Behind the Scenes: Connecting with the Ancestral Plane
June conjures our favorite parts of summer—long days, sun-kissed body parts, and freedom. Bookmarked between two strong patriotic holidays, Memorial Day at the end of May, and Independence Day at the beginning of July, June feels liminal. June is a threshold month that offers the freedom so many of us crave. That June holds both Juneteenth and Pride is not a surprise. After all, what other month could provide two oppressed groups of American people a much needed chance to celebrate not just their individuality to exist as independent and full living humans, but to express what that freedom looks like?
As an American with African, Indigenous, Latin, and French roots, it feels weird to be writing about today, Juneteenth, while every day we watch the US government attack and dismantle the rights of not just American Black people, but immigrants, women, and queer individuals. Yet, as we do, we choose to celebrate the freedom that runs through our blood, not because a document tells us of our human sovereignty, but because our ancestry does.
Herbalism and Juneteenth
As a practicing spiritual herbalist, Juneteenth is an incredibly important holiday for me. It is a day that we honor the ancestors who came before. To remember those individuals who may be without names and faces, but who we know existed because we exist. We know that they crossed an ocean, in chains, to an unknown land to be enslaved and malnourished in every sense of the word, in the name of what we call productivity. That my entire family of brothers, cousins, aunts, and uncles exist today is a testament to the audacity my ancestors had to believe in something better—their eventual freedom.
To be American is to have the word freedom on our tongue constantly. If you’re paying attention to where we are as a country now, the centering debate is around freedom and who truly has it. In fact, we spend countless hours working toward it, but what does it truly mean to be free?
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines freedom as a noun with several meanings, but I’m going to
go with the second option they list: “liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another, also known as independence.” It has been 160 years since June 19, 1865, when the last of the “enslaved” people in Galveston, Texas were made aware that they were free people as of two years prior to when they were being notified.
When I think about my freedom, I think of it in my daily actions and spiritual reverence. As an herbalist, I know that the minute I choose to work with plants as a healing and spiritual tool, I am not only using knowledge passed down from those who came before me, but also practices that are inherently coded in my DNA. For me this looks like a moment to pause and listen and feel my way through the issue at hand and the healing modalities or plants I work with.
Collectively, this may look like a community gathering in celebration or education, both options that provide nourishment. It may look like a friend or neighbor supporting you, or offering to support you. When we think of Juneteenth, we automatically move to the details we know: red drink, comfort food, and large family and community gatherings that include laughter, dance, and Black American joy. The unabashed pleasure of being around people, whether blood related, or chosen, is what allows us to continue showing up and celebrating year after year. Part of freedom is when we can be seen and accepted by others (and ourselves) for who we authentically are.
New Dawn and The Ancestral Altar
My Juneteenth celebration always involves my ancestral altar and some New Dawn bourbon. (I know you were wondering where New Dawn came into this!) Dr. Dawn O’Neal has been a close friend of mine for over 30 years and counting! When she told me she was starting New Dawn Distilling, I had no doubt that she was making the right choice. I could hear the whispers of her ancestors cheering her decision that marked her independence from a soulless system. When I finally poured a shot of New Dawn bourbon, aged 6 years, I knew it was the spirit I would use in herbal medicines.
The alcohol used as menstruum matters when making tinctures, syrups, and other herbal products. Up until I tasted New Dawn bourbon, I had exclusively used an apple brandy imported from France as a way of connecting my French ancestry to my current healing practice. That changed however, when I realized that as important as it is to honor my grand-mère, it is more important to honor my heart centered herbal medicines with materials that are aligned with intention, family, and American roots. Additionally, the healing work I center and the subsequent medicine created is rooted in the feminine space. By infusing my alcohol-based medicines with a spirit that is not just woman-owned, but Black woman-owned, and rooted in environmentally sustainable business practices that includes diversity and inclusivity, I continue to honor goddesses and divine feminine energy from across all cultures and ethnicities in a way that furthers the reach of independence.
When I began working on the herbal medicine line that would become known as Astarte’s Garden, I matched a goddess and a Tarot card for each. One of those medicines was an herbal tea blend called Glorious!, connected to the 19th Major Arcana Tarot card, The Sun, and to Gloria O’Neal, Dr. Dawn O’Neal’s mother, who became an ancestor a few years ago. One night in a dream Gloria visited me and offered me camomile. I knew immediately it was a plant I needed in the moment, and a sign to do something I had been putting off. That I could find a way to honor both Gloria and a friendship that brings endless joy to my life, I was certain that I was moving in the right direction.
How will you honor your ancestors?
Ancestral reverence is unique and different to every one. How I may honor my ancestors as part of my Juneteenth celebration will be different from yours, but I know that today, as with any day where I refresh my ancestral altar with flowers, water, and coffee, I will add a shot of New Dawn bourbon, aged 6 years for my ancestors who need a nice smooth spirit as part of their celebration of our collective independence.
If you’re looking for guidance on how to put together an ancestral altar, please feel free to reach out to leave a comment and I’ll connect with you. If you’re looking for inspiration on a bourbon based drink to include in your Juneteenth celebration, take a look at all of New Dawn’s cocktail recipes. You can always start a new trend, but I think the Strawberry Bourbon Bloom is a great fusion of red drink and bourbon. Lastly, if you’re in the Missouri City, Texas area and want to engage in Juneteenth celebration with the New Dawn Distilling community, please consider attending Brunch and Bourbon. Celebrating Juneteenth is not just one day, it’s for lifetimes to come!
