​A beautiful meditation to connect with your family tree, tap into the medicine of your lineage that you cary inside and see it flowing forward to your future generations.

It all started with two books and two conversations. Nine years ago I read a book, which was an autobiography of a person I knew. In it he described, among other things, the connection between his childhood and adulthood; especially his relationship with his mother and the three failed engagement proposals. He then described how in his seventies he came across family healing work and did a lot of forgiveness around his childhood, having cathartic release of the years of pain and hatred. When I spoke to him about his life journey, he suggested I read another book - Healing the Family Tree. I found the book and it blew my mind. The author described various cases of healing family entanglements and through that curing physical and mental symptoms in people with whom he worked. I also happened to know the daughter of the author, and when we had a chance to meet some time later I asked her many questions about her father’s work. She was the one who introduced me to the art of genogram. As we sat at a small table outside on a terrace with a beautiful scenery in front of us, she drew my family tree on a piece of paper, asking me questions about each member. I only knew it as far as my grandparents. The only thing I knew about my grandfather’s childhood was that he lost four siblings and his father in a very short period of time, like a month, and then his family had to relocate very quickly. My friend then asked me to imagine how it would have been for the family to go through something like this. Did they have time to mourn their dead? To make sense of it, to heal. Did they have a proper ceremony? What were the surviving children and the mother left with? And in what way I could be impacted by it in my own life. I have never thought of any of it before. And when I imagined it, I felt so much pain and grief and sorrow. She suggested I look for ways to release it - an ancestral healing process. So I started my research, and after trying out many different ways, finally came across family constellations and then systemic ritual and shamanic work. My call was very clear and loud. It needed action. Now I know that everything we heal for ourselves, we heal for the whole ancestral field. The ripples of our personal work flow both directions - backwards and forwards, also clearing the path for the future generations. 
Ritual:
As I was writing about my grandfather's family, I got drawn to create a little ritual for that part of the line. In the image above, I set up my mother's line and first just spent some time meditating and singing with them, remembering some of the faces I know and imagining some of the life stories - connecting with their place in my life. When you work with your family tree, begin with just several ancestors, so that you could spend some good quality time with your lineage. Then I opened an invitation for the beings of nature and ancient ancestors who are willing and able to support those in the line who need some holding, to step in. I represented them with stones. And again, I spent time chanting and praying with them, holding the space. It is important that I didn't have an intention of fixing anyone's life, systemically it is not my place as child to rescue those who came before me. Rather I wanted to create an opportunity for support and resourcing with the help of nature and those who came way before these more recent ancestors. See what comes up for you as you sit with your lineage. As they feel more supported, the healing will flow down the generations in the sacred timeless space of your ancestral field. If you have any questions about this ritual, I am only an email away. 

I had an incredible opportunity to support this year's International Systemic Constellations Conference organised in Australia and offered across all time zones. It used to be called an Intensive and it definitely felt like one, with more than 65 presenters in all parts of the world, several parallel tracks running from 1 am till midnight for 8 days. I could only be there for some of the sessions and here is a little summary of what I saw. 

My first session (I served as host and tech support for all these sessions) was with Dr. Karl - Heinz Rauscher on symptom constellations and healing voices. A combination of systemic lens and shamanic healing in approaching physical symptoms and beyond. Fascinating work that he begins with diagnosing whether the issue comes from personal trauma, ancestral field, karmic past or present family. See the end of this email for a way to practice this for yourself. https://en.dr-rauscher.de/

Elena Veselago's first session was on grief through systemic lens - a realisation that we are connected by the field at all times to all people, beings and things in our life and when they disappear, that connection breaks and the energy that was being exchanged has no place to go so creates chaos and pain. Many communities have a way of holding grief that allows to 'seal' that broken connection and to redirect the energy to other parts of the field. Therapists also perform this role in some ways, especially in the modern societies where the old rituals are lost. In another workshop Elena shared her understanding of  holding a container and reading the field, where you allow the field to touch you and inform you without needing to 'do' anything about it. Even just that, already initiates the healing movement and the Field presents to the therapist what needs to be seen, what needs to be returned to the client, and what the client can't see themselves. 

A session with Shavasti offered a beautiful reminder of the power and art of healing sentences. Shavasti wrote a book (as John L. Payne) on the Language of the Soul, talking about the skill of entering the field with undefended heart to hold the unknown. The phrase to say out loud is 'I just don't know' and to sit with it, to notice how it feels in the body, and then say it again. And again. 'I just don't know'. https://shavasti.com/

Daan van Kampenhout led two workshops, his first online groups, working with setting up a ritual with supportive ancestors, those who have been with the same issue and know how to heal and integrate. A simple ritual was to set up 'somebody who supports me conditionally' (if I meet their criteria), 'somebody who supports me unconditionally' and 'me'. Looking and exploring the dynamic of all three and holding space for what needs to emerge. What imprints do we still carry within us about needing to deserve support and what it feels like to be supported unconditionally - is it possible to receive this support? Daan has also started a new online project of holding singing sessions, where he sings and chants his healing songs holding space for us to do our personal practice - meditate, rest, journey, heal. Beautiful experience every other Sunday and Thursday. https://daanvankampenhout.com/

Jane Peterson, whom I met for the first time and fell in love with her style and presence, offered a workshop on couples dynamics and 'telltale' movement - the importance of paying attention to what is not said between two people, body language and signs of whether the movement is 'towards' or 'away'. Setting up you and the other (partner, mother, daughter etc) and noticing where the movement is heading in this relationship. https://www.human-systems-institute.com/

