For my entire life, the word Ancestors held no real meaning to me. They were a people that were long forgotten. They were a mystery to me, something I learned about in history class but had no real connection to. I had heard the story of my roots from my Abuelo (Grandfather).
He taught me the story of my people, the Taino Indians. They were the indigenous people that lived in the Caribbean centuries ago. They were invaded, raped, and murdered by the Conquistadores. Their way of life was lost and forgotten. Their language, exempting a few words, was erased.
The very name, Taino, is not a name most people recognize, and yet, their blood and ways live on in their descendants. I experienced a renewed interest in my Ancestors and how they lived their life after my sister Iris shared that she was doing research and trying to learn as much as possible about their lifestyle.
It hadn’t been on my mind previous to this, but hearing her interest stirred my own. I am so grateful to her for this gift, for it started me on a personal journey to connect with them. Before this entered my field of consciousness, I had always felt like something was missing from my life.
I looked at the world around me and felt this wasn’t the way it was supposed to be. But what plagued me for so many years was WHAT? What was missing? I’ve recently come to realize the answer to that question is my ancestral traditions, songs, dances, knowledge, sense of community, and union with all living beings.
This is the loss I had been experiencing. We are taught that our ancestors are people that lived and died. What I’ve come to realize is that our ancestors aren’t dead beings that one day ceased to exist. I see now that they live on in me. All of their knowledge and ways are contained within my energy field.
We have the power to access this knowledge through meditation and inner journeying by being still and opening our hearts to their whispers and counsel. I called upon my ancestors for their guidance to help me remember the old ways. Through this, I have come to see my life more richly.
My ancestors are helping me get back in touch with my roots. They’ve shown me how to dance from and with spirit, how to open ceremony, manifest my desires, honor my emotions, and how to commune with Gaia (Mother Earth). They are my loving guides and are showing me how to trust my intuition to live a life grounded in self-love and self-trust.
I have a deeper relationship now with Gaia. She shows me how everything is alive—the Moon, the Sun, Stones, Grass, Trees, Water, and on and on. I’ve been learning how to communicate and learn from these elements from one of my teachers.
Her name is Chantal, and she is brilliant at what she does. She recently had us do an exercise where we spoke to a plant and a crystal. The plant I chose was one my son had planted himself at school. It was still a baby. What took me by surprise was the wisdom I felt emanating from this young plant.
An ancient wisdom, I came to understand, that was passed from plant to seedling. The plant showed me how he was bonded to my son. I could feel the love he felt for him, and it touched my heart deeply. The crystal I chose to speak with was a selenite wand I used during my reiki sessions.
As I entered the crystal, I sensed it vibrating at a high frequency. She showed me how much she loves being at my Reiki sessions because Reiki is high vibrational healing light. This filled me with pure joy. I feel bonded now to both my selenite crystal and my son’s plant.
It makes me think that if we took the time to really get to know the beings around us, it would make it more difficult to harm that which we come to know and love. Both of these experiences changed the way I view inanimate objects. I’ve come to see they are not objects at all but beings that are very much alive and full of love.
The more I learn from my teacher, the more tools I have available to me. I use these tools to deepen my connection to my ancestors, the Great Spirit within me, and the Divine beauty that’s all around me. My ancestors are the roots that tether me to this palpable ancient wisdom.
This ever-deepening knowing makes me feel secure and unstoppable, like I can reach for anything I set my mind to. I feel fierce, powerful, and tied to the very being of the Universe. The deeper I go within, the more I feel surrounded by unconditional love.
I see that everything is love and that it is this love that will heal our planet and all the living organisms on it. Our ancestors hold the knowledge and wisdom of living in harmony with nature, and the more we practice listening, the better chance we have to make choices that will influence all living beings for the better.
Quotes:
We inherit from our ancestors gifts so often taken for granted. Each of us contain within, this inheritance of soul. We are links between the ages, containing past and present expectations, sacred memories and future promise. – Edward Sellner
To forget one’s ancestors is to be a brook without a source, a tree without a root. – Chinese Proverb
Walking, I am listening to a deeper way. Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. Be still, they say. Watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands. – Linda Hogan
When our hearts turn to our ancestors something changes inside us. – Russell M. Nelson
Open you ears to the ancestors, and you will understand the language of spirits. – African Proverbs
There is the world of the flesh, and there is the Spirit world. When the flesh is gone, the Spirit forever remains. Their voices speak to those who know how to listen. Wisdom is born in the heart, and then spoken. – Wolf Clan Song