How To Learn From Your Ancestors | Spring Washam

Our guest argues that looking back on those who came before us can help us understand who we are and why we do the things we do. Plus, a very special request from Dan.

Spring Washam is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and her newest book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, located in downtown Oakland, CA and has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999.

In this episode we talk about:

• How Spring came to write about Harriet Tubman’s life
• Her work with plant medicine and the shamanic tradition
• The dream and the “conversations” Spring had with Tubman
• Why we are all so interested in ancestry
• How we can deepen our relationship with our ancestors
• Family Constellation Therapy as a modality for doing ancestry work
• Spring’s own family history
• Why she is still processing the experience of writing her book about Harriet Tubman
• What she means by the “inner underground railroad” and how it is alive today
• And, how, in the inner underground railroad, freedom equates to nirvana 

Content Warning: mentions of suicide

This episode originally aired in February 2023, and we’re re-airing it today for two reasons: first, because it’s awesome; and second, because Spring needs help.  A few months ago, Spring was hit by a delivery truck while crossing the street in Atlanta. She suffered extensive injuries and has been largely unable to work since then. As a result, she's been experiencing some financial distress between her mounting medical bills and her inability to be fully employed. 

We’ve teamed up with the meditation teachers Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman to start a GoFundMe page to help Spring raise a little bit of money. Jack, Trudy and Dan have all contributed. If you can make a contribution, please do. No amount is too small. 

You can find the GoFundMe here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-spring-washams-healing-journey

 

Related Episodes:

• The Dharma of Harriet Tubman | Spring Washam
• Spring Washam, ‘What Was Creating All This Suffering?’
• Everything You Wanted To Know About Meditation Retreats But Were Afraid To Ask | Spring Washam (And Dan’s Close Friend, Zev Borow)

 

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