There’s a quiet knowing that lives in the bones — a sense that some of what we carry didn’t begin with us. Sometimes, it shows up as a heaviness we can’t explain. Other times, it moves through the patterns we keep repeating, even as we long to live differently. These invisible threads can bind us to pain that doesn’t belong to us, but they can also be the key to our liberation.
Ancestral healing is not about fixing the past. It’s about making space for it. Honoring it. Listening to it. And in doing so, we reclaim something deeper: our wholeness.
If you’ve found your way here, something in you is likely remembering, too.
In this post, we’ll explore the heart of what ancestral healing is, how it works, why it matters, and how you can begin. You’ll also learn about Ancestral Prayer Circles, a sacred offering I carry, deeply rooted in the Mayan Cosmovision and the guidance of plant spirits.
What is Ancestral Healing?
Ancestral healing is more than just a spiritual practice—it's a profound acknowledgment of the energies and patterns passed down through generations. It involves recognizing, honoring, and resolving ancestral traumas and legacies that impact our lives today. By engaging in this healing journey, we not only heal ourselves but also contribute to the healing of our lineage and future generations.
Ancestral Healing Is:
A spiritual practice, rooted in reverence for the sacred lineages behind us
A therapeutic journey, dissolving unconscious patterns that shape our behavior and beliefs
A communal remembering, reconnecting us with the Earth, our people, and our purpose
It's not just about the past. It's about your power.
Your ancestors' stories live within you. Their pain, resilience, love, silence, and survival are all encoded in your being. Ancestral healing allows you to:
Release inherited trauma
Reclaim forgotten gifts
Break karmic cycles
Connect with ancestral guidance
Through ceremony, prayer, and intentional reflection, we give voice to the unspoken and bring light to the shadowed spaces of our lineage.
Ancestral Prayer Circles: Connecting with Sacred Rituals
Ancestral Prayer Circles offer a powerful way to commune with our ancestors. Held around a sacred fire in nature, these rituals harness the spiritual essence of fire, revered by the Mayans as the "ear of God."
Ancestral Prayer Circles are my signature offering, merging my connection with the plant spirits with the Mayan Cosmovision, which is beautifully held and embodied by my Mayan family.
During the ceremony our prayers are carried and amplified by the spirit of the fire, devotional music, medicinal offerings, and communal presence, so we can harmoniously weave our energies together with the ancestral spirits of the land.
Find upcoming Ancestral Prayer Circles here!
Elements of an Ancestral Prayer Circle:
Sacred Fire: A spiritual portal and ally
Medicinal Offerings: Cacao, tobacco, flowers, sacred resins
Devotional Music: Songs that call in ancestral energies
Community Energy: Holding space and bearing witness
These gatherings are an extension of the Mayan Cosmovision and are infused with the teachings I have received from my Mayan family. The fire not only receives your prayers—it transforms them.
Explore Upcoming Ancestral Prayer Circles →
Grandfather Fire: A Bridge Between Worlds in Ancestral Healing
In the Mayan tradition, fire is not simply a symbol, but a spirit. A grandfather. A sacred elder who has been with us since the beginning.
The Mayan word for fire is Tata K’akh, which means Grandfather Fire. He is at the center of every ancestral ceremony, not just for warmth, but because he holds the power to connect us to the spirit realms.
This is why the Maya call the fire the ear of the Great Mystery. In the presence of fire, we are never alone. He becomes a living bridge between the seen and the unseen.
Why Do the Maya Use Fire in Ancestral Healing Rituals?
The Maya understand that everything is alive, including the elements. And fire, unlike earth, air, or water, transforms instantly. It is the element of change, purification, and communication.
During Mayan fire ceremonies, prayers are not spoken into the air. They are offered directly into the fire. Herbs, copal, cacao, flowers, or even our tears are given with love and intention. These offerings are not symbolic, they are relational.
When we feed the fire, we are feeding a spirit who receives, remembers, and responds.
In ancestral healing, fire helps us:
Break through the veils between worlds
Send messages to our ancestors
Receive guidance or visions
Transmute emotional and spiritual burdens
The fire carries your prayers back through the lineages to those who came before you and forward, into what you are becoming.
Communicating With Ancestors Through Fire
If you’ve ever felt words catch in your throat when trying to speak to your ancestors… if you’ve longed for a way to say the unsaid, to ask questions, or simply feel them near… the fire can help you.
Fire is a portal. A way to speak when you don’t know how.
When we sit around a sacred fire in a prayer circle, it’s not just us who gather. The ancestors come. The spirits of the land come. The silence becomes full.
Signs You May Need Ancestral Healing
You feel blocked and can’t explain why
You experience recurring family patterns or cycles
You feel spiritually disconnected or fragmented
You have a deep longing to understand where you come from
You sense pain in your family line but don’t know how to address it
If any of this resonates, ancestral healing may offer the clarity and shift you seek.
