For over twenty years I searched for the right type of ancestral work. I knew it was something I was meant to do, but nothing I came across ever quite fitted with the way I work. I explored different approaches over the years, hoping one day I would find something that felt right, but I never did. There was always something that didn't quite resonate with me.
Then, about two years ago, I found an approach that immediately felt different. It wasn't that somebody had told me this was the right way, it was simply that I knew. It sat comfortably with everything I already understood about energy, dowsing and working intuitively. Looking back now, I think I had probably been searching for it all that time.
I work with those ancestors who are the most healed and well. Before I begin, I dowse to find out which ancestral strand I need to work with. The first one I was guided towards was my father's father's line, which I found really interesting because I never knew him. He died many years before I was born, so there were no memories or family stories to draw on.
Once I'd identified the line, I connected in with those ancestors who were the most healed and well. They became the ones I worked with to help heal those ancestors between them and me. This isn't about connecting with a grandparent or great aunt that you've known. The work takes me much further back than that, to ancestors whose names have long since been forgotten.
As I worked through the different family lines, I kept coming across something I hadn't expected. The only way I can describe it is like the layers archaeologists and geologists see when they cut down through the earth. Running across every family line there seemed to be a dark layer, almost like a seam of coal.
I wasn't actually seeing coal, but that's the closest comparison I can make. It felt as though it related to the Industrial Revolution. I can't say for certain that it did, but that was how it presented itself to me. Whatever happened around that point in history didn't feel good, so I found myself going much further back to connect with ancestors who were healed enough to support the work with those who came afterwards.
Over the last two years I have worked with my father's father's line, my mother's father's line and my mother's mother's line. Each one has taken as long as it has needed to. This isn't something that happens over a weekend. It takes time to connect in, understand what you're being shown and allow the work to unfold. Some parts moved more quickly than others, but I learnt quite early on that there was no point trying to hurry things along. Each ancestral strand seemed to have its own pace.
When I first connected with my father's father's lineage, it took a little while for the guides and spirits to work out that I was genuine. The only way I can explain it is that it almost felt as though nobody had knocked on their door for a very long time, or connected with them in that way for a very long time.
I didn't expect anything dramatic to happen. I simply kept connecting in, spending time with the work and allowing the relationship to develop naturally. As the weeks went by, the connection became stronger and the work gradually unfolded.
At the beginning of this work, I created an ancestral altar quite deliberately. I wanted a dedicated space where I could connect in with whichever ancestral strand I was working with at the time, and it became an important part of my practice.
As the months passed, I realised I didn't always need to be sitting at my altar to connect in. These days I often find the strongest connections happen when I'm out in nature or walking the dogs. There's something about being outdoors that allows me to settle into the work just as easily as I do at home. The altar is still very much part of my practice, but it's no longer the only place where I connect with my ancestors.
A couple of years ago I was on retreat in Spain. We'd been working shamanically on the land beside an ancient standing stone with cup and ring marks that had been there for thousands of years. I'd finished the work I had been asked to do, so rather than sit waiting for everyone else, I decided to spend some time continuing with my ancestral work.
I sat beside the standing stone and connected in. Almost straight away I could feel the difference. Everything seemed to flow much more freely and it was there that my father's father's line finally cleared. I hadn't gone there expecting that to happen. In fact, I was simply filling a little time before everyone gathered together again. Looking back, though, it felt completely right that it happened there, beside a standing stone that had witnessed generations of people come and go.
I'm now feeling the pull towards my father's mother's line, which is the last major piece of work still to do. I can feel it's time to start. The first thing I do is find the vessel I'll be working with. Once I have that, I connect in with that ancestral strand and allow the work to unfold.
My intention from the very beginning has always been to do this work for the generations that come after me. When I first started, I was thinking about my sons. Now I also think about my grandson.
None of us can change the past, but I do believe we can work with it. If I can help clear even a little of what has travelled through my family line, then perhaps my sons and grandson will have the opportunity to move forward a little less burdened by it. That's always been my reason for doing this work.
I don't know what this final ancestral line will bring. The last two years have shown me that every family line is different. Each has its own story, each unfolds in its own time, and I've learnt not to force it. I simply connect in, trust what I'm being shown and continue with the work.
This is the first blog in my Summer Special series. Over the coming weeks I'll be sharing more about the different aspects of my ancestral work, how I came to work with those ancestors who are the most healed and well, and some of the experiences I've had along the way.
