On Wise & Well Ancestors

Walking, I am listening to a
deeper way. Suddenly all my
ancestors are behind me.
Be still, they say. Watch and
listen. You are the result
of the love of thousands.

Linda Hogan b. 1947
(Native American Writer)

When I think of the thousands of people who came before me, I am humbled. Though I will bear no children of my own in this lifetime, my heart hope is that through my work, my words, and my heart, I can pass along at least some of the small seeds of the secrets of existence that have been passed on to me. From bloodline, from milkline, from soulline, from spiritline, I walk in concert with a cast of thousands. As do you. When I think of the ancestors who watch over me, whose blood runs through me, whose character has carved my nature as each drop of water changes the face of stone, I am humbled. I am honored. What a precious, curious, and wondrous gift this life is.

Climbing the boughs of one’s human family tree can be a daunting experience at first. Especially if the generations that are closest or more known to us have caused us harm, sadness, or neglect. There is so much healing to be experienced in our lifetimes. So much forgiveness to be sought, so much love to give, so many pieces to recover, and so much wholeness to be returned. It is my deeply held belief, that by gently embarking on my own work of awareness and healing, I heal my lineages. My repaired heart, and my released pain, repairs and releases those who I am connected to, though they may have passed a long, long time before me.

Some of my colleagues closest guides and helping spirits are in fact their ancestors. Loving and wise ones that return to them to guide them and support them as they walk through this life. When I work with the ancestors, it is the loving and wise ones I call to. Though I may have love in my heart for all who came before me, I feel it is safe to say that not all were able to resolve themselves during their lifetimes, and not all are healed and whole. It breaks my heart to think of anyone in my lineage who still suffers, and it is my dearest hope that my work may assist them with their own resolution, especially as it may pertain to any contracts, agreements, curses, or loss that my ancestors have experienced. So given this, I lovingly call out to the wise and well ancestors, who come in and from love, to support, heal, and guide.

Many spiritual traditions work with the ancestors, and many cultures today still live and work closely with those that came before them. Today I offer one small invitation, to you, dear friend. Perhaps today, you can find a moment to sit quietly and consider the magnificence of your being. Thousands, literally thousands, of humans came before you, and through the miracle that is life, you were conceived and brought into being. Your life may have, or still be, filled with challenge. You may be facing, or have faced, great pain and loss. Your purpose may not yet be clear, or perhaps it has revealed itself to you, and you now seek the support of those that have walked before you, as you venture forward on your path of truth. However, and wherever you find yourself today, I ask you to take pause and subtly experience yourself as a miracle of existence. A beautiful, perfect, sovereign organism, connected to an extraordinary past, and a future of infinite potential, held silently in this moment we call the present. The gift. If you can, allow yourself to breathe completely into this moment, and humbly ask your guides or helping spirits that seek to offer you their support and wisdom, to join you in greeting your wise and well human ancestors. And, if you are willing and able to take another gentle breath, feel into their presence, knowing that you are looked upon, and held, with divine grace, and with love, by all who came before you. Wherever you find yourself today, may you feel loved, and may you feel whole.

So today, as I hold my own heart, I hold yours, and I wish for you all of the nourishment, care, support, guidance, and wisdom that your wise and well ancestors can provide. I would like to think that when we are heralded to the next life, whenever that arrives for us, we will be a source of pride for our ancestors, those of blood and bone, spirit and star, earth and fire, and that they will greet us lovingly, and support our smooth and clear transition from this world. Perhaps one day, we too will be wise and well ancestors providing loving guidance and support for our lineages.

In honor of your ancestors, and all of those who came together to create the miracle that is you, I wish you peace, I wish you care, and I wish you well on your healing journey home.

With love and warmth always,
h. x