Ancestral healing is such a profound and beautiful form of healing. It holds the potential to unlock deep layers of pain relief, let go of toxic patterns, and bring immense clarity and freedom into our lives.
What is Ancestral Healing?
At its core, ancestral healing is about releasing old memories, habits, and energetic imprints that our ancestors carried—and unknowingly passed down through generations. These burdens, rooted in trauma or belief systems, can weave themselves into our DNA, quietly influencing how we think, feel, and behave.
Picture this: a baby is born, carrying the hopes and joys of a new beginning. Yet, alongside that potential, they inherit the unhealed wounds of their lineage—the pain, trauma, and patterns of their ancestors. The baby grows into an adult, often unaware that what they carry within them isn’t entirely their own.
Ancestral healing becomes necessary when we notice toxic traits or limiting beliefs within ourselves that feel immovable, almost as if they’re etched into the fabric of who we are.
My Personal Experience with Ancestral Healing
For most of my life, I carried a limiting belief around financial success that I couldn’t shake. Deep down, I felt as though it wasn’t okay for me to surpass my parents financially—as if being more successful than them would dishonor them. Logically, I knew this wasn’t true. My parents have always been loving and supportive, but the feeling persisted like an invisible wall I couldn’t break through.
I spent years working on this block. I tried everything: past-life regression, energy work, soul retrievals, inner child healing, and countless sessions with gifted practitioners. Still, the belief remained: I wasn’t allowed to create my own wealth or abundance—it had to come from someone or something else.
Eventually, it became clear that this wasn’t just my issue; it was ancestral. I realized I needed to explore my lineage, and ancestral healing was the path forward. I felt that this belief was deeply tied to one grandmother who had experienced great poverty and fear during the war in England. Her struggles with scarcity and survival seemed to have left an energetic imprint that continued to ripple through our family line. I imagined it went much further back than her and that too had been carrying ancestral trauma.
Preparing for Healing
Before diving into the healing process, I connected with my heart for guidance. It gently reminded me to approach this work with patience and tenderness. Healing wouldn’t happen overnight, and that was okay. I was reminded to create a safe and supportive space for myself—whether through a warm bath, a comforting cup of tea, or time in nature with my puppy.
My heart also encouraged me to express gratitude to my family and honor them with a small fire ceremony. This ritual would symbolize releasing the old and making space for new energy to flow.
The Ceremony
I created a sacred space, laying out my gemstone mat, lighting a candle, and gathering a photo of my grandmother, whom I felt the ancestral trauma came from as she suffered through great poverty during the war. I intuitively felt that this healing was tied to her lineage. With my singing bowl, drum, and sacred herbs, I entered into a meditative state to begin the ceremony.
During the session, I experienced vivid visions of my ancestors. While I won’t share all the details out of respect for their privacy, I saw pivotal moments that had created these patterns.
One vision took me back to the 16th or 17th century. An ancestor's daughter received financial help from an external source to support the family when her father couldn’t due to his struggles with addiction. The mother, overwhelmed by shame, felt that the family’s honor had been tarnished. That shame left an imprint on the family’s DNA—a belief that parents must always provide and that children should never surpass their parents financially.
Another vision revealed a grandson several generations later. Conditioned by his father’s fear of financial instability, he tightly controlled the family’s money. When he discovered his wife had an inheritance set aside for their children, he refused to let them access it until after his death, reinforcing the power dynamic that children shouldn’t exceed their parents.
Processing and Releasing
After the ceremony, I journaled everything I saw and felt. I laid on my gemstone mat to process the emotions and insights. As I began to drum, I felt my spirit team’s presence. They offered to help release the cellular memory of these ancestral traumas, and I gratefully accepted.
The energy began to move through my body, shifting and releasing. I drifted in and out of a deep meditative state, eventually falling asleep. When I woke up, I felt lighter. Thinking about money no longer felt charged; it felt open, exciting, and full of possibility.
To complete the healing, I burned my journaled notes in my wood stove, offering cleansing herbs to the flames. Watching the paper turn to ash, I felt a profound sense of release.
