The Spirit Underground with Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Spirit Underground with Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens

Be Here Now Network

Religion & Spirituality

Society & Culture

Frequency: 1 episode/61d. Total Eps: 12

Join Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens in exploring black abolitionist liberation practices for these evolving times. As spiritual abolitionists, we will share advanced spiritual technologies that can be used to disrupt internalized oppression and accelerate our personal and collective evolution.

These conversations will include topics on healing with plant-based medicine, Indigenous wisdom, Buddhist-based meditation practices, and reconnecting to our ancestral knowledge. We will explore how to work collaboratively with our ancestors to get free. Our conversation will include what freedom means individually, collectively, and spiritually. The time has come to reclaim our magic and awaken our courage to meet this challenging moment.

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🇨🇦 Canada - buddhism
27/08/2026
#37
🇨🇦 Canada - buddhism
26/08/2026
#24
🇨🇦 Canada - buddhism
25/08/2026
#15
🇨🇦 Canada - buddhism
24/08/2026
#35
🇨🇦 Canada - buddhism
23/08/2026
#23
🇨🇦 Canada - buddhism
22/08/2026
#18
🇺🇸 USA - buddhism
16/08/2026
#98
🇬🇧 Great Britain - buddhism
12/08/2026
#83
🇬🇧 Great Britain - buddhism
11/08/2026
#80
🇺🇸 USA - buddhism
11/08/2026
#88

Spotify

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http://betterhelp.com/beherenow
6 shares
https://www.mahoganybooks.com/9781401963224
3 shares
https://www.springwasham.com/
2 shares

https://bookshop.org/p/books/black-and-buddhist-what-buddhism-can-teach-us-about-race-resilience-transformation-and-freedom-cheryl-a-giles/14586937
1 share

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Score global : 53%

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Ep. 9 – The Labor of Liberation

Episode 9

Friday, August 30, 2024 • Duration 01:07:16

Navigating the complexities of justice and freedom, Spring and Lama Rod discuss choosing the hard work of liberation over comfort.

In this episode, Spring and Lama Rod have a conversation about:

Choosing liberation versus comfort and stability
Getting to the root of suffering and the root of who we are
Moving deeper into our current predicaments instead of bypassing
The intense labor of liberation and choosing freedom in an unfree world
Transforming suffering into wisdom and clarity
Pain as our guide and teacher
Building communities that can hold the nuances of justice and freedom
Finding a teacher with experience in all paths
The tension between enlightenment and humanity
Bridging conventional reality with the ultimate

About Lama Rod Owens:

Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that’s very natural, engaging, and inclusive.

About Spring Washam:

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. She has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999. She is a member of the teacher’s council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California where she was trained for over a decade.

In addition to being a teacher, she is also a shamanic practitioner and has studied indigenous healing practices since 2008. She is the founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, a one-of-a-kind organization that blends indigenous healing practices with Buddhist wisdom in South America. Her writings and dharma teachings have appeared in many online journals and publications. She currently teaches meditation retreats and leads workshops, and classes worldwide.

“I’m not interested in your comfort, I’m interested in your freedom. Because if you’re always trying to prioritize comfort in this work then you’re going to be really disappointed. You won’t grow.” – Lama Rod Owens

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Ep. 8 – The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors

Tuesday, October 31, 2023 • Duration 01:21:52

Radically telling his personal truths, Lama Rod Owens talks with Spring Washam about his upcoming book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors.

Click HERE to preorder your copy of Lama Rod Owens’ book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors

This week on the Spirit Underground, Spring and Lama Rod dive into:

Heartbreak, fear, and the freedom of honesty
Lama Rod’s method of opening up in his upcoming book
Inspiration from James Baldwin
Embodying the path of liberation and trusting the process
A contemporary understanding of sainthood
Rethinking the Bodhisattva tradition
How the idea of being good may mean suppression
Tuning into our own needs
The modern love of radical truth
The tough work of spiritual awakening and processing our traumas
Recognizing when someone is bypassing their pain
Lama Rod Owens’ dedication to the Black, Queer, and Trans communities
Impacting the world through personal transformation

“When you choose to do the work, you will experience liberation. You will experience the space, the fluidity. You’ll come to understand yourself in a really different way, in such a way that’s full of potential and expansive and generative.” – Lama Rod Owens

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Ep. 7 - A Liberated Conversation About Sexuality Pt. 2

Friday, September 22, 2023 • Duration 01:13:19

Expanding their conversation on embodied sexuality, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens offer fresh perspectives on liberating ourselves from the bonds of shame and reclaiming pleasure.

Be sure to listen to Ep. 6 of The Spirit Underground Podcast for the first part of this conversation!

“We think that exploring and investigating and having these experiences with others is the goal, but really it begins with ourselves. Like I have to figure out who I am; I have to figure out what I find pleasurable. For me, pleasure is just this really awakening energy and experiencing of space.” – Lama Rod Owens

Learn more about Lama Rod's newest book, The New Saints, and pre-order your copy today: The New Saints

In part two of this liberating series on sexuality, Spring and Lama Rod talk about:

- Understanding what it means to embody sexuality

- The capacity to talk about sexuality in our culture

- Power and the doctrine of do no harm

- Self-discovery and authenticity

- Collaborating to experience pleasure

- Wholeness and healing in the realm of sexuality

- Balance, dharma, and tantric practice

- Negotiating our bodies and boundaries

- Meeting needs and helping others

- Monogamy and different types of relationships

- Using meditation and intuitive tools to understand the self

- Reclaiming the word pleasure

- Removing shame and resting in liberation

- Finding freedom to be open about our identities

- How friendships help us move out of contraction and be ourselves

Ep. 6 - A Liberated Conversation About Sexuality Pt. 1

Tuesday, September 5, 2023 • Duration 01:07:08

This time on The Spirit Underground, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens begin a gentle exploration of the intersection of gender identity, sexuality and spirituality.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

In this exploratory discussion, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens gently surface their thoughts on:

The binary between sacred and secular sexuality
Why we repress sexuality as a culture
Tending to the needs and suffering of the body
Moving through the ways we’ve been conditioned to think about bodies, attraction, desire, sexuality, gender, etc.
Discussing sexuality in spiritual leadership
Holding space for sexual energy on a community level

“If we’re talking about an enlightened society, that is also enlightened sexuality.” – Lama Rod Owens

About Lama Rod Owens:

Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that’s very natural, engaging, and inclusive.

