The Importance of Ancestral Spirits Part Two • Crystal Healing Techniques

Spirit Report: The Importance of Ancestral Spirits Part Two
See Part One here

On my Shamanic Journey, the Spirits say that another really important aspect of connecting with ancestors is—to see the actions and attitudes of ancestors who were extremely loving, particularly in their family situation.

And while some of us may feel that we haven’t directly experienced the kind of love that we theoretically would have liked to have experienced—maybe we have, but maybe we haven’t—that we nevertheless have role models. That’s the point: our ancestors are role models, our benevolent, compassionate ancestors are role models.

And while we might not have been shown or taught things directly by our own immediate parents or grandparents, that doesn’t mean we can’t access those lessons and those teachings. And the great advantage of connecting with ancestors is we can access their examples, the example that they set of being loving and being kind.

And we can invite them to show us and to teach us and to love us. And just as there is that (what’s become almost a glib, unfortunately, saying), but it’s meant to be a profound guidance for us to ask in a situation, a tricky situation where we’re trying to decide the best course of action where we ask, “What would Jesus do?”

So similarly, we can have a favorite ancestral role model, where we ask, “What would such and such an ancestor do?” And it could be a parent, it could be a grandparent, it could be an uncle, it could be an aunt, it could be a grandmother.

And they say that in contemporary societies that are more connected with their spiritual path, like, for example, the Navajo, just to give one example, but other shamanically connected societies, there’s an unbelievable reverence for the ancestors and appreciating them and making them offerings,and gifting them—having an altar where we could now have photographs of ancestors or even just their names.

And we offer tokens of appreciation, and in traditional spiritual societies, it could be salt, it could be tobacco, it could be sweet perfumes, could be chocolate. The point is just that we are in some way making the effort of expressing appreciation and, in that way, connecting. The point is connecting with ancestral guidance.

1. And it’s a way of—it’s a very powerful way of bypassing or limiting our egoic selfishness, selfish natures, where we are governed by fear and governed by greed and governed by a sense of lack, where we’ve got our emotional baggage that is influencing how we make decisions.

And to again say, “You know, what would grandma XX do? What would great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather do?” How can we be guided by their wisdom?

And then there’s, you could always call it a version of entertainment, but there are lessons to be learned there as well, of just doing a shamanic journey and observing ancestors. And it could be observing them appreciate and enjoy, observing them cope with adversity.

And knowing that we belong in this long, long, long chain of ancestors, that we too will take our place in the chain of ancestors. And we have an opportunity for the generations who hopefully will come ahead of us that we can be compassionate, wise ancestors.

You know, do we want to step up to our progeny, our future generations, viewing us as benevolent and wise and compassionate, or will future generations who may connect with their ancestral spirits feel that we maybe don’t have that much to offer because we didn’t really emphasize living lives of integrity and kindness?

So like it or not, we are in this chain of ancestors. We are ancestors to be. And they say there’s another aspect that we can connect with ancestors and give them our love and give them our appreciation. And this could be very immediate ancestors, like parents who, maybe when they were alive, we didn’t really express our most heartfelt appreciation and love.

Maybe we just didn’t appreciate how much they had cared for us. And connecting with them is an opportunity to, in a sense, address that deficit, to go and tell them how much we really appreciate what they did for us, how they cared for us, how they loved us.

And also, in some instances, it may be to express our forgiveness. There might be aspects of their experience with us where forgiveness from us to them is going to be constructive. And we certainly know how we would like forgiveness from future generations for aspects of our own lives that have not been as constructive as we would like.

And we would wish to be understood and forgiven. We recognize our shortcomings, and we ask for forgiveness. And so we can express forgiveness to ancestors as well, where we might feel there was a shortcoming. And it’s not just forgiveness. Forgiveness is in the context of understanding.

We have a better understanding of why they behaved in the way they did. So forgiveness is easier when we have insight into their situations.

And there is wisdom. We might be—an example could be we’re wanting to cook something. This might seem a very mundane but practical aspect, where there is a recipe that we’re not sure about or we’re uncertain of, and we can call on an ancestor, like maybe we have a great-grandparent who was an extremely good cook. And we can call on them to give us insight in how to prepare a dish, what to add, what to leave out. Very interesting.

