Maris Orelia of Living Voice Medicine sings, prays and trances in the Norse traditions of her ancestors. In this interview, she riffs on belonging, shares her ancient song medicine, and addresses the benefits of healing with ancestors. 

In this episode, artist, poet, writer and facilitator Naomi Ortiz speaks to the intersection of place, ancestors, activism embodiment and disability justice. Naomi is a Disabled, Mestiza (Latina/Indigenous/White), raised in Latinx culture, living in the U.S./Mexico borderlands.

For information on visit: www.NaomiOrtiz.com

Twitter: @ThinkFreestyle

Instagram: NaomiOrtizWriterArtist

Scholar and filmmaker Dr. Susan Stryker celebrates the continuum of trans history, and speaks to queering time through her relationships with both elders and ancestors in the trans community. This episode is in honor of the Trans Day of Remembrance. 

In honor of the Trans Day of Remembrance (November 20) Bespoken Bones is showcasing Trans speakers and causes all month. In this episode, Anthony Easton discusses the act of deadnaming, and how the trans community might learn from the good death movement and vice-versa.

Spirit worker, medicine maker, priest and activist Lou Florez (Awo Ifadunsin Sangobiyi) speaks to being in community and in being conversation with our ancestors as we embody their blessings while disrupting colonizer culture as it lives inside of us. Join us on Oct. 28 in San Francisco at the Modern Witches Confluence!

Practitioner of wonder Lindsay Sudeikis exuberantly riffs on her former life as a nun, the biblical erotic, and what it is to be in love with life while holding a hard line against oppression. She basically smashes patriarchy with every word that falls from her mouth. 

Dr. G Love aka Geryll Robinson discusses the value of communal ancestral practice and ritual to heal transgenerational trauma in community. 

In this episode, Nick Venegoni of the Queer Spirit podcast interviews me. We discuss the importance of desire and pleasure, and how it gets complicated in the presence of trauma. I riff on how to know if you’re not living your body, and getting comfortable being uncomfortable. Lastly, we explore the transmission of trans-generational trauma and its effects on the body and sexual well-being.

Ancestral Movement practitioner Simon Thakur discusses the evolutionary role of empathy, the adaptive qualities of disembodiment, and how moving like our ancestors can heal our grieving hearts. 

UK storyteller and activist Elinor Predota discusses the importance of multiplicity of perspectives when learning the stories of our ancestors, who lived rich, multi-faceted lives. Storytelling can be a healing practice that allows the humanity and fullness of our ancestors to come into focus.