Your Path and Ancestor Worship

[TeaDidikai]

I have whole holy days dedicated to my ancestors.
I honor them by following my traditions.
I give gifts to them.
I pray to them.
I tell their stories.
My hallway has pictures of my father. My photo albums have other ancestors as well.

How do you honor your ancestors?
How does your tradition view ancestor worship?  

[IH_Zero]

As I said in the other thread, ancestor worship should be somewhat important in Kemetic Recon. I personally take a view, however, that it is highly unlikely any of my ancestors within current memory became Akh, and that it's somewhat insulting to them and their religion (which sees such things as not on the up and up) to worship them as one would the Akh.

I do try to honor them, though. I look into my family history, tell people about them, and try to find out more about my heritage (especially my father's side, as aside from being an Irish family with a mystery German last name, no one knows anything the line specifically).  

[TeaDidikai]

AngryRobotsInc.

I do try to honor them, though. I look into my family history, tell people about them, and try to find out more about my heritage (especially my father's side, as aside from being an Irish family with a mystery German last name, no one knows anything the line specifically).

Fair enough. Outside of telling people about them and learning about them, what else do you do to honor them?  

[IH_Zero]

TeaDidikai

Fair enough. Outside of telling people about them and learning about them, what else do you do to honor them?

One of the big things I do is cooking, because it's something I like and enjoy anyway. I try to cook food that they would have eaten. My mom's side, unless you go way back, is much easier in that regard, being in the Southern US for many, many generation.

I also often try to do handcrafts that would have been common in the area, at the time. As well, I try to donate money to charities for Black Lung and lung cancer, as my mom's side was a mining family for the longest time, and many people died from those.

My dad's family is a lot harder as there is so little known about any of them. The only real information I have is my grandmother's maiden name being Kelly, which is apparently like being surnamed Smith in the US.  

[Calixti]

Just curious, and not trying to step on anyone's toes, but what if a person from a Christian family converted to a religion that demands ancestor worship? How would they incorporate that without being offensive to their ancestors?

I still feel a little silly asking questions in here...  

[CuAnnan]

Calixti

Just curious, and not trying to step on anyone's toes, but what if a person from a Christian family converted to a religion that demands ancestor worship? How would they incorporate that without being offensive to their ancestors?

Good question.
It's also a tough one.
The Ancestor that I know that I pray to is my grandfather.
He knew I was pagan, felt it was his blood (the blood of the Fír Bolg, dontcha know {he used to tell us this when we were kids to explain his skin cancer}) coming through.
The Ancestors that I don't are those as will listen. The founder of my family, Erehmon Milesius, also gets a good old mention every now and then.  

[Fiddlers Green]

Ancestors are treated like any other spirit.
With the added caveat that they are both family, and elders.
This generally starts pretty well on the respect side of things.

Generally, tho, I leave the dead alone.
If they want something, they'll let me know, otherwise, I don't wish to disturb them. In fact, a fair amount of my interactions with my ancestors has been with the intention of giving them closure. Those whom I have common language with have expressed that they are not lingering by choice, rather, something is keeping them as the are. Thus, I do not ask them for much, advice on occasion, but mostly, I look for ways to help them alongst.

I respect, even venerate some, but expressly do not worship them. Some days are kept in remembrance, and wine (or what they have expressed they like) is poured for them, but it is not in the same way it is done for a divinity. It is in the same way it would be done for a treasured relative.

Mind you, most of what we do amounts to sitting around and complaining about the rest of the living family (further fueling my general dislike for them), or talking about what I should be doing to rectify the current ills of our lineage.

Of note, some follow me around, others lurk in specific places. They do not all get along. Nor are all of their suggestions compatible. The former retainer of the Moray Moranders has little in common with, or like for, the Rheinlander.

I do what I can by them, but ultimately, their time has passed. One of them even told me herself that life really is for the alive, and I should keep less congress with shades.
So, succinctly, worship no, but I respect, and (sometimes/in some cases) almost pity them.  

[TeaDidikai]

Calixti

Just curious, and not trying to step on anyone's toes, but what if a person from a Christian family converted to a religion that demands ancestor worship? How would they incorporate that without being offensive to their ancestors?

I still feel a little silly asking questions in here...

My "Christian" ancestors that I honor are as Christian as I am. So I usually don't worry about it.

That said, Christians believe in the whole Cloud of Witnesses, everlasting life, communion of saints thing- so talking to them isn't unreasonable.  

[saint dreya]

TeaDidikai

How do you honor your ancestors?

Nothing formal, as of yet. It depends on the ancestor.

Great Grandparents: My grandmother and I have been known to go out on the day of their death or birth and "take" them to dinner. I offer sacrifices to them occasionally, as part of ritual, or when the calling strikes (pipe tobacco for my Papa, as much as he kept trying to smoke it but never quite stuck, and chocolate covered cherries for my GG, who always had some when we would visit). I've had birthday "presents" where we go visit their grave.

My godchildren, their parents had their ashes put into two Build-A-Bears and I visit with them every once in a while (I've slept with them, even walked around in the mall with them in my arms when they first were given their "bodies"). I'm getting a tattoo of their feet on my side when I get back from basic.

For those I didn't know personally, I usually attempt to retain a quote of there's (famous people and such), or read about their lives. I like learning about the people who were known to visit or live in certain areas I find meaningful.

TeaDidikai

How does your tradition view ancestor worship?

Again, nothing formal. There has been talk of a Special Interest Group called a Cult of the Dead. They are one of the three Kindred we worship and only recently have been having people have better affiliation with. For one reason or another, most used to say that connecting with the Dead was the most difficult Kindred to connect with. I found it rather easy.  

[TeaDidikai]

Hey Saint, do you pour out for them at all?  

[Deoridhe]

Calixti

Just curious, and not trying to step on anyone's toes, but what if a person from a Christian family converted to a religion that demands ancestor worship? How would they incorporate that without being offensive to their ancestors?

I still feel a little silly asking questions in here...

I went for ancestors that seemed to be ok with a Heathen worshiping them. Norse tradition specifically has worship of the female ancestral spirits (aka Disir) as an in home and regular practice. There are some theories that some of the Alfar may be male ancestral spirits, but that's UPG.

Personally, I keep relics of just about everyone I feel strongly toward and have them on display in my home. This includes my ancestors that I knew. For the Disir, I do the standard rituals and pour outs to them.  

[TeaDidikai]

Deoridhe

Personally, I keep relics of just about everyone I feel strongly toward and have them on display in my home. This includes my ancestors that I knew.

This is the same with me.  

[saint dreya]

TeaDidikai

Hey Saint, do you pour out for them at all?

I think I need further information on this. I think I remember hearing what this action was, but don't quite recall with the best of clarity.

gonk  

[Deoridhe]

TeaDidikai

Deoridhe

Personally, I keep relics of just about everyone I feel strongly toward and have them on display in my home. This includes my ancestors that I knew.

This is the same with me.

You have several things. heart  

[Fiddlers Green]

Deoridhe

Personally, I keep relics of just about everyone I feel strongly toward and have them on display in my home. This includes my ancestors that I knew.

Same here.
Save that I don't display mine, I keep them locked away, safe.
I'm a selfish git like that.