Healing Our Past
I believe that when we heal a piece of ourselves, we heal our ancestral line at the same time. Everyone who came before us is a part of us. This includes the parts we are proud of, that serve us well, and allow us to serve others well. There are also parts of ourselves that we resist, or that we feel shame about. These more challenging parts block us from finding freedom and joy in our lives, including our financial lives. The trauma, struggles, and mistakes of those who came before us, perhaps those whose responsibility it was to care of us when we were younger, deeply influence the relationship we have with money now. Forgiveness is an integral part of healing our relationship with money.
Acceptance
Acceptance of your past, and past generations, is the first step to forgiveness. Forgiveness can bring a release, and provide the space to find what truly fulfills us. In “No death, No Fear,” Thich Nhat Hanh offers the following passage to recite as part of the journey to acceptance:
“Dear ancestors, I am you, with all your strengths and weaknesses. I see you have negative and positive seeds. I understand that you have been lucky and that good seeds like kindness, compassion, and fearlessness were watered in you. I also understand that if you were not lucky and negative seeds like greed, jealousy and fear were watered in you, then the positive seeds did not have a chance to grow.”
Although this beautiful paragraph was not written specifically about our ancestors in relation to money, it encapsulates the process I guide my clients through as we explore the layers of their past, in order to change their habits in the present.
Ritual
I offer the following to you as an acceptance ritual:
- Find a place to sit quietly, and light a candle.
- Begin to focus on your breath. Breathe in and out slowly for a few minutes.
- Write down one financial characteristic you resist from your ancestral line.
- Write down one financial characteristic you are proud of from your ancestral line.
- For example, mine are: Fear and Resilience.
- Say out loud or to yourself, “I accept fully that (fear) and (resilience) are a part of me.” Fold up the paper, and blow out the candle. Burn the paper the following day.
- This ritual can be done any time, but could be particularly meaningful on full moon-a time to let go. The next full moon is August 11th.
If you would like to learn more about how acceptance and forgiveness work can lead to improved financial health, book a FREE consultation with me here. I’d love to meet you and answers any questions you have about Mindful Money Coaching.