Wait and Watch the Magick Happen
In the days that followed, I honored the process with rest, a cleansing herbal bath, and gentle self-care. It took about 5 days for the energy to fully integrate. I remember drifting off to sleep one night, feeling deeply empowered, as though I was worth all the money in the world. I sensed that blocks had been lifted, and I could think clearly about things that had once felt out of reach. The next morning, I received the most unexpected and beautiful blessing—news that I was to receive a significant sum of money later that day. How incredible.
As my Grandmother used to say, the proof is in the pudding.
Why I Share This with You
Ancestral healing is powerful work. If you’ve ever felt stuck in patterns or beliefs that don’t feel entirely yours—like they’ve been passed down through the generations—know that you have the power to change them.
Start by connecting with your heart and asking where to begin. You don’t have to rush the process. Healing takes time, intention, and patience. But when you’re ready, ancestral healing can open doors to freedom you didn’t know were possible.
Practices You Can Do To Heal Ancestral Trauma
Healing ancestral trauma is a deeply personal and sacred process. Setting the right tone and creating a safe, intentional space for this work can make all the difference. Here’s a guide to help you begin:
Guided Support or DIY: Choose Your Path
Below, I’ve outlined an ancestral healing practice you can do on your own. However, if you prefer a guided experience, you might explore ancestral healing meditations on YouTube. While I can’t personally recommend specific ones, trust your intuition. If a particular meditation resonates with you, give it a try and see how it aligns with your intentions. You can also integrate a YouTube meditation into the ritual below for a more personalized and supportive experience.
ANCESTRAL HEALING RITUAL
Suggested Supplies You'll Need: (all optional)
Water or tea
Candles
Incense
Relaxing music
Journal and pen
Sacred herbs for smoke cleansing
Any personal sacred items such as crystals, ancestors items, or healing tools
A lighter
A cozy blanket
Pictures of ancestors
Create a Sacred Space
Choose a day when you have no pressing obligations and time to rest deeply afterward. Set up your space with care and intention. Light candles or incense, cleanse your space and yourself with a smoke or spray cleanse, and include any items that feel meaningful. If you feel drawn to a specific ancestor, you can place a photo of them in your space to help you connect.
Steps to Begin:
Settle into Your Space:
Once your space is ready, sit comfortably. Close your eyes and take 15 slow, deep breaths, focusing on your heart space.
Call in Protection and Support:
Invite your ancestors of love and light to surround you with protection and guidance during this healing process.
Set Clear Intentions:
As you work, hold the intention to heal in alignment with your highest good. Trust that by calling on the support of your loving ancestors and listening to your heart, you are creating the foundation for powerful transformation.
Ask Your Heart for Guidance:
Gently ask your heart what it would like to heal. Be open to whatever arises—it could be a known block or something you weren’t consciously aware of.
Hold Space and Journal:
Write down any sensations, thoughts, or images that come up. Ask your ancestors for further guidance about what you need to release or understand to heal. Allow your intuition to guide you, and go at a pace that feels right for you.
Healing Meditation:
If you connect to a specific ancestral trauma, thank your ancestors for showing it to you. Imagine a radiant white and golden light flowing into the areas of your body where the trauma is held, filling your cells with healing energy. Visualize the light traveling through the lineage of your ancestors, dissolving the trauma and alchemizing it into pure love.
Cleanse:
Burn anything you’ve written down that you feel ready to release in a safe fire. As the paper turns to ash, imagine the energy transforming and dissolving. Use sacred smoke or other cleansing methods to clear your space and yourself.
Express Gratitude:
Thank your ancestors and your heart for their guidance and support. Gratitude closes the circle of healing and deepens your connection to yourself and your lineage.
Nurture Yourself:
After your session, hydrate well and rest as much as you need. Integration is an essential part of healing, so allow yourself to take it slow and listen to your body’s needs. Be aware of any subtle or notable shifts you may feel.
Ancestral healing doesn’t have to be rushed—it’s a process that unfolds over time. Trust your intuition and give yourself the space to rest and integrate after each session. You are divinely supported in this journey, and by healing yourself, you also create healing for your ancestors and future generations. May your journey bring you peace, clarity, and the joy of stepping into the fullness of who you truly are.
Take it slow, be gentle, and let your heart lead the way. 💛
With Love and Gratitude,
Alexandra
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