Generational Trauma
The Usual: I am not a licensed health care professional. Any and all material appearing on The Holographic Phytomancy blog website, and all affiliated social media, emails, and newsletters are written exclusively for entertainment and education uses only. Please, always consult a professional healthcare provider before beginning any new treatment or program. Any and all material written on this website should not take the place of medical care or advice. Astrology is not meant to diagnose or treat illnesses. Do not diagnose yourself without speaking to a licensed healthcare professional. You can cause serious harm to yourself. See the Terms & Conditions page for more information.Preface + What’s been going on with me:
Hello, my friends. I hope you are all well.
I know some of you were hoping for a Gemini Season post, but with everything going on in the world, I have been exhausted and languishing. To start, I apologize for the delay in this post and for not updating my social media. I am fatigued, and this blog post will not be as lively and fun as the previous ones. I have very little energy these days, and I am trying to spread it out for a few daily tasks.
I have been reflecting on the events unfolding across the globe, and I wanted to do my part in the ways available to me: writing.
So, instead of discussing color and phytonutrients, astrology, medical astrology, or spiritual work in this post, I want to address something that has been on my mind. One aspect of these ongoing violent events is the reckoning we will all have to face as it relates to the generational trauma that will inevitably follow the events unfolding in the world. I have spoken about it before, but allow me to recap here.
I have been wondering how I can do my part, and the more I thought, the more useless I felt. I wish I could be on the front lines, but I'm not suited for that. I used to hate myself for it, but I have been reading a lot about how to make a difference with the resources available to you and within you. No need to outsource— the power you need is already waiting for you to utilize! (Astro-Note: In my opinion, this is very Saturn in Aries themes!)
Everyone has different talents, and mine have always been more contemplative and subtle. If you feel the same way, I want you to know that I have learned that not everyone should force themselves into situations that do not align with their inner nature. Not everyone should protest, rally the people in a public speech, or organize a community. If it isn’t your strong suit, then you are not in the space we need you to be. You have other talents! Utilize them. We need them to be leveraged in our community during times of crisis, not hidden!
An excellent resource for exploring how you can best fit into the community and make change during times of crisis is the Social Change Ecosystem Map by writer and activist Deepa Iyer. The link takes you right to the map, where you can read more about the 10 different roles one can play in the pursuit of equality and justice. I will briefly discuss the 10 roles below, as described on Deepa Iyer’s IG, but I encourage you to click on the link above for more information. I would much rather you explore their page, giving them traffic to their site or work.
“The Social Change Ecosystem Map is a framework that helps individuals, networks, and organizations align with social change values, their individual roles, and the broader ecosystem.”
—Deepa Iyer
🕸️Weavers see the through-lines of connectivity between people, places, organizations, ideas, and movements.
🧪Experimenters innovate, pioneer, and invent. They take risks and course-correct as needed.
🛡️Frontline Responders address community crises by marshaling and organizing resources, networks, and messages.
🦋Visionaries imagine and generate the boldest possibilities, hopes, and dreams. They remind us of our direction.
🏰Builders develop, organize, and implement ideas, practices, people, and resources in service of a collective vision.
❤️🩹Caregivers nurture and nourish the community by creating and sustaining a community of care, joy, and connection.
🌿Healers recognize and tend to the generation and current traumas caused by oppressive systems, institutions, policies, and practices.
⚔️Disrupters take uncomfortable and risky actions to shake up the status quo, to raise awareness, and to build power.
📜Storytellers craft and share community stories, cultures, experiences, histories, and possibilities through art, music, media, and movement.
🎁Guides teach, counsel, and advise, using their gifts of well-earned discernment and wisdom.
I briefly mention this here to spur us all into action, that is best suited to them. My blog’s audience is mainly: Occultists, Astrologers, Spiritual Well-being Enthusiasts/Practitioners, Quantum Vibrational Healing Enthusiasts/Practitioners, Witches, Magicians, and those interested in Ancestral Healing (we will come back to this last piece later in this blog post).
We need to work together, and I urge you to identify yourself in the Social Change Ecosystem Map list above. As a member of the Greater “Spiritual Community”, you most likely will find yourself in more than one role, as we tend to wear more than one “hat” as Magically-Operant folk. I, myself, align with a Weaver, Visionary, Healer, Story-teller, and a bit of an Experimenter. Instead of continuing to feel sorry for myself, I wanted to put my talents to good use during this time. For now, I can focus on the resources I already have within me. Therefore, this post will draw on the talents of those five roles. It’s not much, but this is how I can make a difference in a small way.
