We are holy, as are the ones who came before...
Coming into a direct relationship with our wise, anchored ancestors can be a potent source of support for transforming intergenerational and collectively held trauma. Through relational repair with the unwell dead, we transmute felt harms, we reconcile with the elder powers, and claim lineage blessings that may have been inaccessible.
The Ancestral lineage healing approach emphasizes learning to relate directly with one’s recent and more ancient ancestors of blood, bone, kith and kin, to alchemize personal, family, and collective cultural harms & open pathways to wisdom, resourcefulness, and felt belonging. We become more grounded people whose thoughts and actions are considerate, compassionate, and filled with Earth-honoring purpose & embodied joy.
Foundational Aspects of the Work
Ancestral Lineage Healing emphasizes animist pathways of connection to the ones who came before.
We consider…
- Consciousness continues after death
- Not all of the dead are equally well
- The living and the dead can communicate
- The living and the dead strongly impact one another
- The dead can change
By assisting the spirits in our blood lineages who are still in need through our supportive connection with an ancestral guide, we help them integrate into the well Ancestors. Through this process, we transform intergenerational burdens into ancestral blessings supporting our well-being and that of other living descendants, Here, we are released from karmic stories, curses, and patterns that created blockages, and burdens for the living and we are free to embody more peacefulness and rootedness in our lives, enjoy our families, and enjoy a felt sense of belonging to our cultures of origin.
Is this work for me?
Many people come to the work with a curiosity of if they are suited for the process of connecting with their ancestors, particularly if the living and or stories of the most recent ancestors is one frought with trauma and other complicated dynamics.
This work is for you if:
- You experience challenges within relationships with your biological or adopted families.
- You don’t feel like you belong to your family and feel disconnected
- You feel as if you bear the weight of all the ancestor’s trauma on your blood lineages.
- You feel the effects of a lineage curse or have been told the lineage is cursed
- You do not experience the benefits of lineage blessings, feel your path is blocked
- You see unhelpful patterns in your living family that are inherited
- You feel disconnected from your ancestry.
Benefits of Ancestral Veneration
Frequently Asked Questions
Many come to the work without genealogy information, from being adopted, due to family relations, or through lack of sharing family stories passed down. This is not an imposition on the work because the source of connection is coded within your DNA. The Ancestral Lineage Healing approach is heart-centered, grounded and intuitive beginning with the ancients long before remembered names.
I come to the work through a pragmatic and grounded lens, where, using an intuitive approach, I usher you through the steps in the linage repair cycle using a form of guided meditation/trance work that enlists supportive, healing connection to vibrant, well Ancestors and your other helping spirits. Through our work we will follow these particular steps:
- I consider each session a ritual which begins by focusing our conscious intention, holding an embodied prayer for a safe and connective space where we will be working, calling on our connection to the vibrant, well ancestors, and from our helping spirits, as we begin the process.
- We then have a brief check-in about the work and where you are in the process including any current personal situations, questions, and concerns you may have.
- You are then dropped into a light trance state using meditation and guided imagery.
- Here, we will do an assessment of the four primary lineages and then focus on moving the work through the appropriate stage of the ancestral healing process.
- As we conclude our work together, thanking the powers, often, your ancestral guide may give you further homework to focus on, based on what happened during the work to support the process of moving forward between sessions. This can be a ritual, an offering, research, and other ways to strengthen the relationship with lineage guide.
Intuition or inner knowing has been systemically rooted out in us through the impacts of cultural harms. Our inner compass is a birthright, albeit underutilized, and gaslighted through these systemic harms. When we endeavor to reclaim these natural abilities with an authentic longing to connect, extend our curiosity, and suspend self judgement, petitioning the the ancestors and other allied spirits to support us, these pathways of connection are reclaimed and imbued with relationality, kindness and support.
As we all hail from diverse backgrounds, with varying degrees of wellness on our blood lineages, the amount of time it takes to complete the lineage healing of our initial four primary bloodlines varies wildly depending on what is needed to fully engage the process through which you drop into the spirits in a safe way, and the urgency which you feel is needed to complete the repair process in order to fully experience the benefits of healed lineages.
It also depends upon the complexity of the lineage you are working with and how often you wish to engage in the work.
Some of my clients reach out to begin the initial steps of the process, work through healing one lineage and then move the process forward on their own. Others find it more supportive to have me lead the process for them until all 4 lineages are healed. In any case, I highly recommend Daniel Foor’s book, Ancestral Medicine, to augment your healing work.
For those new to the work, the initial session is 1.5 hours, allowing us time to get grounded in the method and to complete the initial four lineage assessment. The remaining sessions are 1 hour, guiding you through the subsequent healing steps for repair.
I highly encourage folks to engage in at least 3 healing sessions initially to have a complete understanding of how the work unfolds through an entire lineage and to ensure safety and support throughout the process. At that time, you may wish to continue the work on your own, having sessions when you feel stuck or have reached a new phase of the Ancestral Healing process.
Yes, I have worked with many people who desire to address each of their four primary lineages through direct connection facilitated with me. You can schedule that here and scroll to the bottom where it list subscription offerings.
Other Pathways of Connection
- Ancestral Lineage Healing Circle: Last Sunday of the month at 6pm EST via Zoom, More information here.
- Intensives: One day and 3-day intensives available, go here for a list of current intensive or be in touch if you would like me to facilitate an intensive in your area by emailing me at shannon@redearthhealing.org
- Online Courses: Find out more about connecting with your ancestors for personal and cultural healing online here.