Ancestral healing is deep and important work. We've all inherited both blessings and wounds from our familial lineage. Learning to navigate and transform these inherited aspects of self is an act of self-love. And, not only will you be empowering yourself, you'll be contributing to a collective healing that spans generations.
If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people.
Thich Nhat Hanh, Present Moment Wonderful Moment
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Ancestral healing is an energy-based practice centered on uncovering and resolving the lingering impact of unresolved issues within your family lineage. At its core, ancestral healing is about acknowledging and mending the trauma wounds passed from one generation to the next. In many ways, it's a kind of soul retrieval that allows your soul to be free of past trauma.
Energy imprints left by your ancestors can significantly impact the well-being of their descendants. The issues you grapple with today may indeed trace their origins back to the unresolved wounds of your ancestors. Unbeknownst to you, the burdens you carry today may not be your own.
The unaddressed issues your ancestors grappled with can imprint themselves in your energy, quietly shaping the landscape of your life. These energies, though unseen, play a pivotal role in influencing your health, happiness, and the quality of your relationships. The struggles you encounter in your daily life often find their roots in the untold stories, unhealed wounds, and unspoken burdens carried by those who came before you. They become your shadow.
Ancestral healing is a transformative journey into the depths of your familial shadow. This exploration, though challenging, is an opportunity to uncover hidden wisdom, bravely confronting unresolved wounds with compassion. It's a chance to live your most authentic life by gaining insight into the real source of your current challenges, paving the way for resolution, understanding, and ultimately, healing.
What Is Intergenerational Trauma?
Intergenerational trauma is simply the passing down of emotional pain from one generation to the next. For instance, growing up in an emotionally turbulent environment, where a parent struggled with expressing emotions in a healthy way, might mean wrestling with emotional challenges yourself.
Yet, the echoes of trauma go beyond just your parents — they can reverberate through many generations. Consider this: if your grandparents endured a collective trauma, such as a war or genocide, the profound emotional wounds they carried may have been silently passed down to your parents. Even if your parents didn't directly experience those harrowing events, they might grapple with the anxiety and emotional pain inherited from their parents. This illustrates how the effects of trauma can endure, casting shadows across a family's history for many generations.
So, how can you heal intergenerational trauma? I'm going to give you 3 ways to work with your family wounds so that you can transform them into personal power.
You are not a drop in the ocean. You are the entire ocean in a drop.
Rumi
Ancestral Healing With Ho'oponopono
Ho'oponopono is a traditional Hawaiian practice of reconciliation and forgiveness. The word Ho'oponopono literally translates to "to right a wrong." If you want to learn more about this empowering practice, please take a second to read this post: Ho'oponopono - A Journey to Inner Freedom.
To sum it up briefly, Ho'oponopono is the process of cleansing and purifying your mind and spirit by repeating the phrases "I'm sorry, please forgive me, thank you, I love you".
Practicing Ho'oponopono honors your interconnectedness with everyone and everything. It's an acknowledgment that your thoughts and words not only shape your personal reality, but the collectives as well. And, in the case of ancestral healing, your generational reality. When you practice compassion and empathy for what another has gone through, you raise up yourself and the collective.
Learning The Difference Between Self & Others
Individuation is the process of learning the difference between yourself and others. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But, for many people it's not.
If you grew up in an environment where you were expected to meet the high standards of others, or even had a narcissistic parent, you likely struggle with individuation.
Environments rooted in control often give rise to two distinct archetypes — the narcissist and the people pleaser. This dichotomy arises from a profound conflict: the self grappling to align with an external reality, typically embodied by a parent, at the cost of its authentic internal truth.
Some navigate this conflict by adopting the stance of the narcissist, seeking control through intimidation and fear. In this pursuit, the internal self is overshadowed by a facade of dominance, creating an illusion of power that, in reality, masks a profound lack of internal grounding.
Conversely, others take refuge in becoming the perpetual "good one" — the people pleaser. This individual, shaped by the need for external validation, maneuvers through life by accommodating others.
Yet, the irony lies in the fact that both the narcissist and the people pleaser share a common plight — a hollowness within, as their sense of self is ceaselessly dictated by an ever-shifting external landscape. This is why these two personality types attract each other - they share the same core wound.
Indeed the root chakra is impacted - stability is very difficult to find when you're reliant on the slings and fortunes of the outside world.
How To Stop Abandoning Yourself
When you learn to you individuate, you learn to stop abandoning yourself. Here's 3 things to look at when you struggle with separating your authentic self from others:
Life Goals Assessment:
- Create two lists—one outlining your life goals and aspirations, and the other outlining what you believe your caregivers or ancestors expect or expected of you.
- Compare these lists objectively and ask yourself which set of goals align more closely with your authentic self. Are your goals a true reflection of your authentic self, or is there an inner conflict shaped by past battles or the need for approval?
Consider The Perks:
This step requires courage because it delves into the hidden benefits of maintaining your current stance.
