Latest / Living Deeply with Markieta Carter / How to Connect With Your Ancestors & Spiritual Guides

Transcript

How to Connect With Your Ancestors & Spiritual Guides · Living Deeply with Markieta Carter

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  Hey, it's Marfita, and welcome back to the Living Deeply podcast.
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  Today we're talking about something that has become extremely meaningful to
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  me in my own spiritual practice, and that is connecting with spiritual gods and ancestors.
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  For me, spirituality doesn't have to fit inside a religious box.
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  I believe that I can explore spirituality in ways that feel authentic to me.
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  We can honor our intuition We can pay attention to what we feel We can connect
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  with people who came before us,
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  And we can create practices that allow us to slow down enough To recognize guidance
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  when it comes So today, I want to talk about some of the ways You can intentionally
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  create space for connection with your ancestors,
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  And your spiritual gods.
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  It's important to start with intention because connection begins with intention.
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  You don't need an elaborate ritual or ceremony or any expensive spiritual tools.
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  Sometimes it can be as simple as sitting quietly and saying,
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  I am open to connecting with the ancestors and gods who come to me with love,
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  protection, wisdom, and good intentions.
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  I personally think that boundaries matter spiritually Just as much as they matter everywhere else in life,
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  You get to decide what kind of energy you welcome into your space You can be
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  specific You can say that you only welcome guidance that is loving,
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  protective, supportive And aligned with your well-being,
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  Then sit quietly,
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  Don't immediately start searching for something dramatic to happen Just be present.
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  Create a space for your ancestors. You may want to create a small ancestral
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  space or an altar in your home.
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  It doesn't have to look like anybody else's. You might include photographs of
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  family members who've passed away, candles, flowers, meaningful objects,
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  jewelry, letters, or items that remind you of them.
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  You can even place something there that they loved. Maybe your grandmother loved a particular flower.
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  Maybe your grandfather always drank coffee. Maybe your sister had a favorite
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  color, song, perfume, or snack.
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  The point isn't perfection, it's remembrance. You're creating a physical space
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  and place where you can intentionally honor the people who came before you.
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  And sometimes simply sitting in that space can create a sense of closeness.
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  Talk to them. Yes, you can talk to your ancestors out loud, in your mind,
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  in a journal, while you're driving, while you're sitting outside,
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  while you're cooking something that reminds you of them.
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  You don't need a special script. You might say something like,
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  I've been thinking about you. I miss you.
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  I need some guidance right now. Help me see what I'm not seeing.
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  Or even, I don't know exactly how to do this, but I'm here.
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  Connection doesn't always have to be formal. Sometimes it's simply conversation.
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  Pay attention to your intuition. One of the biggest parts of my own spiritual
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  exploration has been learning to listen to my intuition.
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  Sometimes you just know something. A thought arrives suddenly.
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  You feel pulled towards something.
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  You think about someone unexpectedly.
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  You feel strongly that you should or shouldn't do something.
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  Some people call those intuitive hits or intuitive downloads.
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  The more distracted we are the harder it can be to notice them that's why quiet
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  matters meditation can help nature can help,
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  journaling can help music can help sitting outside without scrolling on your
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  phone can't help give your mind enough space to hear what actually comes through.
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  Notice repeating patterns. Sometimes guidance may feel subtle.
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  You might notice a particular number repeatedly. A song might appear at exactly
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  the moment you needed to hear it.
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  You might repeatedly encounter an animal that has a significant personal significance to you.
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  You might hear a name. You might remember a phrase.
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  You may have an unusually vivid dream or experience a coincidence that feels
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  deeply meaningful to you,
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  You might have to force you don't have to force an interpretation immediately,
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  Write it down That's something I recommend strongly keep a spiritual journey journal,
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  Write down what happened what you were thinking beforehand What you felt in
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  your body and what meaning came to you over time?
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  You may begin realizing your own patterns.
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  You can also connect through dreams.
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  It can be a very important part of your spiritual practice. Before you go to
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  sleep, you can intentionally invite connection.
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  You can say something like, if there is guidance I need, I'm open to receiving
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  it in a way I can understand.
