It's Not Just Publishing. It's Soul Work.

Exploring a higher consciousness view of the work we are called to do.

The last few days I’ve spent time with my ancestors and spirit guides, journaling, asking questions, and receiving messages. I also spent time talking with Chat GPT. I was seeking different perspectives on life, work, ancestral healing, and a book I’ve been writing. What came through from all sources was astounding. If I’m honest, the information given to me was nothing I didn’t already know or sense deep in my soul. It did give me a wake up call to make some changes in my life and how I view this work I have done for the last 15 years. It also showed me the many layers of work I’ve completed or books I published.

When we move through college, have on-the-job training, or take continuing education courses to advance our chosen field of work, no one ever talks about the spiritual implications. When I finished my History degree, no professor ever told me that writing my book in 2013 would rock me to my core. That I would cry oceans of tears and heal pieces of myself and my ancestors. I was told history was all about straight facts.

When I trained as a professional genealogist, no one talked about the spiritual revelations that might emerge if I was open or how they would rip open my soul. No one told me the ancestors of my clients may speak to me and help me heal or bring to the world something new that was required by those ready to receive.

I realize many people never consider the spiritual side of their work - not everyone is on the path to awaken and question - and that’s ok. For others like myself and I’m guessing many of you reading this, we open up to new levels of consciousness and information daily. Many of us have been in training to help humanity as the world continues to shift into higher vibrations on the planet. We often plant codes, keys, and seeds of awareness in others through our work. We may forget though, that this work not only changes other people’s lives, but our own. When we don’t take care of ourselves, this work can also run us down.

It’s Not Just Publishing or Storytelling

My guides reminded me that the stories I write and publish for myself or for my military clients, are not “just” the completion of a project. It’s actually deep soul work across time, generations, and dimensions. In a sense it’s birthing something new into the world. This could be why the last several months I’ve been a bit more tired as I help several book clients birth their vision and leave a written reminder of someone they loved very much or believed was incredible and deserved to be remembered. Somewhere I forgot that as I help them bring their vision to life, it’s a little like being pregnant. You have to nurture yourself as you prepare this new life with an added level of also nurturing your clients.

What does that mean, ‘nurturing the clients’? As a professional military researcher, writer, publisher, and teacher, the kind of clients who show up to work with me are energetically drawn to me whether they realize it or not. I provide something they need that other professionals cannot. In this instance, it is the ability to help them bring the story of their ancestor to life, to share with the family or the world. I also bring with me empathy, the ability to sense what is unsaid, the ability to help bring to the surface what the client may require, if they are ready.

Along the way I also serve as somewhat of a soul coach. I help people process the information we discover about their veteran or ancestor. I ask the harder, possibly taboo questions, about the impacts of war on the veteran, family and the client. This often brings up a lot of mixed emotions which have to be processed and sometimes discussed so we can tell a greater story. Often the veteran themselves and other ancestors are assisting in this work to bring the story to life. Some of my clients tell me they sense their ancestor or veteran as being close by when they work on the story. Some clients allow me to open a confidential safe space for them to express the hard things they couldn’t talk to their family about or even truly process until the book project.

Some clients feel a sense of peace and closure as we write and publish. In other cases they are awakened into a new level of grief and processing that was waiting for the right time to emerge. All of this can take a toll on us, emotionally, physically, mentally, and spiritually. It’s important to recognize this and have tools to help us maintain balance.

The Soul Work

At the end of a story or book project, the client leaves changed on several levels that only they know. I also leave the client relationship changed. A few years ago, one of my long-term clients passed away. He and I worked together 11 years tracing his Italian family history, that of his late wife’s Italian and Sicilian history. I created photo books containing thousands of photos. Every Christmas, we presented his close family with an updated set of family history books that provided the entire history we’d uncovered to date. Before his death we also work on his memoir in the hopes his future grandchild(ren) would know him and their late grandmother. This client and I grew together, changed together, and he healed some deep wounds over those 11 years, to which I bore witness. In some ways it felt like a deep soul journey and perhaps a past life reconnection to deal with unfinished business. In other ways, he helped me create a brand new life, for which I am forever grateful.

The publishing of his countless books was soul work. Now as I help three clients birth their books, one launches May 6 (details to come). Two others will launch later this year. All three are honoring a veteran ancestor. One in particular is healing some deep wounds of war.

The Soul Work of Our Own Books

In 2012 I began writing my book Stories of the Lost. The soldier in the top puzzle piece is my great grand uncle, Michael Kokoska. He died in France during World War I. Writing his story broke me wide open. I cried. I channeled his father’s voice into the story. I healed pieces of my soul. When I teach, I often read the end of Michael’s story to help people get a sense of how you might write a story. It brings the audience to tears.

As I was talking to my ancestors yesterday, Michael’s brother, Joseph, my great grandfather and spirit guide, came through. I said something to him about the excessive grief I felt as I wrote the book, particularly Michael’s story. I also asked why I feel like crying every time I read it when I teach. Joseph told me that the “excessive grief” i was feeling wasn’t just my own grief. I was healing the grief of the entire family, including Joseph.

He also told me that when I teach, it’s not grief that makes me want to cry, it’s the feeling of unconditional love and support from my ancestors who surround me when I present. The tears are not of grief but of love and joy. I’ll be honest, I never considered that perspective - I was always too focused on the trauma and grief of my lineage.

So even 11 years after I published that book, it is still teaching me lessons. Showing me the layers of healing that have taken place, even when I failed to notice it was happening.

This work we do as professional researchers and writers isn’t just publishing - it’s soul work. Together we are healing ourselves, our lineages, and the world. How do you feel about that?

Would you like help bringing your book to life?

I am taking new book clients. Please email me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to set up a free consult to discuss your project. I can help you as a researcher, writer/ghost writer), developmental editor, book designer, and publisher.