How to Strengthen Family Ties: A Melanated and Informative Introduction to An Ancestor Altar Set-Up
Featuring David Davis of Porous Palms
In the early spring, I had the opportunity to see Bisa Butler's exhibition, "Bisa Butler: Portraits," at the Art Institute of Chicago. Bisa uses textiles to sew large portraits of photographs into beautiful quilts. The Black people depicted within the threads of her work tell a story of community, perseverance, diplomacy, family, and migration("Bisa Butler: Portraits"). After looking at a portrait of a Black family about to embark on the Great Migration, I felt an eerie sense of familiarity in my veins. I turned to my brother, curious, and he confirmed that he and I were only one generation away from our ancestors who took that voyage. Since that spring afternoon, I have felt an urge to rediscover and honor my ancestors' journey to the northern part of America in the late 1950s. Their courage and hope for a better future for themselves and the generations to come was the exact feeling I wanted to welcome into my new home. So, after about a year of feeling uncomfortable and confused about what living situation is the best for me to start laying down some roots, I began to seek guidance answers from my ancestors who made it through such a great transition. Below are some of the biggest takeaways that guided me through my own altar set up that I learned from the course"Building The Bond- Making and Tending to an Ancestor Altar by David Davis of Porous Palms.
What is an Ancestor Altar?
An ancestor altar is a "dedicated space" for yourself and your ancestors to "form and maintain a relationship" with spirits who have left the physical plane. Ancestors do not have to only be descendants by blood. I learned through David's course that ancestors can also be elevated members, close friends, and adopted family.
Which one of my ancestors should choose for my altar?
In "Building The Bond," it is suggested to start with "who you know and start recent." For this reason, I chose ancestors who made their transition within the last two decades and two ancestors who made a move from Selma, Alabama, to Chicago, Illinois. I have also had the pleasure of living on earth with these ancestors in my childhood. Through that commonality, David suggested these ancestors should feel slightly more comfortable interacting with me again.
Why should I set up an Ancestor Altar?
An ancestor altar is described as an "Anchor and a Portal (David David of Porous Palms)." The anchor provides grounding for your spiritual ancestors and gives them a sense of home or connection to the physical plane. The portal aspect encourages the spirit to communicate through multiple planes of existence, from the spiritual to the material.
When should I use my Ancestor Altar?
My altar was created with the intention of communication and grounding for myself and my ancestors. I wanted to carve out a dedicated space for long meditations, yoga, tarot readings, and offerings. I also wanted to use this space for New Moon/Full Moon rituals. I have learned that tending to my ancestor altar is best performed when I am most intentional about the reason I am seeking that connection and counsel from my ancestors. When my intentions are clear, I can tap into the "modes of communication and interactions that are more abstract, nuanced, and intuitive (David David of Porous Palms)."
How should I set up my ancestor altar?
Find the Right Space ( Avoid Setting Up Your Altar in a High Traffic Home)
Prepare The Space ( Physically and Energetically)
Gather The Elements ( Representations of the Elements of Earth, Air, Fire, Water)
Add Pictures ( Avoid Images of Living People
Make Offerings (Optional)
David’s course Building the Bond: Making and Tending An Ancestor Altar goes into great detail about each of these steps and offers best practices and options for each step within his course.
Works Cited
“Bisa Butler: Portraits.” The Art Institute of Chicago, 2021, www.artic.edu/exhibitions/9324/bisa-butler-portraits.
David David of Porous Palms. Building the Bond- Making and Tending an Ancestor Altar. Carefour Academy, 2021.