Waiting for Elijah – A Walk Through Time
- Brainz Magazine
- Aug 25
- 8 min read
Updated: Aug 29
Sheila J. Wood, PhD, teaches us how our minds and souls affect our physical well-being. Using her understanding of both science and spirituality, she has developed unique and impactful energy healing modalities. She brings awareness of ancestral and soul lineage energies that are affecting our current health.
Sheila Jeanette Wood’s Waiting for Elijah: A Walk Through Time is a captivating and emotionally resonant novel that brilliantly bridges historical fiction, intergenerational drama, and spiritual awakening. It is an ambitious, multilayered work that unfolds with elegance and precision, positioning itself as a standout title in today's diverse literary landscape. From a reviewer’s lens, this is the kind of book that not only captivates readers but also commands attention on the shelves of every bookstore.
At its core, the novel follows Phoebe Friedman, a woman whose journey of grief leads her down a trail of buried family secrets after her grandfather's funeral. A mysterious heirloom and an unexpected murder in 2005 set off a chain of discoveries that take Phoebe, and the reader, through four generations of her family’s history, stretching from modern America to pre-WWII Europe. Wood deftly navigates this historical timeline, unraveling the hidden past of a Jewish-German family involved in resistance work during the Holocaust, and the legacy of trauma, courage, and redemption that spans decades.
The author’s strength lies in her ability to create deeply human characters while maintaining a narrative that is simultaneously suspenseful and reflective. Phoebe is a compelling lead, flawed, determined, and emotionally grounded, whose arc unfolds organically as she confronts not only her family’s complicated history but also her own sense of identity. Through her, readers explore profound themes: the cost of silence, the power of generational memory, and the enduring impact of personal truth.
What elevates Waiting for Elijah beyond traditional historical fiction is its spiritual and metaphysical undertone. Wood, drawing from her background as an intuitive healing coach, introduces concepts of ancestral healing, karmic inheritance, and the energetic connection between past and present. These elements are woven seamlessly into the plot, offering depth without overpowering the central mystery. It’s a rare narrative fusion that appeals to both readers of literary fiction and those drawn to spiritual themes.
In terms of commercial and in-store potential, Waiting for Elijah is an ideal candidate for prominent display in physical bookstores. The striking title and emotionally evocative cover immediately pique interest, while the subject matter aligns well with key consumer categories such as historical fiction, women’s fiction, Jewish heritage, and inspirational literature. Booksellers would find this title especially well-suited for curated displays themed around “family secrets,” “legacy and lineage,” or “WWII narratives.” It is also a strong contender for seasonal promotions tied to Holocaust Remembrance, Jewish Book Month, or spiritual healing collections.
From a market perspective, the novel speaks to an ever-growing demographic of readers seeking substance, soul, and authenticity. Its crossover appeal makes it valuable not only to traditional fiction readers but also to faith-based and metaphysical audiences, expanding its reach well beyond one genre.
In sum, Waiting for Elijah: A Walk Through Time is a beautifully crafted, emotionally intelligent, and spiritually resonant work of fiction. Sheila Jeanette Wood has delivered a memorable novel with strong literary merit and clear commercial promise, one that belongs not only in the hands of readers but also on the shelves of every well-curated bookstore.
That said, let’s talk about the ‘truth’ question again
This book speaks to what we are going through today, but the circumstances that influence our daily life have changed. As a start, the internet, AI, and social media have changed the flavor of our world society. We will talk about some of the similarities and differences between the timeline of this novel (1933–2005) and where we are today.
Similarities:
The theme of dominance, as reflected during WWII, and the crimping of inclusion, rights, and freedoms by rich and powerful decision-makers in government is alive and well. Survival depends on a strong sense of self, and in times of ethnic cleansing it is doubly important to have one.
Differences:
AI and the internet now enable information to travel around the globe. A large portion of this information is not truth as we knew it years ago. It is often slanted or fraught with innuendo and lies. Trust among societies has diminished as ideologues and iconic symbols emerge to replace solid foundations in truth. It is easier today to accept a truth for yourself that is unwittingly destructive to the cosmic consciousness. Social media algorithms are set for engagement, not for the best outcome of humanity.
Maintaining our sense of self amid unwanted change
A strong sense of self emerges when one cannot be dissuaded from core beliefs that are deeply embedded in their energy. As we are seeing currently, and in this book, people often seek out a society that aligns with their values and cultural needs. This may mean moving to another continent and starting a new life in another country, as Eli did in Waiting for Elijah. As adults, we can weather these storms and come out on top. We must worry, however, about the ability of social media to have lasting influences on the younger generations. Might it be preventing them from knowing themselves without bias or prejudice? This could come from easily obtaining information that is not factually true. With fact-checking gone from social media, how will we distinguish fabricated information from the truth?
