Genealogy and Magic
Have you been drawn to a certain point in history inexplicably, where you want to learn everything you can about the era or event, and seem to know facts that weren’t common knowledge at the time? I remember when I was a child, I was drawn to the wreck of the Titanic; in the 80’s I watched every special I could on the wreck and felt like I was there. I was drawn to the clothing of the aristocracy, the food, the décor, what happened to the passengers on that cursed vessel.
Many in the neopagan community would suggest that I was feeling a past life connection – that in a past life, I had been on the Titanic. This viewpoint certainly has merit. However, I posit that it is also an ancestral memory. I have found time and time again in my own genealogical research that, when I have been drawn to a particular time period or event in history, I have an ancestral tie to that period or event.
My interest in genealogy began when I was about ten. My mother challenged me, in the early 90’s, to locate her biological father. My maternal grandmother had divorced when my mother was an infant, and she knew nothing of my maternal grandfather other than his name and a few drawings and paintings that he had done. Around this time, I was also handed an envelope from my dad containing research that my aunts had done on my paternal side; in this envelope were articles about Lady Astor, and the Brand family. My young mind filed all of this, but I had no idea where to begin – I was ten, after all.
Sadly, my mother passed in 2002, before I could locate research about her dad’s side of the family. With the development of Ancestry.com and availability of online resources regarding family history, I was able to renew my search.
At this point, I was also firmly Pagan, as my mother had instilled beliefs in Wicca in me as I was growing up. My high school days had consisted of Jesuit education by day (to satisfy my father – quite frankly I am grateful, for the level of education I received was beyond comparison and made college seem easy) and evenings consisting of tarot, spirit board readings, and past life regressions. I firmly believed at this point that any periods that I had been drawn to in my youth were due to a past life connection.
As I dug into my family’s history, I discovered that I had ancestral ties to each of the eras and events that I had been drawn to. My ancestor on my father’s side, John Jacob Astor IV and Lady Astor, had been on the Titanic, and J.J. had died in the sinking. I had been drawn to the Salem Witch Trials, and discovered that I was descended from George Boroughs, who was executed as the supposed ‘ringleader’ of the Salem witches. I have always been drawn to Greek and Roman mythology and history; I was able to trace my family to late Roman times and learned my gens (Roman familial name) – Afrania.
Learning about my family and my ancestors was both fascinating and challenging. I had known there was English and German on my dad’s side but didn’t know the extent. I was able to add Scottish, French, and Viking/Scandinavian to that mix. There had also been rumors of Native American, but no knowledge as to where or which tribe. I was able, through locating my great grandmother’s name on the Dawes Rolls, to find out that she was a member of the Creek Tribe. My dad’s side was fairly easy to research, for several reasons. First, the family had a long history in the United States, so records were readily available. Second, I discovered that some of my ancestors had fought in the Revolutionary War, and relatives had completed verified research through DAR and SAR (Daughters of the Revolution and Sons of the Revolution). In addition to this, I had several well-known ancestors further back, in English speaking countries, where verified research had already been completed. It is always easier to piece together one’s family tree when a piece of it is already complete, verified, and has sources to back up the research!
Learning about my mom’s side was a lot more challenging. Both great-grandparents had immigrated in the late-1800s from Czechoslovakia, and the trail ran cold after that. Eastern European records are more difficult to locate, due to the volatile nature of many of the countries in that area; Czechoslovakia, for example, was Hungary at one point, then part of the Austrian Empire, and then the Holy Roman Empire. Knowing the history of the region you are researching is vitally important in this regard, as nationalities change frequently depending on what year you are dealing with, and in many cases, you are dealing with only municipal or church records in the local language (which could change). Regardless of the trail running cold, I was finally able to fulfill my mother’s challenge and locate my maternal grandfather; he had moved to Illinois and died in 1972.
So, how does this relate to magic? First, I posit that, when there is an inexplicable draw to a particular time period, place, or event, that it is just as likely that there is an ancestral tie as there is a past life one – and that researching one’s family history is needed. Knowing who we are, as the Delphic maxim states, includes knowing our roots. Knowing our roots allows us to tap into powerful ancestral magic – calling these ancestors by name rather than just the generic term ‘the ancestors.’ Knowing something of the personalities of our ancestors, or the culture, allows us to draw upon these traits in ritual – the tenacity of those who survived the Great Depression; the bravery of those who fought in wars; even the piety of those who took religious vows.
We can also utilize specific ancestors in ritual. There was a group ritual I had participated in, calling on justice for the country’s current political situation. One of the ingredients for the ritual was graveyard dirt, or a link from a deceased person who once held the office being protected and influenced. Given that we were in the middle of the pandemic, and there were travel restrictions preventing me from traveling out of state to obtain the needed graveyard dirt, I needed to come up with an alternative. Several of my ancestors on my father’s side had held the office being influenced and were among the founding fathers of our country. I envisioned the tie that my blood held to my ancestors and the office and used my blood in place of the graveyard dirt to call upon the spirit of my ancestor.
A word of caution regarding utilizing blood in rituals needs to be made. I don’t make such offerings lightly – and neither should you. Blood is sacred. It is also one of the most powerful ties that we have to our ancestors – they are ‘our blood,’ after all, and utilizing this tie in ancestral workings provides a profound link to the ancestor we wish to work with. Some of you might not be comfortable doing such an offering – and that’s perfectly fine. Should you choose to use your own blood in a ritual, be aware of your reasons for doing so, and most importantly, do so sparingly. I had no issue of using my blood in this instance because I wasn’t offering it to a random spirit but using it as a link to the soul of my ancestor.
Another thing that can be done is to have a regular ancestral altar. While we typically call upon our ancestors at Samhain and perhaps a few other festivals where the veil is thin, we can regularly honor them through an altar space. If you have items belonging to your ancestors these can go on your altar. Personally, the only ancestral altar I have is to my kitty familiar, Buffy – I have an altar containing her ashes, pictures, her footprints in clay, some fur and whiskers, and some statues. However, I have incorporated many of my mother’s belongings into my regular altars, as she was the one who got me into paganism. My chalice was hers from the 1980s; a bear claw that was hers is on my altar to Artemis. Offering bowls that she had at from before I was born are on another altar.
There are many other ways to incorporate your ancestors in your ritual practice. This is just meant to be a beginning discussion, and a way to share some personal experiences with you. Please share your experiences below!