Discovering Ancestral Magick: Integrating Folk Traditions into Modern Practice

While our modern practice of the Craft blends various tools and techniques specific to the 21st century, discovering the magickal roots of your ancestors and bringing some of their folk magick into your modern practice can enhance your magickal work. There is a feeling of an unspoken but very certain connection you feel when thinking about and knowing your ancestors. It is a feeling of being rooted. In our present-day, life changes so fast that sometimes it is hard to even keep up, but knowing where you come from can help you feel a bit more grounded not only in your spiritual path but also throughout your life. Our ties to our ancestors link us to the past through the thread of time and genetics, which allows us to explore as far back as we can. As we move our way along this thread, we gain a deeper understanding of who we are. This is why so many people research their genealogy, whether they practice the Craft or not.

As humans, we are increasingly interested in knowing our ancestors—their names, important dates in their lives, what they did each day, where they traveled, and who they interacted with. Within this desired knowledge can also be the folk magick they practiced. Knowing what herbs, stones, flowers, and incantations they used to heal, seek guidance, and worship creates a deeper connection to them through our own practice. Figuring out which traditions your family practices is a rewarding experience and can enrich your magickal work. But if you don’t know a lot about your ancestors, where do you start?

The best place to begin is with your eldest family members. Reach out to them to see what folk magick practices they use or remember their parents or grandparents using. If you aren’t out of the broom closet and the idea of asking your family members shoots a feeling of dread through you, don’t worry! You can gather information without revealing your own witchy-ness. Ask your elders about home remedies they used when they were sick. Explore what herbs they used to help heal themselves rather than traditional pharmaceuticals. Ask if they saw a doctor when ill or if they used a midwife when giving birth.

Another great way to pry into the past is by asking about superstitions and ghost stories. You can learn a lot about a group of people from their superstitions. If your family recently or in the last few generations immigrated, ask how their spiritual practices changed when moving to a new country. You can also ask about their occupation as well as any relatives they remember. All of these answers can give you a deeper look into the lives of your family, and you will be able to get a better understanding of any folk magick they may have practiced.

What if you don’t have the first clue about where your family is from? The best way to find out exactly where you are from is through a DNA test. The results will provide you with direct knowledge of your cultural background, and from there, you can begin to search for more clues or simply know where you began. This information will be super helpful when learning about the folk magick your ancestors practiced because now you will know exactly where your ancestors came from! You can begin your search on Google and see what rabbit hole you travel down, or you can plan a trip to the country to learn more from the native people about

their rich history.

Once you know where you hail from, you can even reach out to a professional researcher who focuses their studies on that area. There are a lot of people who have written extensive research papers on cultures all over the world, including folk practices and customs. Again, a Google Scholar search will generally lend thousands of hits. But you can also reach out to professors at a university or cultural center, curators at museums, and librarians. Check out the Library of Congress’ online collections. Be sure to share any information you have about your family with them as well because they are always looking for more information, photos, and objects that help them recreate the stories of the past.

If you are really excited about unearthing information about your ancestors, dig deeper by going beyond the basic information you can gather. Try looking into different types of records and inventory lists for industries or places where your family lived. You never know what you might find! Plan a trip to see the historical sites of your own family. Visit the geographical areas where they lived, drive by a house where your great-great-grandparents lived and ask the new owner for a tour explaining your family lived there a long time ago. Check out the church your family attended or schools. While in town, you can look through old newspapers at the library to see if they were ever in the paper or check the county tax or real estate records to see what land they may have owned or where they lived. You could look up maps of the town during the time they lived there. You might even get lucky and run across some old photographs!

You may be excited to immediately incorporate your new experiences and/or information into your magickal practice, but try to keep it simple in the beginning. Add one or two things you found about your family and sit with it for a while. See how the new practice makes you feel both in the short and long term. Is it something you want to continue as a tradition, use frequently in your practice, or just a one-time connection to your ancestors? Keeping your roots alive means honoring those that came before us while incorporating their practice into ours for both ourselves and the next generation.