Additionally, when emotions are heightened, individuals, particularly young people, may be influenced by a belief system that lacks a solid foundation, one which excludes the explanation of facts and validation of truth by fact-finding. Diminishing returns around truth may cause us to switch into “attachment” mode, mimicking how we survived during childhood. When we are young, our external needs are met by parents to whom we are attached. When adults fail to morph out of the attachment phase and think an aberrantly led government means basic survival, the ability to preferentially choose is lost as one bends into the nearest route to immediate survival.
Free speech should not fear judgment
With the dominance of the internet, personal visibility is at an all-time high, and privacy comes at a premium. This results in a fear of being ridiculed or having an opinion that is not the same as those who hold power over you, or those who hold your livelihood in their hands. Free thinking then becomes a much-limited commodity. The importance of the stalwart freedom to speak out needs to be nurtured within a healthy society. Today, podcasts are an excellent way to discuss ideas. The question remains: will people continue to feel safe doing that?
The key to being able to express yourself lies in the strength with which you find and nurture your own truth and not the truths of external influences. To ensure that we all have such strengths, our voices need to find an avenue for expression, and that expression (within limits of sanity) needs to be heard. Even being heard without overt action is better than not being heard at all.
The debris around continuously manifested greed
The idea that we can have what we want at all levels is naïve, but in today’s world the movement away from what is substantially supportive for the collective is alarming. When achieving money and power are the primary motivators, we must assume that these urgencies probably originated from unfulfilled basic human needs, the patterns of which were instilled during childhood. The chance of getting narcissistic personalities to cease and desist in their carnage of free thinking in our society is nil. When society lets powerful people increase their power, it negatively affects those who are focused on quality of life. The seemingly nurturing advantages of quantity over quality will never assuage the want. That unfulfilled yearning tends to feed greed and will remain. Furthermore, efforts to assuage it may leave shrapnel scattered across continents.
How will the internet, social media, and AI “course correction” happen if uncaring billionaire heads of state are in charge? What will it take to embed corrective measures ensuring the best for societal norms? Perhaps funding should go to places where something more than sensationalism rules the social landscape. Information networks will rule our emotions and thus affect our choices. A change for the better on social media, away from simply rewarding engagement, could go a long way toward influencing outcomes around societal well-being.
Information is not truth
Yuval Harari, in his book Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI, talks about recognizing truth. He makes the important point that information is not truth. In this information age, people often prefer fiction because it is easily accessible and requires less effort to fact-check. Fiction by its very nature is subject to manipulation.
He laments that democratic conversation is collapsing because we get information electronically but cannot talk to each other about it. We get further away from our own truths when we cannot exchange ideas in conversation. He also points out that, historically, democracies have been small compared to larger autocratic societies. Smaller seems to make for more beneficial conversations. Harari begs us to let truth float to the top, difficult amid the deafening compulsion of social media. He sees that worldwide, when two sides fight, there is no talk, no conversation. Democratic activity is a conversation where one party speaks, the other listens, then the other party speaks and the former listens. This builds trust. Dictatorships are not built on trust.
All that is needed to collapse a society is to fool people. Today we use radio and TV as tools to put things into in-formations. Richard Dawkins shares with us in his book Power vs. Force that ideas spread like an organism, especially when they are useful to the host. Being a microbiologist, I realize this as a “parasitic” relationship.
How do we find gems of truth?
We back up what goes on the front page of newspapers with documented fact. We talk freely on broadcast news about contributions to the evolution of our civilization. We create the boundary of truth around what gets posted on social media. And we conquer the posting algorithm dilemma while taking emotion and money out of the equation. What is communicated to the public must be made with rational selection and must be fact-checked first. But if conflict elevates the message, peace will remain elusive. Rational solutions for our physical survival on Earth should be on the front page of the newspaper and should lead many more discussions to be shared on social posts.
Humans have, and will always be, intrigued by events throughout history that are savage and tragic, such as 9/11, the witch trials, the crucifixion of Christ, and risky sports such as bullfighting. Perhaps this draw can find a home in a small subsection of information technology to be accessed separately from the societal hierarchy of info-nation.
It is up to us. The only way out of this information versus truth dilemma is to self-correct and self-direct.
Waiting for Elijah: A Walk Through Time can be purchased on Amazon and Google Books. Visit me at my website, Sheila Wood, Medium, or Facebook.
Read more from Sheila Jeanette Wood
Sheila Jeanette Wood, Intuitive Healing Coach
Sheila J Wood, PhD, is a multifaceted author and Intuitive Healing Coach. Her work as an Energy Healer, Spiritual Medium, and Akashic Records Reader focuses on helping individuals reconcile emotional issues related to ancestral and past life experiences that may impact their current lives. While she can address a wide range of concerns, she has developed modules to target specific aspects of personal development, such as self-esteem and phobias. Through her intuitive gifts, Sheila helps to guide others in making empowered choices during their earthly journey. Her approach combines spiritual insight with practical healing methods, making her a valuable resource for those seeking deeper self-understanding.
Bibliography:
Harai, Y. (2024). Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks. 1st ed. New York City: Penguin Random House.
Hawkins, D. (2013). Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior. 1st authoritative ed. New York: Hay House.
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