Ritual: Queer Ancestor Dance Party
For Pride Month 2021 I decided to write down and share something that I frequently do on my own as a way to recharge and connect with my Queer Ancestors. I am talking about hosting a Queer Ancestor Dance Party!
Music is very important to me and I incorporate it into a lot of my witchcraft, I also generally have music playing in the house unless we’re watching TV. The idea of a Queer Ancestor Dance Party happened entirely by accident because I always have music playing. I had gotten done cleansing the house and then doing a small check-in at the Queer Ancestor Shrine in my backyard, and was hanging out downstairs while my husband was making dinner. I was feeling really charged up from spending time with the Queer Ancestors and just started dancing to the music. At first I thought it was just turning into a really great exercise in grounding and raising energy until I got the distinct impression that I wasn’t dancing by myself. A quick check-in and I realized I hadn’t fully closed down the connection with the shrine and I’d unintentionally invited some dead folks to the party.
I was really intrigued by this and spent time puzzling out a way to ritualize this with appropriate boundaries and safeguards. I’m more than happy to share celebratory space with Queer Ancestors but if it is in my house then it will be on my terms and we’re definitely making use of a bouncer to keep out troublemakers.
HOSTING A QUEER ANCESTOR DANCE PARTY
The first thing I do is cleanse the space I’m going to use for the dance party. I want to get as much of the negativity and bad vibes out of the area as I can. If I’m going to invite other (living) friends to this space I might ask if they are interested in helping. Consider it the set-up for the party and you recruited some help to decorate and clean.
The next step is to set appropriate wards or boundaries. Clearly define the space, who is invited into that space, who is not invited into that space, and what behavior is and is not allowed. Clearly define that you retain the power to evict folks from that space if they don’t abide by the rules. An important follow up is to determine, in advance, your process for evicting a troublemaker and/or closing the whole thing down if necessary. Some traditions utilize bells for summoning or driving out spirits so you might consider consecrating a small bell specifically for this task.
If you feel it is necessary and/or if it something you do in your own practice, you may want to look into getting some '“bouncers” for this space. Are there particular familiar spirits, guides, etc. you have a working relationship with that can help protect and enforce the boundaries you’ve set up? Can they assist you with tossing out someone who gets a bit too rowdy?
I find it helpful to have a clear start and end to the party. I’ve tried a few different ways to do this including:
Starting the party
Verbally acknowledging the start of the ritual/party and welcoming the Queer Ancestors into the space
Not starting the music until I’m ready to welcome them in
Lighting incense at the Queer Ancestor Shrine as a way to mark the beginning of the party
Creating a small, temporary Queer Ancestor Shrine indoors and lighting a candle there to begin the party
Ending the party
Verbally acknowledging the end of the ritual/party and thanking the Queer Ancestors to sharing space with me
Explicitly stating at the outset that when the music stops the party is over and folks need to leave
Returning the Queer Ancestor Shrine and ringing the small windchime I have there to mark the formal closing of the party
Extinguishing the candle at the indoor Queer Ancestor Shrine to end the party
I find this ritual helpful for a number of reasons. It helps me feel closer to my Queer Ancestors and helps me deepen the connection I have to them. It helps me pivot to a celebratory space with them when so often the history of our community is marked by trauma and death. Sometimes I feel like I’m able to provide a small, temporary space of vibrancy and celebration to folks who may not have been able to live their lives openly and authentically. I’ve also found it useful to use this ritual to consecrate tools and items that I want to use specifically for work with Queer Ancestors, or for which I want to imbue with their blessings and protection.
QUEER ANCESTOR DANCE PARTY PLAYLIST
Finally, a dance party is not complete without a good playlist. I asked my community (friends, Twitter, etc.) for recommendations for a Queer Ancestor Dance Party playlist and they delivered! You can find the Spotify playlist be CLICKING HERE.
