Ancestral Work with Problematic Ancestors
Hello friends,
I've been trying to grow in my ancestral veneration and connection with my ancestors. Over the past few years, I've worked through a great deal of family history and have traced parts of my family line back to the 1500s. More recently, I've started collecting family stories and interviewing relatives so I can preserve and write down their experiences.
In doing so, I've uncovered some horrific stories. Some involve the kinds of flaws and poor decisions that are common in many families, but others involve inexcusable abuse and cruelty. I'll spare details to avoid triggers. Learning about these things has made it difficult for me to want to connect with, honor, or even remember certain individuals.
The challenge is that there seems to be so much of this throughout my family line. I've long felt called to help change the course of my family, but I didn't realize how far back these patterns went or how severe some of them were.
My question is this: What am I to do with ancestors who did such terrible things? How do you approach honoring, remembering, or connecting with ancestors whose actions you find morally reprehensible?
Hope this question is okay here. I come to you because this sub has offered such great and kind guidance before.
Blessings to all.