Blessed Samhain and Dia de los Muertos season! As we enter this sacred time of communion with the more mysterious layers of our reality, a kind of excitement to see beyond the ordinary emerges. Many people look to their dreams, to the tools of magic, or even to stories about the supernatural, whether they are meant to frighten or awaken our more subtle sensibilities. A longing is stirred, and though we might easily explain it as a desire to glimpse the fantastical, it’s also possible that it is simply a longing to be more of what we truly are. The magic in which we want to believe feels closer than usual, and for a moment we sense that we are not truly separate from it.
But, what creates the illusion of a separation? Why do most of us feel that the skill of perceiving and engaging the psychic is a gift given only to a select few? And, if this is not the case, why are the gifts of perception harder for some to cultivate than for others?
Living in this era of prophecy about the potential development of human consciousness, and even the potential re-enchantment of our world, begs some questions. How do we go about it? How, as a culture, do we get from where we are now to a more connected, psychic, dreaming-awake consciousness? Will it take generations? Will it come naturally, and if not, can it be learned? What stands in the way? We may not have all the answers, but we can find some understanding and a combined sense of patience and inspiration by looking back into our history, and it’s lingering shadows, as we prepare to go forward.
An inward investigation like this should probably begin with Ancestral trauma, both personal and collective. Even if we don’t know the specific stories of our ancestors, there is a lot we can gleam from the times and places they lived. All of us are born into this life with some sense of freedom and possibility, yet this is not exactly the full picture. We all carry the unprocessed traumas, unconscious beliefs, fears, dreams, talents, and limitations of those who came before us in our lines. That which was too large to resolve in one generation is sent to those to come, in hopes of resolution but often resulting in repetition. Patterns become well worn tracks in the road, and it takes a lot of effort to steer our psychic vehicles and lives away from those paths. In many places in the world, even to speak about magic and extra sensory perceptions meant danger. This may have been as extreme as outright persecution, affecting the survival oneself and one’s family, including times of inquisition and the hunting of people of knowledge. Though this kind of brutal and visceral danger is sometimes hard to imagine in our time and place, that level of threat may still exist in some parts of our world. It may have also meant being labeled insane, and hidden away, even sent to the kind of asylum about which we tell our modern horror stories, among many other variations of oppression.
Our brains are disproportionately wired to remember danger, especially that which has threatened our very existence. It is part of our species’ way of survival and adaptation. And yet, it creates legacies of fear and soul loss, shutting down aspects of ourselves that we unconsciously believe might bring harm to our ability to survive and thrive. Perhaps many of us don’t believe in magic, can’t access psychic gifts, hide our capacities, even shut down or dissociate when the topic of the supernatural arises, because in the near or distant past doing so saved our ancestors’ lives. Perhaps embracing such gifts ended their lifetimes, and created ripples of trauma for which we are still in need of healing. Maybe this is also contributing to our collective disregard of the unseen layers of reality, along with the cosmic influence of the Fifth Sun, the era we have just exited. Under the Fifth Sun (the name given to the previous epoch of 6,625 years in ancient Mexico) magic, the feminine, and earth based mystic knowledge were more oppressed, and far less supported by the Divine than ancient prophecies predict they will be in the time coming. These personal, collective, and cosmic influences have affected our dreams, our unconscious thoughts, our cultural attitudes, our language, and as a result, of course, what we teach our children.
What do the young people in your life and family believe about magic? How do you explain Halloween or Samhain, and Dia de los Muertos? How do we break a cultural legacy, while healing it in ourselves, so we may all reclaim our innate gifts? I think it starts small, with examining our thoughts, beliefs, and words. Maybe it’s natural to be psychic, but if we believe it is only for a select few, we are closing a door. To open it, we need to reach into our hidden, unconscious influences. We will need to change the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, about the nature of reality. This may take time and effort, but why not start now? Considering and clearing our shadow legacies is an excellent place to begin. If we tend to our roots, we will be more likely to grow in a healthy way, and to blossom more fully.
I think about this a lot, because ancestral healing and curse breaking are central to my healing practice, but this year I have the privilege of also watching how my son relates to the subject of magic and Halloween. I’m noticing how he identifies with his own gifts, and how he takes in the cultural attitudes reflected in Halloween stories. He is four, and thinks that Mexico is a magical land where his ancestors live, and that being a descendant of this place is a sacred blessing or stroke of divine luck. No one has told him anything to the contrary, so in his heart he believes that he flew here from the land of dreams to find me. For a long time he also thought that witches were wild healers that use herbs and magic to help people, when other methods can’t. But lately he has been confused by stories and children’s programming that portray them as evil villains, with homely appearances and a taste for all things bad. He told me that he does not want to see or hear anymore cartoons, movies, and stories that portray witches this way, because it makes him wonder about his own mother, and he doesn’t want to think that way. It’s such a smart and self aware decision. What false stories are we still taking in or telling ourselves? Why?
The art of psychic development begins with what we feed ourselves, consciously and unconsciously. To then fully cultivate and sharpen it is an art. It takes patience and discipline, but anyone can do it. If we are lucky enough to begin trusting our instincts when we are young, or if we had support in understanding our gifts and how to use them, then it may be an entirely natural process, even if we have to filter and make sense of mixed cultural messages. For most of us though, we will need to address the past, both our own traumas, and those that came before us. The degree to which we take care of this first step may be the degree to which we are able to flower our true gifts and spiritual inheritance.
The Ancestors, and the hidden realm of Spirit, are the closest to us that they are all year, or rather, the veil that creates the illusion of separation is at its thinnest. Talk to your ancestors and guides. Ask them what needs healing, what impedes your truest psychic gifts, and what first steps you can take to free them. It doesn’t matter what method you use, whether a journey, drawing an oracle card, deep meditation, or asking a question to take into your dreams. What matters is opening, even if you are uncomfortable or afraid, and trusting your intuition, even if it feels faint. If you are just initiating this process, it may take time and patience. If you have already begun, how much more may be there for you to uncover, heal, and reclaim? How much discipline are you ready to to dedicate to this process? And, what is one thing you can do to contribute to the healing of our collective unconscious, for the benefit of the younger and future generations.
May we all remember who we truly are. May we rise above the legacy of fear.
Ometoetl.
With love and reverence for those who brought us this far,
the eleventh house
-This blog was written by Melusina Gomez. You can learn more about her work and healing practices at www.metzmecatl.com