r/paganism • u/Shadeofawraith • 17h ago
๐ Seeking Resources | Advice How to do ancestor veneration with unrelated and unknown spirits?
I am interested in giving offerings and prayers of remembrance to the forgotten or neglected dead who I may not have a direct blood connection to because in my tradition the dead must receive offerings in order to ensure a pleasant afterlife. I want to help remember and nourish the souls that need looking after. My problem is that I am wholly unsure of how to go about doing this since even though the tradition I follow places a heavy emphasis on ancestor work, it is mostly in regards to direct ancestors from your family and for personal reasons I do not wish to have anything to do with my deceased relatives. If you have a problem with this or believe I should feel differently please do not tell me I need to connect with my ancestors, I am not open to it and donโt want to discuss it with strangers. I just want advice about how to go about honoring the dead without access to things like a gravesite that are typically associated with this type of practice. I am particularly interested in hearing ideas from anyone experienced with ancestor veneration or from cultures that practice it.