- What perks are you getting from maintaining your current stance? Does a lineage of narcissim or conversely, victimhood keep you safe?
- For instance, if you lead with an authoritative "my way or the highway" approach, does fear underlie the belief that releasing this pattern might jeopardize your position or respect?
- Or on the other hand, if you manipulate through people pleasing (yes, it's manipulation), do you fear that releasing this belief will mean that you truly have to own that the things that happen to you are a result of your own vibrational frequency, and not that of others?
Do The Things You Do Each Day Make You Happy?
This one sounds so simple, but it's actually pretty profound. Your emotions are your internal GPS. They let you know when you're on course, or when you're going off course. Ask yourself these questions:
- Are you actually, truly happy? Does what you do each day make you happy?
- Do you wake up feeling energized and ready to start your day with clarity of purpose? Or do you experience a kind of Monday Blues where you dread getting on with the things you need to do just to survive?
Ancestral Healing Means Listening
Listen in! Your ancestors will speak to you. Your healing is their healing too.
But, as you attune your ears to your ancestors' voices, discernment is essential. Some ancestors are pillars of strength who offer their guidance and support from the higher realms. Their wisdom can illuminate your path by giving you valuable insights into the resilience embedded in your lineage. This alone can be immensely healing.
Conversely, there are those whose voices still resonate with issues they didn't get to resolve during their lifetime, and their troubled spirits can cast shadows on the present. Acknowledge their struggles with compassion, for their healing is entwined with yours. By understanding the complexities of their journey, you can approach ancestral healing with respect and empathy.
An empowering message from an elevated ancestor should feel good. It should raise your vibration and give you deep sense of peace, clarity, and strength. As you attune to these elevated frequencies, you forge a connection that transcends time, creating a bridge between the wisdom of the past and the your personal present empowerment.
A Meditation For Ancestral Healing
- Find a Quiet Space:
- Settle into a comfortable position in a quiet space where you won't be disturbed. Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and allow your body to relax.
- Grounding and Centering:
- Visualize roots extending from your body into the Earth, anchoring you to its supportive energy. Feel the grounding energy travel up these roots, centering you in the present moment.
- Invoking Protection:
- Envision a gentle, protective light surrounding you. This light shields you from any external influences and creates a safe space for the ancestral healing journey.
- Calling on Ancestral Presence:
- In your mind's eye, imagine a serene landscape. Picture a place that feels peaceful and filled with love. As you stand in this space, call upon the presence of your ancestors.
- Connecting with Elevated Ancestors:
- Visualize wise and elevated ancestors stepping forward. These are beings of light and wisdom from your lineage. Feel their love and guidance surrounding you. Ask them for their support in your healing journey.
- Acknowledging Troubled Ancestors:
- Now, turn your attention to any troubled ancestral spirits. Visualize them with compassion, understanding that their unresolved issues may have impacted your family line. Send them love and healing energy, acknowledging their struggles.
- Releasing Burdens:
- Imagine a symbolic container before you. Place any burdens, negative patterns, or unresolved emotions into this container. See it being enveloped in a healing light, releasing these energies from your ancestral line.
- Healing Light Infusion:
- Envision a radiant light descending from above. This light is a healing energy that flows through you and your ancestral line, touching each ancestor with love and transformation. Feel this light purifying and uplifting the energy.
- Affirming Positive Patterns:
- Introduce positive affirmations and intentions for your ancestral line. Envision a tapestry of love, strength, and resilience weaving through generations. See the healing light infusing your lineage with positivity.
- Gratitude and Closing:
- Express gratitude to your ancestors for their presence and the healing that has taken place. Slowly bring your awareness back to the present moment, maintaining a connection to the grounded energy of the Earth.
- Integration:
- As you open your eyes, carry the sense of connection and healing with you. Trust that the transformative energy of this meditation continues to work within your ancestral line.
Final Thoughts
Ancestral healing is crucial for discovering your authentic self and elevating your personal vibration.
By addressing inherited wounds, you break free from limiting patterns, which not only helps you grow, but also contributes positively to the collective energy, creating a ripple effect of healing across generations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Generational healing has the profound benefit of breaking cycles of trauma and dysfunction, helping you transcend inherited patterns and build healthier relationships. It provides an opportunity for increased self-awareness, emotional well-being, and the liberation to live authentically, unburdened by the unresolved struggles of past generations.
Symptoms of ancestral trauma may manifest as unexplained emotional patterns, persistent relationship challenges, and a sense of being haunted by unresolved issues with no apparent origin. Individuals may experience chronic anxiety, depression, or a feeling of carrying burdens that aren't solely their own.
Listening to your ancestors involves creating a quiet, focused space for reflection, then tuning into your intuition or employing practices like meditation. Pay attention to subtle signs, dreams, or intuitive nudges, and engage in conversations with your ancestors through prayer, intention, or simple contemplation, allowing their guidance to reveal itself in various ways.
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