Creating An Ancestor Altar
Every year between Samhain and the Winter Solstice, I create an Ancestor Altar. I was a little late this year, as early October found me leading a retreat, nurturing a relationship, and vacationing in Hawaii. During a November divination with a healer I work with, she reminded me that I had not yet completed my yearly ritual and that it was time.
What is an Ancestor Altar?
There are a lot of religious meanings for altars, and I won’t get into those because I don’t know enough about them. For me, altars of any kind are deeply intentional and spiritual, and they are a tangible means for which to call in energy and wisdom.
I believe in my bones that when our elders pass, they become guides for us from the outer realms. I believe that the people who came before me protect me, lead me, and have my back when I can’t have my own. When I create an Ancestor Altar, it is in homage to those relationships and energies.
How do I make an Ancestor Altar?
Okay, first of all, there’s no wrong way to do this. It’s creation that comes from intention and from the heart, and that is always, always exactly as it should be.
There are four elements I love to incorporate into any altar, and I will include them here in the ways they are specific to this year’s Ancestor Altar.
Photographs. For an Ancestor Altar, I use photographs of my ancestors and of people whom I have loved who have passed on from this life.
Offerings. The spirits of our Ancestors LOVE offerings in the form of food and drink. In many cultures, this is the most important offering we can give our departed loved ones. A glass or small dish of water is a must. I offer the same foods and fruits that I would offer someone if they came into my home at any given season of the year. For this year’s Ancestor Altar, I included pink champagne and gingerbread pound cake.
Symbolic Objects. These can be anything that feel relevant to the intention of your altar. I love putting flowers on any altar I create, and I always include tobacco. For my Ancestor Altar this year, I included two cards—the Queen of Hearts (an intention for myself around love) and the 3 of Wands (a card that was given to me in the Divination I mentioned). I included the remains of a dear friend that passed last year, as well as one of her necklaces and a ring that belonged to her mother-in-law. I added a cross from my grandmother’s church, pink ranuculus (for feminine energy and softness), and some bamboo (an intention for a continued relationship with the wisdom of Hawaii).
Fire Elements. This can be a candle, but can also include twinkle lights, incense, a burn bucket, sage, palo santo, or anything else you would ceremoniously set on fire or use to create light.
My altar ritual is not just for the creation of the altar, but for the tending of it as well. Tending to an altar is a beautiful practice. I change the water each day (and this year, the champagne), I make sure the flowers are fresh, I dust things off and arrange them from time to time. This ritual not only is an offering of respect to our ancestors, but it is a practice of honoring the intentions you created for your altar and the things you are calling in for your life.
My wish for you is that this is a ritual that you approach with curiosity, creativity, and reverence, and that your altars provide you with a sense of connection, magic, and belonging.