Who are the ancestors you have been connecting with?

Querida Amiga,

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The perfect mix of warmth and a little breeze. The transition out of summer dressing by throwing on a comfy sweatshirt or soft sweater. I think of cooking soups long and slow and curling up on the couch with a bowl while wrapped in a blanket. Cozy and settled is my usual fall state.

This year October will be different. Now being cuddled up at home will have a different feeling, since I haven’t left home much this year. Instead of a return home to start hibernating after a summer of fun and adventure, it will be a continuation of slower living and lots of reflection.

A difference for me this October is that my spirit is already longing for Dia de Los Muertos. I am ready for a collective calling in of those who came before us. This has been a year of intentional calling in of my ancestors. A deeper curiosity about what their lives were like and what parts of myself are intertwined with the passions that brought them flow and the blockages that paused their purpose. I wonder often, “Where am I picking up the torch for flow? Where am I allowing the same blockages to stay?”

I have been exploring and questioning where I come from. In moments where I feel the presence of ancestors, I have been more intentional about pausing, listening, and feeling. Maybe that is a gift from the pandemic pause this year, that I am now able to hear from them more and feel their presence around me.This coming weekend I will be visiting my family and pulling out my teacher toolkit. I am getting my niece and nephew ready for Dia de Los Muertos with a variety of explorations of our ancestry that will help them to begin learning to connect with who we come from.

The first question we need to explore is Who? Who are our ancestors? To dig deeper and learn about where we come from, we need to have an idea of who we are seeking answers from. These may be people in our blood lineage, chosen family members, and/or people who guide our thinking and ways of being from afar.

I know who I connect with as my ancestors. I am curious to hear who the kids decide they want to learn more about. Together we will come up with a questionnaire to document their curiosity and guide their investigation into ancestors. I’ll keep you posted on how this evolves.

The journey to self is focusing inward and connecting with those who collectively lived and passed down life to us.

We are because they were.

Quiero saber de ti. Who are the ancestors you have been connecting with this year? What have they been saying to you? How have they been guiding you?

Un Abrazo, 

Michelle

P.S. This month I will be sharing more about what a journey to deeper connection with ancestors can be. At the end of this month, I will be offering a weekend workshop to connect with our ancestors. Many of you have expressed interest in getting to know the other women in this community on a deeper level. Let’s plan out a larger chunk of time together to be in community and in conversation as we explore who our ancestors were and how they are still present and guiding us in our lives. Save the date: Saturday, October 24th 10 am-12 pm PST