Or we’re doing an artwork, and we’re at a point where we’re feeling a little bit stuck or lacking in inspiration, and we call on a particular benevolent ancestor to give us guidance and an ability to move forward where we might be feeling stuck.

So these are just some ways, some benefits of connecting with benevolent, compassionate ancestors. And my spirits tell me what a phenomenal resource that is—to have thousands of generations of experience to acknowledge and draw on and appreciate.

And again, they say, “Don’t forget the responsibility that we have to play our part in being a constructive link in the ancestral chain.”

Wow.

So… I thank the spirits, and I’m seeing grandparents of mine, and I just want to kiss them. I see my maternal grandmother, and it’s very moving to me, and I kiss her cheek. And I see my maternal grandfather, and I kiss his cheek. And I see my paternal grandfather, and I kiss his cheek. And I see my paternal grandmother, and I kiss her cheek.

It is very moving and brings tears to me for this opportunity. And you realize that they’re not gone from our lives, far from it. I say, “Thank you, spirits.” And I feel I’m going to return now to the lower world.

I say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” And I go back down the steps, down the pink steps. I have tears in my eyes from this experience, and I go down the energy beam, energy thread, lower, lower, lower, back to the middle world here.

And this was a very powerful experience, and I really hope it will be of benefit and inspirational to everybody who hears this journey.

Thank you, beloved spirits. And thank you to my teachers, my teachers who taught me shamanism, introduced me to shamanism, for giving me a way in this powerful, powerful experience.

Thank you.

And here are some additional points:

Ancestral Spirits hold a central role in Shamanism all over the world – our Ancestors can support us with Wisdom, Help, Healing, Guidance and Protection. They can be hugely helpful in our everyday lives, personally, and in our communities

Ancestors have been, and still are revered in Shamanic cultures and are honored as having wisdom and insights into both earthly Middle World and Spiritual realms. Ancestral Spirits are able to influence the living very positively and so honoring and connecting with these spirits is crucial for us individually and for our communities.

1. Ancestral spirits are sources of wisdom drawn from our earliest beginnings as humans, as they have experienced the full spectrum of Middle World human existence, and after death, Spiritual existence.
   We can do Shamanic Journeys to these Ancestral Spirits, requesting guidance on issues that affect both individuals and the community.

These insights from Ancestors provide a Spiritual context that is essential to decision-making, and maintaining harmony and balance within the community.

2. Ancestors have healing powers that can be channeled through the shaman to the living. In traditional Siberian shamanism, for example, shamans connect with ancestors to obtain knowledge of healing plants and Spiritual rituals that relieve ailments of both physical and spiritual origin. Ancestral Spirits offer protection, warding off malevolent forces or entities or energies and guiding individuals away from danger. This protective role is dominant in African shamanic traditions, where ancestors shield families from harmful influences and contribute to the community’s overall well-being.

3. Ancestral Spirits help to restore harmony when imbalances arise, often due to unresolved conflicts, harmful actions, or natural disasters. In Hawaiian shamanic tradition (Ho’oponopono), Ancestral Spirits are invoked to resolve conflicts within families. By honoring these Spirits, shamans seek to rectify disturbances, allowing peace and healing to re-enter the community.

4. Ancestral spirits are integral to rites of passage, such as birth, coming-of-age, marriage, and death ceremonies. In Indigenous African and Native American cultures, shamans invoke Ancestors to bless these transitions and offer guidance. For young initiates, connecting with the spirit of an Ancestor provides a Spiritual Mentor as they step into adulthood. This connection helps them carry forward the values, beliefs, and wisdom of the community, ensuring cultural continuity.

A shaman’s role in a community extends beyond simple communication; they maintain the relationships with Ancestral Spirits through rituals, offerings, and Journeys. Its a reciprocal relationship: Ancestral spirits provide guidance and protection, while shamans and community members honor Ancestral spirits with ceremonies, feasts, or offerings.

Integrating ancestral wisdom into our daily lives is very beneficial, offering a sense of rootedness, identity, and resilience that is especially meaningful in these times of great conflict and uncertainty.

This reverence for our benevolent Ancestors supports us in knowing that human existence is woven into the infinite mystery tapestry of Time, Nature, and Spirit, and is part of the heart of shamanic wisdom.