Familial Energy Work Part 1: Introduction

An ongoing series detailing the imperativeness of family connections as it relates to spiritual development and cosmic responsibility.

Here in the West, we are individualized to our detriment. Even our socialization, from the time we are school-aged until we retire from the workforce is focused on using others so that we (the individual) can advance. We’re encouraged to leave home while we are still teenagers. We’re encouraged to abandon our elders when they can no longer care for themselves. We’re encouraged to chase the idea of complete self-sufficiency, even when the reality of our survival depends on connectedness. It makes sense that spiritually, we adopt the same principles.

I think back to when I was fully aware of the steps I was taking on my journey with spirituality and energy work. Because my family has only adopted & introduced me to Christianity, I felt so alone. But the truth was, it was the birth of my daughter that really put a fire under me to want to learn more. I abandoned Christianity as it was taught to me, studied the teachings through different literary lenses, reclaimed it on my own terms and integrated it into my interfaith practice. I couldn’t have done this without breaking away from my family’s religious policies & going on my own journey. I also couldn’t have done it without my family’s interference and presence.

It has become more and more apparent the enormity that our families play in our spiritual development. This is why Ancestral veneration has been such a huge topic recently, whether it’s being encouraged or demonized. Even those who demonize spiritual practices involving ancestors seem to do so because they fear disrespecting religious practices passed on to them by their families.

People of African descent who have broken ties to the continent and are residing in the U.S. have an especially complicated relationship with spirituality, particularly because our families were separated. I am a practicing Muslim, however my choice to identify as interfaith is due to the fact that my ancestral lineage is so fractured. In order to honor my people and learn about how they connected to spirit, I must adopt a multi-spiritual practice.

At times it has been overwhelming, but the gifts far outweigh the burdens. The understanding is truly priceless. I was and continue to be divinely guided by my ancestors, and I am eternally grateful for them for the wisdom they have graced me with and their protection. I would not be here if it wasn’t for them. They led me on a journey that was difficult, but the path was laden with so many blessings and experiences that I needed to further understand who I am and what I am capable of. Each step of the way, it was faith, nature, rhythm and community that kept me alive & safe, even in the midst of so much unrest.

Each step of the journey brought me further understanding about the endurance, the joy, the pain & the trials of my people. Many of blessings I reaped the benefits from were earned through emotional & energetic labor. My survival depended on me, in some ways, re-living what they had gone through so that I could understand what it took just for me to even be born. It was made clear to me that the opportunity to live was also the opportunity to heal. To renew. To clear out things that had plagued my bloodlines for centuries and give my children a better chance at creating the lives they want for themselves without the baggage of unresolved trauma from generations past.

When I began my spiritual journey, I was under the impression that I was doing this for me and my kids. And I am. But it has taken years to understand that the purpose of this work is about so much more than the futures we hope to create. It’s also about honoring our past. These things are not separate. There is no future without what is past. And the past’s purpose cannot be complete without the creation of a clear, free and authentic future.

We are celestial beings; much more than these temporary bodies. And while we know we are more than these bodies, we must become aware of the intelligence within our blood & bones. Again, there can be no separation. Just as I honor my ancestors with interfaith worship & ceremony, so must I integrate the things I’ve learned from different ends of the spiritual spectrum.

My life and future depends on my commitment to this work. And as I stated, my ancestral past is dependent on the success of the future.

This is why I am devoting myself to Familial Energy Work and chronicling it. This is where stories with incomplete endings find new beginnings.