The Soul of the Family Tree: how a search into one's ancestry can open up the world

The Soul of the Family Tree: Ancestry, Stories, and the Spirits We Inherit by Lori Erikson is her journey as she investigated her own family tree. Growing up in a passionately Norwegian-American Iowa town, she would roll her eyes at traditions like the Nordic Fest and steaming pots of rømmegrøt (a Norwegian porridge). Like many Americans, she eventually felt the draw of her genealogy as she calls the “quintessential hobby of middle age.” Her quest to know more about the Vikings and the immigrants who make up her family tree would lead her to visit Norse settlements and reenactments, medieval villages and modern museums, and her own hometown and ancestral farms on the fjords. While on this journey, she discovers how her soul has been shaped by her ancestors and finds unexpected spiritual guides among the seafaring Vikings and her immigrant ancestors. Can her journey show us how researching our own family history can be a powerful tool for inner growth? 

In The Soul of the Family Tree is a journey into more than just names and dates in the historical record. It is a journey to understand, know and connect with our ancestors. I have long been interested in my family history. I loved listening to stories about my ancestors. So a book about genealogy would be interesting. While most of the book is more a memoir about Ms. Erickson’s journey about her Norwegian heritage, the second half of the book does bring through the questions that are raised with a genealogy investigation particularly with the family stories that have been passed on, only to be discovered to be embellished or outright wrong. Part history lesson, part memoir, and part spiritual journey, The Soul of the Family Tree is a fascinating look into our connections with our ancestors and their place in historical events. Overall, I enjoyed reading Ms. Erickson’s journey. If you are interested in Viking history and a genealogy journey, you may enjoy The Soul of the Family Tree. 

The Soul of the Family Tree: Ancestry, Stories and the Spirits We Inherit

is available August 24, 2021 in paperback and eBook

Near the Exit Travels with the Not so Grim Reaper: interesting perspectives on death across cultures

Near the Exit: Travels with the Not so Grim Reaper by Lori Erickson is an exploration of death from cultures around the world, both ancient and current. Ms. Erickson is deacon with the Episcopal Church as well as a travel writer and she uses both to examine how different cultures view and handle death. She travels to Egypt and views the pyramids. She learns that death is just one step in this life, according to the Ancient Egyptians. The afterlife is a journey itself with confessions and a heart test with Ma’at, the goddess of truth, harmony and justice. Ms. Erickson then examines the Buddhist approach to death as well as common customs within the Middle Ages when intellectuals would remind themselves that death comes to everyone. She visits the Maori in New Zealand and their cultures of being connected to death as they seek connections with their ancestors. Ms. Erickson also examines the Aztecs and Mayans cultures who viewed death very differently. She also examines the modern approach to death with nursing homes, hospice, the current trends in burials, funerals and grieving.

Near the Exit is an honest and often blunt look at death through the ages and cultures. Egyptians with intensive rituals to prepare one’s body for the afterlife to the Aztecs who practiced human sacrifices to bless their gods. Her observations about modern practices of death are very opening. She realizes it is a modern obsession with immorality as peoples of the ancient world understood that life was limited, and death came to all. It is an interesting read. Although she often distresses at some points and you wonder how this connects to the topic of death. She achieves her goal as she learns to live with death and hopes that we can do the same. I enjoyed it and highly recommend it.

Near the Exit

is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook