When you are blocked from your own Ancestral Legacy, how do you even start the healing process?
Some thoughts on how I personally navigate Cultural Appropriation in my own practice, there are other valid opinions. There are many reasons for a disconnect with your Ancestral Legacy, trauma in a multitude of forms is often a primary reason. Some of this trauma is perpetrated within your lifetime; divorce, physical abuse, sexual violation, neglect and death. Much of it has roots in patterns of trauma perpetrated over generations. I know that through my own life experiences, both lived trauma and the ancestral trauma helped me form an energetic brick wall between myself and consciously reaching the legacy of my bloodline for any reason, good or bad. It was a thick and tall wall, that no amount of connection could break and any attempts from the other side, merely strengthened it. Accessing the healing practices of my own ancestors felt improbable, if not impossible.
Indigenous peoples of the world have deep connections to their ancestral legacy and traditions, they are powerful and healing. They are often pretty and attractive and are exciting because they are ‘different’ and exotic. When we have Ancestral Trauma wounds, we are often floundering in these realms of spirituality and healing, wishing for connections that are not easily plugged into. Just as it is easier to help another, be it a friend or charity in a foreign land, than it is to help yourself or your own family or community, it is so often easier to reach for traditions outside our own heritage when looking for those connections.
Easier does not mean it is a better or worse choice, because if a hammer is your only tool, you might need to use it to fashion a tool that is more effective for your work. But how you reach for the tool, how you value the tool and how you continue to use the tool are vastly important if you do not wish to create even more Ancestral Trauma, rather than healing what you already carry today. The term tool, is used as an analogy to any practice, ceremony or object that can be used in spiritual and healing practices.
Demanding the right to use practices, with your attitude, actions or money is not an appropriate reach for a tool in my humble opinion. The privilege of walking in the world as a dominant member of society can play heavily in spiritual arenas and has caused untold trauma around the world. Respecting the rights of those who carry the traditions in their bloodline is key to reciprocity when tipping your toes in these spiritual practices. Respectful inquiry, valuing the cultural legacy and those who hold it is a more healing path.
When you have been gifted with any ceremony or object (and by gifted, I mean the respectful sharing of it, despite any monetary transaction that may have occurred) as a tool for spirituality and healing, gratitude for the gift from the ancestral legacy of the practice is another key for me. This gratitude must include respect for the current members of the community, their ancestors and all the traumas they have endured throughout the ages of colonialism and domination of indigenous spiritual practices throughout the world. If that seems entirely too heavy to bear, perhaps you aren’t the right recipient for that sacred tool.
The third key to navigating these spiritual practices, is honestly how I came to focus on Ancestral Trauma Healing. I was giving the opportunity and gift of learning a unique practice from South America. I employed that tool in private spiritual healing that led to the healing of my own personal Ancestral Trauma. I expanded it to help close friends and a couple of referrals. As the healing progressed, I found myself reaching into my own well of Ancestral Healing practices. Digging, researching and connecting in ways that were unimaginable when I was first introduced to the practices. Over the years, my practice has blended the unique perspectives and insights, only found through the use of the gifted tools and practices, with my own personal insights and connections. It’s a fine line to not desecrate these gifts of healing, with use that would be unethical to the core beliefs of the indigenous tradition, as well as never negating the power and impact the core practices bring to my healing. I do this by always invoking Love, Service and Wisdom when doing the work.
How you personally navigate the delicate balance between healing, respect and community, will vary depending on your own path, what tools and practices you encounter and how they impact your life. But I would encourage self-reflection about why they are important, why they crossed your path and how you will weave them with respect into your own practices. I will continue to apply Reciprocity, Gratitude and Respect for myself and others; as the keys for navigating these choices in my own life.
Disclaimer: The ideas expressed in this blog are reflective of my personal path and experience. They are not presented as ‘truth’ to anyone but myself. I hope that they might spur insights in your own life and practices, but each of us have our own journey.