Welcome to October! We are now entering the portal between Autumn Equinox and Samhain in the Northern Hemisphere. This is a magical time of year when it’s said that the veil between worlds thins to a whisper so we can hear messages from the other side more clearly.
It’s not just a beautiful time to honor and communicate with spirits and ancestors; it’s also an ideal time for ancestral healing. Let’s dive into why that’s true…
A Note on Samhain
Samhain is an ancient Pagan harvest festival that comes from old Celtic traditions. The name comes from a Gaelic word meaning "summer's end.” The festival was meant to celebrate, honor, and thank the Earth and ancestors for a successful harvest. Since then, it's taken on many spiritual connotations as a time when we can easily connect with the departed and other realms.
It’s important to note that people and cultures all over the world recognize similar holidays with different names, practices, and dates. I observe Samhain, but if it doesn’t resonate with you, I encourage you to look for something else that does.
For instance, Día de los Muertos is a rich two-day celebration in Mexico that reunites the living and the dead, allowing families to create ofrendas (offerings) to honor those who have passed. Similar traditions exist in many countries of the Americas, from Columbia to Brazil and throughout the broader Latin American diaspora, including in Los Angeles, California, and other U.S. cities with large Latinx populations.
In North and South Korea, people celebrate Chuseok, a major mid-Autumn harvest festival that similarly connects the living with their ancestors. Obon is a three-day Buddhist festival in Japan that honors those who have passed. Family members sweep and clean gravesites, refresh ancestral altars, and await their loved ones’ visitations from the other side. And the list goes on. This is my favorite part of any spiritual tradition—you can likely find one you connect with, no matter your background, or create your own to honor your lineage and ancestral ways.
Who Are Your Ancestors + What Do They Do For You?
This might seem obvious, but the term ancestors represents a spectrum of meanings. Of course, ancestors include all the blood relatives who came before you. But you can also consider non-blood relatives your ancestors; for instance, a relative by marriage, a godparent, any respected elder, or even a close family friend.
Many lineages also consider the natural world a part of our ancestry. This encompasses spirits from the lands you were born on and your ancestral lands, including the animals, plants, waterways, and mountain ranges. For example, I am connected to the spirits of the lands from (what is now known as) Northern California, Italy, Ireland, and Finland.
Ancestors come to us with a wealth of information they acquired on Earth, plus the knowledge they gain by being in an ascended form. With all this knowledge, they help guide and protect us.
All spirit guides are meant to help us, but ancestors are thought to guide us precisely toward higher levels of consciousness and personal evolution. That includes their ability to protect us from harm or making wrong moves.
Communication with your ancestors will vary wildly, and some will come in more “loudly” than others, but some examples include:
- Through prayer and meditation
- Visitation in dreams
- Through different animal messengers; for instance, if your grandmother loved robins, you may constantly notice robins in your yard.
- Through signs and repetitive synchronicities
- Seeing the same numbers or symbols
- Through a song that comes on randomly or whenever you happen to feel sad
- Smells that come out of nowhere, like your grandmother’s perfume or a great uncle’s cigar smoke
You can also ask for guidance, protection, or answers to specific questions. This usually involves prayer or speaking to them like you would if they were still here. I often ask my grandfather for help with my career and money or seek health advice from ancient ancestors I never knew. Sometimes, I hear messages right away. Other times, I wait for signs and synchronicities to guide me, knowing I’m completely protected and on the right path.
Unraveling Ancestral Trauma (Karmic Connections)
While ancestral connection and guidance may sound lovely, not all of us have the best memories of our ancestors. Or, maybe we come from lineages of people who hurt others or were in dangerous positions of power. So many ancestral teachings ask us to venerate or even worship our ancestors, but how is that possible when you don’t feel a very positive connection? Is it possible to release and unravel the past and heal? Not only do I think it’s possible—it’s part of our responsibility to do so as the next (possibly more conscious and sensitive) generation.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t very impressed by many of my ancestors. They had a long history of small-mindedness and abuse, and those were just the ancestors I knew about. However, over time, I realized that it was my job to explore the energy and history of my DNA, forgive them for their earthly ways, and tap into their wisdom from the beyond to create a new era for my (living) family and me. Plant allies were a huge part of this journey.
