The Turning of the Year
The veil between the worlds is thin in the fall; the old year is dying, daylight is fading, and the night grows. As the leaves fall and the winds swirl, Samhain, Halloween, and Días de los Muertos arrive each year. All of these are as in-season as the fall, and as the dead come calling, I feel the urge to seek them out as well. This spell kit was created with ancestor veneration in mind – to help you begin or grow your connection with the ancestors.
Connect with Your Ancestors
DIY kit, spell ingredients included
Perfect for Beginners or Kids
Magic in the Limnal Spaces
I have long admired that so many cultures around the world honor and revere the dead. Dying is a moot point — we will all die at some point — and if I can help my family get comfortable with the idea that our dead are not so far away, I will have done one of my jobs right. Maybe.
If I can help my family get comfortable with the idea that our dead are not so far away, I will have done one of my jobs right.
My Ancestor Work Jar and Sachet were created in an effort to focus my own energy on drawing closer to my loved ones who have died. I took herbs and flowers from around the world that have come to represent the dead, or that were important and readily used by my own ancestors, and I have combined them to make a jar that I can see each day and use to focus on a specific ancestor (or line).
In my home, I have a year-round ancestor altar, or ofrenda, in my living room. We tell stories of how a certain place in New Hampshire came to mean so much to my mom’s side, or how adoption has been in our family for multiple generations, including my own. We talk about the desserts that my father-in-law’s grandmother made each year on his birthday, and every year for Día de los Muertos, we gather at my table to feast and talk of those who have gone before us.
“This is how our memories, stories, and traditions stay alive.”
I hope these memories are the ones that live on with my kids, and that in the future they’ll do the same with theirs. This is how our memories, stories, and traditions stay alive. Maybe I’ll write some of the stories down, maybe I won’t. (Okay, I probably will.)
Hopefully this recipe and spell will help you start or grow your own altar of the dead, especially in this time of year. And if you can’t have an ancestor altar up year-round, keep this jar nearby to help you remember, love, and grieve those who have gone before you.
Discover the magic in you with this kit
Kit Ingredients & Supplies
Herbs & Flowers
I provide a variety of flowers, herbs, and stones that symbolize unity, connection, protection and intuition. Each element is designed to be optional, but to add to the impact of a spell like this one.
Accessories
Also included in the kit are accessories for decorating and finishing your spell jar or sachet* such as a charm, thread for tying, a candle for sealing, and small handouts to help you through the spell.
*Sachet/pouch available upon request.
INGREDIENT OVERVIEW
Celestite
Intuition & Calm
Peony
Protection & Calm
Rosemary
Memory & Protection
Mullein
Shadow Work
Thyme
Peace & Calm
Obsidian
Shadow Work & Clarity
Soul Flower Blend
Ancestor Connection & Worship
Unlocking the Magic
Creating Your Spell Jar
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Step 1: Set Your Intention
Begin by grounding, breathing in and out in a steady way and calming your mind and body. I have ADHD so my mind is rarely calm, but it can be calmer. Hold the kit or place it in front of you and visualize or say out loud what you want from the experience. Do you want to connect with a specific ancestor, or is this one of the first steps to creating an ongoing conversation with those on the other side?
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Step 2: Add the Ingredients
As you put each ingredient into the jar, say the name of the ingredient, and its purpose. You can expand and mention what that means to you. Intention is nearly everything in a spell, and you get to set it. As you add in your own ingredients, say out loud or in your mind what the ingredient symbolizes and place into the jar. As you say what you’re doing, you’re awakening the spirits around you.
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Step 3: Create Sacred Space
Ancestor Altars or spell jars should be somewhere in the home you will see it multiple times a day, but is out of reach of tiny children or pets who will be destructive. Our beloved dead love to be involved in our lives, and placing an altar or jar in a space like a living room (on a shelf or table) or kitchen will allow them to be near often. If you’re rarely in those rooms, put it in your bedroom.
Ingredient Breakdown
Celestite — Intuition & Calm
A pale blue stone said to help access the angelic realms and enhance intuition. I use it for my daughter when she needs to calm down — it’s tangible, grounding, and said to cool fiery emotions, which is useful for both childlike tempers and spirit work.
Rosemary — Memory & Protection
Rosemary is an herb we use for cooking, for burning as incense, or to seign or smudge, and she’s also a plant for memory. Used historically in medicine to help with memory, it can also be used magically to remember dreams, past lives, and the love you have for your family — especially your ancestors.
As a big bonus, rosemary is also used for protection. This gal will allow you to connect to your memories and ancestors while protecting you and your home in the process.
Thyme — Peace & Courage
According to Juliet Diaz of Plant Witchery (seriously, buy her book — it’s amazing), thyme clears up negative energy that may have attached itself to you. This is especially important when doing ancestral or shadow work. Allowing yourself to let go, and having help to do it, is vital.
Thyme brings peace and courage and can help you believe in yourself. Burn it to cleanse sacred space — including yourself. You are a magical, sacred being. Treat yourself like it.
Soul Flower Blend — Marigold & Calendula
A powerhouse mix of two flowers used in different parts of the world to honor and connect to the ancestors: Marigold and Calendula (also known as Pot Marigold, but not the same plant).
Calendula is a medicinal plant with a long history of use, and in our time is known to soothe the skin — which is why she was used during the Civil War era to aid tissue growth and combat jaundice. And measles. But you know what’s reallygood for measles? Vaccines. Okay, I’m off my soapbox.
Calendula helps foster connection to those we love who have died and symbolizes constant connection and love.
Marigolds are native to South America, and Indigenous communities still use them today to celebrate Día de los Muertos— the Day of the Dead (which may be more correctly titled Los Días de los Muertos). In Disney’s Coco, it’s a marigold petal that his ancestors hand to Miguel with their blessing.
They’re also great in the garden for deterring pests — a trait we can borrow magically to deter unwanted energies as we welcome our loved ones in.
Peony — Protection & Calm
Peony is protective, and a single plant can live for over a hundred years. She’s used for healing and connection alike — abundant, beautiful, and simple to grow. Peony enables calm and protection while you commune with your ancestors.
It’s said peony tea can act as a gateway to the underworld — but, as with all underworld door-opening, make sure you’re casting a circle and being safe.
Mullein — Shadow Work Ally
I use mullein in my Evening Enchantment Ritual Oil because it protects during sleep and connects to the Otherworld. That blend of protection and connection makes it an important ally for ancestor and shadow work. Working with your family’s shadows helps heal the ancestral line.
Mullein helps you navigate the gray between the worlds — but while doing so, take care of yourself. Go to therapy. Talk to a friend. Show yourself some love.
Obsidian — Shadow & Clarity
Formed from lava that cooled too quickly to crystallize, obsidian is deeply protective. It clarifies thoughts and allows us to work with the shadow side safely — a mirror for what needs seeing.
Unleash Your Inner Magic
Transform your space and spirit with the Ancestor Connection spell jar. Whether you’re a seasoned witch or just starting your journey, our products offer a hands-on experience to craft your own magical life. Embrace the magic within and join us today!