Ancestor Altars 101 — How To Activate Their Power
Ancestor Altars 101 — Why They Matter And How To Activate Their Power
What is An Ancestor Altar?
Altars have been used by human beings to connect to the Spirit world since the beginning of time. They are a tangible item that allows us to easily connect to the intangible while also honoring and giving “gifts” to those we wish to communicate with.
An Ancestor Altar is focused on our ancestors (whether we know them or not) and can include a variety of items. I’ve coached clients on how to not only create, cleanse and refresh an Ancestor Altar but how to activate it and work it as well as how to come properly to the altar.
And this is what I will be showing you how to do today. Be sure to share with a loved one and screenshot this article to have it handy when you wish you to create or enhance your own Ancestor Altar.Before you deep dive into setting up your altar it’s important to understand how to come to altar physically as well as general housekeeping tips on how to keep the altar updated and clean.
HOW TO COME TO THE ALTAR
- Spiritually Clean Your Home: Cleaning your home ideally with Florida Water (on the floors) and Sage smoke is essential before coming to the Altar. But if you don’t have a lot of time on your hands then at least Sage Smoke around your altar space and your body. Note you can use the Spiritual Cleanser of your choice.
- Clean Body: Taking a quick shower is advised
- White or Light Colored Clothing: This is optional but also advised
- Fasted State: To hear better from your Ancestors via ideas, mental downloads, serendipitous inspiration coming to your Altar in Fasted State is advised. Ideally it’s been at least 1-2 hours since your last meal. (I prefer early mornings or super late at night) SAGE
- Turn off all distractions – devices, tv, etc. However if you’ve a meditation music you like you can keep that on in the background
- DO A 3RD EYE OPENING MEDITATION: The 3rd Eye Chakra is where our intuition sits and this allows us to connect to the spirit world a lot deeper. Try and listen to one before you connect with your altar for at least ten minutes. (Look up Youtube Channel Meditative Mine of Grab my Bodega Meditation Album over on BOOKZYA.COM)
***When doing altar work- please come in a calm and fasted state, make sure you are clean and focusing on the task at hand- honor spirit with your attention and your cleanliness and don’t stress about getting every little thing right.
Keep in mind this is a CRAFT and it’s supposed to be fun, a little messy but in the end it shall have great impact that you’ll see build out over time.
RELATED: Prayer Garden: Why You Need One and How to Create It
What To Place On An Ancestor Altar
Base Line Altar Items/Set Up:
The list below is a base line altar set up – whether you are working with a particular Ancestor, Deity etc. These are the basics that need to be on your altar.
FYI: Note your altar doesn’t have to be hidden completely but I like to generally keep my altars out of public view when people come into my home.
The base line items needed include:
- Sage/ Incense
- A Simple Candle of Your Choice (white can represent any color/any intention)
- Florida Water or Soap, Water Paper Towel to cleanse the space
- A vessel filled with water and salt (a small glass bowl of water will do)
- Key Crystals: Black Tourmaline, Quartz Crystal, Rose Quartz
- An item that represents the spirit you’re connecting to: i.e. themed spiritual candle, photo, personal item etc *optional
Note this core set up is a great space to just sit and meditate with your spirit team and you can ask for gentle downloads or for them to just soothe your soul.
Ancestor Altar Items To Be Included:
In addition to the base line items listed above you’ll want to include on your Ancestor Altar the following:
Photo of ancestor
- If you do not know your actual ancestors or even your heritage you can simply use the following:
- A framed image that represents them to you
- You can use an object that represents them to you
- Note you can have more than one ancestor up on the altar at a time.
Offerings: Offerings are a small gift to your ancestor spirit which lets you honor them while also creating a deeper connection by remembering some of the things they liked. Offerings can be:
- Offer up their fave food/snack
- Their Fave floral or item – if they were into money give them that- or their drink or smoke of choice
- Also if you’ve a personal item of theirs it’s helpful to add to the altar – can be anything from their wallet to their dentures to clothing.
