The Magic in Your Genes
Your Personal Path to Ancestor Work (Bringing Together the Science of DNA with the Timeless Power of Ritual and Spellcraft)
Combines traditional genealogy with magical practices in a unique guide to deepen your relationship with ancestors.
Have you been searching for a way to find deeper connection with your ancestors? Would you like to infuse some magic into your genealogy? The Magic in Your Genes provides a clear and accessible route enabling both novices and adepts to deepen their ancestor work and genealogy practice.
The book offers a primer on the basics of DNA and genetic genealogy practices, so no prior knowledge is required to put the book to use. Magical tips and techniques are placed throughout to help the reader utilize both technical and magical resources as appropriate to the content in each chapter.
Written in a conversational style, the book is easy to understand by those with limited knowledge of genetics and genealogy, yet the book’s technical aspects on DNA and genetic testing are based on current standards as set forth by professional associations.
Included are:
- Real-life stories and insights from a variety of Pagans, Wiccans, and witches who have done genetic genealogy testing and have used their personal results to explore their own magical identity and deepen their relationship with their ancestors
- The author’s own experiences with DNA testing and genealogy and how it is utilized by her in various forms of art, writing, and her own spiritual and magical practice
- Correspondences, recipes, rituals, and spells
- Recommended resources, a glossary of terms, and information regarding major genealogical groups and societies
The Magic in Your Genes is geared to those with a known recent genealogical history (parents, grandparents) but is also appropriate for those who are adopted or who have other situations, such as a misattributed parentage event.
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“Cairelle Crow weaves together the science of genealogy and the magic of honoring the ancestors in her wonderful book, The Magic in Your Genes. In this book, we learn simple, yet powerful, techniques to help us step into the world of our beloved dead as we unravel the mystery of our own DNA. Crow masterfully simplifies complex genetic science so that we may delve deep into where we come from and connect to our ancestors on a profound spiritual level.”
—Chris Allaun, author of A Guide of Spirits: A Psychopomp’s Manual for Transitioning the Dead into the Afterlife
“A supportive, sensitive guide to ancestor work, The Magic in Your Genes will help you unlock powers you’ve had access to all along, nestled deep within. Your DNA is an infinite record of ancestral memory; and genealogist, nurse, and priestess, Cairelle Crow walks you through the basics of DNA, how to navigate a genealogical report, and the spiritual practice of ancestral healing.”
—Benebell Wen, author of The Tao of Craft and Holistic Tarot
“Cairelle Crow has gifted the world with a treasure—a book that successfully weaves the delicate threads of genealogy and magic. With compassion and skill, Crow guides readers on a journey of self-discovery that is at once healing and empowering. What is the story of your family? Who are your ancestors? In these pages, the answers are traditional and transcendent, inherent and inclusive. Many of us have wondered about those who came before us and wished we had ways to connect with them. Thankfully, there’s no longer a need to wonder or wish: Crow provides the tools to chart your lineage and awaken the magic in your DNA. Blending science with spellcraft, this book leads readers to the sacred crossroads where past and present, spirit and identity intersect.”
—Antonio Pagliarulo, journalist and author of The Evil Eye: The History, Mystery, and Magic of the Quiet Curse
“The Magic in Your Genes is beautifully written for all people who are ready to begin the quest of searching out their roots and creating a family tree. As you follow the carefully articulated steps, you will find genealogy understandable, even for the novice. Cairelle Crow demonstrates that genealogy is a magical tool that everyone can use to write their unique story. This is a book you can return to again and again on your path of discovery.”
—Laura Louella, author and editor of Brigid’s Light
“Cairelle Crow’s The Magic in Your Genes: Your Personal Path to Ancestor Work is a heart opening, down-to-earth, and completely enchanting journey into genealogy, inheritance, ancestral work, and rituals. She has written a book that is inclusive of many communities, encourages the reader to follow their truth, and will surprise you, even if you are an old hand at this topic. Cairelle is gracious and shares her personal, sometimes difficult experiences, to ground this work and to offer examples that make it concrete for the reader. This book is unique, and I believe it will be seen as the start of a new approach to ancestral work.”
—Ivo Dominguez Jr.,author of Four Elements of the Wise: Working with the Magickal Powers of Earth, Air, Water, Fire
“In The Magic in Your Genes, Cairelle Crow has written an intellectual, deeply compassionate, and forward-thinking book. Filled with enough science to appeal to the scholar and enough magic to appeal to those who practice, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in genealogy work, whether for their own purposes or as a career. The way Crow lays out how to reframe genealogical research in order to be more inclusive is something I hope will be picked up by schools and genealogy research scholars worldwide.”
—Christine Cunningham Ashworth, author of Scott Cunningham—The Path Taken: Honoring the Life and Legacy of a Wiccan Trailblazer
“Cairelle Crow has created a mystical and magickal practice grounded in DNA, generational bloodlines, and the connectedness of humanity. The Magic in Your Genes offers beautiful, smart, and divine ways to combine genealogy and spiritual practice that not only helped me to connect with my living ancestry but reminded me of my own destiny of becoming an ancestor. Whether you are working with blood ancestors or spiritual lineages, this book offers powerful and illuminating methods and rituals that will become mainstays of ancestral honoring in years to come.”
—Priestess Brandi Auset,author of The Goddess Guide: Exploring the Attributes and Correspondences of the Divine Feminine
“Cairelle Crow has crafted a fascinating read into the world of genealogical research. This book is filled with science and magic that balance and support the daunting research of one’s family tree.”
—Najah Lightfoot,author of Good Juju and Powerful Juju
“Finally! A book that seamlessly weaves traditional genealogy with the magic of divinely connecting to the ancestors. While accomplished family researchers have always worked a little magic, few actually realize that’s what they’ve done. Now, thanks to Cairelle Crow’s The Magic in Your Genes, both magical and non-magical folks can learn how to tap into the divine pool of those who have lived before. Although I’ve been involved with both magic and genealogy for most of my life, this book includes an abundance of magical suggestions that I hadn’t even considered. Now that’s magic!
Within these pages, you’ll find everything you need to successfully research your family using both traditional and magical methods. Included are standard research information and guidance on working with DNA, ancestral healing, and issues important to the LGBTQIA+ community, as well as those descended from enslaved people. This book is unlike any other—it truly is magic.”
—Nancy Hendrickson,author of Ancestral Tarot and Ancestral Grimoire
“In my opinion, there is no one form of trauma healing more important than healing the cross-generational ancestral imprints that are in our blood. As my mother said, ‘no one heals ‘til the ghosts speak.’ The Magic in Your Genes, this well written and astutely relevant book, adds refined insights and effective healing tools to this work. Bravo to Cairelle Crow for a book whose healing hand will indeed be felt by generations past, currently living, and those to come.”
—Orion Foxwood,founder of the House of Brigh Faery Seership apprenticeship program and author of Mountain Conjure and Southern Root Work and The Tree of Enchantment
“Cairelle Crow is the guide you want as you discover the magic awaiting you within your very genes. Her book, The Magic in Your Genes, is filled with powerful root magic energized by the well-crafted balance of practical information, sensitivity, and a mystical approach to researching, attracting, and honoring your ancestors. Whether you are new to genealogy and ancestral work or have been immersed in your family’s history for decades, all seekers will benefit from the inclusivity, magical wisdom, and exhaustive research found in The Magic in Your Genes.”
—Jamie Della, author of The Book of Spells: The Magick of Witchcraft