The Call to Return: An Ancestral Journey of Healing, Love and Liberation

My personal story of ancestral healing started three generations ago when my great-grandparents immigrated to America from Italy.

Particularly my maternal grandmother’s parents, from Arnara (Frosinone) Campania, Italy, and my paternal grandfather’s parents from Cervinara, Campania, Italy. However, my maternal grandfather’s family didn’t carry this wounding. My great-grandmother Mary Palumbi Salvatori followed her husband’s immigration, Antonio Salvatori, with her son Thomas in tow, in the year of 1911. My paternal grandparents, Angelina DiMartino Miele and Joseph Miele, probably immigrated around 1916.

As you can imagine, they were raised devout Catholics in their communities. The church is the center of life in the old Italian villages and “La famiglia” is just as important. It is these strong bonds that were essential to daily life in Italy that become the cords of wounding once they leave Italia.

Imagine being around 18 years old, with your first baby, leaving your home, your support system, your community. You’re not leaving because you want to, you are leaving in order to survive, in hopes of a better life where your basic needs of survival are met. A chance for your children to survive and possibly thrive. Leaving your loved ones behind, to step into the complete unknown in hopes of better living conditions. For the men, knowing they have to find a way to support their family and having no idea what this world has to offer. Not knowing how they will communicate and where they will go. The fear and the pressure of that is enormous. Just feel that for a moment.......

All my life I felt a draw to go back to Italy. (Funny I should say go back because I have never been there until now.) I just couldn’t find the opportunity to go, it just seemed to be blocked. Also, I always had the feeling I would not want to return to the States. Well, that part is true, I didn’t want to return but, now, I understand, that draw to return was in my genetic memory. I was carrying my grandparents' wishes. It wasn’t just because I wanted to know my heritage, it was bigger than that. It is only now that I realize that and know that I’m capable of carrying the weight of it and of transmuting it for past and future generations of my ancestral lineage.

I went to Arnara, on top of the mountain and sat in St. Nicola Piazza looking at the church (it wasn’t open). I was thinking of my great-grandparents, imagining their life there which led into an energetic connection with them. Stopping here for a moment and switching to the DiMartino and Miele family. I went into the Ferrari district to the Abbey of St. Gennaro, of Cervinara and connected with those great-grandparents. The experiences of both were very similar so I will describe the healing as one event. (I’m weeping as I write this).

When I connected with them all, I allowed myself to feel what it was like for them to leave and what it was like for them to live in this world. The pain and fear of leaving everything they know and love was replaced with guilt, sadness, and longing in America. The church dogma and perhaps social conditioning led them to a place of guilt. Guilt for leaving others behind to suffer, guilt for not staying, guilt for having their needs met not knowing what is happening to their families. Hanging onto the sadness and despair they feel over separating from their loved ones. They felt responsible for the famiglia they left behind and couldn’t give themselves permission to enjoy this life or prosper, ever, no matter what. I felt the grief deeply and I wept for them. This grief they held created a strong karmic attachment that was passed down through the generations. It also is what drew their souls back to their beloved communities.

Then I got a sense that they felt that they could not love without their home, their church, or their community, which is why they were stuck there. They couldn’t feel “Dio’s” (God) love because they couldn’t give themselves permission to, they didn’t deserve it, they were unworthy of it. See the themes that get passed down generation by generation? They were excited that they could see me. I later realized I needed to be there physically in order to connect with them because they were stuck there.

Then I shared with them that Dio’s love is within them, always has been, always will be, and is with them no matter where they go. God does not withhold his love. I told them to let go of guilt and church dogma and go with God. My presence let them see that we all, their ancestors, are carrying this heavy weight into the future. I told them, I am here to show you this and show you the way home. I shared that life on earth is something to observe not be stuck in and it is a world of contrast for us to experience and learn from. I also told them, I am here to transmute my life from lack of love, unworthiness, and the like and together we can break this karma across time and space and free our past, present, and future ancestors from carrying this attachment. When they realized we were carrying this for them, they wanted to free us probably more than they wanted to free themselves. They gladly went forth into the light of their souls and set us all free.

This was a profound experience of great magnitude with many layers I have yet to discover. The importance of this is more than I could conceive of at this time. I believe it is in divine timing and it greatly affects the collective consciousness. So I share this as an inspiration for those of you who may be feeling called to ancestral healing. I’m sure it doesn’t require everyone to travel, it just requires a willingness and courage to feel it and transmute it.

My love goes with you all,

FREE AT LAST!