Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration

by Mallorie Vaudoise

Discover the Spiritual Nourishment and Magical Power of Ancestor Veneration

Learn how to connect to your ancestors and receive the benefits that come from veneration—deeper spirituality, more love in your life, better outcomes in creative pursuits, powerful magic and spellwork, and an improved sense of wellness. Filled with hands-on techniques and tips, Honoring Your Ancestors shows you how to create an ancestor altar so you can work with ancestors of all kinds. Author Mallorie Vaudoise also shares fascinating ideas for incorporating rituals, spells, family recipes, and even practices like music and dancing to help you open this wonderful new dimension of your spiritual journey.

Ancestor veneration is one of the most widespread spiritual practices in the world. This book shares the important distinctions between working with blood ancestors, lineage ancestors, and affinity ancestors while helping you recognize the signs that your ancestors are responding to your petitions and offerings. You will also explore important topics like mediumship and ancestral trauma so you can be sure to develop a veneration practice that's uplifting and affirming for you.

Genres: Witchcraft, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Occult, Paganism, Religion, Magic

218 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 8, 2019

Reviews

[Austin Burns · Rating 2 out of 5]

While Vaudoise does have a very sympathetic voice, she tends to assume that her position of privilege is the rule and not the exception. For example, her claim that one does not necessarily need to seek out genealogical/ancestral information, because it came easily to her as an Italian-American living in New York. In this same vein, she discusses figuring out what she wants in a partner, and then finding that partner at a party she spontaneously attended in England a short while later. Because things just seem to happen for Vaudoise (and good for her), as readers, we miss out on useful resources and advice for differing situations other than her own. Because of these reasons, I think she’s hard to relate to.
Additionally, why you by no means need to be religious to read or understand this book, Vaudoise makes the assumption that you are, or at least that you believe in deity, spirits, mediumship, and ghosts. I feel I should also make it known that there is a lot of Catholicism throughout this book, if you are unfamiliar with it (like me), there are parts you might find difficult to understand or relate to.
While I fully accept and admit that my personal biases affect all of my opinions, I think the most disappointing part of this book is that her answer for healing ancestral trauma is simply forgiveness. I bought this book really hoping to learn much more specifically about the topic of healing ancestral trauma, and instead of being told different ways of going about it or being provided with resources, I was given a brief lecture on forgiveness across different cultures.
Overall, If you are of Italian descent or are coming from a Catholic background, I think you may enjoy this book. For everyone else, I recommend looking through my chapter by chapter summaries before deciding for yourself if this is a good book for you. Personally, this was simply just not for me.

[Morgan M. Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good, basic introduction to espiritismo, thinly disguised as a guide to non-denominational ancestor veneration. Really liked it, and would recommend for those who are just dipping their toes into espiritismo, particularly if they have a European Catholic or Pagan background.

[Willow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I've noticed that as I have become more experienced in the Craft, I have turned away from reading and purchasing "spell books." It's not that these books aren't good; its that the information is often the same every single time, and I am tired of reading about moon phases, the elements, the Wheel of the Year, and all the other introductory stuff that comes with it. Besides, I like writing my own spells so much more. So lately I have been reading books that introduce different practices within the Craft, whether it be death rituals from around the world, incorporating Druidism into hedgecraft, or in this case, ancestor veneration. Ancestor veneration has become more of an interest of mine as of late due to my experiences as a hedgewitch. I most often work with my animal guides, but find myself wanting more. Furthermore, I wish to develop a more daily-type of practice, although a very simple one. I would like this daily practice to focus on hedgecraft and spirit work, and Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration by Mallorie Vaudoise has given me soooooo much to think about!

I am absolutely in love with this book. It's practical, easy to read, and relatively short. The few spells and rituals are thought out and their inclusion is important to the lessons taught in each chapter. When I read new books, I often leave a lot of the text with the book, taking only bits and pieces of new information and ideas as I find them. This book, however, I took almost all of it with me and left very little, if anything, behind. Vaudoise, a spiritualist of Italian descent, speaks from her personal experiences with her ancestral veneration practice and how she has used a combination of practices sacred to her family and ancestors to determine how to honor them. Her advice is practical and applicable to all those interested in ancestor veneration, whether it be to aid in your spellwork or to bring you comfort.

