Ancestor worship or veneration has been part of most spiritual traditions throughout history. In our practice, we work to connect with their energies as a source of guidance and support when performing ritual or spellwork or especially for acts of divination. We also believe that we have two types of Ancestors: personal and spiritual.

Personal Ancestors are those from who we are descended, and they have transmitted various physical and cultural characteristics to each of us through our DNA; we know some of their names and may have had relationships with them in the past.

Spiritual Ancestors, on the other hand, are individuals or groups who have walked the path of Witchcraft from the past into the present day. Most of these are the unnamed dead because we will never know all who have walked before us. When you consider the relationship, it is one of reciprocity; you honor and remember them in the ways that you choose to do so, and they have a way to be honored and remembered living on in the hearts and minds of their descendants. They will have your best interests at heart when you reach out to them for support or to ask them to lend their energies to your practice.

Some practitioners choose to keep a simple altar in their homes where they can light candles or burn incense in memory and others have a more elaborate setup which can include family pictures or mementoes from the past. Whatever you choose to do, it is important to remember to maintain the altar appropriately; keep it clean and use it regularly. Otherwise, it just becomes a cluttered spot in your home which loses its personal meaning for you.