The Three Kindreds and Magic

The Ancestors are a source of wisdom, having passed through this world and into the next. They have moved outside of the constraints of time and space, and from this vantage, they can grant us the gift of vision through not only forward-moving information but also the gift of retrospection. The Ancestors accept our gifts of coin and food that they may know plenty in their afterlife. In exchange for these gifts, they grant us insight and assist us with ideas and motivation to work on those things for which they have laid a foundation. In my personal practice, I call to them often for insight and love. I make offerings with the intent to remember their stories that they may live on. ADF Cosmology speaks of the Ancient Ones in the Deep of the Well, feeding potential to our new endeavors through the insights of the work they have done in the past.

The Noble Kin are our Nature Spirits, those beings with whom we share the middle realm. The Noble Ones provide omens and portends as well as inspiration and insight. We practice aligns closely with ADF Cosmology in that the beings of the middle realm work closely with us, since they are the closest to us in terms of proximity, and will aid and inspire us in our work in this realm. Many diviners will see animal kin as signs, particularly when they appear as though out of nowhere and grasp our attention fully away from our ponderings to fill our minds with a potential path toward accomplishing our goal.

The Shining Ones, Denizens of the Cosmos, are more likely to assist us in endeavors that affect our role and how we fit into the greater world and worlds. The number of touch points between one life and those of others, through things such as jobs or traveling, are important to the outcomes of all involved. Each thread of the web of life, when pulled, impacts all the others. When we call to any of the Shining Ones, we are inviting them to assist us in finding our footing on the path of our lives. The Norse refer to this as the wyrd of our orlog (fate and destiny, loosely). When I call to a Deity, it is with the intent to make offerings in the hope that they will give to me those things for which I ask. Spirit Arte is the word for this.  ADF tends to follow the same notion, as *ghosti is an essential part of working with the Shining Ones.

See also: Thomas, Rev. Kirk. “The Nature of Sacrifice.” Web. Retrieved from
http://www.adf.org/articles/cosmology/nature-of-sacrifice.html.