Each chapter ends with some questions to be answered in a journal, Book of Shadows, or just thought about. The questions are thought-provoking and guide the reader in beginning their own ancestral veneration practice. I felt some of the questions were...blah, so I didn't answer those. I guess the answers felt obvious to me or as if the answer didn't apply to what I was wishing to do. Vaudoise makes it clear you should take what you want and leave the rest. I appreciate her candor and her encouragement to create your own practice. It was her candor and honesty that I loved most about this book. She mentions how when she first started out she bought tons of ritual tools and supplies, only to never use them in her craft. I remember being guilty of this. Actually, I still am. Haha! I often buy witchy things because I like them, not always because I will use them. The majority of my magic uses nothing or very little items. I related to Vaudoise draw to folk magic and simplicity, and appreciate that her book took the same approach. On top of all this, her book is well researched and uses science to support her practice. Anything that includes science, and does so correctly, scores loads of points with me.

If you are interested in working more with your ancestors as part of your practice, especially if you're a hedgewitch, this book 100% gets my approval. Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration by Mallorie Vaudoise will be available September 8, 2019. Looking to find out more about Mallorie Vaudoise? She is also the author and blogger behind ItalianFolkMagic.com.

[Celeste · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first encountered Mallorie Vaudoise in her Rune Soup interview by Gordon White, "Talking Folk Saints & Black Madonnas."

A lovely book. I had mixed feelings (and still do) about ancestral practices but reading this was helpful. If you've been at this game awhile much of Vaudoise's recommendations on magical hygiene and practices will not be new. In fact, as the author states in her conclusion, the practices may be in fact "boring" to some who are looking for a glossy magic book and instead find strong recommendations on cooking and cleaning. But looking through the lens of ancestral practice it is somewhat different. She in fact did share tons of little bits and bytes that were new to me, and were particularly interesting because, like the author, I come from a Catholic background. Vaudoise also comes from a Italian heritage, and the historical knowledge and experiences she shares are fascinating as well as touching.

I am glad I read this book at my current age now. I think I am probably around the same age as the author. I don't think I would have been mature enough to appreciate it when I was young because back then I was attempting to bury my heritage to some extent.

Reading this book it was clear Vaudoise is the real deal. Very inspiring and excellent reference. Recommended!

Especially nice: a very good chapter on herbal allies.

[Naava · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Received from NetGalley & the publisher for review... ages ago...)

Quite an enjoyable read, if that can be said about a book that's about dead people.

I was touched by many things in here, and I made a few notes, felt many of my ancestors in my bones in a way I have so far felt only some of them. However, in entirety, the book felt quite distant. As if I was reading an operating manual of ancestors, if that makes sense.

[Alan D.D. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating from beginning to end! I couldn't stop reading it once I started. It is full of useful information, family anecdotes and different perspectives on how to honor ancestors, whether blood or not. Bewitching

[Edric Unsane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Useful advice, good writing, and experience all lead to this being a well done book on ancestor veneration. I really enjoyed and appreciated this book.

[Bethany]

Definitely one of my favorite spiritual books to date.

[Mylifethroughmovements · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting and insightful

[Juliette · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you know nothing about ancestor worship, and would like to maintain the status quo, you can very safely read this book.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a useful guide to ancestral veneration.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very grounded book about ancestral veneration. The author is open minded in her talks about how to venerate your ancestors and how you might want to do things differently depending on your background and its a perfect start point for any one who wishes to learn.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good book, but as MANY other reviews have already stated it ends up focusing heavily on Catholicism and the author's Italian American background. That is always frustrating to me because not only are there so many other religions, but calling Catholicism accessible kind of ignores people who have a traumatic past with that religion and those who are part of religions that are older than Catholicism with different traditions.

The section on healing/dealing with Ancestral trauma was also a major let down because her solution is basically forgive (but you know, you don't have to forget about it. But totally forgive it) which is not what I was looking for. I was also hoping that there would be a section for dealing with ancestors who didn't like/believe in magic or practices like these while they were alive.

My copy also had a ton of editing errors such as in chapter three someone tried to put in a footnote and it just stayed in the middle of the text instead of becoming an actual footnote. How did no one catch that? 😂

[Mélisande · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book started well, I was enjoying it, found it very interesting and even quoted passages to people around me. Then it becomes more and more Catholic without saying it out loud. After we kind of middle through that for a while things pick up again and the pace finds itself. I found the spells to be a let down somehow. I don’t know how to describe it... and like that the book is over. And I felt like my plate was taken from me before I could finish. It feels like it’s missing something.

