In the ADF Member Discord, there’s a discussion about the best and worst connections that people have with the Kindreds. Kindred’s being the Ancestors, Nature Spirits, and Deities/Shining Ones.
Naturally, it got me thinking about my own connections.
When I was a little witch, before I knew that witches and Pagans were real, I was surrounded by spirits that I could see. Imaginary friends, the adults call them. But I knew they were real. My Unseen Friends….unseen by those without certain abilities. Certain abilities that most kids tend to outgrow. Mine outgrew just a tad. I had to work to reawaken them as an adult.
When I was a kid, I remember human and animal spirits, and other creatures and beings that had no names. Shoot, one of my earliest pleasant memories was being a baby or toddler and looking up from a bed or a pen in the living room, at people who were slightly glowing and see-through.
Ancestors. I’ve long since confirmed this. (I’ve also seen my little ones reacting to spirits that I couldn’t see, only sense.)
Sister Moon was my first Goddess, although I didn’t know the word. I knew the word ‘God’, but this glowing orb wasn’t that figure. I never connected with the Christian God or Jesus. However, much later I would form connections with the Mary’s and some of the Archangels.
Sister Moon was my nighttime companion. Friend. Sister. Guardian. Always beautiful each time I saw/see Her.
In 1993-4, after reading about Her in the first Greek mythology book that I bought from Scholastic with my own money (Gods, Demigods & Demons: An Encyclopedia of Greek Mythology by Bernard Evslin [a book that I still have!]), I encountered my first Goddess as an apparition.
Hestia. Greek Goddess of Hearth, Home, and Family. She became my first Spiritual Mother. And is still with me to this day, only now Her name has fused with Vesta’s. I no longer know Them as Hestia-Vesta, but simply as Vestia.
Soon after that, I would be joined by other deities: Hephaestus, Artemis, and Anubis. I was an artist. Hunting was a tradition in my family, although I wasn’t particularly good at it (although I was very good at fishing). And I had an affinity with Death, in terms of being very much in touch with the paranormal—it was very normal for me. I was a young Spirit Worker before I knew of such terms…Spirit Worker, Shaman, Death Worker…
In 1997, I began to encounter more Animal Spirits than Gods or Ancestors, in fact, for the most part, Ancestors weren’t really involved (well they were, just from a distance). In fact, from Middle School to my mid-twenties, I primarily worked with Animal Spirits.
In my mid-to-late 20’s, the shift happened, from Animal Spirits to Ancestral Work and Veneration. As the Gods have said, our Ancestors will always been closer to us than the other Kindreds—Ancestors of Blood and Spirit. With Ancestral Work came Past Life Work, too. Ancestral Healing, Generational Healing, Past Life Healing—it was all related…and time is subjective… Time operates differently in the Other than here, culture to culture, human to human, creature to creature, Entity to Entity…
In 2014, Dionysus came with Ceres during one full moon rite, and with Him came other Deities. For a while, my focus was less Ancestor and more Deity.
In the early 2020’s, the focus was a combination of Ancestor and Deity, as I began to study more Norse/Germanic Paganisms.
Then a splash of Nature Spirit as I began to explore Seidr more. Nature Spirits in parks would recognize me as Priestess and Seidkona, before I had even really heard or accepted those terms for myself.
Since 2022, my focus has shifted more to Nature Spirits. As of this year, I’m to spend more time outside, working with Freyja to find my Spirit Songs and to build relationships with this areas’ Nature Spirits.
Back to the question of which Kindred do I have the strongest and weakest connections to?
It ebbs and flows, like most things in life. Some entities are in the front, so to speak, and Other have taken a step back—perhaps just waiting Their turns. Waiting for me to pass certain lessons and levels.
Sometimes I do struggle with the Ancestor connections, though, especially as a Cycle Breaker. I’m not one of those people who believes that all of our Ancestors want us to succeed. I know from experience that some hate me for what I am, the work that I’ve done [generational and ancestral healing] and my beliefs, and would rather see me fail. Those Ancestors have been banished from my and my children’s lives. I want nothing to do with the bigots, slavers, r*pists, and wrongful murderers of this body’s DNA line. I don’t care what they can teach about abilities that run in our tree.
I’ve found other guides, such as my 3x Grandmother, Maw Sallie. She was a Conjure Woman and Root Worker in her time in Appalachia. A powerful healer and protector. There are others—Disir—all of them women (cis, straight, LGBTQ+; European, African, Indigenous Americans; the weirdos like me—Others), so far, that are my guides and mentors. Ancestors that I proudly honor and listen to. I tend to work a lot of family protection magiks with my Ancestors—as They are usually the first to answer. They also tend to be fairly quiet, unless works needs to be done.
I’d say that I struggle most with the Ancestors that I knew while they were alive. The secrets. The rocky relationships. Some of them not approving of me cutting out toxic family. Some that I loved while they were alive, then when they supported the abusers more than me when they were dead, it was time to kick them out of the house and off the altar. Sometimes people change when they die, and sometimes they stay the same.
I’m one of my family’s record keepers, but unlike the others with this job, I don’t just remember the good memories. I list the bad shit, too. I’d hate to learn that I named a child after a r*pist, a slaver, a criminal, an abuser, etc. I want my descendants to know about so-and-so. I don’t believe in forgetting the evils after a person’s died. Nah, we gotta expose the monsters—it’s not always safe to do when they’re alive; bet your ass Imma expose your ass when you dead then. Got a problem with it? You know where to find me. I’ve dealt with my share of nasty criminal Spirits. Let’s go, toe-to-toe, bro!
This post is getting very long! I’m gonna wrap it up here with the Kindreds that I have the weakest connections with are the Ancestors that I knew when they were alive in this lifetime.
If you’re still with me, what about you? What kinds of entities do you have the strongest or weakest connections with?
Thanks for all of the Hearts, Follows, Subscribing, Purchases, Bookings, and Recommendations. I really do appreciate the support.
Trust in Sunna. Trust in Joy. Follow the Bees…
~ Priestess Kristy "Foxlyn" Tackett
I offer psychic readings if interested. I’m a Psychic Medium who can channel Deities, Spirits, and the Dead—human and animal. These entities may use pendulums, cards, runes, automatic writing/typing/drawing, possession, or energies to answer your questions. I accept venmo and trade. Click the link above for more information.
Readings will be offered on my Etsy soon.
Until then, you can email me at foxtorchphoto18@gmail.com
On April 26th, If you’re in the area of Dayton, Ohio, I’ll be at Kettering Polen Farm for Dayton Pagan Coalition’s Psychic Faire. If you’re also a local vendor, psychic, or healer, there may still be spots available.
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