Honoring Our Ancestors

With Samhain on the way, I’ve been thinking of ways to honor my ancestors. Samhain is believed to be the time when the veil is thinnest between worlds, and ancestors can cross over to be with you. It’s a day to celebrate them and welcome them home temporarily.

This has led me into tracing my ancestry and building a family tree. Although it’s been challenging to create my tree, it’s been fascinating! Between navigating nicknames and multiple marriages on some of the branches, I’ve actually been able to get back to the middle 1700s at this point on both my mother’s and father’s sides of the family. I’ve found funny things, like a great-great-grandfather who, after a heavy night of drinking while his wife was in labor, named his daughter after a navy admiral and the site of his infamous battle. Can you imagine coming out of labor to find your daughter named Admiral Dewey Victorious Manila???? Although, that great-great-grandmother had 15 names herself, so maybe Admiral wasn’t so weird to her. I’ve also found several soldiers, a couple of doctors and a politician. I’m hoping to find some witches in the family, but the entire experience has led to some interesting discoveries and has opened up a lot of family discussion, even with relatives I haven’t spoken to in years.

My ancestry project is going to take me well past Samhain, but it was one of the first steps in celebrating my ancestors this month. Here are some more ways you can honor your ancestors:

• Light a candle as you reflect upon a loved one who has passed on.
• Create a shrine for your ancestor(s). Add pictures, candles and flowers to a table or mantle. Or make a shrine in a box with a picture, some herbs and some mementos that remind you of them. I’ve also seen ancestor jars, where you place a picture and mementos for each ancestor in their own jar.
• Gather and share family stories. Have a family member document it for future generations. Create a tradition of reading the stories on Samhain each year.
• Have a feast using recipes passed down through the generations. Make copies of the recipes and start a family recipe book.
• Set an empty plate at the table as an invitation for your ancestor to join you.
• Have family members write down notes or memories about your ancestors. Invite them to read them aloud. Add the notes to the shrines.
• Light a candle on your porch or in the window to lead your ancestors home (consider using a battery-operated candle for fire safety).
• Consider making shrines or having a little ceremony to honor family pets who are gone.

As a witchy mom, I think you can include children in celebrating ancestors, emphasizing how the love and memories of those who passed on will be with us forever. Let your children draw pictures for the shrines or for the family cookbook. Give them a battery-operated candle to hold so they can say something about a family member or pet they miss. Share pictures and tell them stories about the family.

Comment below and let me know how you plan to honor your ancestors this month.