Generational curses or family curses have more than one origin definition. They have ties to genetic imperfections passed down from your parents, or they could be spiritual curses placed upon your ancestors for sins they committed in the past as well.
Yes, the last one is a religious belief based on Christian principles, and I’m not here to validate either one. What I’m striving to do is examine this topic and definitely have an open-mind to ponder the implications. Who knows, there could be some truth to these curses after all. We shall see…
Okay, let’s just get this one out of the way first. According to Christianity, generational curses are real and common. Followers wholeheartedly believe that the “sins of our fathers” will fall upon our own heads. The way religion sees it, no matter how devout, moral, and kind we are, the level of our great grandfather’s indiscretion will govern our fortune or misfortune.
This is quite a grave thought, wouldn’t you say? It doesn’t leave much hope for those who wish to travel a different road from their forefathers.
This idea alone has made others turn their backs on religion, and understandably so. I mean, who wants to spend their lifetime doing good deeds only to be cursed in the end? Not me!
Well, deep inside, the Christian doctrine lies some atonement for this, complicated as it may be, an atonement that can possibly free one of the curses, if done right, in the correct mindset and with humble heart….on the right day…particular month and hour….etc. Get my drift?
Ugh..so many conditions.
So, we shall veer away from that definition and delve into more interesting and possibly hopeful ideas about how to recognize these generational curses – if they exist, of course. Maybe symptoms are said to provide a way to remove the curse. After all, even witches provide a way to break a curse.
Let’s first look at a few ways to recognize if you’ve been affected by a generational curse. Here are a few things to look for if we take into consideration the spiritual perspective.
Generational curses ae believed to affect the mind first because it is within that battleground that all other parts of the body are controlled. As most of us know, the mind-body connection is strong, and so starting with the mind is a genius way for a curse to take over quickly. Since these curses are generational, they are said to affect individuals as early as childhood.
One sign believed to be a generational curse is mental illness, manifesting as depression or multiple personality disorder and etc. Now, mental illness is seen is so many ways.
By science, it’s seen as a malfunction in the brain, by Shamans it is seen as an awakening, and for religion, it is seen as a demonic possession. So, there’s no surprise that mental illness, as seen in other spiritual areas, can be seen as a curse as well.
As with mental illness, nightmares have many meanings observed by society. They can be side effects of some life event or bad diet, they can be over-activity in the brain or they can simply be a curse sent by your great grandmother to haunt you for a lifetime. Hmm, well, actually this only pertains to recurring strange dreams. You should watch out for those.
This one is interesting and it kind of makes me pause to consider that it could be true. Many generational curses are said to take the form of character flaws which repeat through history.
For instance, if your father was a heavy drinker, abusive, and abandoned his family, and you find that you are following the exact same route, then maybe you could be under his curse. I have seen firsthand, how sons imitate the acts of their fathers and it’s rather uncomfortable to witness. Hey, it’s just something to think about.
Now, generational curses are also believed to leave marks on the body and influence the health. This can range from minor issues to severe health problems which cause a major set back in life.
Although this could fall under character flaws, it can also be labeled as a physical ailment. Addictions can drastically change the physical body and can derive from strange cravings that have no known origin.
If you find yourself overindulging in something, it could be just as physical as mental. Pay attention to what you crave and compare it with any habits you know about your parents.
Sickness and injury can surely be classified as a generational curse if you believe so. Heart disease, cancer, diabetes – well, of course, they can be generational because they can be GENETIC! Now, this doesn’t mean that you were cursed, it could simply mean you were unfortunate enough to get the gene, right?
To some, however, receiving sickness or acquiring a similar injury doesn’t just mean “oops.” To them, it means a curse has been passed down from an ancestor. So, however you believe, I suppose you should act accordingly to “break” this curse and move on.
This is kind of comical in a way, but hold on…. ever felt like you were “cursed” with physical beauty? Well, guess what? Some people actually do feel this way because the entirety of their life has been filled with materialistic goals and harassment.
Some people who would otherwise be considered “blessed with beauty” have endured a life where their intellect was rarely taken seriously. All this because of how society perceived their physical attributes. Looking good? Maybe you were cursed…
What about this… Epigenetics? Consider simple inheritance of genes. As you know, you inherit certain things from your parents, grandparents, and other ancestors.
One traumatic or memorable mark on their lives can affect you and mold the way you see things, your culinary tastes, and even your phobias. A clear picture of being cursed by an ancestor could simply mean a deep mark upon your gene code.
So, inside the cell’s nucleus, there are spools of DNA which govern which genes to record. Elements, called the methyl group, are the important organic compounds which act as a recipe for the human gene sequence. This is what decides certain traits for each descendant – how they are different and how they will be duplicated.
At first, it was believed that any genetic scars or changes would occur only at birth, but this is untrue. Some changes occur even in adulthood. This is why you see people suddenly develop new characteristics seemingly out of the blue.
While researching the maternal instincts of animals, neurobiologist Michael Meaney stated,
“I have always been interested in what makes people different from each other – the way we act, the way we behave – some people are optimistic, some are pessimistic. What produces that variation?”
Well, in a nutshell, either we are all cursed or we just simply cannot avoid the genetic makeup of our past.
I find the topic of generational curses to be quite interesting. But at this point, and especially with such compelling and opposing scientific evidence, I will leave it at just a musing. While it’s an interesting topic, I won’t go pay for a cleansing or deliverance anytime soon.
Be well! Enjoy what your mama gave you and utilize it for its strengths!
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My family history from my mother's side had me thinking,i mean my grandmother was an alcoholic and she slept around a lot and had different children from different men so is my mother so now I'm quite intrigued by the fact that in our generation it still seem to be the same,alcohol abuse and a lot of sleeping around without stability in life. A series of bad luck as well. I need this to end as I can't deal with it anymore.
I’m a bit late to this article but to Dean, I hope you are okay. Your story is the most heartbreaking one I’ve read. I’m sending soo much positivity to you. I hope you are alive and well! Please keep on fighting. That last line is for anybody that needs it. Right now I’m in my early twenties and I don’t know where I stand with faith. I’ve been to catholic school my whole life and I feel a lot of what I was taught there (religion wise) is based on lies and corruption. My father is trying to get me into the Bible. He doesn’t want me to be a Christian or catholic he just wants me to understand the Bible. It’s hard for me because I associate that bible with catholic school and I didn’t like being there at all. I mean it was safe and I got a better education than the kids in public school but the way the teachers treated me was not right and they always lied in religion classes. Anyways I’ve been struggling so hard. I think I have mental health issues but I’m not sure. I’ve noticed since 14 I haven’t been loving my self, for about 7 years now I haven’t loved myself. I wrote terrible things about myself in a diary and I haven’t been able to find good stable friends (been back stabbed and hurt constantly). I’m at the age where every one is drinking, partying, having sex and have many friends and I’m not doing any of those thinggs. I’ve been having anxiety attacks and cry often because I “hate my life” I never knew my grandmother on my dads side but I heard she had mental illness (she had a very traumatic childhood) I knew my grandmother on my mom’s side and I watched her suffer from depression until she died. My other siblings seems fine and have tons of friends. Then there is me. I think this is my “curse” the depression and anxiety. It must’ve skipped my older sibling and my younger sibling but it got me. I just want to be happy. It’s still not confirmed if I have those issues or not as I’m scared to speak to a doctor about mental hearth and my mom is discouraging me from doing so. Anyways, everyone please be well.