Ancestor Worship and veneration

[mradam83]

If this is in the wrong place, please move it to the relevant section - my first new topic.

Lately I've been doing some serious family tree research and found out some great things - the first of which, is that my mum is a quarter Scotch-Irish and I have roots in Glasgow and Belfast which up until now I never knew.

However the thing that fascinates me the most Is my dad's ancestry and my surname origins.

I've found that around the year 1805 that my Williams ancestors moved from the Bangor/Llanberis area of Wales to Cheshire and over the years have gradually got to Coventry where you find present day me. This is interesting to me as I had heard in family "legend" that the Welsh blood was even further back so to find it that recently as 'only' 200 years ago is quite a big thing for me.

I was fascinated to find out that Welsh names originally were Patrynomic and were along the lines of "Ap" and whatever the fathers name was until the English enforced Anglicising surnames - so "Ap Gwilym" (Son of William) became Williams. The drawback though is that there were so many people called William or Gwilym that not all Williams families are descended from the same source.

Can researching my ancestry in such a way bring me closer to them and help me be in tune with them spiritually? I feel like all the Williams' of the past are very close to me, so I would love to hear their wisdom if that makes sense?

Has anyone else had similar experiences, and would care to share that with me?

Thank you in advance.

[DJ Droood]

Can researching my ancestry in such a way bring me closer to them and help me be in tune with them spiritually? I feel like all the Williams' of the past are very close to me, so I would love to hear their wisdom if that makes sense?

Has anyone else had similar experiences, and would care to share that with me?

Thank you in advance.

I've always found genealogical research and speculation to be spiritually rewarding. It makes me feel part of a grand story. I don't know if worship is the correct word...venerate, probably...I believe all my ancestors exist in me (and my kin) through their DNA (and ultimately, I believe we are all related and share common ancestors). I think they passed their wisdom on by how they taught their children, and the mark they left in life...and it makes you wonder about all the ancestors who never left a record.

[DJ Droood]

duplicate

[DaRC]

Yes tracing your genealogical roots is interesting - my mother has always had that interest and she's researched both her and my father's family.
It's only since I'd started with Druidry that I've persuaded her to look at the stories than just tracing back the family tree.

So there are two aspects I've found:
- the genealogy of knowing where your roots are. This I've found interesting. I follow OBOD philosophy but spiritually I work with Anglo-Saxon paganism; this way falls under the banner of the Gewessi path. Gewessi comes from the name of the tribe that eventually became the kingdom of Wessex. They started around the border of North Dorset / East Wiltshire (possibly into Berkshire - historians aren't sure). My Dad's family come from mid-south Dorset but just recently my mother has come across discoveries that make her think that in the late middle-ages they drifted south from the North Dorset border.
- the family stories can help you understand aspect of your family's nature; our family has a highly-strung tendency, slightly bi-polar perhaps, which some of my generation have, I can also see in some of my children and nieces. Through the family stories we can pick out others with the same tendency. In this way we can understand them a little better and hopefully work with the younger generation to help them cope with their nature. In this way we can learn from the past and also be more sympathetic to those of previous generations.

[mradam83]

Can researching my ancestry in such a way bring me closer to them and help me be in tune with them spiritually? I feel like all the Williams' of the past are very close to me, so I would love to hear their wisdom if that makes sense?

Has anyone else had similar experiences, and would care to share that with me?

Thank you in advance.

I've always found genealogical research and speculation to be spiritually rewarding. It makes me feel part of a grand story. I don't know if worship is the correct word...venerate, probably...I believe all my ancestors exist in me (and my kin) through their DNA (and ultimately, I believe we are all related and share common ancestors). I think they passed their wisdom on by how they taught their children, and the mark they left in life...and it makes you wonder about all the ancestors who never left a record.

That is a good point, for as far back as we go there will be those thousands of years ago which we will likely never know the existence of but are vital to our being.

Is there a particular ritual or something similar that can be done so that I can "pay thanks" in my own way?

[mradam83]

Yes tracing your genealogical roots is interesting - my mother has always had that interest and she's researched both her and my father's family.
It's only since I'd started with Druidry that I've persuaded her to look at the stories than just tracing back the family tree.

So there are two aspects I've found:
- the genealogy of knowing where your roots are. This I've found interesting. I follow OBOD philosophy but spiritually I work with Anglo-Saxon paganism; this way falls under the banner of the Gewessi path. Gewessi comes from the name of the tribe that eventually became the kingdom of Wessex. They started around the border of North Dorset / East Wiltshire (possibly into Berkshire - historians aren't sure). My Dad's family come from mid-south Dorset but just recently my mother has come across discoveries that make her think that in the late middle-ages they drifted south from the North Dorset border.
- the family stories can help you understand aspect of your family's nature; our family has a highly-strung tendency, slightly bi-polar perhaps, which some of my generation have, I can also see in some of my children and nieces. Through the family stories we can pick out others with the same tendency. In this way we can understand them a little better and hopefully work with the younger generation to help them cope with their nature. In this way we can learn from the past and also be more sympathetic to those of previous generations.

That second part is quite poignant, as there is a tale my Williams ancestors walked from Llanberis to Northenden - which is quite strange seeing as I walk EVERYWHERE - I never get buses or taxi's etc, I must walk miles each week.

In my case, I enjoy it because it keeps me fit and I can be alone with my thoughts - maybe it's an unknown connection to those who I owe my very existence in part to. Very interesting...

[Art]

I've always found genealogical research and speculation to be spiritually rewarding. It makes me feel part of a grand story. I don't know if worship is the correct word...venerate, probably...I believe all my ancestors exist in me (and my kin) through their DNA (and ultimately, I believe we are all related and share common ancestors). I think they passed their wisdom on by how they taught their children, and the mark they left in life...and it makes you wonder about all the ancestors who never left a record.

That's my take on it too and the more you delve into the human stories behind the scenes the more fascinating it becomes. Another step in the process is to look at ancestral DNA and to come to the realization that a tiny part of all those hundreds of generations walks the earth today as part of us.

[mradam83]

I've always found genealogical research and speculation to be spiritually rewarding. It makes me feel part of a grand story. I don't know if worship is the correct word...venerate, probably...I believe all my ancestors exist in me (and my kin) through their DNA (and ultimately, I believe we are all related and share common ancestors). I think they passed their wisdom on by how they taught their children, and the mark they left in life...and it makes you wonder about all the ancestors who never left a record.

That's my take on it too and the more you delve into the human stories behind the scenes the more fascinating it becomes. Another step in the process is to look at ancestral DNA and to come to the realization that a tiny part of all those hundreds of generations walks the earth today as part of us.

Very true, and the further back we go the more people are related albeit distantly.