If an ancestor seems to say no, what would you do?

I’d take the no at face value for now and leave the door closed unless you feel a clear reason to revisit it later. You don’t have to figure out exactly who responded or why. A pause is a complete answer, not a failed attempt.

A pendulum can give you a prompt to reflect on, but it can’t reliably establish who is answering or what they mean. If you try again someday, make the question simple, set a stopping point beforehand, and avoid asking the same thing repeatedly until you get the answer you hoped for. If the result still feels unclear, let it stay unclear.

You can keep an ancestral practice without trying to contact spirits. Learning family history, preserving a recipe, or setting aside a quiet moment of remembrance can be meaningful on its own. That may be a comfortable way to stay connected while giving spirit work a rest.

Trying a more distant branch is an option, but I wouldn’t treat it as a workaround for a no. If you choose to explore that later, go slowly and keep your boundaries clear. You’re allowed to stop without finding another spirit who will agree to work with you.