Trusted Powers
Not going at it alone.
Have said it before, and will say it again: not all of the dead are equally well. (Just like not all of the living are equally well.) Ancestral Lineage Healing is relational work. There is nothing inherently safe about relating. There is also nothing inherently safe about not relating. In all relationships, there can come a time when we become curious about having more intimacy. It can be something like “I want be more vulnerable with you, and I am scared about that risk.” This is often the place folks are at with their lineages when they begin the healing work.
The first step in any Ancestral Lineage Healing session is connecting to your body. The second step in any Ancestral Lineage Healing session is connecting to a trusted power to asist you with the ritual.
This is a power(s) or guide(s) that you already know and trust. This could be a deity, a plant or animal spirit, the elements, the Divine, God directly, the Earth. It’s possible none of that resonates, in which case, one might attune to: love, kindness, and compassion as it exists outside of yourself. When I began this work, I was a bit at a loss, especially with the qualifiers “know” and “trust” (did I even know or trust myself?) I invited the Moon (because I could see it out the window I was sitting in front of) and the Saint I communed with for my Confirmation (even though I no longer identified with Saints or Confirmations or Catholicism.) This act provides access for fundamental benevolence to be front and center in your space.
These relationships develop and evolve over time. Sincerity is favored over perfection. Often, as one begins work on a lineage, the lineage will share their trusted powers with you, and if you find yourself with an affinity for those ones, you could invite them in. Some folks have an entire “council” of trusted powers. Some folks simply lean on one: Love. We ask these ones for their support in:
Establishing that our personal and ritual space is clear of interference, negativity, or intrusive energy.
Creating a layer of protection around our personal space which keeps out what is unhelpful and allows in what is beneficial.
Maintaining boundaries with those among the dead who are not yet at peace.
Regulating ritual intensity— maybe we ask them to “turn up the volume” if the pacing is feeling a bit slow, or we might ask them to “turn the volume down” if we begin to get flooded and overwhelmed in the process.
Protection, maintaining boundaries, and regulating intensity is why we invite in trusted powers. You don’t personally have to track all of this while also trying to connect with your ancestors. You are never alone in this process— what a damn relief, right?
A common—and avoidable — experience when engaging in spirit work is having a lot of ghosty energy up in your space. This particular method of relating with your ancestors centers ritual safety, one of the first things we do is invite in/collaborate with a “third party.” When we partner with trusted powers for protection, we are putting layers of security around us. It’s like locking all of the doors and windows, and having a bouncer stand in front of the locked door. Your own personal security detail. Beyond the acute ritual protection, they also offer ongoing protection so you can continue to function such as sleeping peacefully.