Ancestral Task

Healing Generational Cycles

We do not exist in a vacuum; our experiences are intimately connected to our ancestors who are very present in our Lives. We carry the wisdom, the complexes and the unfinished tasks of our Ancestors in our Bodies. For better or for worse, we are the culmination of generations.

We are formed in communion with previous generations, imbued with ancient knowledge and sacred purpose. We are carriers of our ancestors wisdom, pain and stories. We carry forward their untapped potential, their unbidden desires, their unrealized dreams. What is left unfinished in one generation is transmitted to the next, the mantle is passed on.

Ancestral tasks are the emotional equivalent of having your grandfather’s eyes, or your great-grandmother’s tenacity. These traits shape us.

Perhaps your grandfather wanted to become a musician but became a farmer instead. Responsibility begged him too. Perhaps your great-grandmother should have been a writer, but these opportunities were not welcome for her, and instead her creativity was scrawled on brown paper bag lunches. Obligation beckoned to her.

When our Purpose is left unfulfilled, it moves to the next generation, in hopes that the next generation will be able to find and fulfill their Calling. -

Ancestral tasks are usually shrouded in a familial shadow. They are recurring patterns that are often dismissed as, “that’s just the way we are”. We often hold a fear of becoming like our parents, lamenting on how we sound, act or look like them. This fear is valid because if we fail to actively not become like our parents, we are actively becoming like them. It takes our participation to change the cycles in our family woundings.

Perhaps your Ancestral Shadow is busy-ness, so your Task is to S L O W D O W N. Or perhaps your Ancestral Shadow is people-pleasing, so your task is to set and maintain your boundaries. Within the wound, we can find the key for our healing. The pain paves the way for wholeness. When there is chaos in our life, it is life extending an invitation, a generous invitation to make a change. Life is communicating that This is not working. We must try something New.

Reconciling with our lineage and creating relationship with our heritage is essential in creating our own existential ground, taking up space in our own Life. The more we are aware of the connection with our ancestors, the less we will be pulled into recreating their unconscious patterns.

The transmission of intergenerational trauma is real and for BIPOC folks, it is coupled with systemic oppression and group cultural historical trauma. Intergenerational healing is just as real as the trauma; we can create change for our descendants by intentionally processing the psychic emotional material left as an heirloom from our ancestors.

Because trauma is not the only thing that is transmitted through the generations. Healing is too. Time isn’t linear so when we heal our Selves, we heal generations back and generations forward. {here is a workbook on epigenetics - healing generations - if you’re interested}

You can connect with your ancestors by looking into your family’s cultural practices: food, dance, music, ritual, ceremony. Learn about your own culture, mythology, history, gifts, traditions. Your ancestors hold wisdom, knowledge and truth we have the honour to learn from when we create space for them to speak into our lives.

Isolation is an illusion. We do not do life alone. We have access to generations of ancient, ancestral wisdom. We carry our ancestors with us, always. We carry our ancestors wisdom within our body’s. Tune in & listen. They will guide you. ✌🏻🤍🌙