How-To: Ancestor Altar 🕯️

This topic is essential and is often requested. The question is: how do I set up my ancestor altar? Depending on where you and your family are from, setting up an ancestor altar (boveda) can look different from culture to culture, practice to practice, and mind to mind. 🤓 Ancestor altars are personal, and your Ancestors, intuition, and discretion will inform you on what to add or what is not needed. For example, in Isese (IFA tradition), it is standard for ancestor altars or shrines to be outside and on the floor. However, if you're from the American South, your ancestors may prefer something other than being on the floor and require a table. 🕯️ If you're Boricua, your family may have had little altars throughout the home, on the stovetop in the kitchen, or even in a cabinet under the sink! That said, even if you follow a specific religion or practice, ancestor veneration is about honoring your ancestors and what they did by giving them what they enjoyed! 😊 If your grandmother, who has transitioned, loved her Sunday church choir and usher duties, leave a KJV bible and some peppermints for her! When you become an ancestor, your descendants may leave you obi or play your favorite song. They may buy you a Smashburger or two! 🤣 Until then, stick to the script! For the most part, you know your ancestors, I don't. Haha. This is a guideline for curious people who want some structure. Let's get into it!

While making an ancestor altar for your loved ones, you must understand your WHY. 😇 You may want to start an ancestor altar to connect with your ancestors deeply, receive spiritual guidance and protection, and perform veneration for the ones who have opened doors for you. Please note: we are not worshipping our ancestors; we are venerating them! Veneration means "to regard with great respect." You may use this answer if family or friends ask you what in the woo-woo are you doing?! 😂 People are proud of their culture, religion, sexual orientation, who they are, and the list goes on. You don't have to tell everyone what you're doing, but be proud to venerate your ancestors and educate others when you and the situation feels comfortable. 😘

Your WHY is important because it will motivate you when you're tired and it's time to clean your ancestor's altar. 🤣 It will also keep you motivated when you're isolated and feel like you have no one to talk to. Remember, your ancestors are always there! Pick a day and time you can consistently meet with them and stick to it! If you are often tired or have a hectic life, PLEASE refrain from attempting this. 🥹 Altars need to be maintained. And you don't want to start a relationship with your guides that you cannot maintain. Trust, they will still love you. The upkeep of altars is for those who want to spiritually develop, grow a relationship with their ancestors, and have the time to commit to their ancestors and spiritual duties. Are you still with me? 👀 Great! These are the bare physical essentials needed for your altar:

Items:

-Soap and Water 🧼💧

-A table, a surface spot, a stovetop, available floor space, or a bookshelf.

-White tablecloth

-Cascarilla/efun.

-A white candle or item that represents fire. 🕯️

-A glass, goblet, or glasses (3, 7, or 9) filled with water

-Incense, cigars, cigarettes, or essential oils 🚬

-Florida Water or spiritual cologne of your choice

-Crystals

-Plant or Flowers 🌸

-Rum or ancestor's preferred liquor 🥃

-A cup of coffee coffee

-A mirror (optional)

-Money (optional) 💵

If you're on a budget or traveling, a glass of water and a candle, whether taper or LED, is all you need! 🥰 Sometimes, even your imagination of an altar can take you where you need to go, but that conversation is for another day. These are options for people needing more space or living with “not-so-understanding” housemates. It is not the standard! Again, assessing if you have time and space to maintain an ancestor altar and commit to your spiritual duties is best. 😇

Now, let's get into what is needed to set up an ancestor altar:

The Four Elements. 👁️

The Four Elements are crucial in setting up your ancestor altar and, depending on the spiritual task, must be present while doing the spiritual work! 🪄 This is because the presence of the four elements creates a portal between you and your ancestors. In other words, you're making a direct line to them. Let's review each element's items and what you can bring to the table (pun intended).

🔥 Fire: Candle, incense, cigar, cigarettes, photo of flame or a lit candle, or LED candle.

💧Water: Glass or glasses of water, water fountain, essential oils, or a water goblet.