So, whether you’re grieving a long line of trauma or you simply never felt connected to your lineage, here are some plants and practices to help you unravel ancestral energy and reclaim that power for yourself.
Herbal Allies For Ancestral Healing
Healing your lineage is no small feat. If these words resonate with you, you’re likely the first in your family to recognize that anything needs healing. We’re called “the spellbreakers.” Welcome to the club!
Many people think that psychedelics are the only plants and fungi that can shift consciousness and move energy, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Every herb and flower on the planet holds medicinal properties and energies that can help move trauma, open the heart, release stagnant energy, and speak to the soul.
Experiment with the herbs below, individually or in combination, and track your experiences. I recommend working with one herb at a time, sipping it in tea, using it in a tincture, and burning it as a sacred smoke. Speak to the plant's spirit and let it speak back to you. Use your journal to take notes of your experiences, thoughts, dreams, and the synchronicities that pop up throughout your days.
Rose
My number one pick for ancestral healing has to be rose. Nothing heals and opens the heart to love quite like it. Rose is a beautiful healer to work with regularly to soften grief and process anger and resentment.
Brew a cup of tea or add to ceremonial cacao for heart-opening and spiritual-physical processing. A sacred heart-soothing smoke is also an incredible way to open your heart to forgiveness, connect to ancestral energies, and set the intention for healing.
Mugwort
In Norse traditions, mugwort is one of the most sacred herbs, connecting us to other realms and giving us access to healing through the dream space. Many people know it as a sleep aid or to encourage lucid dreaming, but I’d take that a step further and say it’s best used with a specific intention to heal via your dreams or deepen shamanic work.
Make a strong brew and call on your ancestors as you sip this sacred herb and set the intention to heal your lineage. Burn a pinch of dried mugwort on a charcoal disc for a more profound and connected meditation.
Rosemary
Rosemary is an herb for remembrance. Beyond just being good for cognition, rosemary may help you open your subconscious like a book, unveiling memories from childhood, your lineage, and your past lives. It is also a beautifully cleansing herb, helping to move stagnant energy and aid in emotional release.
Burn sticks of dried rosemary before meditation or to cleanse the energy of your home. Rub rosemary essential oil onto your hands and pass it over your body, head, and the back of your neck. Ask your ancestors to help you remember a time before the trauma began.
Nothing is better for trauma work than soothing lavender. With its calming and balancing energies, lavender helps bring peace to your nervous system as you move through challenging or painful memories. Its purple color is also associated with the third eye or Anja chakra, the seat of wisdom and second sight.
Add lavender essential oil to a ritual bath, light up a sacred smoke, and set the intention to soothe your system and open the door of your perception to other worlds.
Yarrow is famous for its protective and healing properties, with the ability to create energetic boundaries while allowing space for deep work. Yarrow grounds without holding you down, so you can travel to other realms with clarity and discernment.
Sip in tea or use in spell baths before divination, meditation, or prayer. Yarrow will help you connect with your ancestors while still feeling protected.
Holy basil is a beautiful adaptogenic healer revered for its spiritual and emotional cleansing and healing properties. Use this gentle yet powerful herb to break patterns of grief and suffering that may have been passed down.
Add a handful to your ancestral altar to help ease the pain of past generations. You can also sip it as a tea to disrupt and release inherited trauma while calming and strengthening your system.
Final Thoughts
How you work with your ancestors and soothe the sharp edges of your lineage is entirely up to you. There’s never any rush; all this work is meant to happen on your timeline. Herbal allies are significant because many work with your system, gently opening your heart and mind at your own comfortable pace. Never hesitate to slow the process when you feel overwhelmed, and leave plenty of space in between plant medicine sessions for integration and rest.
Blessed Samhain, everyone!
