Every ancestral lineage had its own way of communicating with me. When I first began, I was trying to understand how the whole process worked. It was completely new to me. I was meditating on my ancestors and trying to work out which lineage I would begin with. It felt almost as though I was knocking on their doors to see if they were in, and more importantly, whether they were happy for me to be there.
As I was tuning into each lineage, something caught my attention. The only way I can describe it is as a layer that looked like coal running through every family line. If a geologist or an archaeologist uncovered layers in the earth, they might say, "Something significant happened here." That's how this felt to me. Because I read cards visually, I'm used to information being shown to me rather than spoken. When something appears like that, I pay attention. My instinct was that this dark layer related to the Industrial Revolution, although I can't say that with certainty. It was simply how it presented itself to me. At that point I hadn't even begun working with individual lineages, but that image stayed with me.
When I eventually began working with my father's father's line, I was shown something completely unexpected. I needed a vessel that would contain those ancestors who weren't yet healed and well. Whether everyone experiences ancestral work in that way I don't know. This is simply how it unfolded for me. The vessel that appeared was a bone china teacup and saucer. It was white with a beautiful floral pattern, and I remember smiling because I've always loved pretty bone china. Tea somehow tastes better from a fine china cup than it does from a thick mug. It felt familiar and comforting, and once I accepted that this was the way the work was going to be shown to me, it made perfect sense. Perhaps the ancestors knew that teacups meant something to me, or perhaps they meant something within that lineage. I stopped trying to work everything out and simply accepted what I was being shown.
Inside that teacup were the ancestors who still needed healing. They reminded me of the little black Imps sweets I remember from being a child, or perhaps tiny Borrowers climbing out of the cup. One by one they emerged and were met by the ancestors who were already healed and well. Those healed ancestors welcomed them, worked with them and gradually they too became healed and well. I simply kept turning up. I'd connect, wait and watch another one emerge. Eventually there came a day when nothing climbed out of the cup. That was how I knew that lineage was complete. That happened when I was away in Spain on a retreat, which I describe in another blog.
When I moved on to my mother's father's line, the vessel was completely different. This time it was a beautifully carved wooden bowl. I've always loved wood, especially when it's been carved and polished. One of my favourite crystals is petrified wood, so again it felt completely natural to me. Looking back, the wooden bowl also seemed to fit the energy of that lineage. My mother's father's ancestors felt very shamanic to me, so the symbolism made sense. Again, I hadn't chosen the vessel. It arrived during meditation. That became something I trusted. I realised I didn't need to invent anything or force anything. My role was simply to keep showing up and pay attention.
My mother's mother's lineage unfolded differently. For quite a while I couldn't see what the vessel was at all, which surprised me because by then I'd almost expected one to appear. It took much longer before it finally became clear. The vessel turned out to be a chalice, and what I found particularly interesting was that it came to me whilst I was in Glastonbury on a trip last year. At the time I simply accepted it, but as the work unfolded and the energy of that lineage became clearer, it made perfect sense. The energy that came through felt very much like an ancient Earth Goddess energy, so somehow the symbolism of the chalice seemed completely fitting. Once it appeared, everything flowed much more quickly and naturally. Many years before we had been staying at an old Inn in Cartmel. I was woken in the middle of the night to see an image of a flame rising through the floor and an ancient energy come through. I tried to wake Tony as I was a bit frightened, but I couldn't wake him, and I settled into the connection of wisdom coming through.
Each lineage seemed to choose its own way of communicating with me. The vessels weren't things I selected or tried to imagine. They arrived during meditation, and over time I learned to trust what I was being shown. I think each lineage chose a different vessel because each carried its own personality and its own energy. It was almost their way of letting me know exactly who I was working with. It reminded me very much of the early days when I first began working with Spirit many years ago. I've often described it as being at nursery school. Nothing was overwhelming and nothing happened all at once. Instead, I was shown things a little at a time, each piece building on the last until eventually the picture became clear. I think my ancestors worked with me in much the same way.
Even now, this isn't something I can timetable. I can't decide that I'm going to sit down at eight o'clock on a Friday evening and connect with my ancestors. For me, it doesn't work like that. Sometimes something happens straight away and sometimes it doesn't. I keep knocking on the door, so to speak, and when the time is right, they come forward. The ancestors who are already healed and well are always there too, and I've often felt that they are almost introducing me, reassuring those ancestors who still need healing that they can trust me and that it's safe to step forward.
As I'm writing this, we're away in Glastonbury again and I've only just begun working with my father's mother's lineage. I asked to be shown the vessel that would contain those ancestors, and this time I was shown a cauldron. Unlike the other vessels, this one already contained a fire. None of the previous vessels had anything in them apart from the implied ancestors waiting to emerge. This one was different. I couldn't help noticing the connection with Holy Fire Reiki and its flame, although I don't know whether that's significant or not. I know not to rush ahead or make assumptions. I simply keep showing up, trusting that, in time, my ancestors will reveal what I need to know next.