🌎 Earth: Crystals, flowers, plants, clay, or soil.

💨 Air: Music, bell, chimes, ancestor fan, fresh air (placing your altar by a window).

Here are a few picture examples:

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Now that we have clarified each item's element, let's discuss some additional necessities. ☺️

-Cascarilla/Efun: you can use it for spiritual protection for yourself and the altar. When placing ancestors in a corner on the floor, some initiates will mark the territory of the altar by drawing a half sun with 9 (number of the ancestors) rays sticking it out.

-Florida Water or Kolonia 1800: used to cleanse yourself and altar from negative energy and attract positive energy or spirits.

-Dolls, Games (if your ancestors loved playing cards, put some cards up there), perfumes or colognes your ancestors wore.

These are just a few things that can keep you and your altar safe, amplify the spiritual energy of your altar, and create a profoundly spiritual space and connection with your ancestors. ✨

Please remember that if you buy a new tablecloth, you want to wash it! Clean everything! 🤓 Whatever glasses or shot glasses you buy for your altar, keep them there only. If you offer your ancestors a plate of food, try not to use paper or plastic. ♻️ Clean the table or designated area with soap and water or disinfect any surfaces you will use. Feel free to wipe down the area with a spiritual cologne like Florida Water, as this purifies the space and attracts the right elevated spirits. 😇 Some people will spray rum or gin and smoke out the area with resin or a cigar. Keep your mind in gratitude and quiet; your ancestors will tell you what they want or when you're doing too much!

Calling Them In Invocation:

Invocation is a form of prayer or spell. In this case, we pray to our ancestors and call them to the altar/portal. This is why having all four elements present is crucial because it is needed to create a portal to your ancestors. When approaching your altar, it is best to be clean. Cleanliness is holiness, and if you have sexual relations, please shower before you go to your altar. Use some Florida Water or spiritual cologne by pouring some in the palm of your hand, rubbing both hands together, and cleaning yourself from the top of your head to the bottom of your feet.

For those concerned about the potential to invite unwanted spirits, you may take a bit of cascarilla/efun and place some on the center of your forehead (third eye) and the back of your neck before starting your invocation. You can say your ancestor's names and after each name then say, ase, ensuring that you are talking to the right people! Some people knock three times at their altar or thump their ancestor stick three times on the floor. I leave that up to you. This is an example of a simple invocation prayer:

"Hello, Ancestors, I am ready and prepared to communicate with you. (Say ancestor name followed by ase!) Please send me a sign that you are here. I am open to receiving your blessings of guidance, protection, and wisdom in my life. Thank you for all you have done for past, present, and future generations. Thank you for your presence and for connecting with me.”

If you have a pendulum or quarter that has been cleansed, has been on your person for some time, and is ready to go, you can use it to see if your ancestors are present. If they are present, the pendulum will swing in the position you've deemed yes, and the quarter will fall heads up when asked if they are here.

In Isese, there are more formal prayers used in calling our ancestors in, but we will save that for another time.

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Some things you can do with your ancestors:

-Pray or meditate in front of your altar

-If they were Christian, keep a bible open for them and read from it occasionally.

-Have a drink with them! You pour them a shot of rum and one for yourself! Light a cigar to download new insights and deepen your conversation with them.

-Play their favorite music while you clean their altar! Dance while washing their tablecloth and items in the laundry or sink.

-Buy them their favorite snacks or drinks.

The key is to treat your ancestors as if they were alive! Sit with them, eat with them, pray with them, tell them what you need, LISTEN, do nice things for them, honor the relationship.

Final Thoughts:

Now, you can pray, make offerings, talk, read, dance, or whatever you want. You can go to your ancestor's altar as much as you want, and you don't need to do the invocation every time. If you go to your ancestor's altar once a day or every other day or week, do the invocation. One invocation should do the trick if you go three times a day.

Lastly, remain grateful and humble, and enjoy this journey! And know, your ancestors are proud of you!

Besos,

D.