When I first began learning this way of working with my ancestors, my teacher asked us all to create an ancestral altar. He came from a different culture where creating an altar was very much part of the practice, so I did exactly as I was taught. It became my place to connect, to spend time with my ancestors and to build that relationship. Looking back now, I can see how important it was because it gave me a focus and somewhere that belonged to this work.
When I created my altar, I wanted it to reflect what was important to me rather than simply placing objects there for the sake of it. The crystals I chose all had a connection with the Earth, healing and my ancestors. There was petrified wood, which has always been one of my favourite crystals. In this case used it for its properties unlocking past lives and using its ability to work with ancient knowledge and ancestral history. It is also very good at working with trapped trauma. It is a very earthy crystal, so good for grounding you into the earth energies. My other crystals include moss agate (protective and a connection to nature), serpentine(connects us to love in the darkest places, chakra healing) and septarian(connects to past life energy helping to understand you current life and protective). Both septarian and serpentine awaken our inner life force. Each one had its own significance to me along with the others that are on there.
It also felt important to have a vessel on my altar because so much of my ancestral healing has revolved around the different vessels that have been shown to me in meditation. I didn't want just any bowl or cup. I waited until I found one that had been handmade and felt right. I have a larger one and a smaller one both handmade and both with a rough finish. Alongside these are several spiral fossils. For me they represent the spiral patterns that appear throughout nature and sacred geometry. They seem to sit very comfortably amongst everything else on the altar and remind me that the patterns we see in nature are often reflected in the energy work I do.
I also have two figures on the altar. I bought one and then, about a year later, I purchased the other. One is male and one is female, and together they became an acknowledgement of both my male and female ancestral lines. There's also a small wooden horse that I gave to my mum many years ago and was returned to me after she died. It has a special place on the altar now and always reminds me of that connection.
Finally, there is a picture that my nan, my mother's mother, created from butterfly wings many years ago. It was a hobby of the art deco era, I think butterflies were more prolific than they are now. People could buy kits with all the items in then. I remember a large picture in my great aunts house that used to freak me out as a child where moths were pinned into a picture to make a picture. Thank goodness photography took over! Although it represents my nan, for me it has become a connection to all of my ancestors of that lineage, as well as representing my ancestors in general.
I was very diligent about using my altar because that was how I'd been taught to work. Whenever I wanted to connect with my ancestors, that was where I went. It became part of my routine and, in those early days, I don't think I questioned whether I would work any differently.
I was out walking by the river one day when I realised I had connected with my ancestors without even thinking about it. It was a quiet walk with very few people around and, before I knew it, I was tuning in just as naturally as I always had at my altar. Perhaps it was because my mind was quieter when I was outside. Perhaps it was because there was space for the nothingness that seems to be needed for this kind of work. Or perhaps, because my ancestors belonged to this land, they were simply more comfortable meeting me there. I honestly don't know the answer.
What I do know is that even before I began this ancestral healing, I had always found it easier to connect with Spirit when I was outside. Whether I was connecting with guides, working with energy or simply taking time to listen, my clearest connections often came when I was walking in nature. Maybe it shouldn't have surprised me that my ancestors chose to meet me in exactly the same way.
That doesn't mean my altar is no longer important. It still has its place and it's still a focal point for me. Every object on it has meaning and every time I look at it I'm reminded of where this work began. The difference is that I no longer need it to make the connection. The connection is already there. The alter is very precious to me and I can feel the love and support behind it when I see it. Its hidden in plain site as people who see it don't instantly know its relevance to me, they just think its more of Sheila's crystals.
I think that's probably true of many things we learn. At the beginning we often need a particular place, a particular way of doing something or a routine that helps us find our feet. As we become more familiar with it, that routine begins to soften and the connection becomes much more natural.
I'm not saying everyone should work in this way. Some people really value having a dedicated altar or sacred space, and that's absolutely right for them. This is simply how the work has unfolded for me. Perhaps that's what they've been trying to show me all along. The altar was never the only place where they were waiting for me. It was simply the place where I first learned how to listen.
