A shamanic journey to meet your ancestors is a guided inner journey, carried by a steady drumbeat, in which you travel in non-ordinary reality to meet members of your lineage who wish you well. You go with a clear question, you are accompanied by your power animal or spirit helper, and you come back with an image, a word or a feeling that you can work with in daily life.
Late October is the time of year when many of us think of the dead more than usual. In this guide I will show you how to prepare, how the journey itself unfolds, what you can ask, how to stay safe and how to bring back what you received. You do not need to know your family tree to do this work.
What is an ancestor journey in shamanism?
An ancestor journey is a shamanic journey with one specific intention: to meet one or more of your ancestors, or the ancestral line as a whole, and to receive their guidance or healing. It uses the same technique as any other journey, a monotonous drumbeat of around four to seven beats per second and a clear intention.
The anthropologist Michael Harner, who founded the Foundation for Shamanic Studies, described in The Way of the Shaman (1980) how this kind of drumming helps people shift into what he called the shamanic state of consciousness. Long before that, the historian of religion Mircea Eliade showed in Shamanism: Archaic Techniques of Ecstasy (1951) that in many cultures the shaman travels to the realm of the dead, guides souls and brings back knowledge for the community. When you journey to your ancestors, you are working with a very old human practice, in a form that suits your own life today.
By “ancestors” I mean three groups: people of your blood who have died, ancestors of the land where you live, and ancestors of spirit, such as teachers or people whose work shaped you. You decide which group you are inviting before you start.
Who should you meet on your first ancestor journey?
On your first ancestor journey, ask to meet a well and wise ancestor, someone from your line who is healed, loving and willing to help you. Do not go looking for a specific person who hurt you or whose death is very recent.
This matters more than people think. Not everyone in our family was kind while they were alive, and death does not automatically change that in the way we remember them. A well ancestor might be someone you knew, but very often it is someone from generations ago whose name you never heard. If you do not know much about your family, my article How to Honour Ancestors You Never Met shows how to start that relationship gently.
How do you prepare for a journey to meet your ancestors?
You prepare by creating a quiet space, setting a clear intention, connecting with your power animal and making a small offering to your ancestors. Preparation takes around fifteen minutes and makes the journey calmer and clearer.
- Space: a room where nobody will disturb you for half an hour, dim light, phone on silent.
- Sound: a frame drum or rattle if someone drums for you, otherwise a recording of shamanic drumming of 15 to 20 minutes with a callback signal at the end.
- Offering: a candle, a little water, bread, a flower or a photo on your ancestor altar. If you do not have one yet, read How to Build an Ancestor Altar That Actually Works.
- Intention: one short sentence you can repeat, for example “I journey to meet a well and wise ancestor of my bloodline who can help me with my question about work.”
- Journal: paper and pen next to you, so you can write straight after returning.
How does the ancestor journey work, step by step?
The journey has seven stages: you open the space, travel to your starting place, meet your power animal, ask to be taken to your ancestors, receive what they give you, thank them and return on the callback. Here is the order I teach.
| Stage | What you do | What to pay attention to |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Open the space | Light the candle, greet the directions or simply say out loud that you are opening sacred space for your ancestors. | Speak only for those who wish you well. |
| 2. Find your entry point | As the drum starts, picture a place in nature you know: a tree root, a cave, a spring. This is your way in. | Most people meet ancestors in the lower or middle world, but let it happen. |
| 3. Meet your helper | Call your power animal or spirit helper and tell it your intention. | Never go to the ancestors alone. Your helper knows the way and keeps you safe. |
| 4. Travel | Follow your helper. The landscape may change: a village, a fire, a long table, an old house. | You do not have to steer. Follow and notice. |
| 5. Meet the ancestor | Greet whoever comes. Ask: “Are you a well ancestor who comes to help me?” Then ask your question. | If the answer feels cold or confused, thank them and ask your helper to take you on. |
| 6. Receive and thank | Take in what is given: a word, an object, a gesture, a feeling in your body. Thank them with words or a gift. | Small gifts are often the most useful ones. |
| 7. Return | When the callback starts, go back the same way you came, say goodbye to your helper and open your eyes. | Come back fully. Feel your feet and the floor. |
If this is your first journey of any kind, start with a few simple journeys to meet your power animal before you visit the ancestors. You will feel much more at home in non-ordinary reality.
What can you ask your ancestors?
Ask open questions about your life that you really care about, and avoid yes or no questions. Ancestors tend to answer with images and gestures, so a question that leaves room works best.
- What gift from our line is waiting for me to use it?
- What pattern in our family am I ready to stop carrying?
- How can I honour you in my everyday life?
- What do I need to know about the decision in front of me?
- Is there anything you want me to know?
How do you stay safe on an ancestor journey?
You stay safe by inviting only well ancestors, always travelling with your helper, keeping a clear beginning and end, and grounding yourself afterwards. These four habits cover almost every difficulty people meet.
After the journey, eat something, drink water and put your feet on the ground for a few minutes. Write down everything, even details that seem silly. Then close the space as clearly as you opened it, for example by thanking your ancestors aloud and blowing out the candle.
An honest word about grief and family pain: ancestor work can bring up strong feelings, especially after a recent loss or if there is trauma in your family. That is normal, and it is also a reason to go slowly. Shamanic work complements therapy and medical care, it does not replace them. If grief or old wounds feel too heavy, please talk to a therapist, grief counsellor or doctor, and work with an experienced practitioner rather than alone.
From my practice: the woman at the fire
My first ancestor journey did not go the way I expected. I had hoped to meet my grandmother, whom I loved very much. Instead my power animal led me to a fire in a clearing, and an old woman was sitting there mending a net. I did not know her. She did not say much. She showed me how she tied each knot, slowly, one at a time, and then she put the net in my hands.
At the time I was trying to change five things in my life at once. I understood the net straight away: one knot, then the next one. I still think of her when I rush. Here in Portugal I journey to the ancestors every year in the weeks around Samhain, and in my circles I see the same thing again and again. People rarely meet the ancestor they planned to meet, and very often they meet the one they needed.
If you would like to journey to your ancestors with a drum and a group holding the space, join us in the Lightkeepers’ Hearth journey circle. Journeying together makes this work easier, especially the first few times.
Frequently asked questions
No. You can ask to meet a well and wise ancestor of your line without knowing any names. Many people meet ancestors from generations they have no records of.
Stay with your helper, thank the ancestor politely and ask your helper to take you to someone who is well and wishes you good. You are never obliged to stay with anyone.
Once a week or less is a good rhythm. Give yourself time to work with what you received before you go back with a new question.
Many people find ancestor journeys easier around Samhain, at the end of October, when the dead are traditionally honoured. You can journey to your ancestors at any time of year, though.
That is very common. Ancestors often come as a feeling, a sound, a smell or a knowing rather than a picture. Write down whatever you noticed and try again another day.
Your ancestors do not need a perfect ritual from you. They need you to turn up with an honest question and the patience to listen. Tell me in the comments: which ancestor would you like to meet?
