A Homeschool Lesson on Ancestral Lineage Repair with Aurora

Singer Aurora

One Friday morning, my 13 year old homeschooled daughter and I were getting into the flow of our day.  We had started working on building an elaborate fairy house out of branches, cardboard, and lots of hot glue.  She was singing “Misty Mountain” on repeat, in preparation for her role as Galadriel in an upcoming theater performance of The Hobbit.  We made tea: hers rose, mine black.

That morning I decided to sign the both of us up for a community retreat weekend—a beautiful sounding offering called Forest & Village led by a local group of women.  The vision for the event is to nurture earth-based, soul-centric culture through women’s growth and initiations. https://forestandvillage.org/

As I filled in the online registration, I noticed some strong emotions coming up - the vulnerability (for me) of going to an event without a space-holding or facilitation role.  Money concerns - should I / can I invest the money it costs to go?  Some sadness that my daughter can participate but not my son—he would need to be accompanied by an adult male.  And some grief, related to feeling fragmented in my sense of belonging.

About belonging, writer and facilitator MaryBeth Bonfiglio writes:

Belonging doesn’t mean to belong, belonging means to be taken by the longing for connection. This is where relationships come in. Belonging, or to be in longing, is to be in the practice of being in right relationship with what you may be longing for — or noticing what / who our assumed fractured ancestral lines are, and holding the space for that. 

I like the reframe of belonging as Longing for Right Relationship, a shift from belonging as a role or as appreciation from others, although right relationship can include these things.  I believe longing can be a guide into Right Orientation with other people, when people can explore relationships with honesty, consent, and self-awareness.  That includes: roles, the types of intimacy shared, the amount of time shared, and the power dynamics that support growth.

I suspect the draw to go to an event with the theme of “village” with my daughter has to do with this Longing to deepen in community wisdom and collaboration with other women.

But back to the morning with my daughter.  She has a book called Geography Through Art, that includes crafts inspired by different places and cultures.  I opened the book, and there was a page about Runes.  We talked about this Norse divination tool, which led to a conversation about Norway, where my daughter’s paternal ancestors come from.  Which led to a conversation about Vikings.  Vikings inhabit a certain space of cultural fascination and romance—with their dragon hulled ships and armored, big bearded men.  And of course, the violent history of raiding.

My daughter has this Viking ancestry on her dad’s side, and Irish lineage, among other things, on my side.  A mingling of oppressor and oppressed.  We imagined what it might be like to be attacked from sea.

Murder and pillage always seems to kill the mood.  My daughter’s attention shifts quickly when she’s faced with violent truths.  How can a kid, or anyone, make sense of violent histories or present day realities?

We looked up some videos of people speaking Gaelic to focus on something else.

Spiritual people talk a lot about “well ancestors” and “unwell ancestors“.  Living humans are reflections of ancestors.  What does it mean to be “well“ or “unwell?”  How can wellness be cultivated and how do we really tend unwell ones? 

Unwell energies are part of our families and communities.  We see their unwellness as addiction, violence, hatred, ignorance, and delusion, which are symptoms of spiritual sickness and indicate a need for healing. To varying degrees, all of us contain energies of both the oppressor and the oppressed and both need to heal.

Supportive, well ancestors have a way of reaching from beyond, to poke us, nudge us, whisper or shout at us through art, music, literature, nature, emotions, or synchronicities.

And women are often very good at listening.

Women’s power to tend wellness of community through their knowledge, intuition, touch, care, and connection to spirit is essential medicine for healing ailments in the collective human family.

Sitting with my daughter I wondered what could I tell her about the well Viking ancestors? And then they showed up with their own message.

A few months ago, my daughter and I went with some friends to see Aurora in concert.  I was a fan of Aurora but mostly wanted to have a fun adventure with my daughter.  I was excited to tell her that Aurora was from Norway, not so far from where her ancestors lived.  Then we went to the concert, and needless to say, I was completely blown away.  I realized that Aurora was more than an artist, she was a musical mystic, a healer in human-fae form! Aurora’s musicality and her energy and love were deeply moving. I left with an appreciation for the living Well Ones who bring love, healing, and justice through their work and art.

So that Friday morning, as my daughter and I moved on to other tasks, I opened up social media (scroll monster!!) and the first thing that popped up was a video of Aurora….singing “Misty Mountain.”

Now it’s totally possible that my phone and its AI algorithm listens to us, and feeds us content based on what we’re talking about.  And it’s also possible that spirits and ancestors use the communication tools of their time to connect with us.  Because Aurora’s voice singing back to, and with, my daughter, communicated to me that the “well” ones are also here, and that women are bringing their magic, healing, and power in ways we can’t even begin to imagine.

Link to video of Aurora singing Misty Mountain:

https://youtu.be/626or5wouJQ?si=PBpePn_eBjeLVzE7

I recognize my use of the gender binary throughout this piece. I also recognize that simply because someone is a woman does not mean they will be gifted with healing or intuitive gifts, and it does not mean these gifts are absent in men. My intention is to uplift women and girls so that they are free to express their gifts. I acknowledge that Queer Magic is also essential and potent, and is not the focus here.