Animism, Activism & Ancestry: Daniel Foor

Daniel Foor returns to Sounds of SAND for a wide-ranging conversation that moves from his own winding spiritual path to the urgent question of why so many spiritual teachers stay silent in the face of injustice. A doctor of psychology, initiated priest in the Yoruba Ifá tradition, and practicing Muslim, Daniel makes the case that animism is the antidote to human supremacy, that Islam is fundamentally a relational and earth-honoring tradition, and that genuine spirituality cannot retreat from the political realities of our time. Along the way, he speaks candidly about ancestral healing, decolonization, the genocide in Gaza, and what it means to become "regular-sized" in a culture built on separation. Topics 00:00 — Welcome back & reconnecting with SAND 00:01 — Daniel's path: shamanism, psychology & many lineages 00:04 — Animism as the antidote to human supremacy 00:09 — Environmental problems are human behavior problems 00:10 — Is Islam animist? Sufism & the heart of the tradition 00:15 — Relationship is not worship: rethinking animism 00:20 — Giving the more-than-human a seat at the table 00:23 — "Blown-out" lineages & relearning relationship 00:26 — Spiritual responsibility & the silence around Gaza 00:31 — When silence becomes a moral failure 00:34 — The differential valuation of human life 00:38 — What Daniel is building: ancestral & earth ritual trainings 00:42 — Why pre-colonial ancestral connection matters 00:43 — Becoming "regular-sized": the antidote to extreme individualism 00:49 — Right relationship, humility & closing reflections Resources & Links Ancestral Medicine — Daniel Foor's website, courses, trainings & practitioner directory Ancestral & Lineage Healing Course Practitioner Directory — ancestral healing in 30+ languages, offered remotely with financial accessibility Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing — book SAND Films   Where Olive Trees Weep The Eternal Song (series of 12 films)   Referenced Graham Harvey — scholar of the "new animism," referenced in the discussion of relational worldviews Surah Al-Tin (The Fig) and the animist verses of the Quran — referenced throughout the conversation on Islam as a relational tradition Contact SAND [email protected] Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member