festival of light & life

As we celebrate All Hallows Eve and the veils between worlds thin - folks around the world, according to varying practices, beliefs and cultures - prepare altars for our ancestors. This is important work that has been passed on through generations. 

Now more than ever, we can all use that supportive energy - as we recall and honor our ancestors who have paved the way and supported our survival. I celebrate an accumulation of 38 years - from when I first started my shamanic practice and apprenticeship all those years ago. 

clay diya lamps - © Uma Shankar sharma

It is also the festival of Diwali (Deepavali) - when myriad little clay lamps (diyas) light the way to remove darkness from the face of the earth. The dharma of fire illuminates wherever it falls - giving light and warmth. 

blood bond

The red string talisman is a global practice of religions and spiritual beliefs, cultures and continents, and various folk customs throughout the ages.  

A scarlet or crimson thread is worn as a bracelet or band on the wrist of the wearer - a protective shield against evil or a mindful reminder to attract good. 

my blood band

The tradition is not explicitly superstitious or religiously followed by believers of major faiths - Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, etc. 

Many cultures wear red to ward off the evil eye. There are sacred texts associated with wearing a red band as well. 

At a women's voice retreat in Bali last year our circle of women unraveled a ball of red wool - tying a length of it around each member's left wrist. 

As we wound each round, we invoked personal prayers for beloved women ancestors and descendants in our blood lines, biological lineage, and teaching hierarchies. 

My band weaves nine individual strings - myself, my mother, my daughter; my sisters, resisters, rebel warriors; my ancestral clan mothers, my blood descendant daughters, our female saints and sages. 

These are the girls and women of blood and bone who have merged with me in body and soul. Together we face what the world gives and takes - we absorb it all and share it equally. 

This is our sacred bond. 

7 generations

"Your ancestors from long ago knew how to do this. They knew the power of the feminine principle. . . .and because you carry their DNA in your body, this wisdom and this way of being is within you.

Call on it. Call it up. Invite your ancestors in. As the yang-based habits and the decaying institutions on our planet begin to crumble, look up. A breeze is stirring. Feel the sun on your wings."

~ Message from the Council of 13 Indigenous Grandmothers

Grandmother Flordemayo & Unci Rita Long Visitor Holy Dance 

We come from a family with shallow roots in the country of our birth. It is also the first time we have four generations living under the same roof.

Even with the help of a genealogy detective we have only managed to trace back to our sixth generation. Learning how to do ancestral healing work has been a huge gift.

We came as creators, not to be regurgitators. All of creation is energy - a combination of vibration and light. All humans have the ability to dream the world into creation.

We all hold energy that can be made manifest by the power of our intention. Clarity and discernment are key to the drive and focus that motivate the intent.

How we interpret and direct what motivates us. How we are driven and at the effect of our emotions. These dictate our results and outcome.

Get curious. Educate yourself and learn about matters beyond your circle of comfort and knowledge. Immerse yourself in the Self. Be part of the web of life.

Join our universe as a conscious creative contributor.

being one with nature

"Be still and the earth will speak to you." ~ Navajo Wisdom

Headed Home - Carl Moon, [American, 1878-1948]

Our life is intimately interwoven with ancestors of the past, the present and the future. Our ancestors are anyone and anything that contributes to our life.

Aligning with our ancestors leads to healing when we are in alignment and collaborate as allies - even when either of us disagree or lack understanding.

This begins with learning to make peace with all elements of our life and opening up - getting up close and personal with our ancestors to allow healing possibilities to happen.

It's about time we start conversations that explore the centrality of ancestor work to the collective liberation of humanity.

The social, political, cultural and environmental crises of these times calls us to reckon with the legacy of colonization, genocide, slavery and the continued violence against oppressed peoples.

Our healing requires that we transform intergenerational trauma using the wisdom, perseverance and resilience of our most honorable ancestors.

Once we trust that all that we need is here for us healing can begin. Our ancestors need to be recognized, honored, acknowledged and appreciated for their contributions.

Our ancestral blessing is the knowledge that life is here for us - supporting, loving, co-creating with and rooting for us - that's tremendous support available always.

How we relate in our life are how we are in relation with our ancestors. All our relations indeed.

ancestral healing summit 2020

The Shift Network has brought us yet another astounding gathering of world teachers in the recently concluded Ancestral Healing Summit, held online on February 17 to 21, 2020.

Progeny of past generations, we are all influenced and impacted in our present lives and the world we are currently born into. At this summit various speakers from a variety of diverse backgrounds offer alternatives to explore sacred connections with our ancestors. 

Tapping into their wisdom to heal old wounds in the self and our lineage - biological and spiritual. Creating connections that could help cultivate forgiveness and closure. With a loved one who has passed or some long gone ancestors we may never have met. 

Invoking the healing wisdom of our ancestors to provide us with healthier options and processes for healing to occur. In loving support for those we have a positive connection with. In honorable closure that liberates negative inheritance. 

The best take away from the experience is creating a reciprocal circle or cycle of healing support between our past and present. One that can bring about a brighter and better future - for all. Individual, family, community and world wide - we all benefit. 

Healing of our ancestors is healing for ourselves. We are all descendants that originated from one source.