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My approach to ancestral researching ‘intuitive ancestral’ is different to many. It is primarily:

• guided through the heart, the seat of the soul
• not by spreadsheets, dates and gaps
• by the one who pulls at my heartstrings and whispers in my ear

Intuitive

My approach to ancestral researching is an intuitive process.  I am not so much interested in compiling spreadsheets of data (although they do have their place), getting bogged down in dates and identifying where the gaps are in my family tree.  For me it is listening to my heart and being guided to the ones that have something they want to share.  I am very mindful of the delicate nature of revealing stories of those who are no longer with us.  Ones who perhaps never envisaged that years later they would have someone burrowing into their lives and attempting to understand who they were and bring forth what they perhaps would prefer to remain in the past, lost to the veils of time. 

When I embark on a research journey I ensure I do so with care, respect and privilege.  I ask for permission to do so, seek to be guided by those who give permission and perhaps welcome the opportunity to reveal themselves here and now.   Whilst I gather data, facts and various certificates and documentation as evidence of their existence I am seeking to understand their challenges, tap into the qualities they cultivated and passed on genetically. 

What qualities do they have that maybe lying dormant within me waiting to be activated? 

What can they show me about ‘me’ and those who came before me? 

And what is there that still needs care and healing to ensure that wounds no longer impact trans generationally?  

If we take this approach to ancestral researching we can have a completely different experience, one that is insightful, respectful and transformative.

My ‘why’

Which leads me into my why.   My personal awakening to transgenerational influences some years ago, still provides enough impetus to continue this field of work.  With each ancestor who reveals themselves to me, and allows me into their life, I became further aware of the power of intergenerational impacts.  Whilst I am mindful not to judge these as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, I simply am curious about what has gone on before me, influenced who I am now, and what I can either integrate or release.   As I engage in this process I feel the benefits of living life authentically, from a place of wholeness and with gratitude and appreciation for the delicate nature of life.   I experience the interconnectedness of all there is.  With each story, with each place I travel to, I feel my way home.  I release myself from past moments, unhooking from past trauma, whilst simultaneously identify qualities that lay  within me waiting to be activated.  I do this transformational process for myself, for those before me and for future generations.  What better gift to give then one of integrating the genetic line.

How does one begin?

Three phases

I have identified three key phases that I undertake before delving in the ancestral records.

1. Space – I ensure I create a compassionate and supportive space within which I begin to connect and explore.  I make sure I will not be disturbed and have at my disposal, pen, paper, highlighters, the folders on my laptop ready to place documents into, the software packages I use open and if I so feel inclined, music and essential oils burning. I ensure I am in a clear, calm space and ready to commune.
2. Connection – I undertake a brief meditation to ensure I have a clear head and heart.  I ask for boundaries of unconditional love and above to ensure I only commune with those who are of love.  I ask permission to raise the veils of the past and do so with grace, respect and gratitude
3. Flow – from there I allow my heart to guide where ‘we’ go.  Perhaps today it is my maternal line (one that is distant and provides more road blocks then I like) or my paternal line (one that is full to the brim of pickings)?  Maybe it is an ancestor from Scotland? Or Ireland? From the 17-19^th century that seeks attention? Or one closer to home, one who settled here in Australia and wants to share.  It doesn’t really matter.  I simply allow my heart to guide, and my hands to do the work.  Is it ancestry.com that I delve into? Or hit the National or State archives?  Is it the newspapers (via Trove) or a specific county historical society?  Whatever is guided is where we go.

I appreciate this approach would be uncomfortable and perhaps messy for some.  Yet for me, it’s the only way that works.  I have attempted many times to gather data in spreadsheets, colour code everything, identify gaps and then fill those gaps.   I found this suffocating , frustrating and fruitless.  Sometimes someone just doesn’t want to be found.  Sometimes the walls are up, no go zones and no matter what research you do nothing comes forth.  And that is okay.  Ancestral researching is like the rabbit going down the rabbit hole, there is no clear path, we twist, we turn and often come back on ourselves.  It is simply a dance across generations.  It is simply delicious when this dance flows.  We are in sync, the veil is lifted, and we discover gems that our ancestors have scattered across the generations. 

What do we do with what we find?

There is the logistics of gathering data and for me over the years I have attempted various systems and processes to record, store and monitor activity.  It is an individual process and one worth investing time and energy into. Do you prefer printing documents and storing in folders? Would you rather store online (there are so many packages you can use to assist). 

