Ancestral elevation and healing are spiritual practices that focus on uplifting the spirits of your ancestors and resolving any unresolved issues or traumas within your family lineage. These practices offer numerous benefits, both on a personal and spiritual level, by helping you connect with your roots, clear inherited patterns, and create a more harmonious life. By engaging in these practices, you can achieve emotional balance, spiritual growth, improved relationships, and a greater sense of purpose and belonging. Ultimately, these practices help you live a more fulfilled and prosperous life, while also contributing to the healing and elevation of your entire family lineage.
Ancestor veneration is a deeply rooted practice in many cultures worldwide, where honoring the dead is seen as essential for maintaining a connection with one's heritage, seeking guidance, and ensuring the well-being of both the living and the deceased. In African, Asian, Mesoamerican, and other indigenous traditions, rituals like offerings, prayers, and festivals are common ways to honor ancestors, acknowledging their ongoing influence in the spiritual and physical worlds.
In contrast, Western societies, particularly in recent centuries, have largely become disconnected from these practices. The focus on individualism, secularism, and a linear view of life and death has led to a diminished role of ancestor veneration. As a result, the spiritual connection with the past has weakened, leading to a potential loss of cultural continuity, identity, and the sense of belonging that ancestor veneration fosters in other parts of the world. This disconnect contrasts sharply with the enduring reverence for ancestors seen in many non-Western cultures.
This is a 21-day ritual to elevate your ancestors is a powerful spiritual practice that helps to honor, connect with, and elevate the spirits of your ancestors. This ritual can bring healing, guidance, and blessings to both you and your ancestral lineage.
Preparation:
Before starting the ritual, it's important to prepare your space and gather the necessary materials.
Materials:
- A clean, dedicated space for the ritual (like an altar)
- A white or purple large glass pillar candle (for spiritual elevation and connection)
- Spirit oil
- An offering dish or bowl
- Ancestor Money
- Fresh water (to be changed daily)
- Incense (such as frankincense, myrrh, or sandalwood) or specific spirit powder.
- A small piece of paper and pen (for writing intentions)
- Something to represent your ancestors. Photographs or personal items of your ancestors are best, if available. Cultural iconography will work well also.
- Fresh flowers (white, purple, or any color you feel drawn to)
- A bell, rattle, or drum (optional, for calling in ancestral spirits)
- A comfortable cushion or chair for meditation
Daily Ritual Outline
Day 1: Setting the Intention
Cleanse the Space: Begin by fully cleaning your physical space, then follow up with cleansing your space with incense or sage. Light the candle to represent the presence of your ancestors.
Set the Intention: Write your intention for the 21-day ritual on the piece of paper. This could be something like, "I honor and elevate my ancestors (Name the ones specifically. Either first name, family name or cultural lineage) for healing, guidance, and blessings."
Meditation: Sit quietly, close your eyes, and visualize a connection between you and your ancestors. Feel their presence around you.
Offer Water: Place a glass of fresh water on the altar as an offering. This water will be changed daily throughout the ritual.
Prayers or Invocation: Speak from the heart or recite a prayer or invocation to call upon your ancestors; "I call upon my ancestors, known and unknown, those who love me and walk with me. I honor you and seek your guidance and blessings during this ritual."
Day 2-6: Building the Connection
Daily Offering: Each day, light the candle, incense and offer fresh water. You can also place fresh flowers on the altar.
Invocation and Meditation: Continue to speak your invocation, asking your ancestors for their presence, guidance, and blessings. Meditate on your connection with them.
Offerings: Burn ancestor money, specific money for each ancestor using the names already established.
Communication: Spend time each day in silence or meditation, opening yourself to any messages, insights, or guidance your ancestors may want to share with you.
Journal: Keep a journal nearby to write down any thoughts, feelings, or messages that come to you during the ritual.
Day 7-16: Elevating and Healing
Candle Ritual: Light the candle and incense daily. As the smoke rises, visualize it carrying your prayers and intentions to the spiritual realm.
Offerings: Prepare a small offering of food that your ancestors enjoyed or something symbolic like fruit, bread, or sweets. Place this offering on the altar. Continue to burn ancestor money.
Healing Meditation: Focus on any unresolved issues or traumas within your ancestral line. Ask your ancestors for healing and forgiveness, both for them and for yourself. Visualize light surrounding your ancestors, lifting them higher in the spiritual realms.
Purgatory Novena Prayer:
"O gentle Heart of Jesus, ever present in the Blessed Sacrament, ever consumed with burning love for the poor captive souls in Purgatory, have mercy on the souls of my dear departed ancestors. Be not severe in Your judgments, but let some drops of Your Precious Blood fall upon the devouring flames. And, merciful Savior, send Your holy angels to conduct them to a place of refreshment, light, and peace. Amen."
Prayer for the Souls in Purgatory:
"Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen."
Rosary: Recite the Rosary. Offer the Rosary for the repose of your ancestors' souls. Also pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, which is particularly powerful for souls in Purgatory.
Affirmation: "I heal and elevate my ancestors, bringing peace, love, and light to our lineage."
Day 17-20: Gratitude and Reflection
Gratitude Offering: Continue offering fresh water, flowers, incense and ancestor money
Gratitude Meditation: Reflect on the blessings and wisdom your ancestors have provided throughout the ritual. Express your gratitude through words or thoughts.
Reflection: Spend time reflecting on the journey so far. Write in your journal about any changes, insights, or feelings that have emerged during the ritual.
Closing Communication: Each day, spend time in meditation, allowing your ancestors to communicate anything they wish to share before the ritual concludes.
Day 21: Closing the Ritual
Final Offerings: On the final day, prepare a special offering. This could be a larger meal, a beautiful bouquet of flowers, or something deeply meaningful to you and your ancestors.
Candle Lighting: Light the candle one last time, thanking your ancestors for their presence, guidance, and blessings over the past 21 days.
Closing Prayer: Say a closing prayer or words of gratitude, releasing your ancestors back to the spiritual realm with love and light. You might say something like, "I thank my ancestors for their love, guidance, and blessings. May you continue to elevate and find peace in the spiritual realms."
Release: If you used personal items or photographs, you can either keep them on your altar or return them to a special place. Dispose of any food offerings respectfully by placing them in nature or another appropriate method.
Final Meditation: Spend a few moments in quiet reflection, feeling the connection with your ancestors and the peace that has been created.
Post-Ritual
After completing the 21-day ritual, continue to honor your ancestors regularly through simple offerings, prayers, or keeping their memory alive in your daily life. Reflect on the changes or blessings that have come into your life as a result of this ritual, and keep your connection with your ancestors strong.
This ritual is deeply personal and can be adjusted to fit your spiritual path or the traditions of your ancestors. The key is consistency, respect, and an open heart to receive the guidance and blessings from your ancestral lineage.