Ep. 02 / Your Ancestry
On Ancestry: What We Carry, What Carries Us
Ancestry is often introduced to us as a story of names and dates - birthplaces penciled into family trees, records pulled from census data, DNA percentages neatly divided into regions. But ancestry is far more intimate than paperwork and percentages. It is lived, embodied, and quietly present in the way we move through the world.
Our ancestors are not only behind us; they are within us. They live in our nervous systems, in our instincts, in the habits we reach for under stress and the rituals that soothe us without explanation. Long before we knew their names, we knew their patterns.
The Inheritance We Don’t See
Some inheritances are obvious: eye color, bone structure, the shape of a smile. Others are more elusive - anxiety passed down through generations of survival, a deep reverence for land, an inexplicable pull toward water, prayer, or solitude. These inheritances don’t announce themselves. They surface in moments of choice.
Why do certain fears feel older than us? Why do particular traditions feel like home, even when we weren’t taught them directly? Science points to epigenetics, spirituality speaks of lineage memory, and lived experience simply nods in recognition. However we name it, we feel it.
Remembering as an Act of Healing
To explore ancestry is not only to look backward; it is to participate in healing. Many of us come from lineages marked by displacement, silence, loss, or resilience forged under pressure. When we ask where we come from, we are also asking what was survived so that we could arrive here.
Remembering can be gentle. It can look like cooking a recipe without measurements, lighting a candle for someone whose name was never spoken, or learning the true pronunciation of a surname that was altered for safety or acceptance. These small acts restore dignity to stories that were once compressed or erased.
Choosing What Continues
Ancestry does not dictate destiny. While we inherit patterns, we also inherit choice. We get to decide which stories we keep alive and which ones we lovingly lay to rest. Honoring ancestry does not mean repeating it.
We can say: this pain ends with me. This silence ends with me. And just as powerfully: this joy continues through me.
When we tend to our inner lives - through reflection, ritual, therapy, meditation - we are not only caring for ourselves. We are tending the lineage forward. Future generations will feel the effects of what we choose to heal today.
A Living Lineage
Ancestry is not static. It is alive, responsive, evolving. We are the ancestors-in-training. One day, our names will be spoken, forgotten, rediscovered, or felt without being known. What will our presence leave behind?
Perhaps the most meaningful way to honor those who came before us is not perfect remembrance, but conscious living: moving with integrity, curiosity, and care. When we live well, we become a blessing backward and forward in time.
In this way, ancestry is not just about where we came from - it is about how we choose to be here now.
Written with help from Open AI.
