Ancestral wounds or Ancestral strength.

As Reiki practitioners, we understand and accept a state of nonduality, that we are connected with everything. It brings a new realization of our connections with past generations and the land. I am not an ancestral healer, trans-channeler, or medium. I admire people with these abilities, but I am not one of them. For over two decades, I have practiced energy medicine and seen people with various problems. I want to share my take on ancestral issues.

Undoubtedly, our ancestral roots and genetic memories affect us on all levels. In many situations, it is hard to put your finger on it. It is much easier to connect our issues to the relationship between our parents, us and parents, or us and siblings. Every experience and observation we have at a young age leaves an imprint on our psyche, but it could also go generations back. We now know that descendants of survivors of genocide or the holocaust have changes in their genetic markers. We may not know our ancestors a few generations back, but they are with us. Families moved for different reasons: wars, famine, or searching for a better life. Our ancestors may change names, religion, or culture. But they are always with us; our genetics and our cells carry them with us. Thich Nhat Hanh said, “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.” When we learn how to reach them, they provide unlimited support. They are all connected in our spirit and body, creating a network or web that has been going on for hundreds of years, and when our time comes, we will add our strengths and experiences to this network. Our ancestors are part of us, and we are part of them. Our ancestors share with us not only the wounds but wisdom, resilience, and ambitions. They are the roots that keep us strong. They are a vast library of knowledge.

If we look deeply at our lives and our decision patterns, we can relate them to our parents or grandparents, and some could be affected by distant ancestors that we never met. We must accept that our ancestors did all these downloads with the best intentions. “Ancestors are benevolent beings who love us. You are their legacy, and they want the best for their progeny,” wrote Steven D. Farmer. Some of these decision patterns are created by surviving trauma, and some are just not feasible in the current environment. Even with the best intentions, some patterns were meant for different times. We are a continuation of our family line, but we are the ones who make the final decisions.

In the last two hundred years, ancestral work has added another layer. Before, most of the people lived most of their lives in the same area. If they moved, they moved to the next village or town. So, they had strong connections to their ancestral roots and ancestral land. Nowadays, if an individual moves to a different country a thousand miles away, they are affected not only by ancestral lineage but also by the energy of the new land with its history. The energy of the new place will bring another energetic layer or aspect into our spiritual world. Before, we were exposed to our ancestral trauma or triumph, their failures, achievements, or great love stories. Now, we are adding the history and emotional energies of the new place of residence to our ancestry. That is why grounding is so important. In our practice, we honor our ancestors and the land where we live.

Every person in our genealogy has great qualities and also experiences trauma. As Energy or Reiki practitioners, we focus on the good, let trauma heal, and slowly dissolve. It is not ignoring trauma but recognizing and dissolving it with love, compassion, and forgiveness. We treat our ancestral wounds like inner-child with love, compassion, and acceptance. This will soften trauma and allow us to learn and benefit from these experiences without being re-traumatized. We can benefit from their experiences, wisdom, resilience, and determination but also seek assistance from the spirit of the land. “With conscious engagement of our ancestral roots we become more grounded and comfortable within ourselves as we feel the support of thousands of people who dreamed us into reality,” wrote Jen Hudziec.

Because of these genetic memories, we could overreact in some situations. Sometimes, I experience overwhelming emotional responses to some scenes in the movies. Trauma that was experienced several generations back can be suddenly revealed in us. It could be abuse, sexual violence, genocide, substance abuse, mental illness, or slavery. We may not realize the source or origin of this trauma, but we can feel it in our bones. It expresses itself as our feelings. The best response is to name, sit with, honor, and treat it with love and compassion. We can say to our ancestors: I feel your pain, I love you, and we will heal together. We are survivors.

As people become more spiritually aware and open, they look into ancient practices and frontier science like psycho-genealogy or transgenerational therapy. Our life is a miracle, and we have endless possibilities to enjoy it. Ignoring our roots, human experiences, and the flow of nature puts us in a dualistic world, the world of us and them. Peace could not exist in this world. As practitioners, we are destined to use ancient wisdom and the spirit of the land in our practice to restore the balance inside and around us.

With love,

Roman

November 1, 2023