From Fear to Love: Reconnecting With My Ancestral Line

“I would like you to turn to the North and bow to your ancestors . . .”

I’m in the middle of a visualization exercise led by Lynne Twist at a gathering of transformational leaders in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico right after a near death experience on a Colorado mountain pass and before the inauguration of the current administration.

To be honest, my experience with visualizations and meditations is akin to Morales in A Chorus Line—everyone around me feels the cold, feels the snow, feels the air . . . and I feel nothing.

And yet, as I stand and turn north to face my ancestors, a familiar dread creeps in.

My grandparents, great-grandparents, great-great-grandparents, etc—who came from Cuba, Spain, and beyond— a lineage of Catholicism, how would they respond to me?

An unapologetic, proud Queer, Gay, Cis Man. A stage actor turned Public Speaking Coach with the privilege of helping people around the world neutralize fear and shame so they can stand powerfully and authentically in their truth and story.

“Que pena. Que decepción. No tienes pudor?” (What a pity. We are deceived. Have you no shame?)

The fear of their disappointment reverberating through the generations.

And then . . . something shifts.

As I prostrate myself in reverence, a flood of energy rushes through me. The shame and doubt vanish. And in their place, I feel this truth: the same miracle that made them made me. And the source of that miracle? LOVE.

I almost fall over. My eyes well up. My body vibrates with their benediction and blessing, the shame dissolving instantly with the realization that I am held and honored by my ancestral line.

I’m not just feeling something . . . I’m feeling EVERYTHING.

To my Trans, Non-Binary, Queer, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Intersex, Ace, 2-Spirit, and all the ++++++++++ to come siblings . . .

We have been. We are. We always will be.

No attempts at executive erasure can eliminate the power, beauty, and miracle of our being.

At the root of our creation and expression is love. And in the midst of all the chaos of the moment, we must remember . . .

 

✨ LOVE ALWAYS WINS. ✨

 

Have you ever felt the weight of ancestral expectations? How do you connect with your roots? And if you could send a message back through the generations, what would you say?

Feel free to respond and let me know. Let’s rewrite the narrative together.

We are grateful that you are in our community.

 

Fearlessly yours,

 

Eduardo