Rootwork: Using the Folk Magick of Black America for Love, Money, and Success by Tayannah Lee Mcquillar

Author:Tayannah Lee Mcquillar
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Body, Magic, Charms, Witchcraft, Talismans, Voodooism, Success in Business, African American Magic, Witchcraft & Wicca, General, SOC035000, Spirituality, And Spagiric, Medicine, Self-Help, Mind & Spirit, Shamanism, Mystic, Magick Studies
ISBN: 9780743235341
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Published: 2003-01-06T08:00:00+00:00

HOW DO I HONOR THEM?

Since the beginning of time and in all cultures, people have honored their ancestors with elaborate rituals and offerings based on the belief in the continuity of life. Deceased relatives were not seen as nonexistent but as having changed form, like water to steam. Although they no longer had a physical body their soul lived on, and to ancient people the soul was the animating force of life, not the mind or the heart. It is with this understanding that the ancients realized that the ancestors could still affect the lives of the living for good or ill long after physical death. That is why these societies thought it would be in their best interest to give offerings to their ancestors to ensure their blessing and assistance in everyday matters. Although this belief has died out for many in the West and other “modern” nations, there are still others around the world who have maintained the old ways. By honoring those who came before us and including them in our everyday lives, we will benefit from their wisdom and gain a much-needed helping hand. Many will also realize that they no longer have the fear of old age and death that plague many Westernized people.

One way to honor your ancestors is to create an ancestral altar. There are really no set rules for how to create one except that it should be clean and well maintained. Set aside private space on a table or other surface for you to burn candles or place offerings or other implements so you can communicate with your guides. Traditionally, a glass or glasses of water are placed there for any thirsty visitors, along with rum for those who liked to drink. A white cloth is commonly used to cover the table, but feel free to improvise. Some people will go on and on about the proper way to create an altar, but how you decorate it is completely up to you and your guides. Out of respect don’t have sex near or around your altar.

Here are a few more ways to honor your heritage in a less formal way:

Observe Kwanzaa or any other traditional holidays that celebrate whoever your ethnic group were prior to slavery or colonization.

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