Ancestor Work & Your Root Chakra

Ancestor Work & Your Root Chakra

As a black American, I find myself spending a lot of time working on my root chakra.

The root chakra or mūlādhāra (in Sanskrit) literally translates to root support, and is found at the seat of the spine. The root chakra is the foundation of the energetic body. The root chakra is associated with identity, physicality, grounding, and safety. The root chakra is also directly connected to our ancestral lineage. This is why root chakra work is an essential practice to anyone who identifies as a Black American.

Generation after generation your cultural history unconsciously is passed down. Cyclical familial patterns live in the root chakra. Ancestral trauma from slavery live in the root chakra. Ancestral memories of Jim Crow abuse lives in the root chakra. Without healing the generations of pain imprinted in our root chakras, it gets hard to feel accepted, protected, and safe here in America.

Healing the root chakra means doing ancestral work and healing that ancestral trauma. This work does not have to be overwhelming. This doesn’t have to be remembering the words of I Have A Dream. This doesn't mean you have to watch Roots every February.

Here are some ancestral healing specific root work you can implement:

Root Work for Black Americans:

Connect with your ancestors. Ancestral work allows you to tap into ancestral wisdom. You know that feeling when your grandmother’s spirit guides you across the kitchen, helping you add the perfect amount of seasoning in your dinner. That wisdom can continue to guide you in other parts of your life. Find ways to regularly connect and pay respect to your ancestors. 

Pay respect. This could be something as simple as setting up a small shrine in your home honoring them, or visiting your family cemetery to pay your respects. 

Ancestor Altar Mood Board

Ancestor Table Egun Table Mood Board

Check out this altar board for some inspiration on. You can get started with a small table covered with a white tablecloth. Fill a large bubble vase with cool water and light a white candle as an offering for your ancestors. Sit with the lit candle, thanking your ancestors for keeping you lifted. You can also place things like flowers, coffee, food, and other treats as offerings on this altar.


Remind yourself daily that you belong here and you have a right to be here. Chanting mantras that reinforce the idea that you belong is a simple, yet powerful way to reaffirm your very necessary position here on earth. Try things like:

  • I am safe, secure, and strong. 
  • I am supported
  • I have what I need to thrive.
  • I am deeply connected to my body.
  • I am deeply rooted. 
  • I belong.
  • i trust myself.
  • i am stable and grounded  
  • I nurture my body 
  • ...and beyond.


Activate the root chakra. I will go through some of my favorite ways to activate and balance a future root chakra post. The simplest way to activate the root chakra is by going outside and having contact with nature. This could be walking barefoot in your backyard, or sitting in the grass at the park, or hugging a tree. The earth is here to support you, so use her to feel connected, rooted, and stable.

Healing your root chakra releases deep-seated trauma that threatens our place in this world as black Americans. Healing your root establishes your space. Healing your root elevates your ancestors. Healing your root ensures a better life for the generations that come after you. Release cyclical patterns and keep your root ac

 

 




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3 comments

Finding this article was divine intervention as I wasn’t looking for it, but I needed it and it found me. THANK YOU!

Noneya

Yesss Thank you so much! its all about the root chakra and harnessing the kundalini to deepen into ancestral hidden traumas. Soo grateful for this post!

Kiyoko Guillory-Gonzalez

love this & thank you for sharing! I am looking to buckle down and get serious about being consistent and clear with my ancestral altar work.

Chloe'

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