Ancestral Relationships & Spiritual Custody

Who has spiritual custody of you?

Peace ya’ll,

I wanted to flesh this topic out a bit more before I posted it, but I'm deciding to follow the guidance telling me to get this out sooner than later. As you can see in the title, the topic is ancestral relationships and spiritual custody. I have talked about relationship-building with ancestral spirits a lot on Walking the Path. Now, I’m in a place where I want to discuss the concept of spiritual custody. In other words, what ancestral spirits have spiritual custody of you?

Note: Understanding the concept of spiritual custody can help you understand why you are drawn to certain religions and forms of worship. Focusing on where you are ancestrally guided can help keep you away from spiritual paths that are not for you, which is extremely important as you develop spiritually. This is especially important for people whose ancestry is varied. It also matters because it is possible to descend from a group of people who do not claim you. That blood might afford you certain things, but it does not automatically mean you have ancestors from that part of your bloodline who take responsibility for you.

Similar to how you grow up in a family, but only certain family members have legal custody of you and are responsible for your primary care, the same concept can apply to ancestors. While there may be hundreds and thousands of spirits in your lineage who care for you and assist you at different times in your life, not all of them have custody of you. And not all of them keep custody of you. So at one point in your spiritual journey, there may be certain familial spirits who are close to you and are your primary caretakers. But as you grow and develop, that custody arrangement can change. This can happen based on what you need from them and also what they need from you.

For example, if there is generational work and ancestral elevation in your maternal lineage that requires your attention for a certain amount of time, maternal ancestors may have primary custody of you at that time. Once that particular work and elevation is completed, the arrangement may change - like leaving your mother’s house after graduating from high school and going to stay with an aunt or uncle who lives in the state where you will be going to college. This doesn’t mean that you no longer have a relationship with your maternal ancestors, but the way that relationship looks and how much energy you’re giving to those spirits shifts.

I believe that a big part of becoming aware of who has spiritual custody of you is a matter of knowing who you are and what path you are taking in life. Because this can affect what spirits are drawn to you and when. If you decide you are dedicating your life to becoming an herbalist and the majority of the herbalists in your lineage come from your father’s side of the family, then they may be the ones who have custody over you. They will be the ones guiding you and you will probably have a closer relationship with them because your day-to-day habits are inviting their energy in. The parts of your DNA that are being activated are the parts that they passed on to you and the assignments they give you will take precedence.

This is why knowledge of self and making decisions that are truly aligned with what is right for you is so important when it comes to ancestral work. It’s not just about doing what they tell you, it’s about sharpening your internal knowledge in order to build on what they pass on to you. Ultimately, the ancestors who have custody of you are helping you grow so that you can give yourself and the next generation a heightened quality of care and wisdom.

I want to take the time to shout out Tay Amari, who is a spiritual practitioner that played a significant role in my understanding of the concept of spiritual custody.

Note 2: All of what I’ve written here comes from my personal perspective and the way I have experienced ancestral relationships. If there are parts of it that do not resonate with you, you do not have to take it as law. I hope that the discord pushes you to further investigate what the differences mean for you and the way you engage with your lineage.

I hope this newsletter has given you all something to consider as you continue developing your ancestral relationships and Walking The Path.

Peace ✌🏿💫

Kamila