Ancestral healing begins with a question:
Have you ever felt like you’re running a race in someone else’s shoes? They might look beautiful, but they don’t fit—and no matter how hard you try, you keep stumbling.
That is the experience of living with unacknowledged ancestral burdens. Invisible patterns, such as the effects of unresolved traumas, unspoken beliefs, and their precursors — passed down through generations — shape the way we move through life. These inheritances are not only cultural or spiritual; science now confirms that they reach into the very biology of our bodies.
In a recent episode of MagnifEssence in Motion, Elizabeth Kipp joined host David McLeod for a profound conversation about the ancestral clearing practice. Together, we explored how unhealed patterns from the past echo in the present, and how compassionate, prayerful healing can bring freedom for ourselves and our lineages.
What Is Ancestral Energy and Why It Matters
Ancestral energy refers to the emotional, spiritual, and even physical imprints carried from those who came before us. These silent legacies shape how we love, how we fear, and how we respond to stress, often without us ever consciously realizing where the patterns began.
We might think our struggles are ours alone, yet beneath the surface lies a larger story. By acknowledging and tending to ancestral energy, we open the door to profound healing, not just for ourselves but for our families and future generations.
Inheritance Beyond Genes
We inherit more than eye color or bone structure. The field of epigenetics, through research by pioneers such as Dr. Rachel Yehuda, demonstrates that trauma alters the way genes are expressed. These are effects that ripple forward into the lives of descendants.
These biological echoes serve as evidence of what Indigenous traditions and healing lineages have long known: our ancestors’ experiences live on within us, shaping our nervous systems, our resilience, and our sense of safety.
Symptoms of Unresolved Ancestral Burdens
You may feel the weight of ancestral burdens if you:
Experience a reaction to something that seems out of proportion, and you are not sure why you reacted so strongly
Struggle to break free from repeating family patterns
Feel inexplicably “stuck,” as though something unseen is holding you back
These symptoms can be signs of strength rather than weakness. They can be signals pointing toward deeper layers of inherited experience waiting to be released.
The Process of Ancestral Clearing
Elizabeth Kipp offers a compassionate, prayer-based pathway known as ancestral clearing. This energy modality was pioneered by Howard Wills and further developed by John Newton. This practice invites divine presence and grace into the tangled knots of the past, asking for healing, forgiveness, and liberation across time and space.
Importantly, ancestral clearing is not about blame. Instead, it honors those who came before us, recognizing their struggles while releasing what no longer serves. The intention is freedom, not judgment.
The Gift of Remembering Who You Are
The deepest promise of ancestral healing is remembrance. As we clear inherited burdens, we uncover the essence that has always been there: the intuitive, grounded, peaceful self waiting beneath generations of fear.
This is the gift our ancestors longed for us to embody – not their pain, but their hope. By stepping into our authentic selves, we become living expressions of their highest dreams.
A Path Forward
Ancestral healing is both ancient and modern, mystical and scientific. It reminds us that we are part of an unbroken chain of life and love, and that healing reverberates in both directions—toward our ancestors and toward those yet to come.
By recognizing what we carry, honoring the past, and inviting divine help, we free ourselves to walk in shoes that truly fit—our own.
CLICK HERE to Book a Private Ancestral Clearing Session with Elizabeth Kipp.
