How To Learn From Your Ancestors | Spring Washam

25 snips

Jun 22, 2025

Spring Washam, a pioneering mindfulness teacher and author, explores the profound connection between ancestry and personal identity. She shares her journey of writing about Harriet Tubman, highlighting the importance of ancestral wisdom. Spring discusses her experiences with plant medicine and Family Constellation Therapy, emphasizing how understanding our lineage can lead to emotional healing. Additionally, she introduces the concept of the 'inner underground railroad,' drawing parallels between Tubman's legacy and modern spiritual liberation.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

ANECDOTE

Spring's Visionary Dream

Spring Washam had a powerful visionary dream where Harriet Tubman guided her by holding her hand in a dream.
This dream initiated a series of deep conversations with Tubman's spirit for her book.

INSIGHT

Ancestors Shape Our Being

Our ancestors' experiences and energies deeply influence our current lives beyond just DNA.
Healing involves engaging with this lineage to clear inherited patterns and suffering.

ADVICE

Engage Actively With Ancestors

Start healing by building a conscious relationship with your ancestors, forgiving and understanding them.
Use methods like visualization, family constellation therapy, or ancestral altars to engage and transmute inherited energies.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

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:

Join Dan’s online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris.