Our ancestors are familiar with warfare, genocide, destruction, resilience, famine, pandemics, planting, recovery, regeneration, and beyond. Our ancestors beyond human form have witnessed extinctions.
Who are we but an amalgamation of those who came before and those to come after?
Modernity has coerced us into the perspective that we are a lone body, individualised being, with a sole purpose of productive functioning. Yet, the larger perspectives of time beg to differ.
We are so much more vast, wide, and cosmological than we will ever perceive. Here are some gentle reminders of our ancestral wisdom living within our bodies.
- Wisdom and Experience: Our ancestors have faced similar challenges and developed strategies to overcome them. By connecting with their experiences and wisdom, we can learn from their stories. What were the migratory patterns of your great grandparents? How far back can you remember or imagine? What were the homes, skies, and dreams of our ancestors thousands of years ago?
- Cultural Identity: Understanding our ancestors helps us embrace our heritage and strengthens our sense of rooted identity. This connection can give us confidence and perspective as we navigate difficulties. How did we come into our current cultural context? What trans-oceanic trades emerged for us to be where we are today? What were the forms of culture exchanged and economic value during the time before the industrial complex overtook?
- Emotional Support: Connecting with ancestors can offer a sense of comfort and reassurance, knowing that we are part of a lineage that has faced adversity. This support can help us stay resilient. How did your ancestors overcome survival amidst the wilderness? What can we learn from their primal survival tactics?
- Perspective on Time: Ancestral connection provides a broader perspective on the passage of time and life’s cyclical nature. This perspective can help us view challenges as temporary and surmountable. In our deep time history – imagine the world before humanity, those species of our evolutionary lineage are also our ancestors. What can the multi-species wisdom and relationship to nature and tectonic time, teach us?
- Resilience and Strength: Knowing the stories of how our ancestors overcame challenges can inspire us to tap into our own resilience and strength when faced with adversity. What challenges have our ancestors overcome? What made it possible for me to be here today?
- Guidance and Intuition: Through practices such as meditation, dreamwork, or ritual, we can connect with ancestral guidance. This can help us access our intuition and make decisions with clarity. Taking a moment for yourself today to connect with your ancestors can offer us a deep source of wisdom. This can look like: building an ancestral altar, sitting in meditation, or simply taking some time before you sleep and dream to connect with your ancestors. What practice feels most resonant for you?
- Community and Belonging: Ancestral connection fosters a sense of belonging to a larger community. This network can provide support and encouragement as we navigate challenges. Who are the ancestors walking with me on the earth today? How am I expressing their wisdom through my body? Is there a way I can connect with this community with other people around me, too?
Connecting with our ancestors helps us draw on their resilience, wisdom, and strength, giving us the tools to face challenges with confidence and a sense of deep rootedness beyond the individual self.
