Feeling Ancestry In the Bones
This time of year in the Northern hemisphere, when things are dying and the Veil is thin, is a great time to work with spirits of all kinds including past lives and ancestors. But let’s be frank: ancestry work can feel … sketchy when you’re white. I get it. My own ethnic heritage has been and continues to be embraced by far-right extremists in the US and Europe. Working with white ancestors may feel inappropriate to raising oneself up or empowering oneself (even putting ”white” and ”power” in the same sentence makes me cringe), but for many of us, that’s all we’ll find in our AncestryDNA reports or in that one uncle’s obsessive genealogy project.
And avoiding your white ancestors completely (or, for us white folks, working solely with that tiny sliver of ancestry that secretly—deep down where you aren’t very proud—lets you feel a little ”exotic”) probably doesn’t help you spiritually in the long run. Also, white guilt doesn’t actually do anything to improve the lives of people of color (and I shouldn’t need to say anything more about spiritual brown-face). It just draws attention to white “victimhood.”
Ignoring the full complement of our ancestry is like ignoring shadow work. If focusing only on good vibes and light and love is you need right now to lift you up to be your best current self, I’m not going to say you’re wrong to not do shadow work. You know you. And the past, much like shadow work, can be a scary place. But when you’re ready to look into the dark and confront both the bad and the surprisingly good, you’ll grow from the experience. And if you believe in a two-way timeline, you can help heal some generational trauma for those who came before you as well as for yourself.
So I encourage you to join me in exploring the meanings of the Elder Futhark runes through this divination challenge. You can use tarot, oracle cards, or whatever tools you want (even runes!). You don’t have to feel comfortable connecting with your ancestors just yet. Your divinations will help you spiritually prepare for working with your ancestors (white or otherwise), and you can go from there. So if you want to learn about runes or prepare for ancestor work, you’re in luck. And if you want to do both, you’re in double luck.
There are thirty “days” of exercises, with three 10-day cycles organized around the three aett (a set of 8 runes) of the Elder Futhark. But do it however quickly or slowly you want, in whatever month you choose.
At the start of each 10-day cycle, you’ll be asked to create paper copies of the runes each aett and encouraged to ask your ancestors for blessings, protection, or healing depending on the theme of that aett. It’s as easy as it sounds. There’s no special trick. It could take you as little as a minute. You can use my image for creating your own runes (the first aett is the first row, read from left to right, then the second aett, and then the last one).
As a side note, the names, depictions, meanings, and order of the Elder Futhark are not as well documented as other systems, so there’s a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure on some. If you prefer a different order or spelling or meaning or form (especially for Ingwaz, which has a more traditional simpler form), tweak the challenge as you see fit. And, hey, if you want to use a different framework, such as the Younger Futhark or Anglo-Saxon runes or esoteric Qabalastic interpretations of the Hebrew alphabet or the hexagrams of I Ching, feel free to use my structure as an example of how to blend alphabet and divination.
If you’re ready to work further with runes, I encourage you to try making your own set (with or without all the ritual) or buying some from an artist or small business owner. You’re not going to need more than one set, so invest in them.
Last, if you’re looking to learn more about your ancestors or past lives, you can always purchase one of my Stories from Beyond to explore a past life (“Scenes from Another Life”) or an ancestor’s life (“Tales from the Well”) with some guidance for your present life.
*A note about the characters Þ and Ð, these are “th” sounds. The Þ is “unvoiced” like the th in thorn. The Ð is “voiced” like the th in that. They’re different. If you don’t believe me, feel where your tongue hits your teeth when you say them.
Create paper copies of the first 8 runes. Ask for ancestral blessings.
FEHU (ᚠ): What resources do I possess that will help this spiritual work?
URUZ (ᚢ): What passions fuel me through the challenge of this work?
ÞURISAZ (ᚦ): How can I prepare for any pain this work may bring?
ANSUZ (ᚨ): With what divine voice can I connect to excel in this work?
RAIÐO (ᚱ): What new realms will I explore through this spiritual work?
KENAZ (ᚲ): What inner light will keep me on course and guide me home?
GEBO (ᚷ): What gifts will I discover through this? What will I give up?
WUNJO (ᚹ): What new joy and connectedness will this work allow?
Rest and reflect. (Or catch up.)
Create paper copies of the next 8 runes. Ask for ancestral protection.
HAGALAZ (ᚺ): What obstacles may challenge me in this process?
NAUÐIZ (ᚾ): How can I work with my limitations and restricting needs?
ISA (ᛁ): What must I keep in mind when I become stuck in my progress?
JERA (ᛃ): What will I harvest from the challenges I encounter in this work?
EIHWAZ (ᛇ): What must die to make room for a new cycle of growth?
PERÐO (ᛈ): How can I make my spiritual development more fun?
ALGIZ (ᛉ): What will ward me from harm as I explore new realms?
SOWILO (ᛋ): What will help my highest self shine through this work?
Rest and reflect. (Or catch up.)
Create paper copies of the final 8 runes. Ask for ancestral healing.
TIWAZ (ᛏ): For what just causes will this work help me fight?
BERKANA (ᛒ): What will this work help me birth into my own life?
EHWAZ (ᛖ): What new options will my spiritual journey open up for me?
MANNAZ (ᛗ): Where do I fit within the broader tapestry of humanity?
LAGUZ (ᛚ): What still lies beneath the surface, waiting to be found?
INGWAZ (ᛝ): How can I tap into the river of lives that have come before?
DAGAZ (ᛞ): What is now awakening in me?
OÞALA (ᛟ): What newly accepted inheritance founds my legacy?
Celebrate and reflect. (Or catch up and then celebrate and reflect.)