Yes! Even if you struggle to get messages or impressions from your ancestors through meditation, you can still communicate with them.

I heard a great suggestion on the Demystify Magic Podcast (Episode title: Making Peace with the Past: A Beginner’s Guide to Ancestor Work). The hosts suggest asking a question and specifying, “if the answer is yes, let me see a butterfly. If the answer is no, let me see a dragonfly.” Then you could go for a walk, or just pay attention to the world around you and whichever you see first (butterfly or dragonfly) you have your answer. Obviously, feel free to fill in animals, insects, birds, or other signs that make sense based on your location and the season.

Another amazing twist on this idea came through a recent reading. My client’s ancestors suggested getting to know the birdsong that they frequently hear near their house. (The Merlin App is a great resource for this. Turn it on while you are outside and it will identify the birdcalls around you.) My client’s ancestors said once my client knew what birds were common near them they could ask a question of the ancestors and say, “If yes, have such-and-such bird sing, if no, have this-different-bird sing.” Brilliant!

Using these methods, over time you might develop associations between birds, animals, insects, trees, etc. and your ancestors. So perhaps you’ll be having a rough day and a bee shows up. If that is an insect you frequently ask the ancestors to use to communicate with you, they will likely use that to communicate at more times than just when you have asked a direct question. In this way, you deepen your relationship with them and build shared language together.