Have you ever felt cursed? Born under an unlucky star, into an unlucky family, fated to repeat patterns or become your parents/grandparents, haunted, or gotten "bad DNA"? Chances are, you've inherited an old ancestral fear. We all have in one way or another.
We know that for much of human history, our Ancestors did not have science to explain natural phenomena. Energetics were not understood or even known (and we are still figuring it out today). Myths, superstitions, belief in magic and the occult were part of every day life. So much so that the fear of witchcraft wiped out entire populations. People very much believed in the power of curses, hexes, and spells.
Now, all of that is only as real as people believe. There is no malevolent, evil black magical force out there, as portrayed in movies and books. There is only fear. And all evil is fear-based, and human-created. Evil "spirits" are just an accumulation of human thought patterns that have gained enough collective energy to appear to have taken on form. And as we know, fear is ultimately an illusion. So curses are only as powerful as we allow them to be. And our beliefs, our thoughts, create our reality. Our brains subconsciously look for evidence to prove and validate these these beliefs, so they do become very, very real.
The study of epigenetics have proven and identified how inherited fear and trauma is passed down through specific genetic markers in our DNA. And DNA is changeable, depending on our environment. The food we eat, the air we breathe, the words we speak, the prayers and intentions we call in, the thoughts we think all influence the switches that turn on and off the expression of our genes and DNA. They cause chemical changes in our bodies and brains, literally altering and activating DNA, affecting the way our genes communicate instructions to our cells.
The dictionary defines the word 'curse’ as "a prayer or invocation for harm or injury to come upon one." So long ago, an Ancestor might have been cursed by someone. All it takes is saying "I curse you to !", which was usually accompanied by finger pointing (fingers are the original magic wands!). The power of belief, both on the giver and on the receiver's parts, made it very real, and physical. And certain switches were flipped in their DNA, which then made their way down the family line to you.
Some generational curses I've come across in my work with clients are familial histories of addiction, miscarriages/infertility, extreme poverty/debt, early deaths, violent and/or depressive tendencies... the list goes on. Even illness -- all illness, every physical condition, has an energetic origin. One of my friend's great-grandmothers was cursed to have all her husbands die young, which indeed happened. And it also happened to her grandmother, and mother. Curses can also be self-inflicted, in the form of vows. The movie Practical Magic beautifully illustrates this.
Healing allows us to rewrite family narratives of generational fear and trauma. One of my favorite tools is breathwork, as you know, because it gets us past the rational mind and down into the body and subconscious. Whichever way you feel called to explore this, of course, is the right way for you. All we need is awareness and intention. And on this New Moon in Gemini today, we are supported to gain new awarenesses, understandings and perspectives, and begin anew. All we have to do, as ever, is be willing.
Happy New Moon, peeps.