Generational Trauma Inherited Physically
While I'm not a Trauma Expert, as a Vibrational and Holistic Health Practitioner, understanding the gnarled, intricate roots of trauma has been a core focus of my studies. I have shared this perspective throughout my blog and on my social media, but allow me to call upon previous blog posts to illustrate that our experiences impact us right down to the microscopic level, and how trauma can be passed down through our bodies (via microbiota).
In my blog post, "Microbial Animism and Intuition," I explored the idea that bacteria are the ancestors of our ancestors, having evolved alongside us since the dawn of life. Our microbiome, the ecosystem of bacteria in our gut, is developed natally through the placenta, amniotic fluid, and meconium [18], and more recent studies found that the microbiome may actually form earlier, since both the placenta and the meconium have their own microbiomes [30].
Two animal studies [19] have observed that fetuses exposed to prenatal stress through their mothers developed a gut microbiota with low levels of beneficial bacteria (Bifidobacteria) [20]. This means that we are influenced by what has come before us, inheriting prenatal stress. What a parent experiences emotionally and physiologically can shape the microbial landscape of their child before birth.
When the gut biome is forming during the first two weeks of the baby’s life, any trauma the infant encounters impacts their immune system [22]. The underdevelopment of the gut’s flora has been linked to cardiovascular disease, late-onset sepsis, and atopic disease [23, 24]. Furthermore, we continue to develop and have this symbiotic relationship with the bacteria in our gut as we age [25].
The gut-brain axis (GBA) is the communication between the central nervous system (CNS) and the enteric nervous system (ENS) [7]. Recent studies have highlighted the significance of the microbiota and concluded that bacteria play a crucial role in influencing the neural, endocrine, and immune systems [8]. Simply put, there is a link between cognition and emotions, and it is the microorganisms that dwell within our gut that are at the center, impacting this connection. In other words, bacteria are the driving force behind it all [9].
The networks involved in this communication are the CNS (brain and spinal cord), autonomic nervous system (ANS), ENS, and the hypothalamic pituitary axis (HPA) [12]. These networks have several functions, including hormone regulation (such as the stress hormone cortisol and pro-inflammatory cytokines), memory, emotional response, and immune response [13].
The data is further supported when observing the relation between a healthy gut flora and the prevention of mental illness, anxiety, and depression [15]. One study [16] showed that specific strains can influence negative or positive mental health. Moreover, bacteria can even alter the way we think, with some studies correlating an unhealthy gut microbiome with depression, anxiety, and even schizophrenia [17].
Also worth noting: Studies are being done that exhibit bacteria’s role in bone health (Astro Note: Saturn rules bones). Non-beneficial bacteria can stimulate osteoclastogenesis and bone loss in mice, and some of these studies are being done on humans as well [27, 28]. With this in mind, we can understand how we are physically impacted by inherited stress, grief, and hardships – it is the very foundation of our existence (our microbiome and bones, the building blocks of material life) that is shaped.
Generational Trauma inherited through DNA
The implications of trauma inheritance go deeper than our bacteria and bones (if you can believe it). Another area of interesting study is the research being done on the potential of generational trauma inherited through epigenetics. Trauma-induced changes to DNA do not mean there is a complete sequencing arrangement, but rather how the gene is expressed. This is a complex topic, but these are the types of findings that Spiritual Healers who focus on Ancestral Healing are paying attention to. (Perhaps, we all should.)
One review [19] discusses the existing literature on this very topic. Perroud et al are mentioned in a study on humans who experienced trauma during the 1995 Rwandan g*nocide, and found that the mothers who experienced the unimaginable horrors of this event expressed methylation (the epigenetic change) occurred in both the mother and the child, showing higher rates of PTSD and depression. The NR3C1 gene, a gene that regulates stress response, also expressed epigenetic changes in both the mother and child. This suggests that methylation changes made by trauma can be transmitted from parents to children.
The paper also touches on how trauma inheritance has the potential to affect more than just our minds and moods:
“[…] Although the main focus of the review is on the psychological and psychiatric effect of trauma transgenerationally via methylation changes, another area that could be impacted by trauma and stress (and supported by emerging and preliminary evidence) is that the transgenerational effects may not only affect psychological health but also physical health […])”
So, what does the above mean? We aren’t just talking about mental health, but our physical well-being. Here’s how: A study in Congo [Mulligan et al. 19] showed that children born to parents who experienced trauma had lower birth weights, and they were limited in how well they adapted to stress later on in life, even going on to develop chronic diseases. This means that the child was affected by the inherited trauma years into their lives, not just at birth, and the trauma left a physical mark. This means that families who are being affected right now with violence and destruction will feel displacement, violence, terror, and destruction live inside them, passing it on to generations. And who will be there for them? Will they end up as merely more traumatized humans in our greater global collective, cast aside for their misunderstood feelings and their deep need to belong to a place, a people, a culture that may never be sated?
