When we listen to our native brethren from anywhere around the earth, they are always specific about how important ancestors are. It does makes sense, because that solidifies us to a place where our ancestors lived, taught each other, and brought forward the wisdom of the earth. That’s how wisdom comes down to the present generation.
Those of us, however, who have been transplanted someplace, as is the majority of the population of the United States, don’t have that. We really can’t find an ancestor who was awake and in touch with the Earth enough to bring that to us. And even if we do trace our lineage back, it’s going to end up in a totally different country someplace. So, it doesn’t connect us to here, to wherever we are. So, what do we do now?
What’s beautiful about understanding Enlightenment teachings, nondual teachings, all the teachings from the East, is that this shows us how to open ourselves up to the reality of our nature without having to be tied to the Earth. We’re just in our own self.
It’s works but it leaves us a bit disembodied. I think it’s critical to, then, tie us to the Earth in the place where we are. We can use what we’ve learned through science over the past several decades to lead us to this place where we can belong on the Earth again.
I don’t have immediate ancestors here in this place where I live. I mean, I have parents and grandparents, but you trace them back, and it’s not very far until they were on a boat coming over from Ireland. For me, my particular ancestors. Some of them were good people for the most part, but they were living in a very specific delusion that was taught to them by the historic religions of the places that they came from. They didn’t really know who they were, and when they pulled themselves away from their homelands and were here in this new country they became even more confused.
Most of my ancestors were able to remain fair, good people. Some of us, though, it really destroyed. I’m sure there are people reading thisd who come from terrible families.
So, what do we do? Here we are. We’re in this situation that we’re in. We want to wake up to our true nature. It’s not proven yet, but I’m thinking that coming into your true nature through the Earth, through understanding who you are, through the wisdom that we know from native cultures is easier than going on the disembodied path. It’s easier, and it’s also more useful once you get to a place of Awakening. Then you will have real tools to be able to help other people step into the same place.
So how do we do this?
What helps is to put ourselves into the huge timeline that science has now given us. I can go way back: not just my parents and my grandparents, and not even their parents and their parents and their parents. Go a long way back until we find a place where my ancestors were living naturally on the land. And you the same.
Now, with all of our new information from DNA, and science, and the geology, it’s possible to bring ourselves way, way back. This then, has a sense of grounding us down into the Earth where we can be a full human being.
Ground yourself first and then realize, “Okay, I exist. Not only am I this mental thing that’s trying to get enlightened, but I am this incredible collection of DNA and cells and living life that is right here, right now, in this place.”
This helps dissolve lots of the misconceptions that we otherwise have to pick through with tweezers trying to become enlightened.
Nondual teachings are effective, but can be brutal. You are not this. It’s not that. I’m not this. I’m not that.
Wow! That can be an excruciating process of undoing yourself. It also has the very real danger of turning us disconnected from life. It’s easy to misinterpret. Instead of thinking, “My thoughts don’t exist,” we start thinking, “I don’t exist at all. I’m nothing. All you people who think you’re something are dumber than me because I’m smart. I know I’m nothing.”
Just read some of the stuff that comes through in non-duality, right? Crazy.
So, let’s ground ourselves into who we are. Every single one of us comes from this vast pool of awakened ancestors. We have that within us. That is your nature. That is your birthright to wake up again to who you are.
The knowledge of our awakened ancestors still lives in the native wisdom keepers who are writing books for us. It’s available in the plants, and the trees, and the rivers.
Simply knowing that it is there we can use the knowledge of our awakened ancestors as a grounding tool, and now we’re firmly in the land. We’re on this Earth where we belong. From this grounded place you can start seeing the thoughts that go in your head.
This uncontrolled ramble of thoughts is a new thing, a very new thing that has happened to people. Our languages used to be very, very simpler, easier.
We can start to let it just start with curiosity. What are your ancient, ancient, ancient ancestors saying to you? They’re still there inside you as much as a recent ancestor would be. So, ground yourself in that, and now you are not two. You are only that. You are only you, the awakened now person living here.