Reflections for the New Year

My personal spiritual practice as a witch is all about my ancestors, those who have come before and those who will come after me. As a witch of primarily Northern-Northwestern European ancestry, most of my work involves these genetic ancestors of mine. But not all - some of my Northern European ancestors found refuge in Northern Africa during the height of the last Ice Age. Today, the modern North African Berber tribe are my genetic cousins, being those who descended from the common interaction of my ancient Northern European ancestors with indigenous North Africans (the Saami of Northern Scandinavia, my motherline, and the North African Berber tribe all share a relatively recent common ancestor - our shared motherline split about 9000 years ago - a group who would become the Saami returned to Northern Europe after the Ice Sheet retreated, while some stayed behind in Africa and became the Berbers.) A few modern Africans in Nigeria also share this motherline ancestry with those from my motherline, the Saami and the Berbers.

In my own ancestor work, I do not neglect the African origins for our species, homo sapiens sapiens, in Africa, even as I also honor my ancient archaic Eurasian human ancestors (including Neanderthals and Denisovans) - all of these human lines contributed to who I am today. I honor them all.

The products you find at mt shoppe Witchcrafts Artisan Alchemy reflect my own ancestral work and seek in spirit to honor all of my ancestors. The mixing of Northern European (and North American Cumberland Gap) and African ancestry is currently reflected in my Hoodoo offerings. In 2014, I will be adding a few products to reflect the Berber African tradition specifically, as well as a few Sufi offerings to honor my ancient ancestors whose ancestral branches can still be found today in some of the Arabic peoples. My kabbalistic offerings honor my ancient ancestors with ancestral branches which can still be found today among those of Hungarian Jewish descent in both Hungary and Israel.

Today I reflect on my roots, the soils from which my clans sprouted, the branches and leaves through which we find individuality, and the stars among which we will ever-live.

Hail the ancestors!