Ancestor Work Series #1 - What is Ancestor Work

 

Let’s get something straight: ancestor work isn’t cosplay, and it’s not about putting your racist great-uncle on a pedestal OR carrying guilt for what he did and said.

It’s a sacred practice rooted in connection with history, with blood, with spirit, and with the wisdom encoded in your DNA. Ancestor work is a way of tapping into the massive archive of experience that came before you, so you can carry forward what’s useful, break what’s harmful, and heal what’s still echoing in your bones.

“You’re not the beginning, you’re the continuation.”

So What *Is* Ancestor Work?
At its core, it’s a relationship. You build it like any relationship: with curiosity, respect, boundaries, and time. You’re connecting with those who came before you, biological or spiritual and acknowledging the impact they still have on your life, consciously or unconsciously.

This isn’t about idealizing your lineage. It’s about meeting it with open eyes. Some ancestors are wise and benevolent. Some were hurt. Some were harmful. Ancestor work doesn’t ask you to gloss over that. It asks you to face it, honor what’s true, and discern what legacy you’re carrying by choice or default.

What Ancestor Work Isn’t:
- It’s not pretending everyone in your family tree was a saint
- It’s not bypassing your own healing by praying to the past
- It’s not about spiritual nationalism or purity myths
- It’s not performative ritual without actual connection

Why It Matters
You carry their stories. In your body. In your patterns. In your dreams. Ignoring that doesn’t erase the influence it just keeps it unconscious. When you engage with your lineage, you unlock access to resilience, creativity, strength, survival, and wisdom you didn’t know you had.

It’s not just healing backward. It’s healing in every direction.

Try This:
- Light a candle and say your ancestors’ names (if known). If you don’t know them, speak to “the well and wise ones” of your line.
- Ask yourself: “What unspoken patterns run through my family, and what ends with me?”
- Keep a journal of dreams, synchronicities, or intuitive hits that feel ancestral

This is the beginning of a powerful relationship. And like all real relationships, it requires presence, respect, and your whole, honest self.

Coming next: **Lineage as a Library—Why Your Ancestors Are More Than DNA**