I can’t quite remember how old I was the first time I read Night by Elie Wiesel. I believe I found it amongst my parents books, and claimed it as my own. Whenever I meet someone who is curious to have a deeper understanding of the Holocaust beyond what is taught in the history books, I refer them to Night. Short as it may be, there is nothing easy about it. 

As a child, I was fascinated by the horrors of the Holocaust. My young mind couldn’t comprehend how humans could do such things to one another. I read to understand. To understand what happened to my family and as an adult, to understand why I am the way I am. To understand a part of my ancestral inheritance. 

I was recently asked by a woman to help her husband cross who had died by his own hand about 6 months ago.  One of the reasons she wanted to work with me was because of my Jewish heritage. Her husband was Jewish, she was not. When I began to tune in to his energy and communicate with his Ancestors, I could distinctly feel his pain and unhappiness. A heavy burden of sorrow. I saw his spirit in the guise of a Golem. In Jewish mysticism a golem is essentially a soulless being made from from clay.  He had forgotten who he was. His ancestors showed me that his lineage stretched all the way back to the desert. They made a request of me separate from helping him cross. They asked that I keep a candle lit on my altar for 40 days. A candle of honoring and remembrance for their family line. Today marks 40 days, it is also Holocaust Remembrance Day (I did not know this when I first lit the candle). There are articles all over the web today that say we are forgetting that 6 million Jews that died in the holocaust. We are a culture with amnesia.  It is science now, that we carry ancestral memory in our DNA. The pain of our ancestors can literally be felt in our bones, even if we are not aware that is the pain we are feeling. I think often of the wandering many whose souls are not yet at rest. My heart aches for them all.

I never imagined as a child that I would be led to work with my ancestors, let alone help others to do the same. But as I sit here at my altar honoring my beloved dead on this day, they are reminding me how deeply this connection is needed by all during these chaotic times. If you have a moment today, please spare a loving thought for your Ancestors (Jewish, or not). Light a candle, share a story of your life with them. Extend a bridge of connection. You honor their lives by doing so. 

(The dates are not set yet, but if you are local in Seattle I’ll be offering a workshop in the next month or so called Ancestors and Altars: Altar creation as a gateway to cultivating, deepening, and healing our relationship with our Ancestors. I’ll post details as they become available, PM me if you would like to attend.)