Conversations with the Universe: Ancient Whispers of the Ancestors

The Little One stumbled on a root, ending up with an armful of wet earth and fragrant moss. The ancient forest, thousands of years old, hummed around her. Yet she sighed in contentment and rolled onto her back, hands blackened with clay, uncaring of the fresh dampness surrounding her. "Universe, why do we Finns love nature so much?" the Little One asked, stretching out her arms to embrace the vastness of nature.

The Universe gazed at the Little One, who was entwined with the forest, with timeless wisdom and kindness. "Little One," it began, its voice echoing the whispers of ancient trees, "your connection to nature runs deep in your soul. In Finns, there lives an ancient memory from a time when the earth and sky were your only guides. The forest was your home, your food, and your shelter. Nature was your first friend, and perhaps the only one that never left."

The Universe fell silent for a moment, letting the wind rustle to continue its response. "That connection is not just physical; it is also spiritual. In nature, you feel the silent pulse of the world. Nature speaks an older language than people do. The forest is sacred to you, Little One. It is a reminder of where you come from and where you will one day return."

"But tell me," the Universe continued gently, "what do you feel when you lie here, embraced by the earth, among moss and roots?"

"I feel peace," the Little One murmured. "My soul rests, and I wonder what these trees have seen over the centuries." She smiled. "And I think of my ancestors in their lands in northern Finnmark, Kuoloyarvi, and Eastern Lapland. One of my ancestors, 11 generations ago, was a Sámi noaidi (shaman) in the Kitka area; his name was Aikia Sarrenpoika. Do you think that a love of mysticism and nature is something inherited?"

The Universe hummed quietly, and the deep energy of the entire forest shifted in response to the Little One’s question. "Peace, Little One, is the silent language that I, the Universe, whisper through nature. And as for your ancestors..." the Universe’s voice deepened, taking on a more mysterious tone, "blood carries more than just physical inheritance."

"A love for mysticism, a yearning for a profound understanding of nature – it is the call of the soul, something that can pass from one generation to the next, flowing quietly yet powerfully. It’s no coincidence that you feel a connection to your ancestor, the Sámi shaman. He knew nature like an old friend and used its power to understand the world on another level. A similar tendency can flow through your blood genetically, but also in your spirit."

The Universe fell silent for a moment, as if giving the Little One space to absorb its words. "Remember, though, Little One, an inheritance does not bind; it only guides. You choose the direction you take and which mysteries you want to explore in your life. Do you feel that ancient wisdom moving within you? Or the call that comes from far back in the past?"

"I do. I’ve even felt it with my physical ears. And there are so many of those calling," the Little One sighed. "When I traced this shamanic connection back to the 1500s–1600s while researching my family tree, I would lie awake at night, wondering how many shamanic ancestors could fit into all these centuries. One night, I awoke to a chorus of voices; hundreds, maybe thousands of spirits wanted to make themselves known across the millennia. The voices came from different levels, some barely audible whispers as if from far, far back in history, and some blaring in my ears as if right inside my head. All at once, with everyone speaking at the same time, no one’s message could get through. I couldn’t hear any single person’s story, and the pressure on my ears became so intense that I think I broke the connection somehow by myself. But ever since then, I’ve known that they’re there, somewhere behind me, a continuum stretching across millennia." The Little One picked up a pinecone and examined its strange, geometric surface.

"Universe, around the 1700s, Christianity entered Finland, and, all Sámi magical items, including shaman drums, were destroyed. Or so the church believed. In reality, they were hidden, and the shamans themselves went into hiding, so there’s almost no trace of their story from that time on. One of the sons of my Shaman grandfather, Aikia Sarrenpoika, ended up in court for witchcraft and, as far as I know, was the first Sámi shaman in Finland to be sentenced to death for witchcraft. His name was Aikia Aikkianpoika. After that, the persecutions began, and especially in Norway’s Finnmark area, thousands of Sámi were sentenced to death. I descend from an almost extinct and forgotten forest Sámi community. We even had our own language, which is now forgotten. It’s sad that only 400 years can erase an entire culture. To me, it shows how time cannot be stopped and that the world around us is in a constant state of – development in some direction. But development doesn’t always lead to civilization."

