Rituals and the Power of Ancestral Connection

And some traditions say that over 50% of our current challenges actually stem back from our ancestors . They are passed down before we are even born , in our genetics , in our morphogenetic field , but it is so intertwined with us that we think that it is actually our problem , when often it isn't so . It could be a relationship pattern .

Maybe you have a pattern of dating really emotionally unavailable people or really narcissistic partners .

Maybe it's addictions , maybe it's money issues that you keep running into or chronic health problems , and one of the reasons that it is coming up is to be expressed through us and played out , so that it can be acknowledged and cleared , so that we can be more empowered , rather than playing out the conditioning of our lineage .

Now we also inherit many incredible qualities from our ancestors . The spirit of who we are comes from them . Longevity , abundance and fertility can be passed down through our ancestors as well . So in physics it's seen as a spiral energy coming in from behind you .

So think of it as this cord of life force , energy of love , flowing in from behind you seven generations back Now . Whatever traumas your ancestors have gone through over the past several generations maybe it's war , rape , natural disasters , death , illness , poverty this clogs this cord , blocking the full flow of love , life force and abundance from coming through .

So one really potent exercise I do with my clients , after taking them through first a somatic meditation and visualization exercise to really get into their bodies and be present . I get them then to imagine mom and dad standing in front of them .

So really get into their energy field , feel into them and envision a cord attached to mom and dad's heart , connecting to their heart . And then I ask them to feel into what percentage of love is getting through . So is it 5% , 25% , 50% , 75% , 100% ?

If the full 100% isn't coming through , we first focus on healing any ruptures in attachment , enmeshment or a break in the bond that may have happened with their primary caregivers .

So first we're focusing on mom and dad and then moving down the line and as Mark Wallin stated in his book , it didn't start with you how inherited family trauma shapes who we are and how to end the cycle which is an incredible book , by the way .

Recent developments in the field of cellular biology , neuroscience , epigenetics and developmental psychology underscore the importance of exploring at least three generations of family history in order to understand the mechanism behind patterns of trauma and suffering that repeat .

So , as an unfertilized egg , you already shared a cellular environment with your mother and grandmother , so the precursor cell of the egg you developed from was already present in your mother's ovaries when she was in your grandma's womb , which means that the egg that you came from was formed inside your grandmother's womb .

This is wild , so science now tells us that this precursor egg can be imprinted by events , with the potential to affect future generations . So a couple of things that I have been clearing for my ancestry , and these are some big ones .

Many of you know that I battled with addiction for many years and really dysfunctional relationship patterns which run on both sides of my family . Now my parents never drank and they are happily married and they have a healthy relationship , so this can skip a generation which has been passed on to me .

To clear , so one of the reasons it continued to be passed down , even though my parents didn't carry on the pattern was because it was never actually acknowledged or healed . So it's not as simple as just not taking on the pattern , which of course is extremely powerful in itself .

But someone eventually has to do the deep healing work to clear it for the future generations . Otherwise it might skip a generation or two but still continue and it could be a health issue , like breast cancer , for an example . So the breasts are life giving .

Many women in past generations were over giving , especially if they lost a husband in war and were left to take care of and provide for the children . And of course there are many factors that contribute to breast cancer , but this is just one . So it could be struggling using your voice .

Having a blocked throat chakra , perhaps it wasn't safe for your ancestors to speak their truth . But before getting into healing and clearing work , we first have to focus on the foundations , which is why I'm splitting this into three different episodes .

So today we are going to focus on cultivating a relationship with our ancestors through rituals and ceremony , and we want to first focus on connecting with our empowered ancestors who are well in spirit . So not all ancestors are well in spirit .

Ancestors who are well bring blessings to major life events , and when we are open to the loving support of our healthy ancestors , life tends to go more easily , with higher levels of luck , ease and vitality .

