The Ancestral Healing Podcast

Step into deep relationality with the Earth and the natural rhythms and cycles of life with the Wheel of the Year. This sacred compass teaches us how to align our lives with the natural world in nourishing and restorative ways.To access a free download of the Wheel of the Year, visit:https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TfnRb8gdOyHypdXBkSJ0O2sKYoE70loa/view?usp=sharingThe Eight SabbatsSamhain (Hallows Eve)Yule (Winter Solstice)Imbolc (Candlemas)Ostara (Spring Equinox)Beltane (May Day)Litha (Summer Solstice)Lughnasadh (Lammas)Mabon (Fall Equinox)Upcoming EventsTo learn more and to register, visit: https://www.ancestralhealing.coach/eventsApril 30, 2026: Free teaching about Ancestral Lineage Healing in Salt Lake City, UtahMay 16, 2026: Ancestral Lineage Healing 101: A 1-Day Intensive workshop in Salt Lake City, UtahMay 20, 2026: Free online teaching (Intro to Ancestral Lineage Healing) (NOTE: In the episode, I said May 13th, but had to shift). This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

An altar is a powerful tool that can support our practice in connecting and working with our ancestors (as well as other spirit powers and guides). In this episode, Joseph breaks down the what, why, and how of creating and working with ancestor altars in a simple, fun, and grounded way.This is a perfect episode for both spiritual newbies as well as those looking to expand their current altar practices.ALTAR DEDICATION PRAYER:“I offer this altar to my wise, loving ancestors—both of blood and other lineages. May it be a sacred space where only healed, loving ancestors and other benevolent beings may reside; and may it serve as a space for deepened connection and relationship that will only serve my highest good and well-being.”NOTES ON SMUDGING:In the FAQ section, I discussed the cautions around using palo santo and white sage, but I missed offering my suggestions for alternate plants to use for smudging. Here are my go-to ones (or other common ones I suggest), but there are SO MANY other possibilities!- Rosemary (OMG, my absolute fave!)- Sagebrush- Red Cedar (leaf or wood sticks)- Juniper leaf- Mugwort- Cypress leaf- Sweetgrass braids (only source from ethical growers!)For any of these, you can take fresh leaves, bundle them together with thin string (kite string works great) and let them dry for a week or two before using.SECTIONS:9:40 - What is an altar?20:05 - Finding a Space22:20 - What items should I use?29:47 - How do I set up my altar?32:55 - Examples of my altars37:16 - How to cleanse and dedicate your altar43:03 - How do I work with my altar?45:28 - Offerings (the what, why, and how)53:36 - How do I maintain my altar?55:27 - FAQs- Cultural appropriation, white sage & palo santo- Will my ancestors freak out?- What if I don’t feel or notice anything with my altar?1:03:32 - Wrap-up & Final ThoughtsCONNECT:Learn more about my work at https://ancestralhealing.coach This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

How ancestral healing supports religious trauma recovery and helps you rebuild the spiritual path that’s actually yours.For those who have stepped away from toxic religious systems and organizations, finding a new spiritual path and framework can feel scary and uncertain. In this episode, Joseph shares more about his own journey in leaving Mormonism to find more joy and fulfillment in Animistic, earth-centered practices anchored in ancestral healing and connection work.As a gay ex-Mormon, Joseph discusses several ways that Ancestral Lineage Healing work can help support folks in healing and recovering from religious trauma, as well as finding our own Animist-based spiritual path.Finally, Joseph outlines four suggestions for those who are new to navigating a post-religious life and seeking their own new spiritual paths and frameworks.Curious how Ancestral Lineage Healing work might support your own healing path?Schedule a FREE 20-minute consultation with Joseph at:https://scheduler.zoom.us/joseph-b-shumway/discoveryOr, visit https://ancestralhealing.coach This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

Colonialism has created tremendous harm to humans and the non-human world alike. In this episode, I dive into what we refer to as the Six Cultural Wounds (or Six Cultural Supremacies). These ideologies serve as foundations from which all of the many harmful expressions of colonialism and capitalism stem. Ancestral Lineage Healing work is about healing wounds brought about by a broken culture, its power structures, and systemic patterns. Hence, when we tend to our ancestral wounds, we’re loosening the grip of the darker forces that underpin these structures and systems!The Six Cultural Wounds/Supremacies, as taught to me by my teacher Dr. Daniel Foor, are:Human SupremacyCultural SupremacyAncestral SupremacyReligious & Ideological SupremacyCis-Hetero Supremacy (aka Gender & Sexuality Supremacy)Economic SupremacySAMHAIN 2025 ANCESTRAL HEALING INTENSIVE!Join me and five of my beautiful colleagues in Union, Washington, USA, October 30-November 2 at the Sacred Waters Center for an in-person intensive where you’ll learn and experience the steps that are part of the Ancestral Lineage Healing process!For details, and to register, visit:https://redearthhealing.org/ancestral-lineage-healing-intensive-union-wa-2025/ This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

