Wondering where we've come from...
The true character of your ancestors and unconventional means of mapping family history.
Why does ancient wisdom say it's so important to connect with our ancestors? There's something about wondering where we've come from that connects us with the larger fabric of life. Placed in that tapestry, we lose sight of the small, ego-self and find ourselves pulsing with the web of the cosmos.
When we connect with our ancestors, we place ourselves in the greater context of the human story. This opens us up to a vastness which inspires awe... that most spiritual of emotions.
Connecting with our ancestors expands our sense of history and time, placing our life history in a greater context. When we learn the stories of our ancestors - through conventional and unconventional means -, we better understand patterns in human nature, and our own nature too.
Relating with the strong souls who endured so we could be here is restorative. We remember that the courage of our ancestors is our courage.
And what does this have to do with a spiritual practice?
A spiritual practice is about connecting with something larger than ourselves. It involves dissolving the ego-self. In a spiritual practice, we commune with mystery. We seek to have patterns reveled to us.
Our ancestry will always be more mystery than fact. There is no way for us to know the full of character of even a single ancestor three generations back.
It doesn’t matter if you have a detailed family tree going back 400 years or if significant, unmapped gaps float in the tree’s branches. There is so much you’ll never know about your ancestry.
Those on a vanity project will not prevail. Looking for a famous ancestor? Even if you do find one, the quest will fall flat. They will remain a name on a page as long as you seek to make your family tree about you.
It is only once you wonder about the relationships between your ancestors, only once you step outside yourself, that you have the opportunity to feel that spark of awe and excitement.
Unconventional Means
There is more than one way to connect with your ancestors. Mapping your family tree with historical documents is just one. Learning about family heirlooms and traditions is another.
These methods only get us so far. They tell us about the external events of an ancestor’s life, but little about the inner character and nature of the person.
Plus, not everyone is interested in doing research. Not everyone knows who their parents or grandparents are. Not everyone talks to their family of origin.
Prefer to try an unconventional route? The shamanic journey allows us the chance to journey to the spirit world and learn about our family tree. On journeys we meet with representatives of our ancestral line. Here we learn their character, we feel their presence, we connect on a deep level with their inner selves. This, in turn, connects us with all that is.
This is life changing and healing.
Starting August 28th:
Shamanic Ancestral Healing
4-Month Program
Connecting with the ancestors is a foundational practice in shamanism for healing, and also for support in all other ceremonial and spiritual work we do. The ancestors inform and guide our path. Relating with them is deeply comforting and soulful work. In this enlightening 4-month program, Shamanic Teacher and Spiritual Advisor, Stacey Couch facilitates five students on a journey into discovery of our personal ancestors. Through these journeys we experience the unique ways that healing takes place by collaborating and co-creating with our ancestors.
Save $120 when you register by July 28th. Only a few spaces remaining!
Payment plans available. Reply to this email for details.
For PAID Subscribers: Creative Refuge Hour
Good news! The Creative Refuge Hour has gone so well that I’ve decided to offer it more often!
Our next meetup for PAID subscribers is July 24, 2025 at 4:30pm Mountain Daylight Time on the new moon in Leo. This is an hour set aside for a contemplation, meditation, and creative pursuits such as journaling, drawing, or collaging. I lead the first 15-20 minutes with a reading and guided meditation. You get to choose how to spend the rest of the time in a quiet creative space with a beautiful group of soul seekers. This is a fulfilling way to invest in your creative self.
Here is a link to view the event in your time zone:
https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html?iso=20250724T223000&p1=75&p2=179&p3=137&p4=103&p5=136&p6=195&p7=240
Not a paid subscriber but want to join? Upgrade to paid.
About the Author
Stacey Couch is a Spiritual Advisor who supports creative seekers learning as they go on the spiritual path. She serves beginner and life-long students of the soul. Her compassionate and collaborative approach honors the humanity and value of each person. Through meeting with Stacey, lost souls find refuge. Connection to the Divine is realized. Belonging comes. She is the author of Gracious Wild: A Shamanic Journey with Hawks. Learn about working with Stacey