Pagans have been speaking with the dead since the beginning of time. For some, the dead came to their dreams to tell us of the future events that will soon come to pass. For others, elaborate rituals were constructed to summon the dead to tell the tales of life after death and magick of the Underworld. Then there were those who saw the dead in the shadows of campfires and in the deep darkness of the forest. The dead could be seen everywhere. One only had to pay attention to hear their message.
The ancestors were once a part of our heritage, our culture, and our magick. It seems now that we have gotten away of including our beloved dead into our daily lives. In my previous article, I taught you how to construct an ancestral altar to commune with our ancestors, but how do you speak with them? How do we include them in our day-to-day lives? For some, by simply lighting a candle to our ancestors and saying a daily prayer for them they will begin to speak with you in their mind. But what if they don’t? What if we are beginners and our psychic skills have not progressed enough to be able to hear the dead astrally? The answer to this is the pendulum. The pendulum is a wonderful tool to speak the spirits in general, especially our ancestors.
You can purchase a beautiful semi-precious stone pendulum in any new-age shop or website or you can make your own. To make your own pendulum, simply take a string or necklace and fasten it to a small object such a crystal or stone. You can even you a penny or nickel if you like. For speaking with the ancestors, if you have an ancestral piece of jewelry such as your grandmother’s ring or broach that would be ideal. However a crystal or stone will do just as well.
To use the pendulum, allow your body to relax. Take a few deep breaths and allow the day’s distractions to fade away. It is time to do important spiritual work! Next, visualize the ancestor you would like to speak with. It is better if it is the ancestor on your altar that you say prayers for, but it is not necessary. You can speak with any ancestor that you like. Open your heart, your mind, and your aura to the ancestor. Be as receptive as you possibly can. Feel a deep sense of longing to speak with your ancestor. Allow your heart chakra to open up and feel the presence of your ancestor. Spend a few moments doing this.
Take the pendulum string and wind a bit of it around your index finger. Feel the weight of the crystal or stone dangle off your finger. Allow the spirit of the ancestor to enter your hand. They will not harm you in any way. To begin, tell the spirit, “Moving the pendulum up and down means ‘yes’ and moving the pendulum side to side means ‘no’.”
Now, ask your ancestor yes or no questions. You can ask questions like:
“Do you like the food offerings I have given you?”
“Can you aide me in my spellcraft tonight?”
“Will you help protect my home from spirit intrusions?”
You can ask anything you want. When you have some practice with yes or no answers you can go on to the alphabet. You can draw a half circle and divide it up with the letters of the alphabet. Then you can ask more elaborate questions. Be mindful that the answer to the question should be one or two words. Long, drawn our sentences will be tiring for them as well as yourself. Also, remember that if they were not good spellers in life then they will not be good spellers in death. Sometimes spirits will spell out words as if they are “sounding out” the word. After you have finished with your session be sure to thank them and give them an offering of water or food. Take a breath and feel a sense of gratitude for your ancestor speaking with you. Journal your conversations in your magickal journal.
The pendulum is a wonderful way to communicate with the ancestors. It will also help you create a deeper bond with your ancestors. By speaking with them daily your spiritual connection will become deeper and deeper. Before long, when using the pendulum, you will begin to hear the answer to your questions in your head before they are done spelling.