3/2/25 Update: My heart is breaking on a daily basis regarding the state of our planet. Rather than rehash my connection to Eastern Europe ( especially Ukraine recently), I rather repost this personal perspective on my reactions to my ancestry. I hope this reaches those who will benefit.

much love,

Linda

One of the perks about being psychic: You know stuff. One of the liabilities about being psychic: You wanna know more stuff.

Let me explain…..

As I become more at home with my psychic or intuitive abilities ( these labels bother me), I realize that my frustration with the unknown often gets the best of me. I access information that often is helpful to myself and others, but sometimes it just does not satisfy me. Perhaps that is my ego talking, but nevertheless, this is where I am at. I am also acutely aware that I was spared by not knowing many life events ahead of time. The worry would have crippled me mercilessly.

Developing precious friendships with people all over the world has prompted me to contemplate my roots even more deeply. Learning  some more about the native countries of blogger friends  Monika ( Poland) and Glorialana  ( Belarus) have made me more curious than before about the gaps in my “herstory”. With all the current emphasis on Russia, Crimea, and the Ukraine, my curiosity has exponentially increased.

When I consider ancestral influences, I look back on those experiences that have made the most impact. For me that often translates into food and culture. I was raised with a strong appreciation for cuisine, the visual arts, literature, and music. I grew up eating plenty of pasta, brisket, cannoli, chopped liver, stuffed cabbage, baked rigatoni, potato latkes, and veal parmigiana. Sometimes some of these dishes showed up at the same meal!

While I can really appreciate with some insight the palpable presence of Italy ( by way of France apparently) and Russia in my blood, I know so little about Poland. The irony here is that I am Polish on both sides of my family. I never knew my paternal grandfather ( for who I was named) Linda , but my bond with my maternal grandmother was strong. They both were Polish through and through, unlike my parents or my generation, which is more of a  mysterious, patchwork quilt than a consistently patterned comforter. Still all these years later, they are gone and I have no sense of my Polish roots. Polish immigrants are an important part of the American experience and I know many Polish Americans. Yet the culture is not celebrated here beyond polka, pierogi, and keilbasa. Before the era of political correctness took over, Polish jokes dominated pop culture and mocked the beauty of Polish people. Most if not all of my ancestors were treated harshly upon arrival. They did not arrive here on the Mayflower, that is for sure! Yet over time some ( but not all) stereotypes were replaced with a more balanced appreciation of the unique contributions of each group. I am surprised and disheartened to admit that I do not see that happening yet across the board. I do not know if this phenomenon has anything at all to do with ignorance and fear being reignited during these transitional times of crisis. It still saddens me all the same.

Poland

Take a journey with me as I imagine Poland to be. Imagine me emptying out my head and displaying the contents before you.

History ~ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland

Food

By Silar (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) via Wikimedia Commons

By (User:Piotrus) (Own work (taken by myself)) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)  via Wikimedia Commons

I knew my mother’s maternal relatives hailed from Warsaw and that is about all. My grandmother had many stories to tell, but they were never about her family or their lineage.

So I will just show some pictures from Warsaw that appeal to me and pretend they have meaning:

Marek & Ewa Wojciechowscy [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)  via Wikimedia Commons

Marek & Ewa Wojciechowscy [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)  via Wikimedia Commons

Art

Stanisław Samostrzelnik (1485–1541)

By The original uploader was Tlumaczek at English Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)via Wikimedia Commons

Music

Chopin

Oil by Hendryk Siemiradzki (1887)

What about the Ukraine??

When my parents took me to see Fiddler on the Roof, my reaction was intense. I identified so strongly with the characters, scenery, and plot line. I was also happy to see astrological symbols figuring prominently on the ancient synagogues’ walls. My dad said that his mother grew up in a town in the Ukraine similar to the one in the movie. So in my imagination, I became part of that family. I wanted to look like the pretty Hodel, but the book loving Chava was closer to my heart. The film is so enchanting. If you are unfamiliar with the material, visit the links below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiddler_on_the_Roof_(film)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067093/faq?ref_=tt_faq_1#.2.1.4

Take another peek into my mind’s eye and imagine my “ideal Ukraine”:

By Nord NordWest [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)  via Wikimedia Commons

Architecture

Sergiy Klymenko [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) via Wikimedia Commons

By Сарапулов (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Food

By Jason Lam [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By MOs810 (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Tatyana Morozyuk, color processing by Off-shell (Own work, private communication) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

By Ra Boe (selbst fotografiert DigiCam C2100UZ) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons

Thank you for taking this virtual journey with me as I attempt to retrieve lost parts of my heritage. During this Judeo-Christian holiday season of rebirth and renewal, it is important to consider those who came before us who endured numerous hardships so we could come into being. May the future generations know peace as their reality and oppression as a distant memory.

header image Battle of Grumwald by Jan Matejko (1838–1893)

all images courtesy of wikimedia.org