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Do or Die

May the goblins watch, smirk and eat crows for a living

Hey! I'm a new juju baby that's just starting to get into hoodoo, and I'm trying to contact the ancestors, and I wanted to get their attention with a candle. Is there specific color of candle I should use? I want something that will attract my ancestors that most and let them know how much I care about them and respect them.

That’s so exciting :D Btw it can be challenging to make contact sometimes in the beginning and start developing a strong relationship with your ancestors, so if it takes some time, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t mean they are ignoring you!

When I was just starting out and trying to get their attention for the very first time, I burned some nice incense in my parent’s garden and prayed and called out to them and played music that I thought they’d like… and it didn’t feel like it was really working. My first ancestor altar was also a complete fail. Two years later, now we have a very intimate and close relationship! It just took a lot of time and learning and growing and not giving up (:

Anyways, a candle is never a bad place to start! As for what kind of candle or what color, it completely depends on your ancestors. There are some general guidelines and traditions for interacting with the ancestors in hoodoo, but it’s also a very personal relationship and it’s very much about you and them. So the more you customize things to what you know about your ancestors and what you feel from them in response, the better. Burning incense didn’t really work for me in the beginning, so I stopped and tried something else until I found what they did like.

Another trick that usually helps is to start with one specific ancestor who can help you to get connected to the rest. For me, that was my grandma on my mom’s side, who was like a third parent to me while she was alive. I started by focusing on her and doing things I knew she would like, and that helped me to have a starting connection point. So for example, if you had a great-uncle who you’ve heard stories about and feel comfortable with, maybe you know he liked a certain color, you could try burning a candle for him in that color to start.

Regardless of what color candle or what offerings or method you use to reach out to them, you do already have a connection to your ancestors that you were born with. They will feel the respect and care you have for them in your heart. What makes the offerings or the energy you give them attractive isn’t just what’s in whatever you’re giving, but also the energy with which you give it. The elders in my spiritual community always tell me to give offerings from the heart, and when you do, the spirits know it and feel it.

So really, there’s no perfect right or wrong to ancestor work except what works best and is comfortable and respectful to your ancestors and for you to connect with them. Using whatever you happen to know about your ancestors and experimenting to figure out what they like best should help you build a connection over time. As long as you share with them how you feel and give from the heart, they’ll know (: Best wishes to you!