How To Learn From Your Ancestors | Spring Washam

About this episode

<p dir="ltr">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.</p> <p dir="ltr"><a href="http://springwasham.com">Spring Washam</a> is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of <a href= "https://www.hayhouse.com/a-fierce-heart">A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment</a> and her newest book, <a href= "https://www.springwasham.com/the-spirit-of-harriet-tubman">The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground</a>. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founding teachers at the <a href= "https://eastbaymeditation.org/">East Bay Meditation Center</a>, located in downtown Oakland, CA and has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999.</p> <p dir="ltr">In this episode we talk about:</p> <ul> <li>How Spring came to write about Harriet Tubman's life</li> <li>Her work with plant medicine and the shamanic tradition</li> <li>The dream and the "conversations" Spring had with Tubman</li> <li>Why we are all so interested in ancestry</li> <li><span style= "font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> How we can deepen our relationship with our ancestors</span></li> <li>Family Constellation Therapy as a modality for doing ancestry work</li> <li>Spring's own family history</li> <li>Why she is still processing the experience of writing her book about Harriet Tubman</li> <li>What she means by the "inner underground railroad" and how it is alive today</li> <li>And, how, in the inner underground railroad, freedom equates to nirvana </li> </ul> <p dir="ltr">Content Warning: mentions of suicide</p> <p dir="ltr">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. </p> <p dir="ltr">We've teamed up with the meditation teachers Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman to start a <a href= "https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-spring-washams-healing-journey"> GoFundMe page</a> 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. </p> <p dir="ltr">You can find the GoFundMe here: <a href= "https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-spring-washams-healing-journey">https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-spring-washams-healing-journey</a></p> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Related Episodes:</p> <ul> <li><a href= "https://www.danharris.com/p/the-dharma-of-harriet-tubman-spring-f95?r=4o5o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false"> The Dharma of Harriet Tubman | Spring Washam</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.danharris.com/p/spring-washam-what-was-creating-all-4bf?r=4o5o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false"> Spring Washam, 'What Was Creating All This Suffering?'</a></li> <li><a href= "https://www.danharris.com/p/everything-you-wanted-to-know-about-710?r=4o5o&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=false"> Everything You Wanted To Know About Meditation Retreats But Were Afraid To Ask | Spring Washam (And Dan's Close Friend, Zev Borow)</a></li> </ul> <p><strong> </strong></p> <p dir="ltr">Join Dan's online community <a href= "http://www.danharris.com">here</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Follow Dan on social: <a href= "https://bit.ly/3tGigG5">Instagram</a>, <a href= "https://bit.ly/3FOA84J">TikTok</a></p> <p dir="ltr">Subscribe to our <a href= "https://bit.ly/3FybRzD">YouTube Channel</a></p> <p><strong><br /> <br /></strong></p> <p dir="ltr">To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit <a href= "https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris">https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris</a>.</p> <p> </p>