In the Yoruba tradition great emphasis is placed on ancestor worship. It's about developing an understanding about your ancestors so you know who to pray to and who to pray for. Ancestor work is meant to be a tool to understand yourself and to free yourself from generational pathology.
I've recently started working with Kalila Borghini a licensed psychotherapist and practitioner of Yoruba. http://www.childofthestones.com/ and we are framing our sessions in terms of ancestor work. The little that we have done together has been great and it has inspired in me a great curiosity to know where I came from a desire that I have long had but have also long postponed. As my parents age and I begin to come to terms with their mortality time is of the essence to know myself though my ancestors.
I wish I could go back in time and have asked the right questions or have actually really listened to the stories but there is no use in wishing for that. All I can do is work with what I have.
After today's session I realized that I have taken for granted the fact that I think this information will always be around for me. She was asking me what is like for my dad to grow up during the depression and I honestly had no answer. He must have told me stories. I'm not sure I was listening or back then perhaps I just didn't know what to listen for.
Our life stories are precious. The life stories of those who came before us are precious and they are such rich tools to understanding the Self.
I look forward to many conversations with my family who I am still blessed to have and I hope through them that I am able to better understand my ancestry and know for whom I should pray and to whom I should pray.
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