Do I have to have any particular spiritual beliefs to do this work?

In my opinion, the only mandatory belief would be an acknowledgment that there is at least some part of us that continues after the death of the body. The ancestral healing process I use involves meeting and building a relationship with a wise and well, fully healed, vibrant ancestor guide. Through this guide, we witness the healing of all the ones that are not-yet-well. Given that, we need to at least hold an idea that there is something that continues to exist after physical death.

Beyond that, there aren’t any particular beliefs that I would call required, but I have found a few philosophies to be helpful and enriching:

The Dead Can Change

It really does help the work of ancestral healing when we can allow for the dead to be mutable beings. Just like us, they are capable of transformation. Holding them in a fixed state can create a challenge or obstacle to any healing work.

This means that no matter how awful Uncle Raymond was in life, we do not have think of him as awful for eternity. Likewise, Aunt Sarah isn’t necessarily exalted into an eternal state of flawless perfection upon death. The aspect of the ancestors that we connect with and work with is the part of them that isn’t so different from you and I. In many ways, they are still very much like the living. Embracing their ability to change allows the work to unfold with depth and compassion.

The Self is a Collective

After a lot of studying, pondering, and dialoguing with my guides, here’s how I’ve come to define the self (at least for now):

We are collectives. We are concentrations and configurations of parts. We are collaborations and harmonies. We are not single entities. What appears to be this single being is, in actuality, a container for the relationships among a vast number of entities.

It is no stretch to say: We are relationship itself.

The ancestors and the descendants are part of this collective. Each one of us is the living face—the incarnated one—in a great work of art that every generation’s hands have touched. We are their altar and their hope; their foundation and their remembrance.

Through healing the ancestors, we illuminate this masterpiece, positively impacting the past, present and future.

All is Alive and an Expression of Consciousness

When we grasp that everything is alive and conscious, as in animism or panpsychism, we begin to view life through the lens of connection rather than hierarchy. This perspective enriches our work with the ancestors by dissolving the boundaries between us and them. We come to see ourselves as part of a living, interconnected web that includes living humans, the ancestors, as well as everything that fits the description of “other than living human”. This worldview also reconnects us with the ancient understanding that there is no separation between the spiritual and the material. In other words, we get to restore our relationship with the Earth and all that is around us.

We Can Learn to Hold All That Is Sacred

One of my favorite parts of working with the ancestors is coming to know what their lives were like. A big part of this is learning what was sacred and Divine to them when they were alive. Once we know about these things, it’s natural to want to show reverence for these traditions in our own lives.

Because our ancestors come from myriad backgrounds, these sacred beliefs are often at-odds with one another, even irreconcilable. Yet, in this diversity lies an opportunity for profound integration. We have within us the capacity to be with paradox, to hold seemingly opposing truths. With the guidance of our wise ancestors, we can open ourselves to all the sacred traditions of our lineages, finding ways to reconcile the meaning of each within us.

Perhaps even more importantly, as the living representatives of our lineages, we get to choose our own path to Divinity. We may be drawn to just one of our ancestral traditions, or to a path that our ancestors never even knew, and that’s okay. The healed ancestors rejoice in learning new ways of honoring the Divine through us.

In short, there is no need to conform to a specific religion or spiritual tradition to work with and love our ancestors. They meet us where we are, in all our diversity, with open hearts and a deep desire for connection.