Deep Genealogy | Spring Washam
Spring Washam, a teacher and author, discusses reckoning with ancestors to understand ourselves and our actions. She shares her "conversations" with Harriet Tubman's spirit and the concept of an "inner underground railroad" for liberation from suffering, emphasizing the impact of generational trauma.
Deep Dive Analysis
13 Topic Outline
Introduction to Ancestry, Skepticism, and Spring Washam
Spring Washam's Journey to Writing About Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman: Historical Figure and Archetype
Defining Buddhist Terms: Bodhisattva and Dakini
Plant Medicine and Shamanic Traditions
Navigating Skepticism and Multi-Dimensional Reality
The Living Lineage: Connecting with Ancestors
Spring Washam's Personal Ancestor Healing Work
Harriet Tubman's Spiritual Appearance and Conversations
The Inner Underground Railroad and Modern Liberation
Three Flavors of Modern Abolitionism
Spring's Personal Transformation from Writing the Book
Future Projects and Closing Remarks
8 Key Concepts
Bodhisattva
A Buddhist term for a being who makes vows to continually be reborn in samsara (the matrix of suffering) to benefit all beings and help them achieve liberation from suffering. They are dedicated to compassion in action.
Dakini
A manifestation of the enlightened feminine in a magical form, often associated with wisdom in Vajrayana Buddhism. Dakinis are protectors who can shape-shift and are considered free from samsara, appearing at different moments in time.
Karma (Cause and Effect)
In its root meaning, karma refers to the principle of cause and effect. It suggests that actions and intentions create consequences that reverberate, influencing present and future experiences, rather than a simplistic punitive system.
Living Lineage
The concept that individuals are not isolated but are streams of consciousness connected to their ancestors. This connection means inheriting not just physical traits, but also illnesses, emotional patterns, ideologies, and energetic conditions that impact one's present life.
Inner Underground Railroad
A concept described by Harriet Tubman's spirit as a secret passageway through consciousness, distinct from the historical physical railroad. It is a path to freedom from mental suffering, despair, and bondage, analogous to the Buddhist path to Nibbana (the end of suffering).
Inner Abolitionism
The practice of abolishing internal programs of greed, hatred, and delusion within oneself. It is the personal work of seeking to remove inner blocks to compassion and love, aligning with the core principles of the Buddhist path to alleviate suffering.
Outer Abolitionism
The act of engaging with society to stand up against injustice and what is deemed uncompassionate or cruel. It involves refusing to participate in evil acts and advocating for societal change, similar to historical abolitionist movements.
Ultimate Abolitionism
The highest level of abolitionism, reaching a state of profound spiritual power and awakening. This is described as achieving 'Bodhisattva superpower, Siddha power, Buddha levels,' signifying complete liberation and the ability to profoundly impact the world.
6 Questions Answered
Harriet Tubman was born enslaved in Maryland in 1825, escaped to Philadelphia in her mid-20s, and became a famous conductor on the Underground Railroad, rescuing close to 70 people over 12 journeys, including her family and friends. She later served in the military and joined the women's movement.
Spring describes these as a series of powerful visionary dreams and constant appearances in her mind, including images and songs, which intensified after a direct spiritual appearance where Harriet gave her the task of writing the book. These were 'sessions' where Harriet's voice and wisdom would emerge through consciousness, guiding the writing process.
People are interested in their ancestors to understand themselves and their origins beyond just DNA. This interest can deepen into understanding that we inherit not just physical traits but also energetic conditions, traumas, and ideologies from our living lineage, which can be healed through conscious ancestor work.
Ancestor work involves starting a relationship with ancestors, believing they are real and around us, and engaging in conscious healing on their behalf. This can include speaking to them, forgiving them, offering them support, and making things right in the present to clear karmic lineages.
The 'inner Underground Railroad' is a spiritual passageway through consciousness, where Harriet Tubman's spirit now acts as a conductor. Its purpose is to move people from states of despair, suffering, and mental bondage to a state of freedom and empowerment, akin to the Buddhist concept of Nibbana or the cessation of suffering.
Getting on the 'inner Underground Railroad' means committing to one's spiritual path, understanding and applying the Four Noble Truths (suffering, its cause, its cessation, and the path to cessation), and making a conscious effort to live a life of awareness and mindfulness to achieve liberation from suffering.
14 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.
4 Key Quotes
I was the conductor of the Underground Railroad for 10 years. And I can say what most conductors can't say. I never ran my train off the track and I never lost a passenger.
Harriet Tubman
You don't have to believe it, but it's true.
Munindra (Joseph Goldstein's teacher)
I stand as one, but I come with 10,000.
Maya Angelou
Nobody thinks of a black, illiterate, formerly enslaved woman as a great teacher. So be it, but we appear in any form.
Harriet Tubman (channeled by Spring Washam)