HOW TO RELEASE ANCESTRAL TRAUMA

Lately I've been drawn to shamanism in a very deep way. When I say lately, I mean -- the last two to three years.

Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash

What is Shamanism?

It's an ancient way of life practiced by many cultures all over the world. It goes back thousands of years.

​To me, shamanism means: connecting and being in communion with our source (which includes nature, animals etc.); basically encompassing the unseen aspect of what drives life.

I remember being about 14 - 16 years of age and being a "New Born-Again Christian" and being somewhat drawn to shamanism, even though I looked down upon it with judgment.

You see, as a Christian - shamanism didn't coincide with biblical teachings. So, I shunned it -- even though it beguiled me.

WHY SHAMANISM?

My journey as a Christian is part of my story. I embrace and I am proud to share it. 

Christianity for me, was my hiding place. It was my place to go for protection and belonging. It brought about healing in different ways ... However, it had many contradictions that came along with its biblical background/teachings. 

From the age of fourteen to 36 (ish), I studied the bible as intricately as possible. As I got older, the paradoxes in the Bible began to make me question it's infallibility.

Some things just didn't match up! I will write another post some day about that.

Once again, shamanism reappeared into my life. I was becoming more and more drawn to it because it didn't have any conditions attached to it.

I started to see the parts of me that I had shunned and put away, or had neglected to care for. I started embracing my shadows.

What I once saw as deep flaws, I started to actually pay attention to and allow that "hurt part" of me to tell its story.

I also started seeing people who really pissed me off in a different light. In the past as a Christian, it would be "Oh, I love that person because they are a creation of God".

​This time, it was more like "that person is just another version of me". There was no separation except two different bodies.

SHAMANIC JOURNEY

If you want to know more, check out my shamanic journey post. I talked about my first journey with my beautiful friend Jaes Seiss. By the way, I am reading her book "Awakening Darkness" and it is just riveting!

Jaes then invited me to join her and a few other women to a Sacred Sisterhood Rites of Passage circle. Here we honored the directions of the medicine wheel:

North - represented by the hummingbird. This was a time to create healing for ancestors and your connection or lack of connection with them.

West - represented by the jaguar. We went through our own death rites and shed/released what was holding us back; preparing a place for the new.

South - represented by the serpent. Here, we re-kindled our passion, purpose and joy in life.

East - represented by the condor. We renewed our innocence and awakened the creative spark in us by going on a birth star journey, re-visited our visions and activated our prayer arrows (mission/desires for this life journey).

HOW CAN WE HEAL THROUGH OUR ANCESTORS?

WOO! Don't get me started!

I realized that there is a lot of pain passed down from generation to generation. I also have been learning that pain is only a messenger that comes to show us where we are not aligned (in the wise words of my friend Kevin Walton).

There is A LOT of pain in every family. I won't go through the stories of the pain that has been passed down through my own family.

Pain gets trapped in our cells. Seriously. 

Science supports this theory that emotional trauma is passed down our blood lines. You can read this article here.

I will share however, that one of the ways I've been healing is through honoring my ancestors. In our medicine wheel of the north - where we honored our ancestors, I took the time to honor all the women in my ancestral line - even a few generations back). I did also honor my dad. 

I made a decision to bring any pain/trauma that has not been dealt with to the forefront. I became a voice for my ancestors. There was a lot of crying and emotional release.

This is still happening today. I am aware of it when someone or something triggers me. Instead of ignoring it, I will pay attention to it. 

There are different ways of healing emotional trauma passed down through lineage:

• Myofascial release therapy
• Hypnosis and past life regression
• Therapy 
• etc...

Then there is DANCING! Which is basically "artistic expression". 

Psychology Today has a cool article on healing trauma through dance: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/make-your-life-blessing/201610/the-power-dance-work-trauma -- and I quote: 

"Dance organizes life in societies and cells in the body. It celebrates weddings, harvests, seasons, and can bring strength and comfort in times of grief."

Before I start dancing, I am not always in the mood for dancing. I may be exhausted or just dealing with emotional baggage collected throughout my day.

Something really magical happens though when I put on some music. Especially music that is African influenced. Being from Africa and all...

So today, my friend Jeni-Lee told me that I need to listen to this song and dance to it.
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I was already in a dancing mood today, so without hesitation I pumped the volume and started to move.

Friends like Jeni are awesome fire kindlers! Thank you, my dear!

Here I am below releasing trauma in my cells! Oh what a joyous and sweaty time! 

My message to you... dance! Even if you can't move your legs, dance where you are... your body loves movement!