Types of Offerings in General That Work:
- Fruits,
- Flowers/Plants
- Crystals
- Food – especially food that is from the culture that the deity represents to include sweets, candies, nuts, fruits
- Water with Sugar or Coffee Grinds
- Alcohol, Tea, Coffee, Cocoa
- Incense & Candles
- Money
How To Activate & Work Your Ancestor Altar:
Activation and working your altar simply means that once you’ve set up your altar you are now ready to begin “communicating” with your Ancestors.
When working your altar you’re seeking answers to problems or just general counsel and inspiration. These come in the form of downloads, aha moments etc. They also come in the form of Angel Numbers and sernediptious events.
Communicating with spirit is quite fun.
Now as I know everyone is not a psychic medium, I’ve outlined a few ways to communicate with your people via divination tools that are fun and actually work as long as you work at it over time.
To help boost your ability to communicate please do a 3rd eye opening meditation as I suggested above.
Activate your altar by lighting the candle, burning some sage (if you haven’t already and stating out loud via clapping your hands or simply saying: “I’m ready!”
Then talk to your family! You can then take a moment to discuss out loud what’s been happening with your life, what you need help with and your general state of mind.
If you think it’s odd to “talk outloud to yourself” then talk to their photos or whatever item you have on your altar that represents them.
How To Work With Divination Tools To Receive Communication/Downloads from your Ancestors:
- Tarot Deck: Ask a question while sitting at your altar and pull cards – record what you receive in your journal
- Pendulum: Learn how to use a pendulum via YouTube and then ask your question using this tool
- Mental Downloads: Talk to your ancestors and then wait for inspiration and thoughts to come into your mind
- Tip: keep a notebook handy of your questions/thoughts that come through when you sit at your altar.
Petition A Direct Request & How To Work It:
When you are working with your ancestors – you may often need help with a specific situation -i.e. More money, getting a job, getting an apartment etc and asking for something from them then you need to not only give them an offering (choose from the list above) but also write a petition to them requesting what you need.
A simple Petition Script:
“Dearest [Deity X] I’m coming in gratitude and in need of your help. Please assist me in opening the doors to [X] so that I may receive [X]. I really need this to happen rapidly and with ease. Please note that if [X] is not for me then please make it clear and let it be known to me and easy for me to accept and to trust that better is on the way. I thank you for your love, help and protection today and always.
Thank You
[Sign Your Name]
You will then recite this request out loud at least for five mins repeatedly as you sit at your altar. Do this everytime you come to your altar until your wish is granted.
You will then place this piece of paper either under the candle that you are using on the altar or prop it up against something on the altar so that you can see it.
Closing & Disposing:
Closing: (Simply means what you do to close down your session with your loved ones. I consider this as a form of respect but also allows you to call your energy back to yourself.)
- Say a prayer and give thanks
- Clap your hands or use a sound tool to let them know the session is over age your space as you close out your session
- Sage your space as you close out your session
- Snuff out the candle and use it again later
- Tell them thank you and on that day work to keep yourself in a high vibrational mood. It’s best to eat healthy and don’t engage with low vibrational people or activities.
Disposing:
- You can rinse out the vessel of water and place it empty on the altar or just keep it there
- The candle once fully burnt out you can recycle or throw it away.
- Clear up any debris from incense
- Every couple of weeks clean up all altar items and wipe down the table itself.
And that’s it!
Try and make sitting at your Ancestor Altar a weekly thing so that you can get into the flow of connecting with them faster and simpler.
And try out various divination tools to see which one works best for you.
Enjoy!
ZYA is a psychic medium who channels messages from the divine and teaches others how to open up their own intuitive gifts. Currently based in Mexico City you can book a reading with her at BOOKZYA.com.
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Ancestor Altars 101 — Why They Matter And How To Activate Their Power was originally published on elev8.com
