Healing work with your Ancestors

Working with the ancestors and healing your ancestral lineage can be an important part of your journey.

Quite often this part is neglected, or put off because either you don’t know your ancestral lineage (adopted, absent parent, etc.) or some of your ancestors weren’t the kind of human beings you wanted to have a relationship with when they were alive, so why start now?

In my personal practice, I neglected this work for many years, for the reasons I’ve mentioned. Yet, I didn’t fully neglect ancestral work. Even if you don’t know your bloodline, you can always work with the ancestors of the land, the people who walked the land before you. You can also work with ancestors that are connected to your practice, may that be healers, witches, shamans, and so on.

Ancestral healing might become necessary because of some ancestral trauma occurred, for example, from significant family experiences or historical and cultural events. This can manifest in different ways:

Unexplained Grief

Ancestral grief can affect us and often we have no idea where it is coming from. If you are experiencing unexplained grief, deep sadness, or a sense of loss that isn’t a result of your own life, it is possible that this is connected to unresolved ancestral trauma.

Reoccurring patterns

You have a hard time breaking free of negative patterns and behaviors in your life. These could include patterns of self-sabotage, destructive relationship dynamics, or unexplained fears or emotional upsets.

Disconnect

A feeling of disconnection can have many reasons, but if you feel that you have no connection to your own family, your roots, or your culture, it is possible that your ancestral lineage needs some attention.

House Healing Report

The need for ancestral healing can also show up when you either did a full house healing report or a personal energy clearing. I offer both of these options here

Often when we look at past life issues, we can also find ancestral patterns that require some work, as they can be closely related to our own past life patterns. Sometimes it even shows up that you personally have no patterns that needs clearing, but you are entangled in your ancestors’ patterns.

During a House Healing or a personal energy field clearing, I always incorporate ancestral healing by giving a starting point in this aspect of your healing journey. However, this is actually a very personal practice and requires your own efforts to truly heal either your own blood line, the ancestors of the land, or even the ancestors of your craft.

Before delving into the magical, you should first consider a practical approach.

Practical Work

Awareness and Understanding

Become aware of any patterns, may that be addiction, poor personality traits, core values you don’t agree with, anger issues or repeated detrimental behaviors of any kind. As you go through the ancestral lineage, you might also be able to identify traumas, emotional upsets or other unresolved issues. The more you can figure out, the better you can understand what areas may benefit from healing work.

Introspection

Another part of ancestral healing work is introspection. Engage in inner work such as meditation, journaling or even therapy to explore your own emotions, where your belief systems come from and what behaviors, anxieties, and worries may stem from your ancestral lineage.

Stay free of judgement

Whatever you might find out, try to stay clear of judgement. This is a particularly hard exercise, especially for those who have experienced harm from their ancestral lineage. We do not have to love, approve, excuse or even tolerate previous harmful behavior. You do not need to clear these ancestral lineages and patterns for them, even though that would be advisable.

Just remember that you want to heal these issues for yourself, those who come after you, and all who are involved in these tangled webs.

Not every ancestor wants to work with you, and you probably also have your own preferences. Sometimes it can help to go further back in the family tree. There is always one who wants to see us successful.

Ancestral Connection

To begin your practice with your ancestors, you can create an altar for them, or just give them a corner of an already existing altar. Show them respect and acknowledgment on a regular basis. You can say a little prayer each day, light a special candle, and leave an offering of clear water.

Learn about them as you sit with them in silence. Ask them to join you in silent meditation. You don’t need to ask for a specific one if you are unsure. Ask for those who wish you well and want to see you thriving.

Another option to feel a deeper connection is to visit their graves, or their homelands. Or if you work with the ancestors of the land, just visit the local graveyard or cemetery. Sit still, listen to their whispers in the wind.

Healing Work

Tarot or Oracle Spread

If you work with either Tarot cards or Oracle cards, you can try the following spread. If you would like a reading from someone else, I also offer this option in my services.

1. A memory/ event in your ancestral lineage that needs healing

2. How can I help to clear this memory/event?

3. Patterns I need to pay attention to

4. Energies that will support me on this path

5. What in my ancestral line needs to be honored?

6. An ancestor that wants to connect with me.

7. A message from this ancestor.

Ritual work

You can begin your healing work with simple means. Begin by clearing your space, either through visualizations or by smoke cleansing or using a cleansing spray. If it is in your practice, you can also either cast a circle, or use other techniques to protect your space.

Then sit at the altar, light some candles in their honor, light some incense that aligns with your intentions, and bring a little offering for them. Introduce yourself to them and call those forth that wish you well and want to support you. Thank them for all they have done, so you can be here and show them your offering.

Now choose to sit with them in silence for a while, while closing your eyes. Pay attention whether you receive any messages. You might hear something, see images, or just feel their answers. When you are ready, open your eyes again and take a piece of paper and a pen.

Write down all the trauma, the upsets, the hardships, the detrimental patterns and anything else you can think of that created blockages in your lineage. If this takes too long, you can also do this over several sessions.

When you have written everything down, talk to your ancestors directly. Tell them once again that you are grateful for all they have done and that you are now ready to clear the line and the patterns.

Be still for a while again and listen if anything else comes up.

When you are ready, leave the altar space (extinguish the candles). Take the piece of paper and release all the traumas, the upsets, and the negative patterns.

You can do this by either:

burning the paper outside and let the wind carry the ashes away.
burry the paper into the ground and ask Mother Earth for her assistance to transform these patterns for the good of all.
go to flowing water and release the paper to the flowing stream and ask it to transmute the detrimental patterns and bless you and your ancestral line.

You can also use rose petals for this option. Simply whisper all the issues and all you want to release into a handful of petals and release them into flowing water.

Please ensure to use non-toxic paper for all these options, as we don’t want to burden the environment any more than it already is.

Return to your altar and clear your space once again. Tell your ancestors what you want them to know. If you want to continue and deepen your relationship with them, remember to return often to your altar and bless this space.

Guided Journey

Another option to heal the ancestral line is a guided journey. You can combine this with the other options to strengthen the results. I offer a Reiki infused journey for this purpose. Here you can find more information about my Guided Journeys.

Remember that healing ancestral wounds is a gradual process, and it's okay to seek support from professionals or spiritual guides if needed. Trust your intuition and approach this journey with compassion and patience.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact me.

I hope your world is kind

Much Love,

Blossom