[vivi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars ☆☆☆

very basic and fundamental information about ancestral veneration. it has a heavy focus on christianity, which isn’t something i’m interested in, but makes sense since the author practices Italian folk magic.
I wish it was more in-depth but it is a good book for people new to working and honoring their ancestors :)
one of the main things that threw me off while reading is how privileged the author seemed. just my own opinion but it definitely caught me off guard and made me a little frustrated while reading. all in all good book and i’m grateful to own it ^_^

[Megan Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

I greatly enjoyed this book. Ancestral veneration is something I'm only just now beginning to study, and this guide was the perfect starting place. Highly recommend! This book is easy to read, engaging, and down-to-earth (i.e. doesn't feel too woo-woo). Please pick up a copy if you think you might like to find your own unique way to honor your ancestors.

[ashtyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ★ (1) loved reading this as a devotional act to my ancestors, (2) was also cool to realize a lot of the things the author learned from their ancestral practice are things i do too

there were parts of this book i didn’t agree with but that didn’t really impact my rating. if you want to get into an ancestral veneration practice i think this book is a good place to start!! i have already started so it didn’t tell me anything new but feels good to be validated🤣

[Elyrria · Rating 4 out of 5]

There's a lot of great advice in this book to help with one's ancestral work. I didn't agree with the "you have to forgive" rhetoric, but everyone is entitled to their opinion. Overall, this book will set you on the path to uncovering a rewarding connection between you and those who came before.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great introduction to making ancestor veneration part of your spiritual practice. I'll definitely be referring back to this in future.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a great introduction to the world of ancestry and spirituality. It's engaging and thorough, which makes it an interesting read.

[Amanda Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of the better books on any metaphysical topic I've read in a long time.

[Diamond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was AMAZING.

I’ve recommended it to so many people since I finished reading it.

It has everything, but doesn’t take on too much. I felt it was great the author included her own personal ancestor stories and also examples of others and how to deal with things like not knowing all your ancestry which is something that many people who are the products (? awkward word, sorry) of diaspora (like my family).

Overall i think if you’re interested in honoring your ancestors, and don’t know where to start - this book is for you.

Or if you have a practice and want to expand or delve more into it, then it’s also perfect for you.

Please read this book! You’ll be glad you did 😊

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book to be a thoroughly engaging treatise on the subject of honoring my ancestors. While I’ve never been one for “spells,” I felt that I could take what I liked and leave the rest… And there wasn’t much that I left. As someone who is just beginning the journey of claiming and discovering my ancestors stories, I found this book enlightening as well as practical. It is written well, in a warm conversational style that is highly readable.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkable book about contemporary ancestor-worship. Very to the point, obviously written with a larger readership in mind and thus circumventing the more obfuscating and confusing parts of contemporary occultism. Vaudoise covers all the basics one could think of relating to ones esoteric and magical practice, supplementing everything with plenty practical advice.

[Anna Mullings · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very eye opening for me and I love the fact that she included journal prompts at the end so that we can go deeper with our understanding and make it more personal. I also love the fact that it doesn't seem hard to understand and I definitely will be reading it again for more clarity.

[Christen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fine, but I lost interest. Sorry, grandma.

[Steven Báthory · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comme bien souvent dans l’étude mais aussi la pratique des arts et sciences occultes, il est question de dieux et autres divinités originaires des nombreux panthéons de toutes horizons mais n’étant pas quelqu’un de religieux et n’ayant jamais eu le privilège de me confronter à un culte, j’avoue avoir quelques difficultés avec cette dévotion. Pour autant et lorsque j’y pense, je ne peux me considérer athée étant donné que je crois en l’âme ainsi et surtout à celle de mes ancêtres.

Il est vrai que fréquemment et sans raison précise, je me sens connecté à certains de mes aïeuls et penses alors inconsciemment à eux. C’est dans ce but que j’ai décidé de réaliser mon arbre généalogique afin d’en apprendre davantage sur la personne que je suis à travers ceux qui m’ont, d’une manière ou d’une autre, façonné et construit. Trouvant le sujet passionnant, j’ai de suite craqué pour cet ouvrage qui relie généalogie et ésotérisme avec réussite malgré quelques aspects parfois bien trop pieux et religieux me concernant. Néanmoins et malgré l’orientation dévote de part l’éducation de l’auteure, Mallorie Vaudoise apporte un regard pertinent sur cette pratique du culte des ancêtres qui m’était, jusqu’alors, totalement inconnu. Il faut dire qu’en France nous sommes plus que frileux lorsqu’il s’agit d’évoquer la mort, ce processus naturel et inévitable. Il est vrai que de part mon métier de soignant et y était parfois confronté, j’en parle assez librement tandis que pour d’autres, il s’agit là d’un sujet bien difficile et épineux à aborder. La faute à un inconscient collectif dérivé et émanant de la christianisation de notre monde actuel. Pour autant et alors que ce courant semble perdre du terrain, celui de l’ésotérisme semble en regagner et en particulier celui de culte ancestral.

