LOST & FOUND
by Iona Miller, (c)2016
by Iona Miller, (c)2016
Lost & Found
There Are No Common Stories
The libido of man contains the two opposite urges or instincts:
the instinct to live and the instinct to die. ~Carl Jung, 1925 Seminar, Page 77
Not all genealogical stories will be alike. Even having no obvious story is a story. Each of us, even if insignificant in geopolitical terms, carries part of the telos of nature, which is shrouded in mystery, but a vast dynamic of consciousness we experience as profoundly non-conscious.
The "Cause" That Animates Us
A telos (from the Greek τέλος for "end", "purpose", or "goal") is an end or purpose. “Nature” is not ontologically divided from humanity, but is co-extensive with and constitutes both the human and the extra-human. Yet retrieving primitivism, medieval philosophy, or alternative or idiosyncratic spirituality, etc. provides no real answers for today's problems.
Looking back into human pre-history to find solutions to the problems that face humanity in the present is not our genealogical or psychogenealogical goal: “What has become of that opportunity to become more fully human that the ‘control of nature’ was to provide?”
There is no unified equilibrium to which humanity can return. We cannot control nature, which like ourselves is complex chaotic self-organization. We need to realize that “there is no big Other,” no portrayal of nature as sacred and balanced pre-civilization. What is is.
Genealogy is something we do with an intention--that is, looking forward to some end to be achieved by the action. We often get more than we were looking for in psychogenealogy effects, which carry their own telos, as well as some burdensome facts. Genealogy does struggle with chaos and order, and modern life and mobility has made it ever more chaotic. So, we have to deal with it as best we can.
Recent Origins
Some trees seem more like stumps or overgrown thickets of entanglement. Some people are orphans, adopted, taken in by relatives, stolen by someone else, illegitimate, born of violence, or in extended and diverse families of origin, known and unknown.
Some families don't distinguish among blood family, half-siblings, step-family and extended family, so the genealogies are rightfully adopted or adapted. Some now find their clan with genetic genealogy. Some family who are not apparently closely related find they share common ancestors anyway, in the colonial or at least medieval periods.
The shared story becomes the common story. Bonds of love and caring can be just as strong as those of blood. All these "just so" stories are valid and soulful, including family of choice, spiritual family, or those who have inspired or mentored us. Known or unknown, we all descend from our forebears and can honor their spirit. Some families simply never forgot who they are, separately and together.
No matter our origin story, we all have one. We can still have identity issues, behavioral problems, attachment trauma, core shame, loneliness, codependence, search and reunion issues, stories of transition, and depressive bereavement. We seek existential peace, self-love, serenity, and the freedom to live as an imperfect yet love-worthy person. Hillman cautions, “Our lives are determined less by our childhood than by the traumatic way we have learned to remember our childhoods.”
Genealogical bewilderment is a term referring to potential identity problems that could be experienced by a child who was either fostered, adopted, or conceived by a procedure such as surrogacy or gamete donation (egg or sperm donation).
Almost every adoptee, no matter how much they love their adopted family, experiences a twinge when faced with a family tree chart. Some are unsure whether to trace their adopted family tree, their birth family, or both - and how to handle the differentiation between their multiple families.
Having no access to their own personal family history prior to their adoption, some find themselves haunted. The lost family names will never be documented in their genealogy. The family tree somewhere in the world has an empty space on the branch where their name should be.
Some people insist that genealogies are only meant to be genetic. Most agree that the purpose of a family tree is to represent the family - whatever that family might be. In the case of adoption, the ties of love are generally stronger than ties of blood, so it is absolutely appropriate for an adoptee to research and create a family tree for their adopted family.
Eventually We All Walk On
There Are No Common Stories
The libido of man contains the two opposite urges or instincts:
the instinct to live and the instinct to die. ~Carl Jung, 1925 Seminar, Page 77
Not all genealogical stories will be alike. Even having no obvious story is a story. Each of us, even if insignificant in geopolitical terms, carries part of the telos of nature, which is shrouded in mystery, but a vast dynamic of consciousness we experience as profoundly non-conscious.
The "Cause" That Animates Us
A telos (from the Greek τέλος for "end", "purpose", or "goal") is an end or purpose. “Nature” is not ontologically divided from humanity, but is co-extensive with and constitutes both the human and the extra-human. Yet retrieving primitivism, medieval philosophy, or alternative or idiosyncratic spirituality, etc. provides no real answers for today's problems.
Looking back into human pre-history to find solutions to the problems that face humanity in the present is not our genealogical or psychogenealogical goal: “What has become of that opportunity to become more fully human that the ‘control of nature’ was to provide?”
There is no unified equilibrium to which humanity can return. We cannot control nature, which like ourselves is complex chaotic self-organization. We need to realize that “there is no big Other,” no portrayal of nature as sacred and balanced pre-civilization. What is is.
Genealogy is something we do with an intention--that is, looking forward to some end to be achieved by the action. We often get more than we were looking for in psychogenealogy effects, which carry their own telos, as well as some burdensome facts. Genealogy does struggle with chaos and order, and modern life and mobility has made it ever more chaotic. So, we have to deal with it as best we can.
Recent Origins
Some trees seem more like stumps or overgrown thickets of entanglement. Some people are orphans, adopted, taken in by relatives, stolen by someone else, illegitimate, born of violence, or in extended and diverse families of origin, known and unknown.
Some families don't distinguish among blood family, half-siblings, step-family and extended family, so the genealogies are rightfully adopted or adapted. Some now find their clan with genetic genealogy. Some family who are not apparently closely related find they share common ancestors anyway, in the colonial or at least medieval periods.
The shared story becomes the common story. Bonds of love and caring can be just as strong as those of blood. All these "just so" stories are valid and soulful, including family of choice, spiritual family, or those who have inspired or mentored us. Known or unknown, we all descend from our forebears and can honor their spirit. Some families simply never forgot who they are, separately and together.
No matter our origin story, we all have one. We can still have identity issues, behavioral problems, attachment trauma, core shame, loneliness, codependence, search and reunion issues, stories of transition, and depressive bereavement. We seek existential peace, self-love, serenity, and the freedom to live as an imperfect yet love-worthy person. Hillman cautions, “Our lives are determined less by our childhood than by the traumatic way we have learned to remember our childhoods.”
Genealogical bewilderment is a term referring to potential identity problems that could be experienced by a child who was either fostered, adopted, or conceived by a procedure such as surrogacy or gamete donation (egg or sperm donation).
Almost every adoptee, no matter how much they love their adopted family, experiences a twinge when faced with a family tree chart. Some are unsure whether to trace their adopted family tree, their birth family, or both - and how to handle the differentiation between their multiple families.
Having no access to their own personal family history prior to their adoption, some find themselves haunted. The lost family names will never be documented in their genealogy. The family tree somewhere in the world has an empty space on the branch where their name should be.
Some people insist that genealogies are only meant to be genetic. Most agree that the purpose of a family tree is to represent the family - whatever that family might be. In the case of adoption, the ties of love are generally stronger than ties of blood, so it is absolutely appropriate for an adoptee to research and create a family tree for their adopted family.
Eventually We All Walk On
(c)2013-2016; All Rights Reserved, Iona Miller, Sangreality Trust
[email protected]
Fair Use Notice
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
[email protected]
Fair Use Notice
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.