![]() History is important in the present because it shows us where we came from and, hopefully, helps us to make different choices than our ancestors did: more life-giving ones. (I minored in history.) Understanding history is far from a redundant exercise. In an effort to figure out the reason behind what just happened to me, I started studying African history in university. I did not have to live with being treated in such a way every day, but other folks did not have that option. I came home feeling so guilty and sad: I could come home and my skin colour would revert back to what it was. He told me about the extreme bias against mixed ancestry people in South Africa at the time and that these folks didn’t fit in anywhere except for in their own community. It wasn’t until I was on a tram in Cape Town and I met another mulatto man who made eye contact with me that I understood what was going on. I had never been treated with this level of disdain my whole life and it really had an influence on my psyche. It wasn’t until I walked into a general store one day and the owner told me to “mind my colour” that I began piecing together what was happening. I got harassed on the streets, grabbed, taunted, and I could not figure out what was happening. As I got more and more tanned during our trip, people began treating me differently. My sister looks more like the people descended from Vikings who live in the north of Portugal and although we are full sisters, I look more like our African and Middle Eastern ancestors. In South Africa at that time, if you didn’t look “white” or “black,” then you fell into the “mulatto” category: you were not accepted by “white” communities or “black” ones. It wasn’t until I went to visit relatives in South Africa that I saw how challenging life is for people with African ancestry that have darker skin than I do. In a blog post from May 2017, I described this shift in consciousness in more detail: This turned out to be a life-changing experience that was filled with highs and very deep lows that reverberated in my life for months after. In 1996, I flew to South Africa with my sister to visit family and travel the country. This is hard to write and it may be hard for some folks to read too I acknowledge that. (We do well to remember this when we are telling only glorified stories about our people.) This article is really about looking at the healing that is needed in the shadow of the collective unconscious of humans at this time in regards to racism, prejudice, and bigotry. As humans, we all have shadow and light within us. It’s not easy and I’ve had to learn how to wade through the complexity that these multiple realities bring. As a first generation Canadian, mixed ancestry, LGBTQ woman I am accustomed to walking between the worlds and I am conscious that I can be a living bridge into worldviews that seem very disparate from one another. My parents were both born in Portugal and Portuguese is my first language. My ancestors are from all around the Mediterranean Sea, the United Kingdom, Eastern Europe, and Northern Africa. I do this so that future generations may be free of the baggage and terror that comes along with this. Rather than feeling like I burden, I feel honoured that I have the stability to do the work of healing historic and intergenerational trauma in my blood lineage as it appears in my life. What resilience I have inherited! I’ve also been reflecting on the tremendous responsibility I have to continue with the healing work they could not (or would not) do in their lifetimes. Because they lived and survived the times they were born into, I am here. I am more deeply recognizing the incredible gift of life I was given through them. ~ Toko-pa Turner from Belonging: Remembering Ourselves HomeĪs Samhain approaches and the veils between our world and the spirit world grow thinner, I’ve been sensing my ancestors surrounding me. It is liberating to consider that when we heal an ancestral pattern, we are not only freeing future generations, but healing backwards through time, liberating all those souls who were left unresolved, unforgiven, and misunderstood. ![]() Samhain Gifts from the Ancestors: Healing Intergenerational and Historic Trauma
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