Praying to the Ancestors

Why Pray to the Ancestors? 

    I pray to my ancestors as a part of my ancestor veneration practice. Sometimes I pray before I go to bed asking for their protection as I sleep, or I sometimes pray in the morning asking for their strength as I do a task for the day, or sometimes I pray before doing a tarot reading asking for their guidance and wisdom. Other times, I don't say a specific prayer, but rather simply talk to the ancestors. I will tell them about things that are happening in my life and in the lives of our family members such as marriages, adoptions, medical issues, accomplishments, jobs, dreams, goals, thoughts, and so on. Sometimes I ask them to watch over family members and help support them in troubled times. I pray to the ancestors in gratitude and respect knowing that we wouldn't be where we are today without their sacrifices. They had the courage to travel to places unknown seeking better fortunes or simply trying to survive. They made choices that still affect us today. And although our ancestors were far from perfect, they have a lot they can teach us not only from their triumphs but also from their mistakes.

    To me, the ancestors are a source of inspiration, hope, wisdom, strength, protection, and love. They have a vested interest in the continuation of their family lines. They want us to succeed, to live, and to grow. I am not Christian. I don't see the afterlife as heaven or hell. To me, the dead and living are side by side. I see the spirit world as an overlay on top of our own. I conceptualize it kind of like how we live in the visible light spectrum, and the dead and spirits live in ultraviolet light. It's different yet the same. For Marvel fans, maybe it makes more sense to think of it as a mirror dimension. For fans of Stranger Things, it could be the Upside Down connected to our own dimension. Either way, I don't see the ancestors as somewhere far off and distant, but rather as right here with us. Obviously, I don't claim to have the answers to the mysteries of life and death. However, I do think that how I see the afterlife is part of why I think praying to the ancestors is effective. I believe that spirits including our ancestors can affect the physical living world because they are a part of it. The ancestors can send us messages through animals, songs, cards, and so on if we pay attention to their signs. They can help bring us opportunities such as a new job or house. They can help us heal emotional scars and trauma. The ancestors offer us support and guidance in a myriad of ways. I see prayer as a way to communicate, a way to give thanks, and a way to ask for help when we need it.

    I made a prayer bead necklace out of plastic skull beads similar to a rosary with skulls representing three generations - my great grandparents, my second great grandparents, and my third great grandparents. I got the idea from an activity in the book Badass Ancestors: Finding Your Power with Ancestral Guides by Patti Wigington. A silver skull pendant separates the maternal and paternal lines in the middle. I hold this prayer bead necklace between my hands in front of my chest as I pray to my ancestors. 

 

Examples of Ancestral Prayers

Here is a prayer that I wrote:

 Ancestors of old, 

of blood and bone, 

both known and unknown. 

I am Autumn Rose Surratt, 

daughter of Summer Gould and Walter Edward Surratt, 

granddaughter of Gregory Gould and Deborah Beucus, 

granddaughter of Robert Joseph Surratt and Sandra Karen Meese, 

great granddaughter of Maurice Lee Gould and Doris Maxine Perry, 

great granddaughter of Elmer Raymond Beucus and Fonda Doris Magill, 

great granddaughter of James Hardin Surratt Jr and Wanda Dean Trantham, 

great granddaughter of Grayson Walter Meese and Helen Elizabeth Shaw, 

honorary great granddaughter of Joseph John Kook and William Mark Dorn. 

Dear Ancestors, 

beloved dead, 

forebearers of my family, 

I give thanks for all you have done, 

for the foundations you laid and the history you made. 

I give thanks for all you continue to do, 

for the love and protection from beyond the grave. 

Ancestors of old, 

of blood and bone, 

both known and unknown, 

I ask for . . . 

Thank you and blessed be 

Here is a prayer from Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration by Mallorie Vaudoise: 

Breathe into me, my ancestors, 

and inspire me today. 

Move into me, my ancestors, so that my 

work today may be true to who we are. 

Attract my heart, my ancestors, that I 

may love with the power of our line. 

Strengthen me, my ancestors, that I 

may defend life in its diverse forms. 

Here is a prayer from Badass Ancestors: Finding Your Power with Ancestral Guides by Patti Wigington: 

I am wrapped in the knowledge you give me 

Empowered by the strength you give me 

Surrounded by the love you give me 

Blessed by all you give me 

My gratitude is beyond measure 

Greater than seven waves 

Taller than seven mountains 

Brighter than seven stars 

I owe you a debt of family honor 

For all the years past 

And all the years present 

And all the years future 

I will pay this forward 

For the generations to come 

For the legacy of kin 

For our family's heritage 

And I give you thanks 

Here is a prayer from The Big Book of Pagan Prayer and Ritual by Ceisiwr Serith: 

Your blood is my blood, 

flowing out of the past, through me, to the future. 

Through my actions, you live. 

Guide me, then, in the decisions I face today, 

making clear to me the safe path between obstacles 

and keeping me from false steps along the way. 

Yesterday has gone to the Ancestors. 

Today is a new life. 

From the Ancestors I ask the continuing wisdom of yesterdays 

and from the Gods continuing guidance for today. 

Here is a prayer from Pinterest by the oogie boogie witch: 

Through the shadows of living memory, 

and across the gulf of years, 

I call now to my ancestors 

grandmothers 

grandfathers 

all honorable ancestors, 

across the ages 

I call to you 

old ones of my line 

rest you well. 

Hear my prayer and accept my tribute, 

for again I recall it was only 

through your ancient struggle 

through your ancient endurance 

and through your ancient love, 

that I now take the blessings of life. 

That I may walk this day 

informed by your vision 

old ones hear my prayer! 

That I might walk this day 

guided by your wisdom 

old ones hear my prayer! 

That I might walk this day 

empowered by your love 

old ones hear my prayer! 

Old ones of my line, 

You are not forgotten. 

Rest you well.

Here is another prayer from Pinterest that I am not sure of the origin: 

Ancestors, both known and unknown, 

I ask that you continue to be the fire 

beneath my feet so I am constantly 

reminded to keep moving. 

I ask that you be the fire in my 

stomach so that I speak only the truths 

that resonate deep inside my being. 

And I ask that you be the warmth in 

my heart so on days the world gets 

too cold, I'm not overcome by numbness 

and therefore still able to feel. 

Here is another Pinterest prayer from WordPress: 

Honor to the Gods of land, sea and sky. 

Honor to the Earthkin, seen and unseen. 

Honor to the Ancestors, remembered loved ones. 

I greet this day with joy for I am alive. 

All the negativity of yesterday is forgotten 

for I strive to be of Ma'at. 

My attitude is sunny and 

my burdens are light. 

May the kindreds three watch over my friends and family. 

As I will, so mote it be. 

Here is a Pinterest morning prayer to which I add "Dear Ancestors" in the beginning: 

I give you thanks for all you do, 

for obstacles and smooth roads too. 

For challenges that make me grow, 

and all the pleasant things that show 

that you are looking after me. 

Thank you, ancients. 

Blessed be!

A prayer from Halloween by Silver Ravenwolf: 

From the dawn of your birth 

to the sunset of your death 

I honor you. 

From the missions you completed 

to your duties left undone 

I honor you. 

From the seasons of your being 

through the cycle of you life 

I honor you. 

From you time beyond the veil 

'til your earth entrance back again 

May the angels support you 

May Spirit surround you 

May my healing love reach you 

from this moment until the end of time 

So mote it be. 

How do you view the afterlife? What do you pray for? 

With love, 

Autumn Rose Surratt 

The Ancestor Witch