Title: Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration
Author: Mallorie Vaudoise
Rating: 5/5
One of the biggest hurdles I have encountered as a solitary witch is having no one to guide or teach me magic. This has been both a blessing and a curse. I haven't been weighed down by someone else's theories or judgments, however, I also haven't had anyone to discuss ideas with or learn from. I believe that might be the leading factor that pushed me towards learning ancestral veneration - can't accidentally summon a demon by talking to Grandma. But that still left me with the gaping question, "where do I start?" Many different cultures and ethnicities practice different ancestral worship such as the Qingming Festival in China or the Sraddha in India. But growing up as a southern baptist meant I started a tad behind. So, I did what any modern-day witch does, I headed to the internet.
When scrolling through pages of books, I focused primarily on reviews. However, not going to lie, the cover of "Honoring your Ancestors: A guide to ancestral veneration" grabbed me. Its jewel-toned coloring and illuminated text illustration are pleasing to a graphic designer's eyes. With that being said, the book itself lives up to its pretty cover although it has no internal illustrations. Author Mallorie Vaudoise is a self-proclaimed catholic Italian-American spiritualist who has been initiated as an Orisha priestess and runs the Italian Folk Magic Blog. It was interesting to hear how her upbringing and training offered different viewpoints on ancestral veneration.
Vaudoise tackles difficult topics with grace such as adoptions and shameful or negative lineage members. She also introduces new concepts: the definition and separation of blood ancestors, lineage ancestors, and affinity ancestors. The author's way of writing is very easy to understand, making this book a joy to read. Her her stories are relatable and her sassy wit will keep you entertained. Each chapter is short and concise and I thoroughly enjoyed the questions at the end of each section because they forced me to reflect on what I read and practice the ideas.
The are only two negative things I can possibly say about this book:
The only answer Vaudoise gives for healing ancestral trauma is to forgive. I understand that's the normal solution, but I personally find forgiveness to be up to the person. Some people in this world don't deserve our forgiveness and it's very toxic for victims of abuse to be told to forgive an abuser.
Vaudoise is a Catholic, and while she states that the reader can swap out saints for their chosen deity, the book does get heavily Catholic past the midpoint. This may leave a bad taste for some readers.
Overall, I believe this book to be a leading resource for ancestral worship, especially if you don't already have a practicing cultural background. I often recommend this book to others and have even gifted it once. Have you read this book yet? Do you have any book recommendations for ancestral worship? Leave me a comment below with praise, critiques, or recommendations. Have a wonderful day!
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