For me I currently use Evernote (to store), Trello (to keep track of research and task status) and I also store some documents on my laptop.  I create folders by family name and tag generations, place and life experience.  Whilst I have excel spreadsheets in place, I personally find this package challenging to use and keep up-to-date.  So I am exploring other options.  As you continue on your journey your methods will most likely need to change.  Be open to reviewing what works and does not and pivot where necessary.

Uncovering distressing moments

If you discover something distressing, painful and that perhaps leans into your own personal wounds make sure you take the time needed to feel how you feel.   You will uncover stories that are upsetting.  Yet don’t hold onto what you feel when you discover a traumatic event your ancestor experienced.  Feel it and release it, knowing it is not yours.  Be grateful for this opportunity to shine a loving light on this moment trapped in time and let it go.  Your genetic line will thank you for it.  We don’t need to be a martyr and carry familial wounds within us.  That is not our role.  Your ancestor experienced what they needed to for their own growth, as you will yours.  You are not your ancestor and as such, say thank you and let it go.  If you feel to undertake a ceremony (such as lighting a candle, burning a document or photo) do so.  Your intention is of utmost importance.  An intent to be loving, respectful and an agent of change. 

A priceless gift

What you are gathering is priceless and you need to value the work you are undertaking.  It in itself is a gift – a gift to your family (past, present and future) not to mention a gift to yourself.  It is the ultimate in ‘know thyself’ the key to personal transformation.

Would you like some guidance on how to get started with your intuitive ancestral researching?  Get in touch with me and let’s see how I can help you out!

Ancestral Connections

My personal healing journey combined with the training I undertook to become a holistic counsellor resulted in a deeply intimate awareness of the role energetic cords play in my wellbeing and the health of my relationships (with self and other).  Becoming aware of how I felt in certain situations, how other people made me feel, of incessant thoughts and memory recall at random moments were all indicators of the interplay between me and my environment.  

Every relationship we have, an energetic connection to the other is established.  Like streamers of light, these invisible, yet tangible cords may influence how we feel, and either negatively or positively impact our relationship with self, and the other. 

Most recently my ancestral research endeavors, along with studies of history, have highlighted another way in which who I am ‘here and now’ may be influenced by external forces.  Each ancestral story I discovered, every ancestor who revealed themselves to me, resulted in an internal feeling.  A feeling experienced physically and emotionally, along with a mental thought.  I became curious as to how one distant great, great grandmother, a person who I never met felt so close and connected to.  It was this moment through which I began to explore the potentiality for connection beyond the grave, through cords.  Was it possible that beyond a genetic connection, there was another more eternal one?  One that resulted in a deep knowing of who this person was and is?  Beyond transgenerational influences was I able to connect through my heart in this way? 

The cords that bind us

Since her ground breaking book ‘Hands of Light’ was published in 1987, Barbara Ann Brennan has become a leader within the field of personal spiritual transformation. [1]   Barbara is a world-renowned healer, teacher, writer and NASA physicist. [2]  Her work in the field of energy consciousness has now resulted in two other books ‘Light Emerging’ and ‘Core Light Healing’. [3] [4]   It is her work that I share with you now, in particular her research and discovery into energetic cords and our interaction with the human energy field.

According to Brennan’s there are five major types of cords: [5]

• Soul Cords that the ongoing soul carries from its original God connection within the spiritual worlds
• Past-life Cords from experiences on Earth and elsewhere
• Genetic Cords that are gained by connecting to birth parents.  Genetic cords are created between the heart chakra of the person wishing to be born and the mother-to-be.
• Original Relational Cords that grow with the primary caregivers, usually parents
• Relational Cords that grow through relationships with others – humans, pets and special objects we have personal connection to.

These cords exist simultaneously.  Whether we are conscious of it or not, energy is constantly being exchanged.  Like water running through a hose, if the slightest bit of dirt infiltrates, the water becomes muddied.  The same with cords, one negative thought can impact the energy flowing to and from us.  Cords need our care and awareness.

the cord connections from past lives help us remember the connections we had with people before this life

Barbara Ann Brenan, ‘Light Emerging’

From the ancestral research work I continue to undertake, it is the genetic and relationship cords that give validity to my ongoing personal experiences.  Not that I seek it.  Yet it certainly solidifies my instincts and engenders a deeper purpose to scrolling through hundreds of ancestral records!  Every time I discover a new ancestral record, I have the opportunity to feel how this is in my body.  What sensations arise?  Is it fear based? Or love based?  What can be cleared through these cords and in doing so engender wellness within me and down the ancestral lineage?  It opens up a whole new portal.

