In October 2022, my life changed forever. I was attending a women’s retreat in the serene landscapes of Shropshire, hoping to deepen my connection with the Divine Feminine and uncover hidden aspects of myself. What I didn’t expect was the presence of my deceased maternal grandmother; a woman I had never met in life, to come to me during a meditation. Her spirit was powerful, and her message was clear: it was time to heal our generational wounds. This encounter set me on a year-long quest to explore my maternal lineage, heal our inherited trauma, and reclaim the ancestral wisdom that had been buried for generations.
A Call to Heal the Wounds of My Lineage
I come from a long line of strong women, but like many of us, their strength often masked deep wounds that have been passed down from generation to generation. After that powerful meditation, I realised I had been unknowingly carrying the weight of emotional patterns, limiting beliefs, and self-protective behaviours that weren’t mine to bear. These burdens had come from the women before me, and I knew I had to begin the work of healing; for myself, for them, for my daughter, and for the generations to come.
The red thread, an ancient symbol of our connection to our ancestors, became a guiding force for me. I began to trace my maternal line, connecting the dots of the unhealed trauma and the stories that had shaped not only my life but the lives of my mother, her mother, and all the women who had come before us.
Discovering the Wound of Betrayal
Through shamanic journeys and the supportive wisdom of plant medicine, I dove deep into my ancestral wounds. One of the most painful discoveries was the wound of betrayal, rooted in the story of my grandmother. I learned that my grandmother had been betrayed by my grandfather, who had her sectioned and silenced for her psychic gifts; an act that echoed through the generations.
As I uncovered this story, I could see how the wound of betrayal had been passed down to me. I realised how it had played out in my own relationships and friendships; how I had been both the betrayer and the betrayed, replaying the same painful dynamics. This deep recognition was a turning point for me. I worked intensely to heal this wound, allowing myself to forgive, release, and break the cycle of betrayal that had bound my maternal line for so long.
Reclaiming Power and Equality
Another theme that emerged was a pattern of subservience to men that ran through my female lineage. I saw how my ancestors, especially the women, had been taught to defer to men, to give their power away, and to shrink themselves in their presence. I saw how I, too, had carried this pattern, and how I had, at times, allowed myself to feel somehow ‘less than’ when I was around men, how I had handed over my power in moments when I should have stood tall.
Recognising this, I knew it was time to reclaim my power of equality. I worked to heal this deep-rooted belief of inferiority, stepping into my own power as a woman and honouring the strength of all the women who had come before me. This wasn’t just a personal healing, but a healing for all of them; a reclaiming of the power they had been denied.
Rediscovering the Gifts of My Ancestors
As I healed these wounds, something beautiful began to emerge. I started to reclaim the gifts and superpowers of my ancestor. These gifts had been buried under the weight of trauma, but were still very much alive in our lineage.
I reclaimed inner strength, the kind that helped my ancestors survive and thrive despite the challenges they faced. I reclaimed emotional resilience, adaptability, and resourcefulness; the traits that allowed them to persevere in the face of adversity. I also reclaimed their capacity for forgiveness, for despite their pain, they had the strength to forgive those who had wronged them.
Perhaps most powerfully, I reawakened the psychic abilities that run through my bloodline. My grandmother’s spirit had come to me for a reason, and I realised that the women in my lineage had always been connected to the unseen realms, carrying wisdom far beyond the physical world. It was time for me to step fully into that power and honour the spiritual gifts I had inherited.
Completing the Healing Cycle
A year after this journey began, I returned to the same place in Shropshire where it all started. In a profound moment of completion, my ancient Celtic ancestors came forward during a shamanic journey. They embraced my grandmother and took her into their arms, guiding her into the light.
The feeling of peace that filled the air was palpable. I could feel the weight of centuries lifting, the release of all that had been carried for so long. My heart felt at peace too. The healing was not just for me, but for my entire maternal line. My grandmother, and all the women before her, could finally rest in peace.
The Power of Generational Healing
This journey has been nothing short of transformative. Through this process, I have come to understand that the wounds of our ancestors live within us, but so do their strengths. By healing these wounds, we free ourselves and our descendants from the pain of the past, and we reclaim the wisdom and power that are our birthright.
If you feel the call to heal your own generational trauma, I encourage you to listen. Whether through meditation, shamanic journeys, or plant medicine, the path to healing is available to all of us. Our ancestors are always with us, waiting for us to remember them and to carry their light forward.
In the end, we are the bridge between the past and the future, and it is up to us to choose what we pass on to the generations to come.
If you’re ready to dive deeper, I invite you to download my free ebook: Six Sacred Ways to Live an Empowered Life.
In light, harmony and love,
Helen Lyra Rose
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