As we learned in the karma post, karma is cause and effect. Generational karma is everything you learned from your parents and family (cause) which made you who you are today (effect). There is a very simple method for being liberated from generational karma and in effect being liberated from your own karma along the way. The three A's are an easy way to remember how to do this.
The first A is to be Aware of generational karma. We can't change something if we aren't aware of it. If we don't want to be an asshole to people but are unaware of behaviors that cause others to think we are in fact an asshole, we are unable to alter our behavior. It is only by becoming aware of the fact that we have behaviors that make us appear to be an asshole to others, that we are able to change them. Awareness applies to everything within our life including generational karma. We have beliefs, behaviors, mannerisms, thoughts, personalities, identities, and fears that we learned from our families. Most of who we are was learned at a very young age by watching those who raised us. Offspring naturally watch their parents to learn how to live and we see these behaviors throughout all of nature. It's how birds learn how to fly and how predators learn how to hunt.
The second A is to recognize and Acknowledge. By recognizing our own beliefs, behaviors, mannerisms, thoughts, personalities, identities, and fears and acknowledging that they were learned from watching those who raised us, we are able to see the cause and effect. Why am I afraid of spiders? Because I learned to be afraid of spiders from my parents. Our brains are advanced enough to learn what to fear in order to keep us alive. When those who raised us showed us their fear of spiders, we subconsciously became afraid of the same things as a survival method. Therefor I am not truly afraid of spiders, it is simply a learned behavior, and anything learned can be changed, altered, or even unlearned. This applies to every concept that we think we are and every belief we think we have. By recognizing and acknowledging, we are able to transform it in whichever way we desire.
The third and final A is to Accept it. Why am I so anxious all the time? Because I learned to be when I was young. Why do I have so many fears? Because I had been taught them when I was young. Why can't I do anything right? That's just a belief I was told by someone when I was young. Who am I? I am not any of the things that I was taught when I was young. I am not my beliefs, behaviors, mannerisms, thoughts, personalities, identities, and fears. Who am I without any of these things? I don't know and I accept that! Even if I don't accept it and I fight it, that is still a behavior that I was taught when I was young.
Releasing generational karma is not about righting any wrongs or doing enough good to outweigh all the bad your ancestors did. Releasing generational karma is simply about the three A's. Be Aware, recognize and Acknowledge, and lastly accept it. The path to liberation is not found through "finding yourself" or "becoming enlightened" or "attaining anything". How can we find who we already are? How can we become enlightened when we already are? How can we attain anything when we have already have all that we need?
The path to liberation is found by letting go of everything that we think we are and by letting go of everything that we think we possess. It is only by removing everything that is not us, that we can see who we truly are. When we see who we truly are, we are able to see karma no more. That's not to say we have to get rid of everything we are permanently. Once we see who we truly are without everything that was taught to us about who we are, we are free to keep what we like and simply discard anything that serves no purpose in our lives anymore, such as our irrational fears, harmful behaviors, and self-limiting beliefs. Love and Peace, friend.