Building an Ancestral Altar for Samhain

How to honour your ancestors in a tangible way this autumn season.

The wheel is turning once again. Here in the Southern Hemisphere we are quickly embarking on our descent into the underworld as a witch’s favourite season approaches - it’s nearly time to celebrate Samhain!

There are so many ways to honour the season, some of which I have covered before in podcast episodes like the one I recorded covering the folklore, food and plants associated with Samhain or the two-part episode where

Ellene New Age Naturopath

and I cover ways to partake in ancestral veneration and ancestral healing. You have a wide range of options for marking this spoke on the wheel, and there are many topics I could have gone deeper into for this newsletter; however, the concept you all asked me to explore this time is building an ancestral altar.

I by no means consider myself an expert on ancestral altars specifically, but with 15 years of experience with witchcraft and nature-based spiritual craft, I have learned a thing or two and am happy to share the foundations with you so that you can begin to embark on ancestral work in an accessible way in your home.

I have naturally been drawn to building altars for as long as I can remember. As a child, did you ever have that little urge to make special collections of items that were meaningful to you? In a tin, or on the top of a chest of drawers, arranged in a way that made you happy and showed off each carefully selected piece. I think it’s in our blood and bone to be drawn to these kinds of practices, there is something very primal about our inner need to honour that which is sacred to us. As we grow up in these modern times, we are taught that spaces should be curated, clutter removed, and meaningful items stored away or photographed and then thrown out. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good Marie Kondo moment, but I also acknowledge that there is a deeper meaning to why we hold onto certain things and why our ancestors had homes lined with hallways covered in old photographs, china cabinets with a great-grandparent’s pottery on display or hand-knitted blankets thrown over the backs of armchairs.

We are creatures of sentiment, designed to connect with those who have come before us and destined to honour our kin who no longer walk this Earth.

I believe there is a reason why we feel comforted by things that hold meaning to us, and why we cluster beautiful items that bring us joy on a side table where we can always see them. We long to remain woven into the web of life, where we are important and vital and a part of a greater tale that is still being written. We yearn to remember and, in turn, be remembered by those we love.

So you see, building altars is for anyone who feels that call and hears that whisper. You don’t need a special talent or money to go out and buy specific tools or statuettes - in fact, it’s often more powerful if you can include items you already own or that have been passed to you. There is power infused into items that you intentionally go outside and collect or put together with your own two hands. If you feel an inner desire to explore building an altar in your home (or in a box where you can keep it private if your home isn’t a place where you feel safe to express yourself in this way), then keep reading, as this newsletter is for you.

Where to start? Well, the best place to start is with a place to start. You will need a spot to begin constructing your altar. This can be as tucked away or as front-and-centre as you wish, though I do think altars are best placed somewhere we pass by them regularly if possible, especially when we are talking about altars that are created with the intent to honour or venerate a diety or ancestor/s. We want to be infusing this altar with our love and devotion often, and as we all know it’s very easy to fall into the 'out of sight, out of mind’ rhythm.

Places I have used and still do enjoy using at altar spaces include TV cabinets, the top of our shoe cabinet that is in the middle of our living space, small side tables or ledges in the kitchen. Building your altar in the hearth of your home carries even greater power and meaning, and if you didn’t know the hearth of the home is really referring to the place in your home where people gather the most, where energy is raised most often! For me it’s the kitchen and living space, but for you it could be the back deck. As I’ve mentioned earlier, if it isn’t safe for you to build an altar out in a common area then you could use a corner of your bedside table, a small shelf or a spot on a book shelf in amongst your favourite tomes.

You can also create what is known as a ‘pocket altar’ or ‘portable altar’ in a shoebox, hat box, old trinket box or really anything that you have available or that has meaning to you. You can make a ritual of bringing it out on the full moons or in the evening or early morning to have some devotional time. This practise is meant to work for you, it is not a strict one-size-fits-all approach.

I’d recommend giving your space an energetic cleanse before you get started, either with a sound bowl or a smoke clearing or really whatever method of cleansing you prefer to prepare your foundation for the next step.