The Science of Ancestral Memory
Epigenetics, the study of how trauma can be passed down through gene expression, supports what spiritual traditions have known for centuries. Studies show that fear, trauma, and stress responses can be inherited. But so can resilience, joy, and strength.
By healing the past, we don't just change our story, we change our biology.
How Does Ancestral Healing Work?
Ancestral healing works through practices such as prayer, meditation, and ritual, allowing us to connect deeply with the wisdom and support of our ancestors. By honoring their journey and releasing unresolved energies, we open ourselves to profound healing and transformation. This journey of forgiveness and understanding helps us embrace our ancestral lineage with compassion and gratitude.
Prayer and Reflection: Through prayer and reflection, we invite ancestral wisdom to guide us on our healing path.
Transformation: Embracing ancestral teachings and blessings facilitates deep spiritual growth, fostering harmony within ourselves and our lineage.
What Happens After Ancestral Healing?
1. Energetic Relief
Many people feel lighter, more grounded, and less burdened after doing ancestral work. There's a sense of spaciousness and peace.
2. Spiritual Connection
Your relationship with your ancestors deepens. They become allies, guides, and protectors on your path.
3. Purpose Activation
Often, our gifts were hidden beneath our wounds. As healing unfolds, your true voice, creativity, and medicine emerge.
4. Ripple Effect
Healing yourself impacts your entire lineage backward and forward. Your children (or future generations) benefit from the work you do now.Why Ancestral Healing Matters
Our ancestors play a vital role in shaping who we are today. By addressing and healing ancestral wounds, we break free from negative patterns and traumas that may have been passed down through generations. This healing process not only transforms our personal lives but also contributes to a positive legacy of healing and empowerment for future generations.
Why Is Ancestral Healing Important?
In a world shaped by colonization, displacement, and disconnection, many of us carry unacknowledged burdens from our lineages. This can manifest as:
Chronic emotional patterns
Relationship struggles
Fear of visibility or success
A feeling of being lost, ungrounded, or out of place
These patterns may not originate with you—but they can end with you.
Healing your lineage is an act of spiritual activism.
When you step into ancestral healing, you become a bridge between worlds. You offer your ancestors a chance to be witnessed, and you create a more healed future for those yet to come.
Empowerment: Ancestral healing empowers you to embody your truth and reconnect with your original essence.
Legacy: By facing the pain of the past, you transform your lineage from within—creating a new legacy rooted in love, freedom, and wholeness.
FAQs about Ancestral Healing
What are ancestral prayer circles, and why are they significant?
Ancestral prayer circles are sacred rituals held around a fire in nature, amplifying prayers and intentions to commune deeply with ancestral spirits.
How does ancestral healing work?
Healing ancestral wounds breaks negative cycles, creating a positive legacy of healing and empowerment for future descendants.
How can I connect with my ancestors for healing?
Connect through practices like prayer, meditation, and participating in ancestral rituals such as Ancestral Prayer Circles.
Why is forgiveness important in ancestral healing?
Forgiveness releases resentment and opens the heart to healing, fostering a harmonious connection with ancestors.
What is ancestral healing?
Ancestral healing is a spiritual and therapeutic practice that addresses inherited emotional, mental, and energetic patterns from one’s family lineage. It helps release generational trauma, restore balance, and create a healthier legacy for future generations. Practices include rituals, meditation, energy healing, and connecting with ancestral wisdom for guidance and transformation.
How do you clear ancestral trauma?
Clearing ancestral trauma involves identifying inherited wounds, honoring your ancestors, and using healing tools like breathwork, rituals, forgiveness practices, or energy work. The process helps break generational patterns, freeing you from emotional burdens passed through your lineage and allowing you to create new, healthier narratives for yourself and future generations.
Does ancestral guidance heal you?
Yes, ancestral guidance can support healing by providing spiritual insight, wisdom, and protection. Connecting with your ancestors through meditation, rituals, or dreams helps you understand inherited patterns, release old wounds, and feel a deeper sense of belonging and purpose. Many believe ancestral support fosters emotional and spiritual well-being.
What are the tools of ancestral healing?
Tools for ancestral healing include meditation, ritual ceremonies, breathwork, shamanic journeying, ancestral altars, storytelling, forgiveness practices, and working with healers or spiritual guides. These methods help identify and release inherited traumas, connect you to ancestral wisdom, and cultivate inner peace and freedom from generational burdens.
How does generational healing work?
Generational healing works by identifying and transforming emotional wounds, patterns, and beliefs passed through family lines. Techniques like energy healing, therapy, rituals, and forgiveness help release inherited trauma, creating healthier relationships and a new path forward for you and future generations. It’s a powerful way to break cycles and restore balance.
Conclusion: Embrace Your Ancestral Journey
Ancestral healing invites us to honor our roots, heal wounds, and shape a future filled with love and empowerment. Join us in reclaiming our ancestral power, healing our lineage, and embracing the richness of our heritage. Explore more about ancestral healing and upcoming Ancestral Prayer Circles with me to start your transformative journey today.