We’ve all heard a lot about the importance of “ancestors” in various indigenous traditions, but, for me, it wasn’t until my recent surgery & a subsequent bodywork session that I had a real experience of them. That catapulted me into an understanding of the profound role they can play in our lives – and the realization of how little they are used as a resource by many of us, particularly those of us of European descent, for whom the ancestor tradition has in large part been eradicated.
If you’ve been reading any of my blog posts, you know that during my recent gynecological surgery I had an experience of my maternal grandmother & my paternal grandfather coming to me to reassure me in the preop room.
Even more striking, on the occasion of a healing massage with Christine Tulis, a sacred bodyworker in the San Francisco Bay Area, I turned over on my back only to feel the presence of my mother to the right of me, hovering slightly above.
As I’ve written in previous articles, my mother crossed to the land of the ancestors when I was 10 years old. That catapulted me into a long sojourn with the underworld that I’ve only recently begun to fully reckon with.
For the past 46 years, I haven’t been able to access the presence of my mother, and now, on Christine’s table, suddenly there she was. The telepathic thought she sent to me was “I’ve always been here.” It was very simple, very matter-of-fact.
Woah!
With that, I began to call on all of my grandparents who were on the other side, and there they appeared: Grandma Elena, Grandpa Charlie, Grandpa Luciano & Grandma Lucia, all arranged in a semicircle hovering above me, with my mother to the right.
The context here is that in various previous sessions Christine has done for me, either she or I have experienced the presence of the Blessed Mother. On one occasion, Christine even felt the presence of my mother… which partly irritated me because I thought: Why isn’t my mother coming to me?!
So owing to this “portal” created on Christine’s table in our synergistic work together – and because of the arrival of the ancestors to support me in my recent surgery experience – the veils around me were suddenly thin.
I received the information that the reason my mother was now able to come through to me was because I’d finally accessed something I’d repressed for a very long time: my raw need for her in my life.
It was a matter of survival to have put a firm lid & lock on this desperate longing after her death in order to survive without being overwhelmed by grief & depression. Now, with all of the initiations & healing work I’d done through the surgery experience, I’d opened that lid. I had felt that piercing longing & loss in its pure, original form.
Through this grace, my mother’s presence on the other side & my need for her were able to come together so that I could experience her personality consciousness across the dimensions.
Most interesting to me was this: What I felt from my grandparents & mother, hovering there above me, was a very personalized sense of the Divine.
How the Ancestors Help
I understood, then, that the ancestors are our personal gateways or stepping stones to the Divine. They are kind of customized version of the Divine that knows everything about you – your entire life history this go-round – and they are utterly 100% “for” you regarding your personal healing.
As I lay there receiving Christine’s healing touch, I experienced these relatives in their higher-self state, a state very close to Godhood – but the trick was they knew everything about me & precisely what I needed in an extremely intimate way. I realized I had been waiting for this moment my whole life. And that all of us do, without knowing it.
I reflected, then, upon the strong tradition of ancestor honoring among Africans, African-Americans, Native Americans, and others. I understood, then, why some in traditions funerals are celebrations: They mark the stepping up of the person into their higher God/dess self state!
I found myself asking my ancestors questions about my life & my healing, running various scenarios by them. I felt them say to me, “Yes, we understand about that, it’s a very difficult challenge. We are doing what we can over here to help. We are cheering you on.”
In running by them the difficulty I was having with one caretaker, in particular, the feeling that I was being “witnessed” by the ancestors was extremely powerful. It took away the sense of loneliness & isolation I had carried around this person in this history. It also took the edge off the challenge I’ve had in trying to communicate to others in my life just how crazy making and difficult this particular situation has been.
The ancestors simply nodded their heads, totally validating & understanding the insanity of it all, and bringing me a sense of healing just through their supportive presence.
How to Contact Your Ancestors
So this is a glimpse, from my perspective, of what the ancestors are really all about & how they can help us. The trick is in getting to open enough states to be able to truly feel them there on the other side of the veil.
You can start by simply mentally saying hello to them & inviting them to be with you. Then ask them questions about your life, ask for guidance. Get quiet to receive the answers that will inevitably be there.
Much has also been written about creating an altar to your ancestors with their photos, mementos, and offerings of foods & drinks that they enjoyed in their recent lifetime on earth. Light a candle to this altar every day. Say hello to your ancestors and let them know that you want to have regular communication now. See what happens.
With love,
Dove