Honor vs. Attachment: Working with our ancestors in a heart-aligned way

It’s October, and Fall is officially upon us here in Northern California. The rains have begun to fall, and the temperatures to drop. And with this shift in seasons we begin our descent into the cool, dark womb of the mother, receiving an invitation to slow down and peer through the thinning veils of this season. Traditionally, the later part of October through early November has been a time that the separation between those in the living world and those who have passed begins to wane. It is a time to honor our ancestors, and also work with any ancestral patterning that we may carry that needs to be released for the benefit of ourselves and our lineage.

Many hold a deep seated belief that in order to honor our ancestors, we need to do things the way they did them. This might mean observing their traditions, living in the places they lived, eating the same foods they ate, behaving the way they behaved, working the same types of jobs they worked, believing the same things about yourself that they believed about themselves, supporting the same political parties, educational systems, etc. You get the idea. 

While there is a certain romance to this definition of honor, it actually comes much more from a place of subconscious attachment than honor and devotion. That doesn’t mean that there are not important lessons to learn from and carry on from those who came before us. There is much to learn from the wisdom of those who were here long before us. However, it is important that we discern what ways of our ancestors serve us in this time and what ways do not. If to do what you believe is necessary to honor your ancestors, you are being asked to live and act in a way that is misaligned with your own heart, and who you deeply know yourself to be, you must pause and evaluate what beliefs are fueling this conflict. What attachments to the way life was in a time past are you carrying? 

Part of living on this ever changing, ever evolving planet, is learning to let go of that which no longer serves in this time. We are in a time of great change, and that means that we must let go of a lot that has been carried in our bloodlines for many generations. And we must let these things go, not from a place of conflict and judgment, but from a place of knowing that in a time not long past they served an important purpose. Now, however, it’s time to set down the overloaded backpack we inherited and trust that the time of need for these heavier energies is past. Trust that you incarnated into your family line at this time for a reason, and that you designed your specific blueprint in a way that would guide you to liberate your lineage from all that is no longer aligned with life on this planet. You are being called to do things differently for a reason. This is not out of a desire to separate yourself from those who came before you, but rather to align yourself with the collective and planetary shift in consciousness that we are all taking part in. 

Choosing yourself, being authentic to yourself, doesn’t mean you have to disown or dishonor your ancestors. You can acknowledge and honor your ancestors for the life they lived and everything their life made possible for you, AND at the same time choose a different path. Just like it doesn’t serve you to look down upon the person you were years ago - less aware, less wise - it also doesn’t serve you to look down upon your ancestors. This is true even if your ancestors did things that are really not in alignment with how you want to live and show up in your life today. 

It’s easy to cast blame on those that came before us, but the reality is that our ancestors did the best they knew how with what they had. We are living in a different time now than even our parents lived in. The collective consciousness is changing very quickly, and those of us alive now and open to embodying that change are reaping the rewards of being alive in this time. This experience is a gift, and it was made possible by the lives of our ancestors, however harmonious or disharmonious their lives may have been. So, I encourage you to honor your ancestors by thanking them for their lives and the wisdom you inherited from them, and releasing with love and reverence any outdated patterns, beliefs, and attachments that were passed down to you. By doing this, you are freeing not only yourself, but the ancestors who died carrying these energies as well. This is what it means to heal your ancestors through healing yourself. 

If you’d like to do this work in a space where you can go deep into your lineage through your own subconscious, and be held and supported through your process, join us in ceremony us October 30-November 2, 2025. We’ll be working with our plant allies while being held and supported by the redwood forest. We’d love to have you join us ❤️‍🔥🐉🌹