En ce sens j’ai vraiment apprécié et été sensible à l’approche de cette dernière et à la manière d’amener ce dévouement de manières à la fois respectueuse mais aussi bienveillante, presque intimiste. En accompagnant son quotidien – magique ou non – de l’amour et la bienveillance des siens, l’auteure démontre toute la puissance du lien qui nous unis aux nôtres mais pas que. En ce sens, j’ai été sensible à la définition que donne Mallorie Vaudoise quant à l’identité des personnes qui se cachent derrière le terme ancêtres. Ainsi et bien que celle-ci fasse mention des liens de sang, l’auteure place les liens du cœur au même niveau et j’ai vraiment trouvé ce choix des plus juste et cochèrent. Mieux encore et grâce à différentes parties, toutes aussi bien développées et travaillées les unes que les autres, cette dernière apporte un pertinent regard sur différents sujets spécifiques à cet art, tels que les traumatismes génétiques répétés et inscrits dans nos gènes ainsi que la médiumnité par exemples. Avec simplicité, un apport théorique consistant et foisonnant est donc offert aux lecteurs et certaines pistes de réflexions ont retenu mon intérêt. Cependant, une théorie sans pratique est quasi aussi inutile qu’une pratique sans théorie et c’est sur ce point que le bât blesse par moments. En effet, Mallaurie Vaudoise dévoile une pertinente mise en action avec un large champ de réalisation allant de la purification – toujours en lien avec nos morts – en passant par les plantes et leurs correspondances magiques, en terminant avec quelques rituels et autres exercices à effectuer. Cependant, pour d’autres accomplissements comme certaines prières et autres offrandes, ces dernières m’ont parfois semblé assez farfelues et je n’ai guère été réceptif. Fort heureusement, l’auteure n’impose aucunement son point de vue et laisse un champ des possibles séduisant à découvrir et à, pour quoi le voudra, tenter à mettre en place en se laissant guider par la fluide plume de cette dernière.

Ainsi, Honorez vos ancêtres est une lecture qui m’a énormément plu et intéressé grâce au sujet traité et mis à l’honneur. Malgré certaines parties me laissant perplexe, cet ouvrage offre une pertinente incursion dans l’univers de la magie ancestrale et j’ai été sensible à la bienveillance et à la guidance dévoilées par Mallorie Vaudoise. Encore plus en cette période et sa célébration de la toussaint, idéale pour rendre hommage à nos ancêtres disparus certes mais toujours vivants tant que nos souvenirs demeureront.

[Tiffany H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Title: Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration

Author: Mallorie Vaudoise

Rating: 5/5

One of the biggest hurdles I have encountered as a solitary witch is having no one to guide or teach me magic. This has been both a blessing and a curse. I haven't been weighed down by someone else's theories or judgments, however, I also haven't had anyone to discuss ideas with or learn from. I believe that might be the leading factor that pushed me towards learning ancestral veneration - can't accidentally summon a demon by talking to Grandma. But that still left me with the gaping question, "where do I start?" Many different cultures and ethnicities practice different ancestral worship such as the Qingming Festival in China or the Sraddha in India. But growing up as a southern baptist meant I started a tad behind. So, I did what any modern-day witch does, I headed to the internet.

When scrolling through pages of books, I focused primarily on reviews. However, not going to lie, the cover of "Honoring your Ancestors: A guide to ancestral veneration" grabbed me. Its jewel-toned coloring and illuminated text illustration are pleasing to a graphic designer's eyes. With that being said, the book itself lives up to its pretty cover although it has no internal illustrations. Author Mallorie Vaudoise is a self-proclaimed catholic Italian-American spiritualist who has been initiated as an Orisha priestess and runs the Italian Folk Magic Blog. It was interesting to hear how her upbringing and training offered different viewpoints on ancestral veneration.

