Tarot for Ancestor Work

celticnoodle

Tanga, I suggest starting with whatever feels comfortable with you because, in my experience, even when we don't know our ancestors, they know us. They want to be acknowledged, they want to tell their stories, and once you open that door, they will come through in unexpected ways.
I so agree. Your ancestors are still around you, Tanga. They know what is going on in your life and do want to make contact. However, this said, you should do only what you are comfortable with, of course.

Today I was talking with my mom on the phone and she told me she recently connected with a cousin on Facebook, a cousin she hadn't spoken to in years and that I'd never heard of (they had lost track of each other during family migrations). And then she started talking about her mother's siblings, both deceased and whom I'd never heard of (I didn't even know my grandmother had siblings). So, today, I learned the name of two ancestors and a new surname to add to my genealogical research.
Very cool, Chrystella. I recently found 2 distant cousins myself. They actually found me. We are communicating via emails as we do not live near each other. Each is from a different side of the family, one on my dads side and another on my mothers side.

Thankyou Chrystella.

And this is exactly it - I have to watch out for the "coming through in unexpected ways" bit.
On a subconscious level I "know" all about my ancestors - if you see what I mean.
My spider sense tells me "caution". Just as for example, after many years - I am now more interested in the idea of spirit boards (ouija) and am slowly and carefully investigating this (for those many years previously, my spider sense told me "caution - this is not the time").
then by all means listen to your spider sense! Always pay attention to what your gut feelings are telling you. One day, you may find you are ready.

Speaking of strong Ancestors - the one I'm named after (my 1st name, Tanga) is a real powerhouse too. (On top of my sir name).
She IS (still today, wrestling matches are held in her honour) an oracle, and her mode of communication is possession.
OK - that gives me the creeps - so... "caution".
:eek: yes, it would me too!

After her death (murder) her body "refused to be buried" for 3 days. i.e. everytime they buried her - the next morning she was found outside the grave. She requested burial as a warrioress and was treated accordingly afterwards (no more cadaver resurrections).

The plot thickens does it not?

And by-the-way - these two aforementioned (Tanga and Okondo) are not the "shady" ones I spoke of - only overwhelmingly strong ones, as you now see.
:bugeyed:

wow, Tanga! An er...interesting family.....

It sounds like stuff movies are made of!
 

Tanga

:bugeyed:

wow, Tanga! An er...interesting family.....

It sounds like stuff movies are made of!

Yeah - and as said, this is not even my "immediate family" ancestors.
I will not recount those. ;)
Listening to and "channelling" this lot in any way = CAUTION. :joke:

I tried to convince my mother that she should write a book about our family. It would be a sensation.
She refused - stories "too close to the bone" for her to muse over.
Shame - huge movie potential lost. :joke:
 

RiverRunsDeep

I wanted to bring this thread back so I could post an ancestor reading I finally had time to do, and have it here for my future reference.

My goal was to get further details from my uncle. So, borrowing the spread Barleywine created, these are the messages I received:

Is the way clear? The Lovers: This card has already come up in a couple of readings for me regarding my uncle. I've been reading it as "related by marriage", since he and I are related by marriage, not blood. So in this case I think that the way is clear to communicate specifically with my uncle.

Intentions. 6 of Pentacles: My uncle is present with a spirit of generosity, with an intention to provide messages. Further thought reminded me of my aunt's "Pennies From Heaven" story; she believes that our loved ones are able to send us messages in the form of coins. For many months after my uncle passed, she would find pennies in locations that had special meaning to her and my uncle. Or she would find pennies with dates corresponding to their wedding anniversary or his birthday. This card reminds me of "Pennies From Heaven"!!

Encouragement. King of Swords: I feel that my uncle is being a bit of a stern father figure here, in giving his advice.

Warning. 4 of cups: The card of discontent. My uncle battled depression many times in his life, and I think this card is an indication of that. I have the same tendency towards depression, and I have no doubt he would warn me to be wary of that.

Others Advice. Justice: The idea of needing to find balance for my physical and emotional wellbeing has come up many times in many ways recently, and it is completely true!

Honor. Ace of Wands: I see this as carrying the torch of his memory onward. Whenever he visits my dreams with a message or a "hello", I always make sure my aunt knows he's been around.

Thanks for reading...
 

celticnoodle

Nice reading, Riverrunsdeep! Thank you also for bringing this thread back. I've been meaning to do this again but have not done it since the reading I posted about here. I think its great that your uncle is making contact with you too. :thumbsup:

As for the pennies, yes, I truly believe your uncle is leaving them for your aunt. My dad use to leave me quarters all the time. Right at my door. It got to be so much, that I'd always check for a quarter on my way out of the house. Not finding any till I would come home again and go to open the door, look down and viola! there the quarter would be! :laugh:
 

RiverRunsDeep

Thanks, celticnoodle! Please do share if you do another ancestor reading. It is so interesting to read the different messages and information everyone receives.

