As the sun set on the night of Saturday, September 7th 2019  was called to open the way and empower the generation of this, The Ancestral Series. The election itself saw a stellium of planets in Virgo, Venus having just crossed into the third decan, the face given the image of The Sarcophogous by Austin Coppock in his seminal work, 36 Faces. The Moon was conjunct Saturn in Capricorn on Saturn’s day, with Neptune and Jupiter both hugging key angles of the chart.

Inspiration for this series arose when Austin began election gazing for Hermanubis II opportunities, offerings from the original series nearly exhausted. This election was insistent, screaming DEAD, but wasn’t as oriented to just Mercury as we’d prefer for pure psychopompic action. Still, the divination results were exceptional, so I reached out to my own Ancestors, asking for guidance around what to make of this veil-thinned opportunity.

The result is different from any Sphere + Sundry has so far released, collections of materia dedicated to a singular charge in varied forms. The Ancestral Series is, instead, comprised of multiple veins called sub-sets, each with the goal of facilitating certain dynamics with one’s Dead, improving familial relations, and assisting the grieving and ancestral healing process.

There are reasons for this coming out now, aside from the fact that we’ve just entered the dark half of the year. Saturn, Pluto, and the South Node all being co-present in the sign of Capricorn mean we’re living in an atmosphere of Big Death Energy, and Eclipses on the Cancer-Capricorn axis are calling forth their shades. Our Ancestors demand our attention — so many familial bonds in desperate need of repair, the trauma of our Dead very much alive, imprinting our DNA and impacting nearly every level of our lived experience.

As ideas for what to create began bubbling to the surface, it occurred to me that we spend so much of our magical and mental energy trying to shift our relationships with the living — to sweeten our love interests or landlords, to heal and comfort our friends and family, to strengthen and empower our clients and children, and even if we do make routine offerings of water, flame, and the like, devote such little juju to similar relational goals as they intersect with our deceased.

In the article Sphere + Sundry released last year, A Guide to Dead and Ancestral Worship, Altars, Offerings, and Ritual, I touched on what powerful spirit allies the Dead can be, and some of the benefits being on good terms with them can provide. I wondered…

✠ What incredibly lovely things would our beloved Dead do for us, if we were to honey pot them?

✠ What traumas could we resolve within our own hearts and minds if we were to heal those of our grandmother, who also carried us?

✠ How much protection and help could our ancestors provide if their offering smoke was spiked with herbs and magic designed to empower and energize them, potentiating their ability to act on our behalf?

✠ How much smoother would our lives run if we were better attuned to the guidance our Dead routinely issue from the far side of the veil?

And, more importantly…

✠ How much more often would we engage our ancestors if we clarified and purged whatever moats of grief and bad blood stood between us?

Let that sink in…

Bone deep.

So many of the conversations I’ve had with clients and friends around ancestral work — and the struggles I’ve encountered with my own — have revolved around trauma, grief, or strained family relationships. So many feel the gravity and call of this important work, but have such complicated feelings to sort through we struggle even getting ourselves to the starting line. The weight of generations is literally (unsurprisingly!) too much to bear.

Therefore, the goal of The Ancestral Series was to create specific tools for overcoming sticking points that keep us from getting started with ancestor work, and also provide materia for achieving magical aims through the class of spirits we call the Dead.

It goes a bridge farther than opening the way and facilitating communication (which can be done using Hermanubis or other psychopomps alone, if not directly), and ushers us into specific relationship, guiding what happens once the connection has been opened, and promoting productive dynamics of our choosing.

I wasn’t sure this operation would be successful. I was more prepared for it to be a wash, to be honest!

But having thoroughly beta tested, I am overjoyed to report that The Ancestral Series is as potent and effective as any other, and each offering feels incredibly distinct, in right accord with its purpose.

I pray they serve you and your loved ones well <3

Esteemed collaborators for this series include Elizabeth Barrial of Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and Twilight Alchemy Lab, and Dr. Jeremy Bechelli of Phytognosis.

I would be remiss not to mention the work of Dr. Daniel Foor of Ancestral Medicine as a resource for those looking to deepen their ancestral practices, oriented especially around the healing of intergenerational trauma. I was first introduced to the Good Doctor’s work via his appearance on the Rune Soup Podcast.

Logistics and FAQs…

These offerings are presented differently than most others on the website. There are four main foci — The Ancestors, Comfort, Empowerment, and Channel — each containing an oil, powder, and incense, with Empowerment also “possessing” a tincture. These items can be chosen standalone or as a set from dropdown on each sub-set’s page.

There is also an Ancestral Starter Set for those seeking a gentle approach to this work, or the Full Toolkit with each and every item The Ancestral Series has to offer. Items in each sub-series are hyper limited, given their micro niche, small batch and experimental nature.

Q. Can I only use this materia to work with my literal ancestors?
Nope, any Dead will do! If you feel a kinship with a deceased human, somewhere along the line we’re all family. These items will target connections with closer relatives, but can be used to influence any Dead.

Q. How do I choose if I don’t know what would be best for me?
Beginners or those with complicated family histories can safely focus on Comfort and The Ancestors sub-sets, along with the Bath Salts (all part of the Starter kit). Channel may also be appropriate, but increases psychic sensitivity and can lead to supernatural disturbance, so they may be better reserved for intermediate practitioners or higher. Empowerment and the Ancestral Honey are both powerfully experimental and are best used by the esoterically seasoned/ adventurous, or at the very least those on good terms with happy and healthy Ancestors.

Read all of the instructions and comments carefully, and energetically sample the wares through their images — follow your best judgment and let your intuition lead the way. When in doubt — always — divine on what’s right for you. I am unable to provide personal consultations, so please do not ask : )

Q. What if something goes wrong?
This is not light work, and you know your experience of family history and your dead better than anyone else. Sphere + Sundry’s end is to provide potent materia magica that does the job it says it will, but side effects are an aspect of engaging powerful powers, and this is a deeply personal, emotionally consequential, and pioneering approach.

Employ the use of divination, and do The Ancestral Work. Engage on the S+ client forum and with all the other resources you have at your disposal. There are people who can help you through, including your eldest, and most well adjusted Dead.

Please note that working with the Deceased, even those who love and wish you well, can be very draining, and their shades can also linger. One may find it necessary to banish, cut cords, and ground after doing work in this realm. In Sphere + Sundry terms, Asclepius Ritual Salt, Bath Salt, or Water are all good for this purpose, as are items from the Sol in Leo series. The herb rosemary, burning frankincense resin, and the Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram (LBRP) are other readily available resources.

Every order includes basic information for working with this materia, along with timing suggestions. Clients also receive an invitation to the Sphere + Sundry client forum (now off of social media) for ongoing support from both creator and community.