Legacy of our ancestors. How the lives of our ancestors influence our present life?

Since I have been working with family constellations, the hobby of searching for ancestors and completing the family tree has been added to it. Who, where, with whom, why, what happened, what traumas, joys my ancestors experienced. All that.

Oh my, what I discovered.... More on that later, that´s s a lot of writting, for several blogs. This article posted on one of many genealogy sites explains it shortly and simply why one should be interested in their personal ancestry. Full article here (8 Interesting Ways Our Ancestors Influence Us - GenealogyYou) People have been fascinated with where they come from and the ones that made them who they are for years. It is completely natural to wonder about how you came to be. Knowing where you come from and who your ancestors are can give you a sense of identity and belonging.

 It can also be a source of great pride. You may be wondering what purpose all this information from the past for the people living in the here and now.Well, think about it this way: Picture a quilt with varying squares of cloth, all different sizes and patterns. Somehow, these different pieces of fabric were able to be stitched together and made into one cohesive piece. That is the beauty of ancestry. It allows us to learn about how we came to exist.It reminds us that the world is bigger than us and that there is both a prologue and an epilogue to the story of our lives. The fast-paced environment in which our society moves makes it hard to grasp ou  identities sometimes.

The lives of our ancestors influence our present

This can make us feel lost and aimless. Learning about our ancestors lets us fill in these gaps and take steps forward in the journey of self- discovery. The 21st century presents completely different problems than what our ancestors had to deal with in the generations before us. Learning about our ancestry helps us realize that if the people who made us who we are were able to get through events like  war and famine , then we can overcome anything life decides to throw at us.

In addition, having this knowledge of your ancestry also allows you to gain a better sense of self that people who are unaware of their background do not have. Eye color, music taste, and food intolerances are not the only things our ancestors can pass down to us. Another thing that is passed down to generations is trauma.This type of trauma is different from other types because it does not have to be directly experienced. A pair of grandparents could have experienced a traumatic event that affected the way they parented their children, and then those children would go on to have children that they raise with the remnants of that past trauma.

An example of this would be if a family lost their home in a fire and then consequently became more anxious and cautious with their possessions. This would teach their children to fear for their stability because everything could be lost at any moment. With this new information, further trauma can be prevented, and the newer generations can successfully escape the cycle of trauma they were born into.

Becoming aware of the painful things their ancestors went through can build up their resilience instead of breaking them down further. Be first in your family to break that cycle and join us for next family constellation workshop.

Alexandra Alexander