Notable Quote: Connecting with the Ancestors

When we talk about connecting with spirits of the ancestors, many people assume that we refer to our own direct ancestors. But this is difficult. Many of us don't even know our grandfathers. There is such a thing as the pool of ancestors - it doesn't have to be a person or spirit we know or can imagine. It can be the tree out there. It can be the cows out there, your dog or cat at home. Your great-great-grandfather who died many generations ago may have joined a great ensemble of spirits to the point where you can't even identify him. He's probably the creek running down over there.

So what is important is to realize that any person who has lost the physical body is a potential ancestor. And by simply expressing your longing for the support of ancestors, you will attract a lot of spirits.

When you start a ritual where you need their support, if you address them simply as spirits or ancestors, maybe even say, "the ones who I know, and the ones who I don't know, and the ones who know me more than I don't know myself," you are tapping into the ancestral power out there, and you are not beginning with confusion as to whether, in the pool of ancestors, there is a spirit out there that you can identify with.

Sobonfu Some, The Spirit of Intimacy