Ancestor Work & Your Root Chakra

Root Chakra and Ancestor Connection

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. 

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.

Affirmations & reminders

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

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.

I explore even more ways to ground yourself, and many of these will activate and balance the root chakra in the Grounding 101 blog post.

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

Resources

Here are some other resources to check out that follow up on some of the concepts introduced in this post.

• Offerings for an Ancestor Altar (Beginner & Advanced Friendly!)
• How to make an altar
• Genealogy & ancestral veneration ritual course (coming soon)
• 5 Lessons on Ancestor Work from Pixar's Coco
• Grounding 101