All people are responsible not only for their own actions but also for the actions of their ancestors. The family connection can influence a person both positively and negatively, depending on the karma of the family. Together with family lineage specialist and clinical psychologist Ksenia Mosunova, we explore what family karma is and how it affects one’s destiny.
The family system is an environment where a person is physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, and morally formed. Everything in it is balanced and influenced by various factors. A responsible attitude towards the family lineage is the key to a happy and harmonious life where one can fully develop their talents.
In the family lineage, everything is based on balance: if all its members take as much as they give (and sometimes even a bit more), resources are distributed evenly, and no deficits occur. Any shortcomings are reflected in the family “ledger.” These are known as the family karma — the “legacy” of good and bad deeds from previous generations.
Family karma includes the following aspects:
- Recurring life scenarios, where family members experience similar situations;
- Behavioral patterns;
- Crimes, betrayals, fatal mistakes, bad deeds, etc.;
- Coincidence of key events and dates, such as the age of marriage, number of children, career peaks, and so on.
Karmic tasks are passed down regardless of whether we belong to the family by birthright or enter it through marriage. This is largely influenced by the energetic strength of the husband’s or wife’s family.
For example, girls from the same family may marry men who, for several generations in a row, turn to alcohol shortly after the wedding without any apparent reason, even if the families were never connected. Similarly, for men: if their wives always cheated, this might be due to a karmic task imposed on the husband.
Why Do the Same Patterns Repeat? How Can They Be Stopped?
In some cases, negative karma may result from specific scenarios like “We never…”, where all descendants are bound to follow a certain rule, even if it seems absurd or outdated.
If the family disapproves of initiative and assertiveness, a driven and prominent individual might be shunned for going against the “system” and therefore must be punished. The family may try to forget this person entirely, effectively excluding them from the family line. The karmic task of descendants is to restore their good name. If one generation fails to resolve the issue, it will be passed on to the next.
At first glance, it seems absurd: how can objectively good things become a cause of negative karma?
A family, like any system, strives for stability – a state in which it can develop. For many families, the best is the enemy of the good.
“It’s better not to take risks and be content with a bad job and low salary than to ask for a raise and get fired.”
“Big victories are not for us.”
“A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.”
Another aspect of ancestral karma is debts, when an ancestor took more than they gave or took something from another lineage. For instance, they might have slandered someone, stolen property, or taken someone else’s spouse. It’s crucial to consider the time period: in the past, it was common to report a neighbor or lie to survive. Many inherited patterns are atavistic—they’ve lost their relevance but still hang over the lineage like the “Sword of Damocles.” Ignorance of the law does not exempt from its execution. For the ancestral system, there is no concept of context: there is only “bad/good” and collective responsibility for actions.
However, there is also a reverse karmic effect: sometimes a name change and a successful marriage can help a woman break a curse. For a man, joining a stronger lineage through his wife can have a similar “healing” effect. But even this does not guarantee that karma will not manifest itself in the future—the issue is not resolved globally, only the “symptoms” are removed.
This is why it is important to “cleanse” ancestral karma: working through it helps neutralize negative effects. We start to analyze what is happening, cease to be mere observers drifting through life, and take control of our own destiny.
Fearing that ancestral karma will catch up with you is like sitting under a tree during a storm, the tree that is most frequently struck by lightning.
Most negative beliefs and patterns hold power only because people believe in their validity (even if this is not true). Here, we are dealing not with an individual but with the deep-seated convictions of several generations of a family. This is why working through karma is not an easy task. It often involves significant internal changes: to change the world around you, you need to start with yourself.
Begin studying your family’s history. As you “travel” through your family tree, note interesting patterns or unusual fates: relationships, relocations, significant personalities… Perhaps someone is missing? This research will provide you with answers to many questions and help identify and work through the “roots” of karma in your lineage. This is my sincere wish for you!
Ksenia Mosunova
Clinical psychologist and lineage specialist
