Ancestral Lineage Healing is a ritual-based, spiritual healing modality designed to teach you how to tap into your deep, inner ancestral wisdom, reconnect to the vibrant spirits of your ancient, earth-honoring ancestors, identify inherited generational traumas stored in the body, and to initiate healing of those traumas. It combines teachings and practices of multiple ancient cultures focused on earth and ancestor connection, and holds at its core, a strong animistic framework.
My specific training comes from Dr. Daniel Foor of Ancestral Medicine, and I highly recommend his book if you would like to learn more about the practice.
Every ancient, indigenous culture has (or had) ways of being in relationship with the Ancestors (or the collective energies of the wise, loving human dead). These in-tact cultures were also mindful in tending to the dead as they passed on. Over the course of history, many indigenous cultures were broken and dismantled (especially the Indigenous, Pagan cultures of Europe). As this happened, their ways of tending to the dead became lost, and connections to the energies of the collective Ancestors also became severed. Without sound, in-tact cultures to be anchored to, many people died with trauma stored in their bodies, often resulting in what we call "soul fragmentation." These conditions result in unwell/troubled dead, or, as we often refer to them in our culture, “ghosts." Being in this state prevents these ones from being woven into the collective Ancestors. Most in-tact spiritual traditions to this day have practices and rituals for tending to these un-well ones.
Spiritual vitality is supported and heightened when we develop reciprocal relationship with the vibrant, loving energies of the collective Ancestors. They can offer important guidance and insights for our lives; both in how to live in right relationship on Mother Earth, as well as how we are to manifest and express the unique gifts we incarnated with. However, in order for this connection to be at its fullest, we need our direct-line ancestors to be healed from earth-based traumas and woven into this larger collective body of wellness. This is where the powerful process of Ancestral Lineage Healing comes into play!
In an Ancestral Lineage Healing session, I help clients settle into an embodied, meditative space conducive for inner journeying work. This is so they can more deeply tap into and listen to their intuition. From there, I guide them through a process of making connection with who we call the “Wise and Loving Ancestors.” These ones are part of the collective body of our ancient ancestors (usually indigenous, pre-Christian peoples) who had experience living in a time and place when their people had what I call an “in-tact culture.” In-tact cultures fostered a spirit of deep belonging. They experienced a sense of oneness with Mother Earth, their communities, the non-human world, and the Ancestors. These were people who tended their relationships (human and non-human) in ways to help them quickly heal pain and trauma.
Once connections are re-established to the older Wise and Well Ancestors (known as Ancestor Guides), we allow those ones (the Guides) to initiate healing of the entire direct lineage from them down into your own body—repairing any epigenetic damages passed on from unhealed ancestral traumas in that specific lineage. The Guides also provide insights and education about special lineage gifts and the harms that have impacted the lineage. We also gain wisdom from them around spiritual practices common to their time and people that we can incorporate into our daily lives for deeper healing and more vibrant well-being.
The work focuses on what are known as the Four Primary Lineages. These lines tend to have the most energetic and epigenetic impact in our bodies, and thus influence our health and well-being more predominantly than other lineages.
Ancestral Lineage Healing work focuses on one lineage at a time, and usually involves a total of six sessions (sometimes more) to complete the process for one line. After that, I try and help clients understand the work enough so they can either address other lines on their own, or, we can repeat the process working together. The first session lasts 60-90 minutes, and each follow-up session is 30-60 minutes.
In most cases, 6 sessions will allow us to work through the full healing process of one of your Four Primary Lineages. Should extra sessions be needed, you may add extra single sessions ($85 each), or another block of six (spending them however you wish). During our work, I seek to help you learn the process so you can continue working through other lineages on your own. However, we can also continue working together if you find guidance useful. Session work is done via video call or in-person (for local clients).
Don't know much about your heritage? Begin the healing work with a basic family tree assessment to learn where your Four Primary Lineages most likely originate, along with potential cultural themes that may impact generational traumas. This assessment can also include a review of any DNA test results you may have (if you haven’t, this is an add-on option). Please note this service usually does not allow me to identify specific ancestors beyond your 4th or 5th generation (and some geographic areas may be even more limited). However, I do offer in-depth genealogical research should you wish to know even more about your family.
There are practitioners who provide ancestral healing work that is solely based on a client identifying inherited patterns and traumas and then processing them without engaging with ancestor spirits directly. This method can still be helpful and allow clients to make some progress. However, from my perspective this approach can also perpetuate several cultural harms and traumas that impact many people in Western societies. True healing, from a holistic framework, is intended to bring us back into connection with the larger web of belonging and interconnectedness that we naturally yearn to be a part of. Western belief systems have resulted in harsh disconnection from the natural world and the non-human spirit realms. This disconnection is the source of nearly all trauma. It has resulted in toxic individualism and unsatiated egos that frantically seek to dominate, over-consume, and control as coping mechanisms to this un-natural state of isolation and lack of belonging.
It is historically normal to be in relationship with one’s ancestors! This is a critical point to understand. There are deep parts of our souls that yearn to be in relationship with these ones; and from the perspective of many indigenous cultures, our healing reverberates into the past generations, as well as into the future ones. The time-continuum, according to these traditions, is not what we think. As the current, embodied humans who carry the remnants of pain and trauma from the past, healing will be much more potent and sustaining if we enlist the help of those in the spirit realms. Then, other parts of our humanity will heal as we repair connection and re-integrate ourselves back into an historically-normal relationship network with the Ancestors!
The short answer is, no! However, I do find that the more you know about your family going into the process, the easier it can be to navigate and understand information that may surface during the sessions. For instance, if you know regions of the world where your Four Primary Lineages originate, it can be easier to understand the historical context around certain inherited traumas and patterns you may identify. It can also help knowing which ancient cultures you may feel called to reconnect with as part of the healing and repair process.
If you know little or nothing about your ancestors, you CAN still do the work! But, if you would like to know more before diving in, I do offer a basic family tree exploration and assessment service in conjunction with the Ancestral Lineage Healing work (see offerings and pricing).
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