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  Keep a notebook beside your bed or record it in your phone.
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  Wake up, write down whatever you remember before scrolling on your phone.
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  Don't worry if the dream seems strange or fragmented at first Write it down
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  anyway Sometimes meaning becomes clearer later on,
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  You can use music Music can be an incredibly powerful tool There are songs that
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  immediately take us back to people, places, and moments Sometimes a song can
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  make someone feel close again,
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  Create a playlist for your ancestor practice Include songs that your loved ones
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  enjoyed Songs you associate with them Instrumental music that helps you meditate,
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  Or music that simply helps you feel spiritually open Then listen without trying
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  to control the experience Feel whatever comes.
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  Spend time in nature Nature is one of the places where I personally feel deeply connected,
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  There is something about getting outside, slowing down noticing animals,
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  listening to birds, feeling the wind, watching trees move, or simply putting my feet on the ground,
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  that quiets everything else.
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  And when everything else gets quieter, I can hear myself more clearly.
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  I can feel more clearly. I can notice more.
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  You don't have to necessarily go somewhere beautiful or far away.
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  Your background, backyard can become a safer space.
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  A park can become a sacred space. Your porch can become a sacred space.
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  Connection is about presence.
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  Use tools if they resonate with you.
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  Some people incorporate spiritual tools into their practice.
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  That can include tarot cards, pendulums, dice, candles, crystals,
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  meditation, automatic writing, or other divination practices.
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  The tool isn't necessarily the relationship.
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  It is simply a way of creating focus and guiding yourself for listening.
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  Find what resonates with you Instead of feeling like you have to practice spirituality
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  Exactly the way someone else does Your spiritual practice Should feel like yours.
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  Learn about the people who came before you. Connecting with your ancestors can
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  also be incredibly practical.
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  Learn their names. Ask older relatives questions. Look through photographs.
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  Learn where your family came from. Find out what your ancestors survived.
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  Learn their stories. Cook their recipes. Listen to the music they listened to.
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  Visit places connected to your family history when possible.
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  Ancestor connection isn't about communicating with those, isn't only about communicating
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  with those who passed. It's about remembering them.
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  It's about understanding that your life didn't begin with you.
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  There are stories behind you. There are people behind you. And there is resilience behind you.
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  But don't force the connection. It's important.
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  This is very important. You don't have to chase signs. You don't have to turn
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  every coincidence into a message.
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  You don't have to compare your experience with somebody else's.
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  Someone else may have vivid dreams. Someone may have physical sensations.
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  Someone may receive messages through music Someone else may simply experience
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  a quiet sense of knowing Your experience doesn't have to look dramatic to be meaningful
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  Allow your relationship with your spirituality to develop naturally.
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  Trust your own spiritual path. One of the most freeing things I've learned in
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  this is that I don't need someone else to approve how I experience spirituality.
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  My spirituality belongs to me and yours belongs to you.
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  You are allowed to explore, to ask questions, to change your beliefs.
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  You're allowed to keep practices that bring you peace and release the practices that don't.
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  And you are allowed to build a spiritual life that feels authentic instead of
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  performing one that makes other people comfortable.
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  Connecting with your ancestors and spiritual guides can ultimately become a practice of listening.
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  Listening to your intention, listening to your history, listening to your body,
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  listening to nature, listening to those quiet moments that are easy to miss when life gets loud.
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  You don't have to have everything figured out.
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  Sometimes you simply just need to create space, set the intention,
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  and remain open to what comes.
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  Thank you for spending this time with me on the Living Deeply podcast. This is Markita.
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  And if this episode resonated with you, share it with someone who's exploring
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  their own spiritual path.
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  And if you're looking for a space where you can explore what it means to live authentically,
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  heal deeply and thrive as a human without having to fit yourself in someone else's box,
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  you can visit thrivinghumans.org you can also learn more about me and my work
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  at itsmarkita.com and find more episodes at the livingdeeplypodcast.com,
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  until next time keep choosing the practices people and experiences that help you live deeply.