Bella Figura, The Tradition of Living Beautifully

This episode with therapist Marine Selenee, of French ancestry, who specializes in the practice of Family Constellations, dives deep into why we keep repeating destructive patterns, and how we can stop doing so by healing our family traumas—both our own and those of our ancestors.

Things discussed:

What is Family Constellations?

How is it used to break damaging patterns?

Your body remembers and guides you toward what needs healing.

Trauma is passed down genetically through generations, and it appears as fears and phobias in descendants.

The four principles to teach children in order for them to thrive.

We all want to belong, and we’ll even take on bad habits—alcoholism, gambling— in order to feel we belong to our families.

Our lives are entangled with our ancestors stories.

All family members have a place, including those lost through miscarriage, and someone will repeat the story if those members are not recognized.

Taking responsibility for our own lives, no matter how our parents may have failed us.

Resources

Guest:

Marine's website

Marine on Instagram

Mentions:

Bert Hellinger

Family Constellations Therapy

Bella Figura Podcast:

Bella Figura website

Dolores on Instagram

In this first episode, I take the plunge with the incomparable MaryBeth Bonfiglio, of Sicilian ancestry, whose dynamic and varied work is not simple to summarize. She is a writer, writing instructor and guide, an intuitive, a midwife, and a folk/root worker dedicated to exploring the ancient wisdom of her Sicilian heritage. Her Radici Siciliane gatherings, which attendees have described as “not a vacation, [but] a pilgrimage and a rite of passage and a week-long ritual,” take people to remote and traditional areas of Sicily to explore ancient folkway practices—such as tarot cards, ancient recipes, traditional dance and storytelling, cheesemaking, basket-weaving as well as creating a space for attendees to explore their own ancestral healing.

She's originally from Upstate New York, but lives in Portland, Oregon with her three daughters and longtime husband.

Things discussed in this episode:

How assimilation changes traditions and family life.

Wanting to deny your heritage to fit in.

Reclaiming your heritage and its traditions.

Ancient customs can be reminders on how to live well and according to what matters most.

Our ancestors' poverty forced them to focus on living well, on living in community, and enjoying the good moments of life, which is something we should remember.

How having children brings out our need to return to our ancestral traditions.

Rewriting stereotypes heaped upon cultures.

Reading tarot cards as an ancestral connection.

Doing work in our ancestral lands.

Ancestral worship traditions as powerful tools.

In modern pop culture, Buddha is cool, Jesus is not cool.; Yoga is cool, rosary is not cool, and how this can drive us away from our own culture's spiritual practices.

The study of Epigenetics.

Ways to reconnect with your culture and its traditions, even if you're generations removed from the first immigrant's source.

Resources:

Guest:

marybethbonfiglio.com

radicisiciliane.com

Instagram: @marybethbonfiglio and @radicisiciliane

The Italian American Podcast

Bella Figura Podcast:

bellafigurapodcast.com

Email: [email protected]

Instagram: dolores_alfieri_taranto

I'm your host, Dolores Alfieri Taranto, and in this brief Welcome Episode, I give listeners an overview of what to expect from this new podcast. I break down the major themes that will be covered through interviews with guests from various ethnic backgrounds, including healers, award-winning authors, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs and more, as well as through choice topics on solo episodes.

This show explores heritage as a source of power and inspiration. Discussions will focus on what I call The Holy, a culture's spiritual style; The Majesty, lineage and family stories; and The Elemental, a culture's principal values, all in a straight talk manner with minimal woo. Join me in spiritual conversations for the rest of us. Your heritage is your superpower. Learn how to wield it...