These studies also prove that trauma isn’t just some “word”— it's a real thing with real long-term consequences that affect the individual, their families, and the communities they belong to. Whether it’s our bacteria, our gut-brain axis, our bones, or our DNA, trauma lives on, and these stories reside within humans. This is an area of research I am passionate about, a topic that genuinely concerns me. These people are part of our global collective, and we cannot believe that we won’t be affected because “it’s not us”. It is us, and we are all of it. We engage with humans every single day from all over the world, especially now that we have smartphones and devices. Moreover, a very talented therapist once told me that we all hold within us a generational story of trauma within our DNA. Perhaps this is why we Magicians are so focused on Ancestral Healing— we are trying to come back “home”, to “the one”, our point of origin. Knowing this should make us more empathetic to the suffering around us. Unfortunately, I rarely see that type of empathy expressed.
We must be aware of these consequences and respond to them by offering care, support, and healing when and where needed. To clarify: for those of us not directly being affected by this, we will have to reach out and offer support where we can (I invite you to revisit the Social Change Ecosystem Map above and see where you can provide hope, healing, inspiration, knowledge, protection, disruption, art, etc.)
So, I know this post is far from my usual posts (on this blog), but I believe we need all to use our talents right now (and continue to use them ever after) in these scary times. I am doing my best to keep up with the information as it comes as best as I can. I try to update my Instagram stories with helpful information, resources, charities, and movements that come across my feed. If you want to keep up to date with me, follow me there.
I hope everyone is doing well. I will talk to you again soon! Be kind to each other.
Resources and Research Citing:
Deepa Iyer: The Social Change Ecosystem Map
[1, 4, 8] - Clapp, Megan et al. “Gut microbiota's effect on mental health: The gut-brain axis.” Clinics and practice vol. 7,4 987. 15 Sep. 2017, doi:10.4081/cp.2017.987
[2] - Ho, Pochu, and David A Ross. “More Than a Gut Feeling: The Implications of the Gut Microbiota in Psychiatry.” Biological psychiatry vol. 81,5 (2017): e35-e37. doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2016.12.018
[3] - Gritz, Emily C, and Vineet Bhandari. “The human neonatal gut microbiome: a brief review.” Frontiers in pediatrics vol. 3 17. 5 Mar. 2015, doi:10.3389/fped.2015.00017
[5] - Oozeer R, van Limpt K, Ludwig T, Ben Amor K, Martin R, Wind RD, Boehm G, Knol J. Intestinal microbiology in early life: specific prebiotics can have similar functionalities as human-milk oligosaccharides. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013 Aug;98(2):561S-71S. doi: 10.3945/ajcn.112.038893. Epub 2013 Jul 3. PMID: 23824728.
[6] - Mai, Volker et al. “Associations between dietary habits and body mass index with gut microbiota composition and fecal water genotoxicity: an observational study in African American and Caucasian American volunteers.” Nutrition journal vol. 8 49. 21 Oct. 2009, doi:10.1186/1475-2891-8-49
[7] - Mai, Volker et al. “Distortions in development of intestinal microbiota associated with late onset sepsis in preterm infants.” PloS one vol. 8,1 (2013): e52876. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052876
[9, 10, 11, 12, 13] - Carabotti, Marilia et al. “The gut-brain axis: interactions between enteric microbiota, central and enteric nervous systems.” Annals of gastroenterology vol. 28,2 (2015): 203-209.
[14] - Foster JA, McVey Neufeld KA. Gut-brain axis: how the microbiome influences anxiety and depression. Trends Neurosci. 2013 May;36(5):305-12. doi: 10.1016/j.tins.2013.01.005. Epub 2013 Feb 4. PMID: 23384445.
[15] - Naseribafrouei A, Hestad K, Avershina E, Sekelja M, Linløkken A, Wilson R, Rudi K. Correlation between the human fecal microbiota and depression. Neurogastroenterol Motil. 2014 Aug;26(8):1155-62. doi: 10.1111/nmo.12378. Epub 2014 Jun 1. PMID: 24888394.
[16] - How gut bacteria are controlling your brain - BBC Future
[17, 18] - Dinan K, Dinan T. Antibiotics and mental health: The good, the bad and the ugly. J Intern Med. 2022 Dec;292(6):858-869. doi: 10.1111/joim.13543. Epub 2022 Jul 12. PMID: 35819136; PMCID: PMC9796968.
[19] - Youssef NA, Lockwood L, Su S, Hao G, Rutten BPF. The Effects of Trauma, with or without PTSD, on the Transgenerational DNA Methylation Alterations in Human Offsprings. Brain Sci. 2018 May 8;8(5):83. doi: 10.3390/brainsci8050083. PMID: 29738444; PMCID: PMC5977074.
