The Pressing Stones

The Healing Journey of a Nazi’s Daughter by Andrea van de Loo

Through heartfelt prose, Andrea shares her inspirational path of healing, tracing her quest to find her place in the world amidst the shadows of history.

The Pressing Stones by Andrea van de Loo

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About the Pressing Stones

Born during WWII in the Netherlands, Andrea van de Loo experienced a traumatic childhood, with her father’s past as a member of the Nazi SS casting a long shadow over her life. Despite these challenges, she embarked on an inspirational journey toward healing and self-discovery. Her search for self took her across the globe, where she found solace, purpose, and community.

Encompassing eighty years of the author’s life, The Pressing Stones guides readers through a deeply intimate and emotional journey, exploring family, relationships, sexuality, spirituality, motherhood, psychedelic therapy, addiction recovery, and the generational impacts of war. It also presents a personal portrait of life in Auroville, the “City of Dawn,” dedicated to the spiritual visions of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.

This poignant portrayal of one woman’s courage and determination to follow her inner guidance, and overcome her childhood trauma, is a testament to the power of consciousness and the human spirit, inspiring readers to find their own paths toward healing and fulfillment. Andrea’s story illustrates how freedom, joy, peace of mind, and happiness are possible, as we face our deepest truths and emerge from our darkest tribulations.

Her search for self takes her across the globe, where she finds solace and purpose. Dedicated to the spiritual visions of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother, Andrea is guided by her inner promptings on the path of healing—which continues through her eighth decade, showing that peace, freedom, joy, and happiness are possible, even through our darkest tribulations.

andrea van de loo

Meet the Author

Andrea was born as Angela van de Loo in the Netherlands in 1942 during WWII, to a father who was part of the German occupying forces, as a member of the Nazi SS. He was sentenced to death for war crimes, but later released. She studied psychology at the University of Amsterdam. In 1971 she hitchhiked to India where she met the Mother at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry. She lived in Auroville, South India, Mother’s experimental city in the making, dedicated to the evolution of human unity, till 1978. Her two daughters were born there.

Andrea has been living in Santa Cruz, CA, since 1979 where she had a healing practice. After retiring in 2007, she continues to open and learn from life, devotes her energy and presence in service of family and friends and dedicates herself to offer her memoir as her small contribution to a peaceful world.

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Andrea’s Poetry

Read some select poems by Andrea van de Loo.

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The Pressing Stones is now available online and in select bookstores