About the Ancestors

First of all it makes sense to start with the fact that I grew up around folks who were establishing a "tradition" as they called it which involves honoring and including our human ancestors in our spiritual practices. I say this to point to the many years I have had to give consideration to this type of honoring and involvement of the ancestors, as symbols, guides, teachers and more.

For a very long time, I did not understand why we gave so much attention to the "beloved dead" as they are called in my old community. I did not feel connected to them,  nor did I believe they sat just on the other side of a veil, wanting to help or talk to us. Slowly, over time I began to distinguish that which I had been taught or been exposed to, and that which I could really understand as true and get on board with.

I became aware of cultural appropriation at a young age, and in order to really walk with integrity, I find it incredibly important to stay away from appropriating anyone else's link to their ancestral line. In ritual space and what is called sacred space, I invoke only ancestors in a way that respects their identity and I am careful to leave alone that which is not from my heritage.

My view is that not all ancestors are benign, they were human once, and not all ancestors want the highest good for their descendants. In my estimation, there are ancestors who would even sabotage a healing practice if they could and may intend to keep secrets that, if uncovered, would reveal much about who that ancestor really was while alive and what he or she did, that was harmful or would ruin the image that being had built around them.

So it follows that I would assert, death does not instantly return a being to an enlightened or loving state. If we see it through the lens of reincarnation, there are plenty of cases where the ancestor in question may very well need to incarnate as a human again, perhaps a whole lot, in order to really clean up their karma and get to a place spiritually where they can work toward and eventually reach a platform of ascension or transformation for the highest good. Also, we all very well may have ancestors in our lines who do not wish to ever ascend or neutralize negative karma. It is always a choice. Once we grasp our free will, there are limitless ways we choose to live and die.

All that said, it would be unwise to simply ask all the ancestors to be present in a ritual space. I suggest employing a phrase like "I invite all beneficent ancestors who can energetically align with the healing and assistance needed to be here now." With that clarity, nobody whose intentions are less than of the highest, most loving and clear vibration will be able to get into the space. Magically, when it comes to that kind of circle, you must be invited in, you cannot just crash the party.