeking and provide clues to where the Path lies.
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