Vaudoise tackles difficult topics with grace such as adoptions and shameful or negative lineage members. She also introduces new concepts: the definition and separation of blood ancestors, lineage ancestors, and affinity ancestors. The author's way of writing is very easy to understand, making this book a joy to read. Her her stories are relatable and her sassy wit will keep you entertained. Each chapter is short and concise and I thoroughly enjoyed the questions at the end of each section because they forced me to reflect on what I read and practice the ideas.

The are only two negative things I can possibly say about this book:

1. The only answer Vaudoise gives for healing ancestral trauma is to forgive. I understand that's the normal solution, but I personally find forgiveness to be up to the person. Some people in this world don't deserve our forgiveness and it's very toxic for victims of abuse to be told to forgive an abuser.

2. Vaudoise is a Catholic, and while she states that the reader can swap out saints for their chosen deity, the book does get heavily Catholic past the midpoint. This may leave a bad taste for some readers.

Overall, I believe this book to be a leading resource for ancestral worship, especially if you don't already have a practicing cultural background. I often recommend this book to others and have even gifted it once.

[Alisha Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was easily a 5 star book. I was skeptical going into reading this. Mostly because once you’ve read one spiritual book or spell book you’ve read them all. They can be repetitive at times. I was also not sure what to expect reading something about ancestry magic. Most practices are closed, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to use the information given to me in this book. This author writes beautifully, easy to digest information from this book. Not only did she go over closed practices and what they do she also wrote about open ancestry magic and things you can do to honor your ancestors within your own practices. I was learning about, Italian magic, Catholicism, Orishas, Chinese practices and just plain Paganism. She added some great journal prompts and a lot of spell work at the end. She also calls out the egotistical practitioners which I loved (we all have encountered those in our walk). This is definitely a book that will live on my shelf for years. Here are a few of my favorite things she says within the book.

“The biggest dangers lay in how you respond to mediumship. One of the most dangerous things you can do is assume that mediumship experiences need to be extreme in order to be real or powerful. I know that for some people it seems cool to brag about how you’re in contact with spirits and those spirits are always doing crazy things. Usually this kind of bragging comes from a place of insecurity. The message behind it, is please believe I’m important and powerful. If spirit is keeping you up at night that’s a bad sign.”

I know a few people who really need to hear that. It’s the part of practicing magic that I hate, when people are constantly trying to one up you or acting like they feel spirit much bigger than everyone else. First rule of magic kill the ego. I’m not here to one up anyone or put on a show. Just vibing with the divine and connecting with people who build each other up. Anyways then she goes on to say this:

“Mediumship stories are like fish stories when they’re not made up of whole cloth. They’re often emblished in a way that’s suppose to make the person telling them look more important than they really are in the grand scheme of things. You don’t have to be gifted to be a medium”

I think this one is so important cause it’s so encouraging for people to remember that anyone can be a medium you just have to practice and tap in. We were all born with intuition and we all receive downloads. Just listen. There are no special gifted people.

And I’ll end it with one of my favorite things she says:

“It’s important to not pay too much attention to one particular sign. It’s easy for people on a magical path to go down a rabbit hole of synchronicities that can lead to obsession paranoia or worse becoming insufferably boring at parties.”

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent introduction working with ancestors. Some of the information was new while other information has been covered before. The best part about this book is that it provides plenty of practical advice through spell work, anecdotes, and other information. My only complaint, and it's a minor complaint because of the nature of ancestor work, is that this book is very focused on one (or a few related, depending on how you parse it) path. Specifically, the author's experience is drawn from African diasporic traditions, along with some Italian folk tradition. Because of this, most of the information in this book is presented through a monotheistic, and mostly Christian lens. There is a lot of focus on saints and the trappings associated with Catholicism, which also make an appearance in the African diasporic traditions. While this is understandable based on the author's experiences, there are many people detached from the monotheistic and Christian traditions that would benefit from information on ancestor worship. Very little discussion is given to these other possible paths and a good deal of the information provided (use a white cloth, burn a candle, etc.) can be relevant to everyone depending on the reason for their inclusion, but little discussion is given as to why the specific elements (which are often listed as or implied as mandatory) are included, making it difficult to make relevant substitutions for paths where certain elements are less relevant or other elements would be more so within a specific niche. Overall, this is a great book, it just loses a star for me because the title suggests a relevance to a wide group but the contents are more narrowly focused on Christian adjacent or syncretic paths and little information is provided to allow flexibility for those outside of these paths.