I was out for a run in upper Manhattan one early morning before a flight to London. Sunrise is my favorite time to run, before the city wakes up. I remember looking at the sky and feeling like it was divine. The gold, orange, and pinks were incredible.

I had my running playlist on LOUD, and I was in my own thoughts when I heard a voice, clear and sharp:

“CRYSTAL!”

It stopped me in my tracks. I got angel bumps.

I looked around, but I didn't see anyone familiar. My spidey senses went up, so I turned down my music and started paying more attention to my surroundings.

I can't tell you for sure who or what I heard. My intuition tells me it was one of my angels looking out for me. If I hadn't stopped, what was waiting up ahead?

Sometimes that split second matters.

Have you ever experienced something like that? A nudge to pause, take another route, or check in with someone—and afterward you're thinking, “Oh my gosh, what was that?”

These are the conversations I love having. Especially as we move into November, when ancestral remembrance and the approaching 11-11 portal on November 11, 2026 give us a reason to explore how we receive spiritual support.

What Does It Mean When the Veil Is Thin?

In spiritual language, a thin veil means the boundary between our physical world and the spirit world feels easier to sense. Around Samhain and early November, the phrase is often connected with remembering the dead, meaningful dreams, and intuitive experiences. It describes a spiritual belief and felt experience.

Maybe a loved one comes to mind while you're making their favorite meal. Maybe a dream stays with you long after you wake up. Or you feel drawn to sit quietly when you'd usually fill that time with something else.

What interests me is how we meet those moments. Can we get curious about what we're experiencing and give ourselves time to understand it?

For those of us who spend a lot of our day caring for others, even making that little bit of room can feel unfamiliar. We're so used to responding to everyone else. November offers a meaningful time to ask, “What am I noticing within myself?”

Why Is November Connected With Ancestors?

The connection has roots in seasonal folklore. In Celtic tradition, Samhain marked the beginning of winter on November 1, with celebrations on the evening before. The National Museum of Ireland describes beliefs that the souls of the dead returned to the family home at Halloween, alongside feasting and other seasonal customs.

I love the human part of that image: making room at home for those who came before us.

A family recipe can do that. So can telling a story someone used to tell, or remembering a quality we admired in them. We might recognize their humor in our own laugh or think about a piece of wisdom that makes more sense now than it did years ago.

The older customs center on the turn into November. Choosing to carry that remembrance through the month is a way we can work with the season today.

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the longer nights offer a setting for cozy inward reflection. Our friends in the Southern Hemisphere are moving through spring. Wherever we live, we can choose a moment to remember, give thanks, and consider what we want to carry forward.

What Are Well and Healed Ancestors?

Of course, family can be complicated. We may feel love and gratitude alongside grief, distance, or memories we're still working through.

This is where the intention to work with well and healed ancestors becomes meaningful. In contemporary ancestral practices that use this distinction, it refers to ancestors understood to be spiritually well and able to offer loving support. Ancestral Medicine describes one such framework. This concept comes from ancestor work; it isn't a teaching I originated.

The intention is to call forward only pure, loving, supportive ancestral energies. We get to be specific about the connection we're inviting.

You might place a photograph or a meaningful object beside you and begin with:

I welcome only my well and healed ancestors, whose presence is loving and supportive of my highest good. I offer gratitude for the wisdom and love available through this connection.

Then take a moment. Notice what you feel, remember, or want to say. You can also simply offer thanks and continue with your day.

Healthy boundaries belong in our spiritual lives, too. We can honor our lineage while choosing which patterns and relationships we want to nurture. That is part of what I mean when I say, “My energy, my responsibility.”

The Numerology of 11-11: Four Ones, Two Pillars, a Doorway

As November unfolds, we arrive at another invitation to connect: the 11-11 portal.

In numerology, 11 is a master number associated with intuition, spiritual insight, and sensitivity. Numerology.com explains those associations within its numerological framework. November 11 places two elevens beside one another: 11-11. We also see the pattern written as 1111 or 11:11.

Here's how I work with that image in the meditation I created for this month. Imagine those upright numbers becoming pillars. Two elevens standing together form a doorway—a bridge between spirit and matter.

And we become part of that image ourselves. We ground into Earth, steady and supported like pillars, before opening to what we may receive.

This matters to me because there's a practical foundation underneath the journey. My meditation framework begins with becoming present. Then we ground, release, and fill ourselves with supportive energy. That gives us somewhere to return as we explore.

Samhain remembrance and 11-11 numerology come from different traditions. I bring them into this November reflection as different ways of considering our relationship with spirit.

If you're curious about the date's symbolism, you can explore my related article, The Science and Spirituality of the 11-11 Portal: What Really Happens on November 11th.

Our Heart Is the Key to the Multidimensional Portal

Now here's the part I want to bring home: the 11-11 pillars frame the portal, and our heart is the key that opens it.

In the spiritual language of my meditation, the heart chakra is a multidimensional doorway. Through it, we explore connection with our Higher Self, our highest and best guides and angels, and the wisdom available beyond our usual everyday awareness.

Think of the different ways we already experience life. We have our physical surroundings, our thoughts, our feelings, and those moments of knowing that can be difficult to put into words. When I speak about multidimensional connection, I'm inviting us to explore that wider spiritual relationship while staying grounded in our bodies.