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Ep. 5 – Lineage and Finding our Home

Monday, May 1, 2023 • Duration 01:03:17

Looking at ancestry and our roots, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens describe re-discovering what it means to be home.

"I think a lot of people are going through this multi-lineage, complex awakening to these streams of energy and lineage. I think that creates some guilt as well, it may bring up issues of appropriation. Do I have a right to do this?" – Lama Rod Owens

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

In this episode Spring and Lama Rod explore :

Making sense of our place in the world
Ancestral work and Indigenous practices
Home and the effects of forcible displacement
Spirit elders and channeling traditions
Plant medicine and the Shipibo people of the Amazon rainforest
Honoring versus appropriations

"When we are talking about these conversations on liberation we are asking people to start to understand their energy and who they are in a much broader awakened state." – Spring Washam

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Ep. 4 – What is the Spirit Underground?

Friday, March 17, 2023 • Duration 01:06:12

Spelunking the depths of the Spirit Underground, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens join together for a conversation on liberation and ancestors.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

In this episode Spring and Lama Rod dive into:

What is the Spirit Underground?
The intersection of social liberation and spiritual liberation
Samsara, suffering, safety, consciousness, and freedom
Wisdom from Spring's new book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground
Great Beings sharing wisdom downloads from the spirit realm
The "Spiritual Industrial Complex"
Ancestors, repeating history, and connecting with Divine Love
Trauma and letting go
Choosing love over hate to overcome oppressive systems

"What we're doing is talking about both social liberation and spiritual ultimate liberation, and we're trying to find the intersection of both of those liberations in this moment." – Lama Rod Owens

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Ep. 3 - The Dirty Work of Getting Free w/ Spring Washam & Lama Rod Owens

Wednesday, February 15, 2023 • Duration 01:12:38

Getting down and dirty with liberation, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens explore joyfulness and the labor of freedom.

Additional content from this episode: Black & Buddhist

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

"I think Joy helps to smooth the edges of our anxiety around liberation work and it propels it at the same time." - Lama Rod Owens

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Ep. 2 – Ancestor Work

Sunday, January 15, 2023 • Duration 01:07:36

Reconciling with ancestral roots, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens dive into healing transhistorical trauma and making spiritual reparations.

In this episode, Lama Rod Owens and Spring Washam talk about all that we receive from our ancestors: DNA, cultural beliefs, traditions, fears, and wrongdoings. We discover how we can begin the healing process for ourselves, our ancestors, and our descendants.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

"We can't actually experience true liberation until we remove that barrier, dissolve that barrier, and start actually reconciling with ancestors." — Lama Rod Owens

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See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Ep. 1 - Modern Abolition & The Spiritual Path

Sunday, January 15, 2023 • Duration 01:02:19

Welcome to The Spirit Underground Podcast with Dharma teachers Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens.

Together they talk about their unique approach to inner and outer liberation that incorporates Buddhist-based meditation practices, healing with plant-based medicine and Indigenous wisdom, Liberation Theology, and reconnecting to our ancestral knowledge. Learn what it means to be a spiritual abolitionist and discover the tools for disrupting internalized oppression and accelerating our personal and collective evolution.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

"We have so much that we want to share each episode about getting into the real practices, the theology, the mindset and how to help people do this work of liberation. For people do this work of liberation for people who are like, 'Ok, give me a map - give me the how-to.' We want to offer these practices that have helped us." - Spring Washam

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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Ep. 10 - Healing America's Systemic Breakdowns

Episode 10

Saturday, September 28, 2024 • Duration 01:09:42

Discussing the systemic breakdowns in America, Lama Rod Owens and Spring Washam urge renewal through solidarity with marginalized cultures.

This time on Spirit Underground, Spring and Lama Rod chat about:

The systemic breakdowns happening in our country
Balancing on a thread in this current election cycle
Death / Renewal in nature as an example of what may need to occur in America
Having deep solidarity with the cultures who have been dominated and occupied
Letting go of expecting the world to be different than it is
The human urge to be comfortable even at the cost of discomfort for other groups
Colonization as an intense dissociation and disconnection from our hearts
Becoming embodied and adjusting to our own cultural narratives
Trauma, loss of memory, and control
How the patriarchy has systemically limited the ability for deep emotional labor
Fear of death as the root of all fear
How crisis can give rise to collaboration and grace
Considering the gifts we can offer to the world

"Everyone needs to be free. Everyone needs to have access to the resources they need to be well, safe, and happy. You don’t have to earn a right to be fed and housed and cared for and clothed. This isn’t about the nature of your character, this is about the fact that you are human living in culture and society, and as a society we should care for one another.” – Lama Rod Owens

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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The Spirit Underground with Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens – Details, episodes & analysis

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The Spirit Underground with Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other9

Bookshop1

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other9

Bookshop1

Apple Podcasts

Spotify