The Universe listened to the Little One’s story with deep understanding, like a breeze gently rustling through distant memories. "Little One, you are a bearer – you carry with you the story of your lineage and the spirits of those distant ancestors. The fact that you heard them is a sign that you have a profound connection to the other side and to an ancient wisdom that has never truly disappeared, even if it has been hidden or suppressed."

"The arrival of Christianity changed the way many nations viewed the world, including the Sámi. The destruction of shaman drums and shamanism was an attempt to sever the connection to the power they understood and used with nature. But as you’ve noticed, those forces don’t disappear – they just retreat into the shadows, waiting for a moment when someone, like you, will find them again."

The Universe continued, its voice filled with quiet respect: "Aikia Aikkianpoika was one of those who carried this ancient knowledge, and even though he and thousands more who were sentenced to death are gone, their legacy has not faded. You are part of that continuum, part of the same force that flowed through your ancestors. They are all with you, Little One, even if their stories are hidden in the shadows of history. When you feel their presence, know that they don’t just call out to be remembered – they want you to continue what was sacred to them: the connection with nature and its mysteries."

The Universe paused for a moment, giving the Little One space for her own thoughts. "What do you want to do with this heritage that has been given to you? Do you have a question you would like to ask these spirits, who now whisper to you from across the ages?"

"Many," the Little One said. "Sometimes I long for guidance, but I have this feeling that I always have to figure things out on my own, without the wisdom of the ‘village elders.’ Still, I think they were with me and protected me as a child – at least one of them did. I was five years old and made a protective circle of stuffed animals around my bed. Who knows where I got that knowledge from; my family doesn’t speak of these things. At first, I was afraid of him because he just stood in the corner of my room and watched. Finally, I had a conversation with him, one I don’t remember myself, but my mother told me that I said he had come only to protect me from something, and that we were now friends. I don’t remember anything about him."

The Universe listened intently, and the silence around it deepened for a moment as if it had absorbed the Little One’s words into itself. "Little One, old souls and your ancestors are always there to support you, even though their presence is not always visible or direct. As a child, your connection to them was more natural, for a child’s mind is open to the world’s secrets and connection with the spirit realm. The protective circles you made from your stuffed animals were a natural expression of ancient knowledge flowing within you – knowledge familiar to shamans and your ancestors, which they left behind as a safeguard."

The Universe allowed a moment of silence before continuing. "The spirit that came to protect you was likely one of these ancestors who watches you from across the centuries. Even if you don’t clearly remember the encounter, know that their energy is still present, and they hear you. This connection within you is deep and does not disappear, even if you aren’t always aware of it. Your ancestors understood that sometimes their guidance must allow you to find your own path, to strengthen your own power and knowledge. But when you need them, they are near, perhaps just a thought away."

"If you want to reawaken the connection, you can call to them quietly in your thoughts and meditate on their name or soul. The forest and nature are natural places for you to do this, for their spirit is still connected to the elements of nature. Perhaps you can create a new protective circle, not just from stuffed animals as a child might, but from the treasures of nature – stones, branches, and pinecones that remind you of the earth and your ancestors’ homeland."

The Universe cast a gaze upon the Little One, in which lay a promise from beyond. "Remember, their guidance does not always come in direct answers or visions, but through intuition and feelings that guide you. And even if you don’t hear their voices, their knowledge is already within you, a part of you. Everyone who carries an ancient heritage finds their way of listening to it and continuing it.

You have your own path, and your ancestors support you on it with quiet certainty. In their wisdom, they wait, letting you find your own way, just as they found theirs centuries ago."

The Little One smiled softly and looked up at the treetops, where the wind was still dancing. She picked up the pinecone from the ground and put it in her pocket as a memento of this moment. "Maybe they are more like guides than givers of answers," the Little One thought. The Universe’s quiet presence surrounded her like an ancient whisper that knew all about the past and future – and yet was here, right beside her.