Walking Without My Clan: Living Spiritually Rooted After Loss

Marla Martenson
Jan 27
4 min read

Sometimes, I sit in silence and feel the weight of what’s missing.

My immediate family—those who once held me, laughed with me, fought beside me, loved me in the way only family can—have all transitioned to the spirit world. One by one, they’ve returned “home,” leaving me here to continue walking this earthly path without them in the physical.

When I think of the dozens of friends and family who’ve also crossed over, the mind boggles.

So many faces. So many memories. So much love.

And yet… here I am. Still breathing. Still living. Still feeling everything—with and without them.

The Preparation of Soul Work

Over the past decade, I’ve been devoted to deep spiritual work. Not just “light work,” but the kind that cracks you open. The kind that makes you sit with your grief, your shadows, your loneliness, your longing. The kind that doesn’t offer a bypass, but a deeper belonging. I wrote about much of it in my memoir, The Magic Seeker.

What I’ve realized is this: This work has quietly prepared me to live without my closest clan.

It didn’t take the ache away. It didn’t shield me from sorrow. But it rooted me in a knowing:

They walk beside me. Still. Always.

Even as a spiritual medium—someone who communicates with those in the spirit realm—I’m still human. Still mortal. Still grieving.

There is a heaviness. A missing. Especially in times like these, when the world itself feels like it’s grieving, too.

The Contrast of Earth: Light and Shadow Intertwined

This planet is not easy. It never was meant to be. It is a school, and even though we don't remember doing so, we students signed up for this advanced course. Earth holds both light and dark. Beauty and brutality. Ecstasy and pain. We came here to experience the contrast.

But lately, that contrast feels sharper than ever.

Wars. Rage. Division. Injustice. Every scroll through that glowing little device we carry—our phones—exposes us to more than our nervous systems were ever meant to process.

We’re constantly being shown “the other side." The fear. The trauma. The dysregulation. And it leaves so many of us in a state of anxiety, separation, and soul fatigue.

You Are Not Alone—Seen or Unseen

Here’s what I want to remind you (and myself):

We are not alone. Not in grief. Not in fear. Not on this journey.

Even when our earthly family is no longer with us in form, we are still surrounded by a vast, loving team in the unseen realms:

Ancestors we’ve never met, whose dreams live through us.
Angels and archangels, who walk with us gently, offering whispers of grace.
Spirit guides, who help steer us in moments of confusion.
Animal guides and totems, whose instincts and messages come through in feathers, fur, and flight.
Elementals and Earth spirits, who bring grounding through trees, rivers, and stone.
Off-planet and cosmic guides, who hold a broader view of our soul’s journey.

Even in your loneliest moments—you are surrounded.Even in your most anxious state—support is available. Even now.

How to Ground, Soothe, and Reconnect

When the grief gets heavy…When the news overwhelms…When your nervous system is spinning…Here are some soul-calming, spirit-connecting practices that help:

🌿 1. Place Your Bare Feet on the Earth

Let the soil hold you. Let the energy of the Earth rise through your soles and into your spine. Imagine it filling every cell with stability and warmth.

🌬️ 2. Breathe Like the Earth

Inhale for 4… hold for 4… exhale for 6 Long, slow breaths that bring your body out of survival mode and back into presence.

🔥 3. Light a Candle and Call in Your Spirit Team

Say their names aloud if you know them. If not, just speak from the heart: "To my guides, angels, ancestors, and loving beings—I invite your presence. Please surround me now."

🦋 4. Watch for Signs

Butterflies. Numbers. Songs. Feathers. They’re real. They’re messages. They’re proof that love is still alive between worlds. HERE is a story of a message my brother, Brett sent me from the spirit world.

🧘🏽 5. Put Your Hand on Your Heart and Whisper: “I’m Still Here”

Because you are. And that matters more than you know.

This Is the Sacred Grief of the Soul Path

To walk the earth without your original family is no small thing. It reshapes you. But it also refines you.

You become your own anchor. You become your own elder. You become a living bridge between the worlds.

And that, beloved, is sacred.

You are walking with grief in one hand and grace in the other. You are held—by both the visible and invisible. You are not alone. You never have been. And after all, life is for the living, and we are meant to live it! Don't hold back, your spirit team is smiling and cheering you on. They want you to be happy.

And when your time comes to drop the earth suit and cross over into that great light…Your clan will be there. Smiling. Waiting. Saying, “We’ve been walking with you all along.”

Need Someone to Hold Space With You?

Whether you're navigating grief, feeling the weight of the world, or simply longing for connection with your guides and loved ones in Spirit—I’m here.

You don’t have to carry it all alone.

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