Happy New Year!!

2020 has been one hell of a year both good and bad.  People have made discoveries about themselves and the world around them that they were not prepared for.  Spiritual and emotional discoveries that were brought on by a Pandemic that no one was ready for but many saw coming.  This is not to say that the seers of the world saw all of it but it is to say that most have been saying since 2015 to expect a shift in schools of thought.  

African Americans are returning to their Diasporic traditions in large numbers while others still shun these ways as evil.  This school of thought is born out of not knowing or understanding your past.  For some out of shame and others simply fear.  As a southern girl raised in a Baptist Church while attending a Catholic school I saw a lot of the traditions of lighting candles during prayer, burning incense for cleansing, pulling herbs out of the yard to put on someone who was ill or in a mixture that they would later drink.  This was not abnormal but it was not labeled as Hoodoo or Rootwork it just, was.  We had pictures of ancestors that we kept visible and stories that were always told even now if I go to my mother's house there is a small altar to Archangel Michael and she doesn't think a second thought of it.  

I use her as an example to say that we do not require permission from anyone at any time to work with or venerate our Ancestors, work with herbs, resins or crystals.  Ancestral Veneration is not Ancestor Worship please do not mistake the two.  To uplift your Ancestors is not worship it is communication between you and them that allows them the opportunity to impart wisdom and guidance from beyond the veil.  You do not need permission to work with the spirit of a plant only the desire to respect and honor the plant The Divine gifted us to assist us with our day to day needs.  Same idea applies to crystals and resins.  As a Worker your greatest asset is your connection to The Divine, your Ancestors and your ability to pray.  One of your strongest tools gifted to you by The Divine is your focused prayer.  So start your intention based practice and only worry about our connection to The Divine and your Ancestors people will have some shit to say either way but let your connection speak for itself.  Ase'