As we close out the month of repair, I am reflecting on a practice that is new to me that I have just recently begun exploring, which is ancestral healing. As Unitarian Universalists, we come together with various beliefs about what might happen beyond this bodily life, and I appreciate that we humbly recognize the mystery of it all. However, at the very least, no matter what one believes, I found this practice, which was guided by a friend of mine, to be a meaningful time of meditation, to get still and peel back some layers inside of myself to reveal what wants to be known.
In this practice, there was the invitation to take time communing with the most recent ancestors, the middle ones, and the ancient ones, setting a protective boundary before inviting in whatever guidance, assistance, or messages would like to come through. I was surprised to sense a particular strength I sensed in an ancient part of a lineage, one whose living family members don’t exactly share my values, before remembering just how vast of a web it is. I wrote the following words, as I reflected on this experience. While I am not attempting to convince anyone this way of relating spiritually is for them, I hope the following reflection might inspire deepening of intentions and remind you of how interconnected we are:
If ever you feel unworthy or out of place in this life, may you remember that 12 generations back, the labor of over a thousand birth-givers was the requirement for you to come into existence, in your beautiful, sacred body right here and now. When you feel disconnected or alone, consider that the energies of your lineage still exist, whether they are consciously sensed, and they remind us of how inevitably linked we are.
What does it mean, then, to live a life of honoring our ancestors?
To me, it means shedding the habits and beliefs that haven’t served me or the collective. It means seeing no stranger and holding presence, love, and curiosity in my interactions as much as possible. It’s the cultivating and sharing of my authentic voice. It’s participating in the long labor of justice and healing, while infusing and balancing that work with joy and rest. It is remembering that while our immediate families often have much to teach us, we are allowed to expand our idea of who our family is. May we weave strong enough webs of connection while we are here that the future can sense, too, how deeply threads of love run through us all.
The work of repair is something we do together. This invites much vulnerability, care, and courage in the way we connect. Let us remember that as we move beyond this month, through the holiday season, and onto a new year.
December Activities:
Intergenerational Hiking at Rasmussen Woods, Saturday, December 14th, 10am
https://uufm.breezechms.com/form/2cf88a23845
Youth Group – Crafts and charcuterie, December 11th, 6:30-8pm
https://uufm.breezechms.com/form/49b057151612
To be announced:
I am planning on some different intergenerational offerings at the start of the new year, including but not limited to a book club highlighting social justice topics from authors with intersectional identities. If anyone is interested in brainstorming programming that may appeal to young adults, please reach out! Thanks for considering.