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ancestors and animists: an interview with daniel fooR

4/11/2018

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Podcast one: working with the dead as social justice allies


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My great-grandparents' generation on my mother's side, collecting firewood with their donkeys in the village of Ionoi, amongst the mountains of North-Western Greece on the border of Albania.

Greetings all --

Joining me today is Dr. Daniel Foor: Accomplished ritualist, teacher, initiate and practitioner of West African Ifa/Orisha traditions. He's also the author of the brilliant book Ancestral Healing:  Rituals for Personal and Family Healing.   After many years in the San Francisco Bay Area, Daniel, his wife, and their new baby girl have settled in Asheville, North Carolina, from where he has been training practitioners of ancestral lineage healing. 

In addition to the ongoing apprentice trainings, Daniel is currently launching a unique online Animism course,  where students from around the world will gather, practice, and discuss online the teachings that Daniel shares via video on animist ethics and pragmatic rituals for relating with our other-than-human kin.   What I love about Daniel's work and approach is that it's down-to-earth, compassionate yet rigorous, with great attention to nuance and the basic skills and practicalities of ritually working with ancestors. 

In our conversation below, we touched on a wealth of topics including:
  • Why Animism?
  • How can adapting Animist ethics and practices contribute to healing both the environment and our relations with non-humans?
  • What is a God, and how do Gods relate to ancestors?
  • Am I still British/Jewish/bi-sexual/Hispanic/etc. when I die?
  •  How can ancestors work act as allies  towards social justice?
  • Why must social justice expand to include the dead, and non-human beings?

Please enjoy the podcast below and if you're intrigued and/or moved by Daniel's work, check out his website: 
ancestralmedicine.org
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Dr. Daniel Foor

biography:

Daniel Foor is a licensed psychotherapist and a doctor of psychology. He has led ancestral and family healing intensives throughout the United States since 2005. He is an initiate in the Ifa/Orisha tradition of Yoruba-speaking West Africa and has trained with teachers of Mahayana Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, and different Indigenous paths, including the older ways of his European ancestors. He's the author of Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing, and he currently lives in Asheville, NC.

podcast:

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Click on the PODCAST image to access the interview

(the main link isn't working for some people at the moment -- try this other link  via iTunes if that's the case)

If you enjoyed the music and want to know what was used, the intro track was Egúngún by Asabioje Afenapa, and the  outro track was Why People Disappear  by His Name Is Alive.


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resources:

If you're interested in  learning more about Animism and the sorts of subjects talked about in this podcast, here are some resources that could be of interest:

What is Animism?
Short primer by Daniel Foor on what exactly is Animism.

The Wakeful World by Emma Restall-Orr
A rigorous and rich exploration of the science and metaphysics of Animism by British feminist and Druid Restall-Orr that  focuses specifically on the ancient and contemporary traditions of Animism within Europe.

The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram
Abram's weaves phenomenology, magic, and lyrical writing  to draw attention to the enchanted relations available at our own doorstep, wherever we are. 

Animism: Respecting The Living World by Graham Harvey
A comprehensive survey of animist traditions and understandings from around the world.

Bespoken Bones:  Ancestors at the Crossroads of Sex, Magick, and Science
Podcast series with Pavini Moray that centres queer, trans, POC, and gender-non-conforming perspectives on how Animism, Sex, Ancestors and Magic can bring about personal and planetary liberation.
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Grandparents and Great-Grandparents on my mother's side, Macedonia, Greece. Notice the two mysterious faces in the window.
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    Christos Galanis is a Canadian/Greek researcher, teacher and artist currently living in the UK.
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