To first cultivate a sense of support , connection and safety within our bodies before we dip our toes into any past family traumas , there is a whole somatic process that I take my clients through when doing this work , because there is an order to healing and if we don't have a solid foundation , we can end up feeling more dissociated and disconnected from our

bodies . So perhaps you just want to stay here and continue to cultivate a connection with your healthy ancestors and not continue on to explore the deeper healing work , which is beautiful too , and it is highly suggested to do the healing work with others , one-on-one or in community or both .

And if you are unsure whether your ancestors are well in spirit , I will walk you through a potent somatic exercise . I just did this with my women's community .

So ancestor work is very much about reconnecting to the wisdom of our bodies , our intuition , and learning how to receive messages and read energy . So one of the exercises that we did was I first got them to write all their lineages on a different piece of paper .

So , for an example , I'm Ukrainian , icelandic , scottish and Irish , so I wrote on four pieces of paper and then we fold them up , we shuffle them so we don't know which is which , and there are a couple ways to do this exercise so you can stand on each of them and see what comes up .

So some girls saw full images when they stood on the piece of paper , which was creepily accurate . Some felt a sense of heaviness or lightness , and some of them held the paper in front of their solar plexus and if their body leaned forward slightly it was a yes and if it pulled back it was a no .

So this helped us feel into which lineage felt the lightest and most well in spirit , and so we started with that one . Ideally , if you are a woman , you want to start with the women on your maternal side , but if that energy feels too dark , then you may choose to go to your paternal side , even if you don't know anything about your family .

So say you were adopted , you can still do this . So you can write on a piece of paper maternal mom side , maternal dad side and then your paternal parent side on the other pieces of paper and then just do the exact same thing stand over top of them .

Or place the paper in front of your solar plexus and just feel into it top of them , or place the paper in front of your solar plexus and just feel into it . Now coming up , in a couple of days , is winter solstice , in which , according to Chinese medicine , is the time of year that corresponds to the kidneys .

So during winter , the energy in the environment descends into the ground and into the roots of plants . Many animals and insects follow this , descending into the ground to hibernate . It is also the darkest time of the year , when the days are short , the nights are long .

And the kidneys , in Chinese medicine , relate to the water element , to the water in our body and all the ways the water is present in our environment , to the root energy in our body .

It's related to our subconscious experience , the cosmic womb deep in our memory , our mother's womb , which is the first watery environment from which we emerge into our life on earth . And the kidney . Also relates to our ears , our bones and marrow , our reproductive system and our ancestral lineage .

So this is a really powerful and potent time to give reverence , honor and acknowledgement to our ancestors . So , by tapping into the vibrational signature of our lineage is how we do this . Now , the reason tapping into this energy is so important , especially in the West , is because we have lost our roots . We live in cities that have not been around that long .

There is no foundation , we don't remember where we came from . We are a very dissociated culture , disconnected culture , and we are also very hyper-focused on the future , goal-oriented . So there is a reason why people with more humility are described as being down to earth grounded .

A connection to the support of our ancestors leads to a more realistic self-perception , a healthier concept of ourselves . So our rooting is our support that comes from behind us when it comes to our ancestors .

So this is our connection to our tribal soul , which for many of us , is very diverse because of our multicultural background , which is really cool and through this vibrational frequency comes so much wisdom and gifts . Communication with our ancestors can happen intentionally or spontaneously . It can happen through dreams , synchronicity signs , unusual animal encounters .

So I actually had this was seven years ago . I had a very profound encounter with a great horned owl . I've shared this story a few times if you haven't heard it , but I was actually just coming home .

I was at a 12-step meeting and I pulled into my parking lot and all of a sudden I just saw this massive bird swoop down from a tree in the yard behind my apartment building and I actually thought it was an eagle at first and I was like what was that ? It was a massive bird .

All of a sudden it flies up from the yard , it flies directly at my windshield . It was a great horned owl and I've never even seen a great horned owl in the city before , let alone a great horned owl that big Like it was massive . And then it sat directly beside my car . So it felt super significant .

I was actually scared at first to get out of my car because I was kind of in shock . And then when I got out , it actually flew up and it perched on a tree directly outside my window and it sat there all night and it actually just watched me when it was sitting on the tree walking into my apartment building . So that felt super significant .

