Pleased to meet you! My name is Melanie, and I’m an acquaintance of Edith’s. When she told me about the ancestor constellation, I was immediately enthusiastic and she invited me to take part in this ritual. I’d like to share a little of my experience with you.

The full rehearsal was a lovely exercise, but above all a preview of what lies ahead: laying the stones, feeling and choosing them, and what happens as soon as Edith represents the ancestors. At first, Edith explained to me that my ancestors would probably not come forward during the rehearsal. Even in the ‘spiritual world’, they know we’re having a rehearsal, and volunteers from that world may come forward to practise with us. The full rehearsal was already a very special experience and really is a good way to practise so that you go into the official ritual with insight and a clear understanding of what to do. Afterwards, Edith told me she’d sensed that the representations during the full rehearsal were, in fact, all my ancestors – how lovely!

The day before the official constellation, my ancestors made their presence clearly known through synchronicity. That day, I heard several strange noises in the house that I couldn’t quite place. It was striking because this doesn’t usually happen, or perhaps I don’t usually notice it. Also, on that day, a bird had perched on the security bar outside my window on two separate occasions; whilst this isn’t entirely unusual, I only experience it a handful of times a year, so it was still striking. At the moment, love in all its facets is also a major theme of reflection for me, and I came across a video that moved me, of a man declaring his love to his girlfriend. The likes counter for the video stood at 555.

Later that evening, I opened Instagram and the first video that popped up was from a Tarot reader who was channelling the collective consciousness. With this, it’s always important to check carefully whether it resonates with you, to avoid it becoming mere wishful thinking. She described a number of elements that can help you determine whether the message is meant for you; these were – and I’m not joking – strange noises in the house, birds and the number 555. Her message: Your ancestors want to make contact with you and are reaching out to you through these channels. Make space for contact with your ancestors. How remarkable!

Later that evening, I lit some candles, as I always do, and decided to do a bit more preparation for tomorrow, when the official ancestor ritual is due to take place.

After the rehearsal, I took photos of the stone arrangement, which also shows which stones are represented. Given that my ancestors apparently wish to make contact, I decide to check something. I focus on a candle and ask in my mind for a sign to indicate ‘no’ and another to indicate ‘yes’. At one point, I notice a pattern: for ‘no’, the flame stays low, and for ‘yes’, it flares up. I decide to go through each stone using the photo and ask whether this ancestor or these ancestors wish to be represented tomorrow. I make a note of this and do not look at it in the meantime. When I have questioned all the stones using the flame, I look at my paper and see that the ancestors who were represented during the rehearsal have answered ‘no’. The ‘yes’ responses, taken together, turn out to be the exact number that can be tuned into during the official ritual. You’d almost be tempted to say that coincidence doesn’t exist.

On the morning of the official ritual ancestor constellation, I feel I must buy a bouquet of flowers – in my mind, as a thank-you to Edith. She later tells me that she, too, had sensed that perhaps a bouquet was needed for the ancestors; once again, there’s no such thing as coincidence.

The ritual was beautiful, intense, but above all insightful and healing. Ever since I was young, I’ve been interested in my ancestors – who they were, how they lived, the good and the not-so-good things they experienced, and how that continues to influence my current life and family system.

I knew my grandmothers and grandfathers, as well as a set of great-grandparents, whilst they were still alive. From them, but also from my parents, I’ve heard many stories about what their parents and (great)grandparents were like. Partly because of this, I have a sense of the themes at play within my family. During the ritual, you go further back than the family members you actually know; my (limited) knowledge of the themes that played out in the lives of my (great)-grandparents was helpful in contextualising and connecting what emerged during the ritual. This broadened my perspective on my ancestral lines. Some of the things that emerged were confirmatory and provided deeper insight, whilst others came as a surprise. As well as being my own individual self, I am also the sum total of, and a co-bearer of, what my ancestors experienced, their challenges and what they passed on. Through the connection established during the ritual, I was able to help some of my ancestors a little in healing what they were struggling with. This was also healing for me because I am part of the system that we are as a family; even though we do not know one another physically in the here and now, we do know one another spiritually and mentally. The ritual has therefore given me a broader perspective, a greater sense of connection and a deeper understanding of the system of which I am a part. And one ancestor even came forward – from the spiritual world – wishing to remain connected to me to offer guidance and support; it was marvellous! I therefore recommend the ritual to anyone who is interested in it or who is exploring their ancestral heritage!

I’d also like to offer my services as a helper, should you need one during your ancestor constellation. You can read exactly what this entails in the explanation of the ancestor constellation on the website. If you’d like to make use of this and you don’t have anyone – or can’t find anyone – who can fulfil this role for you, I’d be happy to offer my services as your helper.

To everyone who is going to undertake the ritual ancestor constellation, I wish you a meaningful connection and a stronger bond with your ancestors!

Melanie

P.S. You can find an explanation of the role of the paid helper on the ‘Full rehearsal and helpers’ webpage. Link: internal://1d8603bd-66a2-44f2-ad2a-c7a4b73eeead