A few weeks ago I had the great pleasure to work with a woman who came to me from a different place than most. She didn't have significant trauma in this life or anything she was struggling with on a regular basis that was weighing her down. She didn't have any symptoms or complaints about where her life was - she was happy, content and fulfilled. She came to me because intuitively she felt like she was supposed to sit in Ceremony after meeting me a few weeks earlier at an unrelated event - and so she listened to that call. She claimed that she "always knew that she was the one who was here to heal her family", but didn't really even know what that meant.
This was her first time working with any Plant Medicine or psychedelics at all. I think about how brave the act of contacting me was - her being in her 70s with no experience in this realm and willing to take the great leap to dive in. Following your intuition this deep can be challenging for so many people and I truly applaud it.
When I met with her initially, I knew she was special. I mean, we are all special in our ways, but she was different. She had angel energy written all over her and truly resembled the magnificent child-like beings of that realm. Angel energy is very playful and light. It is like being in the presence of a childlike wonder and joy - something I struggle with at this time on a personal level and so I am acutely aware of it. I had no idea what there was that I could possibly offer to her based on my initial impression, but remained open to whatever wanted to come through.
And then our Ceremony day came. This was my first Ceremony where the participant exclusively experienced a long sequence of healing their ancestors and it was truly magnificent. Typically, I can see these things occur, but it often becomes a wild blur to the person sitting in Ceremony. There is usually so much going on, that they are only vaguely aware of ancestral energy that is in the mix. I feel it pretty strongly myself because clearing ancestral stuff tends to be the most dense and heavy of energies to me. A lot of people can't move through it on their own and so that's where I come in during our work together.
So upon going into the energetic space on our Ceremony day, it became apparent that she was carrying a tremendous load of grief that was not hers. She was brought several generations back into her family and faced with great grandparents, who were immigrants and victims of both war and illness. She spent hours with each ancestor that came down that line, being shown what they went through and how challenging it was. She was shown the complexities of the time and place in which they lived, the personal loss and turmoil, and then reconnected with the spirit of one in particular. This ancestor suffered so much loss and heartbreak, that he never fully moved on. The grief had passed from descendant to descendant, destroying some family members who were not able to hold space for that energy.
What this ancestor experienced was so devastating and traumatic, that it just kept getting passed down until someone was able to carry and release it. And that person was the woman who was laying in front of me. She spent hours with this ancestor, showing him empathy and compassion, as well as reassuring him that he could let go of this grief - that it didn't need to pass down the family line any longer.
He was moved on completely in this experience and the underlying grief had been lifted from this woman.
I met with her last week and she told me about how things have been since our Ceremony. She says she feels unburdened for the first time in her life. Like she can really live to the fullest extent and whatever has been holding her back is now gone. She even booked some travel for the first time in a long time because all of her resistance to travel had been lifted.
She said she felt free.
Although I personally see a lot of ancestral healing being done, it was quite the treat to watch someone experience it for themselves in real time. It is also a reminder that sometimes you are called to Plant Medicine work without having a specific struggle or thing to heal. Trust me when I tell you that it is always worth listening to that call.