So that is one way that our guides , our ancestors , could be trying to connect with us and get our attention , also through number synchronicities as well . So many people , when they first start opening the channels to connect with their ancestors . It can often feel like we're making it up . Many people say this .

So refinement comes from faith , healthy skepticism and continuous practice over time . Because it will feel like that initially , like anytime that you're really trying to build your , even your clairvoyant , your claircognitant or clairaudient . However you receive information .

Anytime you're trying to build those abilities , cultivate them , it's going to feel like you're making it up at first . So it just takes refinement and practice .

And that's why the paper exercise is really powerful , because what I first get my clients to do is we actually just wrote light and dark on a piece of paper so you could do this exercise at home , just to practice . And so they mix the paper around and then they stand on top of them , feel into it , and then they start to discover how they see energy .

So maybe some of them actually feel heavy , they feel the darkness or they feel the light , and then maybe some of them get like an image , like a dark cloud for the dark and then maybe they see like bright skies for the light .

So just different ways that we receive information and then you check the paper to see if you're right and if not , that's's totally okay . Just keep trying until you start mastering this , so it just practice , and starting to really connect with our bodies , because we're very disconnected from our bodies .

We live predominantly anchored in our minds , disconnected from the important information being sent from our bodies to our brains , and our body is so intelligent . So staying open to our ancestors also functions as early warning systems that protect us from illness , hardship or premature death .

So , as with any ritual that we're doing , clarifying your intent is critical and informs everything that follows .

So I suggest , before doing any kind of ritual and I'm actually going to be doing one on the solstice , so that'll be this Saturday so I suggest setting an intention to initiate conscious contact with your loving and supportive ancestors at a level of intensity that is helpful to you at this time .

So you want to choose a sacred space somewhere quiet , could be in nature , or somewhere clean and private and peaceful , so you can form the base of a simple altar . So this could be with a cloth , candle , glass of water , incense or a special stone . You could also include pictures of your ancestors that you believe are well in spirit .

And next , you want to center yourself physically and emotionally . So this may be somatic meditation , breath work , unstructured movement , whatever helps you get grounded and centered and , when you feel ready , directly address your loving and supportive ancestors out loud , if possible .

And if you are not sure if your recent ancestors are well in spirit , then only call out to your older ancestors whose names are forgotten . So introduce yourself and speak from your heart about why you are reaching out to them , heart about why you are reaching out to them .

So it could be for support for yourself or one of your family members , or for support for a recently deceased ancestor . And you continue , adding in maybe a chant , mantra , singing , poem , whatever feels right for you , and keep continuing until it feels complete and that the call was heard .

So now , in a circle with your ancestors , you can make an offering near the altar space you have established . So this offering could be food , a drink , flowers , incense , artwork , crafts , whatever you feel that you want to offer . And when you present the offering , explain why you brought what you did .

So a glass of water from the heart will have a greater impact than a fancy , elaborate meal lacking in emotional connection . So , after presenting , allow yourself to just be in this state of receptivity and open awareness . So this could be five minutes lying down with your eyes closed 30 minute meditation or spending maybe a solo afternoon in nature reflecting .

So the point is to allow for an open and curious mind that allows for a response and journal any messages that come through so that you remember them , just like dream , and when we're in dream state it's very common to remember or not remember our dreams once we wake up .

So it's important , if we do feel like we're receiving any type of information , to write it down . This is also a good practice , just to strengthen our inner knowing and our intuition as well . When we write it down , this is also a good practice , just to strengthen our inner knowing and our intuition as well .

When we write it down , the messages will start to actually get stronger over time and when this feels complete , just simply close with a prayer , a thanks and an acknowledgement that the ritual is over . So sometimes a ritual may seem very simple , but it can set in motion forces that play out in our lives for years to come .

So I have included in the show notes a link for you to access a free ancestral healing meditation . So please check that out . I hope you enjoyed this episode . This is just the first one of three , so part two will be coming in January and I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and I will see you back in the new year .