One of your Ancestor-spirits has been watching your progress since your birth, and she is very displeased. Perhaps you have made a mistake and broken an ideal that she honored greatly, or perhaps you just don't live up to her expectations. Whatever the reason, she refuses to quietly leave you alone; she intends to place you back on the correct path, like it or not.
As long as your ancestor is displeased with your actions, she will use her pull in the spirit world to hinder you. The difficulty of all Rites is raised by 1, and the Storyteller may choose other inauspicious times for when she will strike. What's more, if you have Past Life, she may attempt to take over you body and force you to take the 'proper' course of action. She doesn't necessarily want to kill or endanger you - she simply wants you to amend your behavior in some specified manner.