And thanks for sharing about your dad and the quarters. Very awesome to think that our loved ones have such unique ways of making themselves known. :)
 

Barleywine

Further Adventures in Ancestral Contact

I decided to try the Court Card method of identfying the gender and family affiliation of my ancestral contact, as a preliminary to doing another spread. Using the Chrysalis Tarot, I got the Knight of Stones (Pentacles), showing a male ancestor, and the Page of Spirals (Wands), reflecting my mother's side of the family. Interestingly, the name "Jim" crossed my mind while putting this together; my maternal grandfather's first name was James (aka "Jim"), and so was my maternal great-grandfather's; the former was called by his middle name by family members, probably to avoid confusion. Thinking about it, though, the Knight of Stones is titled "The Illusionist," and is described as something of a trickster. My grandfather was a cheerful Irish-Canadian type who loved a joke, so I see it more as him.

I asked first if the astral channel was clear of negativity, and got The World. Since this card sits on the 32nd path of the Tree of Life, between material reality and the astral sphere of the Moon, I took this to mean that the way is not only clear, but protected.

As far as my grandfather's intention in the contact, the 6 of Mirrors (Cups) shows that he wants me to cherish his memory as the inspiration for my own positive outlook on life.

The Ace of Mirrors (Cups) appears as encouraging advice, emphasizing the harmonious flow of affection and fidelity in my emotional dealings as the heart of his message. It could also mean there is a new creative project coming my way.

The warning is repesented by the 9 of Stones (Pentacles). It shows a maiden turning her back on a pile of stones and walking away, implying that she is done with ordering her material affairs and is moving on to her next adventure. But there is an interesting factual story here. On our daily walks over the last five years I've been collecting unusual pieces of white and pink quartz rock and displaying them prominently in my "man cave." My wife has become a little exasperated with what she sees as a mild obsession (well, not quite as bad as Richard Dreyfuss in Close Encounters of the Third Kind), and wants me to get rid of them. This card could be letting me know that the purpose of these stones in my life is "sacred" to the Knight of Stones, and I should resist tossing them. The other thought that crossed my mind is that the image on the card looks like a stone cairn, and the woman may have just buried something or someone; perhaps there is a caution here to be mindful of and guard against serious upsets or endings. The pure way of the Ace of Mirrors could be an effective counter-measure. Finally, it could simply mean "don't leave any stone unturned" or I could miss something important in life.

The advice of others present on the "other side" is where this really gets interesting: the card is the Queen of Mirrors (Cups), and is titled "The Watcher." The LWB says of this card "The Watcher is a kind lady regarded by those who know her as a psychic or mystic. Her role as mentor helps you develop your own psychic and intuitive abilities." As I mentioned in my previous post, this is most definitely my maternal grandmother. Here she is staring down the Knight of Stones in mild disapproval at his antics. When she was scandalized by his behavior in life, she used to call him "Jimmy" in a sarcastic tone, and I can almost hear the Watcher saying that here. At any rate, she is still keeping him in line.

As a way of honoring my grandfather, the 6 of Stones once again shows the serene, enduring nature of the stones as sacred to his legacy of kindness, empathy and charity, and that it would benefit me to emulate those qualities in my own life as a way to honor his.
 

celticnoodle

Thanks, celticnoodle! Please do share if you do another ancestor reading. It is so interesting to read the different messages and information everyone receives.

And thanks for sharing about your dad and the quarters. Very awesome to think that our loved ones have such unique ways of making themselves known. :)

I've yet to even attempt doing this again, though I do want to. You know how things tend to pop up and take over your life for awhile. Perhaps I'll try to do this though soon. :)

Barleywine, what a delightful reading. I enjoyed reading it. Your grandparents must have been good and fun people and humorous too. :D
 

DaughterOfDanu

This is really interesting. I've never had a deep connection to my bloodline (I'm adopted) but still felt the pull to connect to my ancestors. Though I may never know how accurate my ancestor work/readings would be, I can't see it hurting to try. :) I might have to pull some cards when I've got some free time and share what comes up.
 

RiverRunsDeep

Barleywine,
What an awesome reading! I especially like your interpretation of "The Watcher" as the advice of others, showing the ongoing interaction between your grandmother and grandfather. Good stuff!
 

RiverRunsDeep

This is really interesting. I've never had a deep connection to my bloodline (I'm adopted) but still felt the pull to connect to my ancestors. Though I may never know how accurate my ancestor work/readings would be, I can't see it hurting to try. :) I might have to pull some cards when I've got some free time and share what comes up.

No, it definitely can't hurt to try! I believe that our ancestors are often our spirit guides, and no doubt they have many things they'd like to tell you.