Honoring My Roots: The Complexity & Magick of Heritage

My BIRTHDAY EVE!!

Today, on St. Patrick’s Day, I reflect on what it means to honor my Irish ancestry, an inheritance marked by both blood and burden. My father’s maternal grandmother was of Irish descent, a lineage intertwined with the deep wounds of slavery. This is the reality for many Black people navigating heritage that traces back to both the oppressed and the oppressor.

For some, that history brings discomfort. How do you celebrate a legacy that includes the hands of slavers in its creation? How do you embrace a culture that, in many ways, was never meant to include you? These are the questions that many of us wrestle with when looking back at our lineage.

Yet, I am here. My existence is not an accident. My ancestry, no matter how it was woven together, is part of my divine design. I choose to honor the fullness of who I am, not just the pain of the past but the magick it has left in my bones. It is from this lineage that I draw my gifts, my spiritual sensitivity, my connection to the unseen. The blood of those who suffered runs through me, but so does the resilience, the wisdom, and the power of those who survived.

St. Patrick & The Power of Faith

St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was once a captive himself. He was enslaved, taken from his home, and forced into a foreign land. Yet, in his captivity, he found a deep spiritual connection that shaped his mission. He returned to Ireland, not for revenge, but to transform the land through faith. His story reminds me that even through bondage, one’s purpose remains unshaken.

One of St. Patrick’s prayers speaks of divine protection, a prayer that resonates deeply with me as I walk this spiritual path:

“Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise.”

The Lorica of St. Patrick (St. Patrick’s Breastplate)

Like St. Patrick, I stand firm in faith, knowing that even the most complicated histories cannot erase the divine power I carry. I am a descendant of both struggle and strength, of both oppression and overcoming. And I choose to honor it all.

May today be a reminder that our roots, no matter how tangled, hold power. And may we find the courage to embrace them fully.