Earlier this year I attended my first ancestors healing circle. I was invited to bring in a photo of an ancestor and call them into the healing space. We sat in a circle and I was asked to share who I was calling into the space and why.
I called into the space my grandmother Rosemary. She was known for always speaking her mind, fearlessly, and often, without a filter. Laughable in some moments and taken aback in others. Looking back on her life, more than anything what I have is admiration for her authenticity, and for her unwavering voice. I think about the ways I have struggled to share my voice. I called her into the space to bring in authentic being and assist me in elevating my voice.
I reflected on the ways my grandmother didn't have all the same privileges, opportunities, or resources that I do. I thought about how her time in this physical world was impacted because she didn't have the things I do and how life for her might have been different. There's a complex grief that shows up in ancestral works. There's a sadness and longing for a life that could have been. Sometimes there's a guilt for being in a position to go farther. And as I realize that my position in this life exists because of those who came before me, I feel honor and gratitude. I am comforted in the idea that my grandmother's voice is not gone, but lives on in me.
I use to think the work I do, of sharing my offerings and holding supportive spaces, was for me and those I serve. But I'm realizing my purpose is much bigger than that. Like a strongly rooted tree, I am able to do what I do because of and for those who came before me and those who continue to guide me and walk alongside me. Healing ancestral wounds, I am in a marathon of life that started long before I could even run or even existed in this physical form. In my own pursuits of purpose, inner work, and living life in the fullest expression possible, I am continuing what they started, and healing not only myself and my community, but my lineage too.
In Honor of Our Ancestors
Comments