Now that you’ve found your space and made sure it’s clean and clear, the next step is to start collecting the things that you want to place on your altar. This step is where you can get creative and drop into what feels resonant for you. In this specific case, we are referring to an ancestral altar - a way to connect with family (by blood or by choice - it doesn’t matter how you come to be woven together. This is a question often asked by those who are adopted who have only chosen or found family - the ancestors that speak to you and that you work with and honour can be a mentor or anyone that you feel a strong connection with (this can be a divisive topic, but this is my stance on it and my personal experience). In the same breath I also think it’s very possible to connect with ancestors (whether willingly or not) that you never met and know nothing about, a blood connection can be strong. In this case it can be a path of research, asking around family, seeking the support of someone like Ellene or doing meditation work or other divination to find out more about these individuals.

When thinking about which items to include on your altar, think about those you love and that you want to honour. What was significant to them? Do you have anything that belonged to them? I have shells that belonged to my grandmother which I always include on my altar. I have memories of them being displayed, and of her holding them to my ear to listen to the ‘ocean’. One shell is actually an Abalone shell from a trip she took to New Zealand, which is the type of shell commonly used for smoke clearing ceremonies, so I felt it fit perfectly for an altar space as it also has a practical aspect. You might like to include photographs, I have added dried flowers that were significant to or were given to me by certain people. Another example is my grandmother loved frogs, so perhaps adding a small frog figurine would be appropriate for my altar. My grandfather was a master gardener, so including something related to that might be helpful, like placing a hibiscus flower on my altar when I find them (he had a passion for hibiscus).

My great-grandmother had a tasseomancy cup that we still have and was quite superstitious so I’m told, her name was Rosemary. There are so many ways I could honour her on my altar. I think one of the most beautiful experiences building an altar like this has to give us is realising that even if we feel like we don’t fit in with the rest of our families, actually we begin to see ties where we hadn’t seen them before. Where does my love for Rosemary come from? Is it possible it’s a remembering passed through the matriarchal line that I’ve not consciously noticed until now? This is a reciprocal process, we give and we also receive.

These types of altars differ from a ‘standard’ kind of altar I that we don’t necessarily need to include representation of the elements or other symbols we might include on a typical working altar. What you might want to consider though is a dish and maybe a cup for offerings. It’s customary to leave a bite and a sip of your ancestors favourite food and drink. An example of this might be a scone with jam and cream with some black tea with milk for my grandmother or a part of a salad roll for my grandfather. These kinds of offerings are best to refresh often when you can, but it could be something as little as a drop of honey or a glass of water, it doesn’t need to be costly or wasteful. If it doesn’t make sense for you to leave food, maybe consider doing it only for important celebrations like Samhain or your ancestor’s favourite holiday. I personally take this approach, and refresh plants more often.

I like to add candles always, as I find them a way of creating a moment of presence and intention. Some feel that the flame of a candle represents the spirit of your loved one, and it also can be used for divination. White is most commonly used but you could also use a colour or scent that is relevant to the person or people you are wanting to honour. I tend to use pure beeswax, which also makes sense for my ancestors and is cleaner to burn. Some like to include incense, and another item you could include if you are wanting to actively work with your ancestors is a deck of cards, pendulum, charm set or other divination tools. Lastly, something you may want to include is an altar cloth. This is a pragmatic choice as it will protect your surface from wax or spills, but it also signifies a space as sacred and special. You may even choose to use a doily or table cloth that belonged to the person you are wanting to venerate!

When it comes time to assemble your altar you can arrange it however feels good for you! Maybe you have a section for each ancestor, maybe everything is blended, perhaps you add a riser for dimension or some stones like rose quartz for love. You could leave a sprig of Rosemary for remembrance or Mugwort for connecting with the Other Side or harnessing the divine Grandmother/Mother of All energy that Mugwort is well known for. Once you have put your space together and it feels complete you might want to hold a small (or big - whatever feels good) ceremony or ritual to ground everything in and welcome your ancestors in to join you there.

You’ve done it! You now have a space to enjoy, to honour those who helped to pave the way to who you are right now here on Earth. Tend to it often, spend time every now and again giving it a good wipe over and tidy up - by doing these things and putting your intention and effort there it will generate energy and also help to strengthen that bond with your ancestors. They don’t want to be called in only to sit there and be ignored, left to collect dust. An altar is a living devotional practise, and can be a wonderful addition to your daily or weekly or even monthly rhythm. This is also a practise you can involve your kids in too.

I hope this gave you some insight into how to build an altar to honour your ancestors and cultivate a mindful and connected practise that brings deeper meaning to your history and your future. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments or send me a message on Instagram, and I’d love to see any photos of your own altars if you want to share them.

I wish you all a blessed Samhain and I hope you’re all enjoying the Autumn air.

- Hannah x