<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p><br /></p> <p>So many people are interested in their family tree. What kind of lives did our ancestors lead and what do their stories say about us? Today's guest, Spring Washam, asks us to reckon with the people who have come before us in order to fully understand who we are and why we do the things we do.</p> <p><br /></p> <p>Washam 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" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment</em></a> and her newest book<em>,</em> <a href="https://www.springwasham.com/the-spirit-of-harriet-tubman" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground</em></a><em>.</em> 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/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>East Bay Meditation Center</em></a><em>,</em> 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><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>How Spring came to write about Harriet Tubman's life</li> <li>Her work with plant medicine and the shamanic traditions</li> <li>The dream and the "conversations" Spring had with Tubman</li> <li>Why we are all so interested in ancestry</li> <li>How we can deepen our relationship with our ancestors </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><br /></p> <p><em>Content Warning: mentions of suicide</em></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/spring-washam-556" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/spring-washam-556</a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Commit to Spiritual Path
Commit to a spiritual path, such as understanding and practicing the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path, to move from suffering and bondage towards freedom and liberation.
2. Examine Your Ancestral History
Take a deep look at your ancestors and family tree to understand who you are and why you do what you do, as their actions and energies can significantly impact your present life.
3. Address Ancestral Suffering
If experiencing persistent suffering despite various healing modalities, investigate your family tree to understand inherited conditions, programs, or ideologies that may be contributing.
4. Build Ancestral Relationships
Initiate a relationship with your ancestors by speaking to them, forgiving them, understanding them, and seeking to help them, recognizing that their energies are still present and can be engaged with.
5. Consciously Heal Ancestral Energies
Perform conscious healing work for your ancestors by acknowledging their past actions and the energies alive in you, seeking to transmute them, and visualizing offering them peace and understanding.
6. Employ Ancestral Healing Therapies
Utilize therapeutic modalities like Internal Family Systems (IFS) or Family Constellation Therapy to engage with and heal ancestral patterns and energies that are alive within you.
7. Resolve Ancestral Unfinished Business
Address unresolved issues related to deceased ancestors, such as providing a proper burial marker or performing acts of forgiveness, to bring peace to the lineage and heal lingering karmic tangles.
8. Practice Inner Abolitionism
Practice ‘inner abolitionism’ by actively working to eliminate personal patterns of greed, hatred, and delusion that block compassion and love.
9. Practice Outer Abolitionism
Practice ‘outer abolitionism’ by actively standing up against injustice in society and refusing to cooperate with systems or actions driven by greed, hatred, or delusion.
10. Strive for Ultimate Abolitionism
Strive towards ‘ultimate abolitionism’ by aspiring to reach higher states of spiritual power and wisdom, akin to Bodhisattva or Buddha levels of enlightenment.
11. Practice Willing Suspension of Disbelief
When faced with concepts that seem foreign or unprovable, consciously choose to suspend your immediate disbelief to explore their potential, rather than reflexively dismissing them.
12. Verify Teachings Personally
Do not accept teachings at face value; instead, test them through your own personal experience to determine their validity.
13. Draw Strength from Role Models
Draw strength and courage from the actions and stories of inspiring role models, using their resilience as a motivation to overcome personal challenges and act with compassion.
14. Practice Buddhist Techniques
Engage in Buddhist meditation and other recommended techniques for improving life, as they have been personally effective and are increasingly supported by modern research.
15. Use 10% Happier App
Download the ‘10% with Dan Harris’ app for guided meditations to manage stress, anxiety, improve sleep and focus, and engage in live community meditation sessions.