Bertold Ulsamer did an inner constellation around the birth trauma for a client, recreating the process in such a way that it felt much more safe and supportive and agreeable for the newborn to agree to step into the world and let go of generational resistance. A skilful step by step process of being completely relaxed with the unknown. Bertold has many resources on udemy about various aspects of systemic work. https://www.ulsamer.com/startseite/

I wrote before about my experiences of what I call the 'dancing constellations'  - Ancestral Connections work of Tanja Meyburgh and Sian Palmer. The grounding power of movement before dropping into the depth of meditation to meet ancestors and to connect with what they hold for me, dancing my way through the beautiful insights and blessings. For the first time in the meditation the ancestors didn't just show up and stood there, they were incredibly active as if they just dropped by and suddenly met all old relatives they haven't seen for ages. Saying hello across generations, time and space. A wonderful experience. https://realacademy.net/

With Susan Schlosser  we talked about nature constellations and the appearance of the ancient ones in constellations - what do they have to say to what is happening in our lives? To experience this, set up 'you', 'your ancestors' and 'the ancient ones' and see what comes. You could also add your 'issue' to this, to look at it through the eyes of the ancient ones. https://truenatureconstellations.com/

As Dr. Karl - Heinz demonstrated, a little exercise to experiment with understanding where the dynamics/issue comes from could be to set the issue up in the middle, and around it in four corners set up four options - family of origin, personal trauma, current family, karmic past (if this is not part of your belief system, you could still experiment with it, or leave it out); set the intention to receive insight about the roots of the issue - one by one stand in each option feeling into body sensations. Before this, work with the body to understand your Yes and your No, see the video here, and use this knowledge in each position. If family of origin feels like a Yes, then pay attention to which side is more active - left or right, mother's or father's. You can do the test several times and you could do it blind too and compare results. 

Considering this has been a first event of this kind and scale and that for many teachers this has been their first exposure to working online and on zoom, I think it was a great success. Of course there is room for growth in the area of accessibility and diversity, and I hope it will be taken on board for the next year. Now it is time to integrate all the learning and to take it into real life, personal practice, off line being and doing. ​

One of the Wheels in the deck of the Wheel of Four Directions Cards is the Wheel of Homecoming. In the video I walk you through the ritual, working with ancestors and land, with past and future and connecting with ancestors of the soul. Ewok from Star Wars represents you and the table represents your sacred space. Let me know how it goes for you. To get the cards click below:

I do really hope that you are all well and if not that you have good support around you and within you to hold you through this time. For myself, I find going through waves of grieving requires a lot of love to my inner child and strong presence of my ancestors. Some of that grief belongs to them and I allow it to be released, at last. I wanted to share with you a ritual that might help with clarifying what is yours and respectfully let go of what is not - a wheel of releasing suffering and grief. For this ritual you need to be really slow and kind to yourself, different emotions might come up and some quite strong. If it gets too much, stop, rest and come back to it when you are ready. 

As always, you will need some stones to use as markers on the wheel and as representatives. Also helpful to know the four directions. Set up stones in the East, South, West, North and in the middle. Also, if possible, mark the area around your wheel to create the Blue Line. On this Wheel we represent ancestors who have been through big traumatic life changing global events, like we are now in. Maybe it was a war, unrest, conflict, famine, pandemic, poverty, regime, persecutions, revolution, etc.  Stones represent the following:

Middle - You
South - Ancestors who survived and rebuilt their life successfully
North - Ancestors who did not survive
West - Ancestors who survived and lost (property, possessions, loved ones etc)
East - Ancestors who survived and gained (possessions, wealth, new family members, etc)
Blue Line - space around the Wheel, place of healing, Divine Love, place outside of suffering and any dynamics 

In this ritual you start in the middle and you end in the middle. Begin with a meditation, setting an intention to release suffering that does not belong to you, with respect and honour to those who came before you. Tune in to which direction you are drawn first. Stand in that representation, noticing body sensations and any information that comes. If emotions are strong remember that you are representing, and you can choose how much you are in it, feel it but don't drown in it, as it will not help the process. When you are ready, still as representative, step into the Blue Line outside the wheel with a prayer of releasing and transcending suffering of these ancestors. Do this in each Direction. It could be that you will be drawn to do a little ritual within a ritual, for example offering flowers to those who didn't survive to honour their experience, or bringing some spiritual objects to those who survived to support them. Be attentive and creative, make it into your own ritual. When you feel you have done enough, come back to the middle and say thank you to all ancestors, that despite all the suffering they still passed on life, so that you can be here now. With respect, declare your boundary around carrying their suffering. Close the ritual.  ​

Recently I have been asked a good question about the language in a ritual (please do ask questions if you have any). For me the language in a ritual serves two purposes - to create a special state of mind taking us into unordinary reality, into the dreamworld, and also to communicate clearly, naming what is, bringing resolution and healing. Similar to sentences used in systemic family constellations, in ritual the words are clear and simple with a quality of poetry in it. It is always good to use your voice if possible. Here is an example: 

'Dear Grandmothers, Grandfathers, Ancestors, I speak to you from my place in this lineage, from this year 2020, from this place on this planet. Hear my voice, hear my heart beat, hear my prayer. Thank you for your kindness and support. I agree. I receive. I am grateful. Thank you for this path that you accompany me on, thank you for looking after me and my deepest heart’s desire. Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me every step of the way. All you know I know, in my bones, in my blood, in my heart. Please smile at me kindly as I walk my path with joy, with abundance, wholeheartedly. Even if you had no such luck, no such opportunity. Thank you dear Ancestors, dear Grandmothers and Grandfathers, all those who stand behind me, all those from all the way back in time.'

Daan van Kampenhout, founder of Systemic Ritual, speaks about the prayer being poetry in this interview about ancestors (5 min) ​