Reclaiming and fostering an Animistic framework of seeing the world is a critical part of our Ancestral Healing journey, but also in returning to being in right relationship with Divine and the natural web of life.In this episode, I heavily reference and quote the work of Robin Wall Kimmerer, whose beloved book, Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, became such an important piece to help me begin deeply shifting my own ethos around the living, natural world when I shifted from a Judeo-Christian framework.In Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin outlines the sacred principles of the Law of the Harvest, which I would like to include here for your reference:* Introduce yourself. Be accountable as the one who comes asking for life. Ask permission before taking. Abide by the answer.* Never take the first. Never take the last. Take only what you need. Take only that which is given.* Never take more than half. Leave some for others. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm.* Use it respectfully. Never waste what you have taken. Share.* Give thanks for what you have been given.* Give a gift, in reciprocity for what you have taken.* Sustain the ones who sustain you and the earth will last forever.Upcoming Offerings* Digging in the Deep: Ancestor-Guided Genealogy Research - This four-part class, offered through Ancestral Medicine, begins July 7, 2025. My colleague, Erica Nunnally, and I will co-weave teachings around blending genealogical research with Ancestral Healing and ancestral connection.* Ancestral Lineage Healing Intensive - This three-day event will be held in Union, Washington, USA, October 30-November 2, 2025, at the Sacred Waters Center for Restoration and Retreat. I will be supporting the intensive with one of my mentors, Shannon Willis, along with a few of my other colleagues from the Ancestral Medicine practitioner network. I invite you to check out the details and join us if an in-person, immersive experience in the work calls to you! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

There are various methods of ancestral healing. I share what I see as core, foundational concepts to approaching the work in the most helpful, safe, and nourishing ways. I provide an overview of Ancestral Lineage Healing—the specific approach and method in which I am certified—and how healing entire lineage systems is impactful for deeper, more holistic healing.As a follow-up note, in the editing process, I recognized a few instances where I referenced indigenous traditions in a past tense. This was because I was so focused on talking about my own lineage experiences, where indigenous (pagan) European cultures were dismantled and destroyed. HOWEVER, I want to fully acknowledge the many indigenous cultures and traditions that are very much alive and present today, and these cultures still have their own active ways of tending and relating with the ancestors. Kindness and apologies if anything I said in the episode lands poorly for Indigenous folks.Learn more about working with me at: https://ancestralhealing.coachMENTIONED RESOURCES:Ancestral MedicineAncestral Lineage Healing Practitioner DirectoryAncestral Medicine Book (by Dr. Daniel Foor) This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

We all have many ancestors! But not all the dead are equally well in spirit and safe to relate with. Learn the difference between the unwell dead, and who I refer to as the "capital-A" Ancestors!I also discuss how many folks of European ancestors have what I call "ancestral amnesia" when it comes to thinking about pre-Christian, pagan peoples as actual, real, and viable ancestors.Finally, I talk about other kinds of ancestors (such as land ancestors, knowledge/trade-lineage ancestors, etc.) and how they can provide important insight and wisdom for our land-tending and creative endeavors!Learn more about my work at: https://ancestralhealing.coach. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

Colliding social, economic and political turmoil, coupled with ecological collapse and an extinction crisis create the conditions for scary times. At the heart of it all, is a deep crisis of belonging. As humans, we have become separated and disconnected from the things that bring us a sense of wholeness, nourishment, and belonging. Ancestral Healing is a beautiful way for us to find our way back into right-relationship with the natural world and the spirit realms for the deep belonging we all need and yearn for!Suggested resources:Charles EisentsteinSeparation vs InterbeingBook “The More Beautiful World Our Hearts Know is Possible”Dr. Zach Bush“The Intelligence of Connection” Commune BlogPodcast appearances (so many amazing ones!)Learn more about my work at: https://ancestralhealing.coach. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

In this introductory episode, I share a little bit about my story as a gay person growing up in the Mormon religion and culture, along with the religious trauma I received from believing I was being possessed by an evil spirit of Satan.I recap how I found the work of Ancestral Lineage Healing and how finding new spiritual practices rooted in animism and earth-honoring frameworks were life-changing for me.Learn more about me at https://ancestralhealing.coach. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com

Trailer for "The Ancestral Healing Podcast" with Joseph B. Shumway! Welcome! I look forward to you joining me on my journey! This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit healingwiththeancestors.substack.com