In the guided journey, our angels stand like pillars around us. They weave a golden thread of infinity, creating a space in which we can feel supported as we bring our attention into the heart.

And feeling safe is such an important part of this. It helps to have room to be ourselves, to ask questions, and to let an experience unfold at our own pace.

You might begin by placing a hand over your heart. Feel your body resting against the chair or the floor. Take a comfortable breath and ask, “What would it feel like to receive support right now?”

Maybe that brings up emotion. Maybe your shoulders soften. Maybe you just notice how busy your thoughts have been. Start with what is actually happening for you.

This is how we begin building a relationship with our own inner world. We try something, notice our response, and learn from it. One foot on Earth, one in the cosmos.

Practice With Me: The 11-11 Portal Angelic Guided Meditation

If you'd like some guidance as you explore the heart portal, I'd love to have you join me. In this meditation, we ground into Earth, release what we're ready to let go of, and welcome connection with our highest and best guides and angels. The journey includes the pillars, golden thread, heart doorway, and affirmations for our wisdom and creative power.

My role is to set the stage for you to have your own experience. Bring your curiosity and follow at your own pace. Ancestral remembrance can be a separate practice before or afterward; the guided meditation itself centers on angels, spirit guides, and the heart portal.

Bringing the Wisdom Into Everyday Life

After a spiritual experience, I love asking, “How can I make this useful?”

Maybe you notice that you need a quieter morning. Perhaps you recognize a boundary you've been meaning to communicate, or feel ready to let someone help you with something you've been carrying alone.

Choose one thing to bring into your day. Write it down while it's fresh, then see what you learn by following through.

That is also part of the exploration in Scorpio Season: The Rebirth of Power: looking inward, noticing familiar patterns, and choosing how we want to respond. Our wisdom becomes something we live through those choices.

Listen on Spotify: Make Time for Your Own Experience

If you prefer an audio practice, find a comfortable place to sit or lie down and listen below. Give yourself a little time afterward to return to the room and notice how you're feeling.

Set aside time on November 11, 2026 if the date feels meaningful to you. You can also return to this practice whenever you want to explore that connection.

I still wonder about that morning in Manhattan. I'll never know what might have happened farther down the road. What I do know is that I stopped, turned down the music, and paid attention.

As we move through November, that's the invitation I'd love to leave with you. Make a little room to listen. To remember those you love. To welcome support. Then give yourself the chance to discover what that means in your own life.

I'm honored to explore these wonderfully weird experiences with you. 💛

I'll Meet You Under the Moon and Stars…

— Crystal

Crystal Heinemann is the founder and CEO of The Psychic Soul, a spiritual wholeness brand and app offering guided meditations, intuition development, Lighthouse leadership, and a heart-centered community with live spiritual wellness workshops and healing practices. Her work supports emotional regulation, stress relief, and energy mastery—helping people take responsibility for their energetic input and output so they can live from overflow, not survival.

Questions About November, Ancestors & the 11-11 Portal

When is the 11-11 portal in 2026?

The annual 11-11 portal is observed on November 11, 2026. In my spiritual practice, I work with November as a month of connection, with November 11 as the focus. You can set aside time that day or choose another quiet moment that fits your life.

How can I prepare for an 11-11 portal meditation?

Choose a comfortable place to sit or lie down. Give yourself time to settle, feel the support beneath your body, and set a simple intention. You might try, “I am open to receiving loving support and my own inner wisdom.” Keep a journal nearby for anything you want to remember afterward.

Can I honor ancestors whose names and stories are unknown to me?

Yes. You can begin with a simple intention to honor your well and healed ancestors. A candle, a moment of gratitude, or words spoken from the heart can give your remembrance a focus. Let the practice reflect what feels meaningful and comfortable for you.

How are ancestors and angels different in this practice?

Ancestors are those who came before us in our lineage. Angels are spiritual beings we may call upon for guidance and support. Here, ancestral remembrance is a separate reflection, while the guided meditation centers on our highest and best guides and angels.

What might I experience during an angel meditation?

Experiences vary. We may notice an image, a feeling, a memory, or a sense of rest. I encourage us to begin with what we actually notice and allow its meaning to unfold over time. The practice gives us space to explore, and we each get to discover how that feels.

Sources, Short Quotes & Further Reading

I love exploring where these ideas come from. These resources offer context for the folklore, ancestral practice, and numerology discussed here. The pillars and heart portal reflect the spiritual imagery I use in my 11-11 guided meditation.

National Museum of Ireland — “Traditions and customs of Halloween / Samhain”

“the souls of the dead were expected to return to the family home”

This museum resource documents Irish seasonal customs and beliefs about the returning dead. It provides historical context for the remembrance associated with Samhain and the beginning of November.

Read the museum's account of Samhain traditions.

Numerology.com Staff — “Master Number 11 Meaning”

“The most remarkable characteristic of the Master Number 11 is its connection to a higher source of wisdom.”

This is a numerological interpretation of 11, offering context for the symbolism we explore through the date 11-11.

Explore the numerology of master number 11.

Ancestral Medicine — “What is Ancestral Healing?”

“In relationship with our well ancestors, we access deeper rootedness and power”

This excerpt describes Ancestral Medicine's own spiritual framework and its emphasis on relating with well ancestors. It offers further context for the distinction used in this article.

Read Ancestral Medicine's introduction to ancestor work.