Acknowledgements

The birthing of this work, Ancestral Wisdom: Sacred stories of contact, healing, and care, has been a labor of love on the part of many.

We acknowledge the great cloud of ancestral witnesses who hovered about the contributors, clearing the way for the sacred memories and inspirations that shaped the stories contained in this anthology to come forth.

We honor the teachers, elders, and wisdom-keepers, past and present, whose guidance and support helped shape this work.

We acknowledge the ancestral lands and the elemental energies of fire, water, air, earth, nature and mineral, and all unseen forces, spirit guides, and relations that partnered with us in this endeavor.

We recognize the hard work, dedication, and creative spirit of the fourteen contributors without whom this book would not exist. Thank you for your creativity, courage, and willingness to share personal experiences that help deepen the readers’ understanding of ancestral wisdom as an inherent resource for navigating turbulent times, finding sanctuary and care for the soul.

We are honored to have heeded the midwifery call to bring this collection of stories into the world.

Much gratitude to the publishing team at Woodruff Library/AUC in Atlanta, Georgia and Pressbooks for making this work accessible to the world. A very special thanks to Lauren Leonardi for her creative energies and generosity in designing the captivating cover art for this book.

Finally, we express our deep gratitude to Dr. Daniel Foor, founder of Ancestral Medicine, an extraordinary ritualist, teacher, and activist whose support throughout the process from conceptual idea to final production has been invaluable.

We trust that you, the reader, will engage these stories deeply and be inspired to connect with the ancestral presence that is always with you and longs to help you find your way in the world. Thank you for following the ancestral impulse that led you to this work.