Ah, the tricky business of ancestors. In some pagan religions, the veneration of ancestors is a major part of it. Many of these are cultural reconstructionist religions that may or may not reflect the ancestors of the practitioner. Heck, even ancestry is a touchy subject in some circles.
For example, I follow mainly Greek deities but I (to my knowledge) don’t have a drop of Greek blood. On my father’s side I have English and either Scottish or Scots-Irish (I forget which). On my mother’s I have Scottish, Welsh, French, Cherokee, and Chinese. Now if I were to pick a pantheon based on my ancestry, which one would I pick? I have mostly British ancestry, so should that one win out. While I do feel the draw of one Insular Celtic deity, I can’t forget how many times Britain has been invaded over the centuries (Romans, Angles, Saxons, Vikings, Normans, etc).
The only religion I know my ancestors followed is Christianity. And if I were to pick an “ancestral religion” that would be it. And since the only religion I can say without a doubt my ancestors followed was Christianity, I can’t help but think they wouldn’t approve of pretty much everything I do. That is the first reason why I don’t personally venerate my ancestors. That and I’m indifferent to my living relatives. My general attitude is that just because I share DNA with someone doesn’t mean I have to acknowledge their existence most of the time.
I’m not saying that ancestors in general are invalid to religious practice. I’m sure that many people out there find it fulfilling. It’s just something that doesn’t fit into my own practice.
Athena. Goddess of many things. She is the calm in the heart of battle. The defender of the city. The giver of wisdom. The patroness of crafters. And much more.
Sacred Shadows 