food and offering item ideas, remember you know your ancestors, so be creative. These are your folks. This is just a guide

Flowers Flowers have a unique history in relation to death. Before the advent of modern embalming and preservation techniques, dead bodies often carried a foul stench even after they were embalmed. In order to prevent funeral attendees from being offended by these odors, flowers were used to mask the unpleasant smells of decaying bodies. Since that time, flowers have played an integral role in death, burial, and memorial rites. We often take flowers to individuals on their sickbed. We likewise take flowers to the funeral home or burial site during wake and funeral ceremonies. And it is common to include flowers in memorial services immediately and years after a person’s death. In this way, flowers have become symbols of love, honor, respect, and remembrance rather than deodorizers. In this same vein, it is acceptable and appropriate to give flowers as part of ancestral veneration rituals. You can place flower offerings on your ancestor altar, at the grave of your ancestors, in a nearby cemetery, or other amenable location. White flowers are typically given as ancestral offerings. However, you can also offer your ancestors some of their favorite varieties. Flowers can be provided for ancestors on a weekly, monthly, bi-annual, annual basis, etc. However, if you are giving live flowers, be sure that they are fresh, not dry, old, or withered. Once they begin to die, it is best to remove them from the offering space. Music Music is one of my favorite offerings to my ancestors. It is a meditative practice that helps me connect with them on a deep, soulful level. Music can likewise be a simple and delightful offering for both you and your ancestors. The first thing you need to do is select the right music. As with all things when dealing with your ancestors, the music you choose should always be high vibrational. This means that it should have clean, uplifting, inspiring lyrics and tones. Otherwise, you risk attracting negative or low vibrational energies. Also, your ancestors may be offended by certain types of music, so be mindful when choosing music for your ancestors.

Many people give their ancestors food offerings. While it is a beautiful gesture and show of appreciation, it should be handled with careful consideration. Food is an energy source that attracts ancestral spirits. However, always be mindful of the type of food you give and when and how you dispose of it. Generally, living foods are excellent choices for our ancestors. Living foods carry a higher vibration than cooked foods. Fruits are ideal offerings because they are sweet and maintain a high vibration in their natural state. However, cooked meals carry a certain layer of authenticity and cultural connection that is likewise beneficial. When cooking meals for your ancestors, you can share a portion of your meals with them or cook something special for them. If you give your ancestors cooked food, be sure it is something they liked when they were alive. In today’s world, vegan, vegetarian, and alternative diets are ubiquitous. However, we must remember that many of our ancestors consumed meat, fish, poultry, etc. Even more, those who may have enjoyed a primarily plant-based diet didn’t generally consume the types of food that we now consider to be vegan or vegetarian. As such, if you decide to cook for your ancestors, you should cook meals they would have actually enjoyed. Remember, the offering is for them and not for you. Suppose you have ethical, spiritual, philosophical, or other aversions to preparing the types of foods that your ancestors ate. In that case, it is best not to give them cooked food offerings. You can simply give them fresh fruits and vegetables as an amicable compromise. Also, remember that whatever food offerings you present to them should have a purpose. Even when cooking their favorite foods, you should select foods that hold significance and meaning in some way. This concept is similar to the observation of Passover in the Bible. The annual feast of Passover was ordained to commemorate when the Most High passed over the children of Israel and killed all the firstborns of Egypt to provoke the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. Therefore, the Israelites were instructed to maintain an annual feast unto the Most High to remember this event. Every part of the meal held significance and purpose. The lamb represented the sacrificial lamb they offered for protection against the Most High’s wrath. The bitter herbs symbolized the bitterness that the Israelites experienced during their sojourn in Egypt. And symbolism was assigned to the rest of the meal in kind. It is beneficial to prepare meals for your ancestors in a similar manner. Every part of the meal should have significance. It doesn’t need to have deep meaning like the Passover meal, but each part of the meal should serve a purpose. You may use your grandmother’s fried chicken recipe because that

Hello, my name is Maman Tyson Bey. I come from a long, strong maternal and paternal line of root workers, conjurers, and gifted mediums and healers. I am a healer and messenger to all spirits and have the ability to communicate with the realm to receive messages for all who need them. My main practices are Hoodoo, Conjuring, Rootwork, and Vodun practices. I am a High Priestess, initiated 5 years ago by a Hougan into African Vodun. My practice is a mixture of Vodun, Kemetics, and Root Working, or, as they call it, modern-day Hoo Doo. This platform will simply provide guides and informative content on Ancestor Veneration and elevating yourself along your journey. I have learned enough to share helpful information. Of course, anything concerning initiations or those type of workings will not be posted. Practice is closed, but whatever information I have that's free to the public it will be shared. Welcome

Items for Your Ancestor Altar Once you have selected a base and location for your altar, you need to choose the items you wish to place on it. But, before placing items on your ancestor altar, be sure to clean all the surfaces of the table, stand, etc., that you plan to use for the base of your altar. You can do this using water, alcohol, or spiritual colognes (more on this in the next section). If you wish to cover the base of your altar, you can place a white cloth on the top of it. White represents and attracts pure and clean energy, which is the type of energy that you want to invite into your altar space. However, a cloth is not absolutely necessary if your base has a natural sursurface such as wood. Though, I recommend using lighter color wood surfaces for the same purpose as using a white cloth. It is best to use something that attracts clean, high vibrational energy when working with your ancestors. Everything that you place on your altar should have meaning and purpose. Most of the items you use should be personal and unique to you and your ancestors. However, certain things are fundamental to any ancestor altar. These include the four elements – fire, earth, air, and water. Each of the elements represents the foundational forces apparent in the natural world. These are vital forces necessary for sustaining life on earth as they operate within all living beings. Fire represents passion, motivation, inspiration, movement, etc., or the essence (àṣẹ) of life – it energizes and strengthens us. Earth represents the material world that provides us with security and safety – it effectively sustains our physical, mental, financial, and social well-being. Air correlates to the mind and intellectual capabilities – it is the driving force behind our thoughtsand ability to communicate with all beings. Water coincides with our emotions and intuition – it cleanses us and gives us clarity, renewal, and refreshment. Table 3-1 outlines some common items you can use to represent the four elements on your altar. Don’t feel compelled to use them all - select what works best for you.