If you want to understand how these cords are created, how they can become damaged and the influence they have on our health holistically I encourage you to explore the work of Barbara Ann Brennan.

If you want to explore how to keep your energy system clear, reach out for some helpful resources.

In her recent publication ‘Core Light Healing’, Brennan introduces the concept of ‘traditional ancestral roots’ [6].   If this is an area of interest for you, read this article.

From this first experience with this great, great grandmother, there have now over the years been many more.  Not all ancestors feel familiar, yet many have and do.  Cords established can and do exist after death as my research and training revealed.  With each piece of my ancestral puzzle that I put together, I am now also given an opportunity to clear cords with this person.  In doing so co-creating a harmonious ancestral line and unhooking the past.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Barbara Brennan School of Healing, ‘About Barbara’,  https://barbarabrennan.com/about-barbara, accessed 13 December, 2021.

Brennan, Barbara Ann, Hands of Light, A guide to healing through the human energy field, Bantom Books, USA, 1987.

Brennan, Barbara Ann, Light Emerging, Bantom Books, USA, 1993.

Brennan, Barbara Ann, Core Light Healing, Hay House Australia, NSW, 2015

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[1] Barbara Ann Brennan, Hands of Light, A guide to healing through the human energy field, Bantom Books, USA, 1987.

[2] Barbara Brennan School of Healing, ‘About Barbara’,  https://barbarabrennan.com/about-barbara, accessed 13 December, 2021.

[3] Barbara Ann Brennan, Light Emerging, Bantom Books, USA, 1993.

[4] Barbara Ann Brennan, Core Light Healing, Hay House Australia, NSW, 2015

[5] Ibid, p. 160.

[6] Barbara Ann Brennan, Core Light Healing, p. 167.

Ancestral Roots  

In her book ‘Core Light Healing’ Barbara Ann Brennan introduces the concept of ancestral roots.[1]  My sensory experience as an ancestral researcher and storyteller reinforces what she shares.  I ‘feel’ my ancestors with each record I uncover and use these sensations as a guide as to what within my genetic line needs care and healing.  Transgenerational influences continue ‘down the line’ until someone stops long enough to discover, listen, feel and heal. 

I have shared previously that at a point in my life where I felt disconnected and unsure of who I was, ancestral researching provided me with a sense of connection.  Through my ancestors I knew where I came from and that fostered a feeling of belonging.  Within them, my existence made sense.  I was literally the result of the love of many before me.   This in itself provided comfort.

Whilst ancestral records provide a framework, attempting to discover stories is another facet, albeit it personal, to genealogy.  In researching the history of a place, a time and its people you can start to collate a familial story, a narrative you could say.  These stories of our ancestors, are our stories.  These stories connect us to our roots.

our foundations are rooted to the Earth and to the past with our ancestors who prepared a way for us to move into the future  [2]

Here are some of the key sharing’s from Brennan regarding ancestral roots.  For those new to the concept of cords, I suggest you read my previous article on ancestral connections. 

Ancestral roots are different from relational cords, yet there is a connection between them.  

• Ancestral roots are strong, solid black and flexible
• These are the ties that bind us to our birth families
• They stretch from inside the seals in our chakras down into our core central connection to the Earth
• They can become disfigured and very unhealthy, predominately through negative intergenerational imprints, referred to as traditional ancestral roots.
• Traditional ancestral roots can be used to manipulate current generations through the imposition of traditions, based from elders onto the next generations
  • In their extreme negative condition they can be misused to control other and interfere with free will.  This can be seen in the need of a parent (or grandparent) to perpetuate religious, cultural beliefs, prejudices or in wanting to maintain traditions. 
  • Another way to relate with them, is where a parent who was not able to create what they wanted out of life will, through genetic cords with their child, influence the child to do what he/she sought. [3]

Each generation has the right, to forge their own path.   Whilst our sense of identity is initially molded by the family narrative we are born into, at some point in our journey we must step into and become who we are.  This is authenticity and uniqueness.  It is challenging to unhook from family ways, but if these ways are outdated and do not serve you, it is the most loving step to take.  Not easy, but necessary.

References

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[1] Barbara Ann Brennan, Core Light Healing, Hay House, NSW 2017.

[2] Ibid, p. 168.

[3] Ibid, p. 169