The Bee Hive at Moya · Todd, North Carolina : Address Provided after Registration
What does it mean to belong to a lineage?
Every person comes from people.
Some know their ancestral stories intimately. Others know only fragments. Our lineages may carry love, resilience, creativity, wisdom and ways of belonging—as well as rupture, migration, displacement, silence, grief, conflict and histories that have never fully been tended.
Ancestral Lineage Healing offers a structured way to begin coming into conscious relationship with the ancestors and lineages that stand behind us.
This fall, we’ll gather at Moya for a day and a half of introductory ancestral practice, mindfulness, movement, storytelling, play, relational connection, shared meals, fire and time on the land.
You do not need to know your genealogy or have previous experience with ancestral practice to participate.
What is Ancestral Lineage Healing?
Ancestral Lineage Healing is a structured, animist approach to ancestral practice developed by Dr. Daniel Foor and taught through Ancestral Medicine.
Rather than beginning with genealogy or trying to make contact indiscriminately with the dead, the practice emphasizes establishing relationship with well and supportive ancestral guides and approaching ancestral connection with discernment, boundaries and care.
The complete Ancestral Lineage Healing process unfolds through multiple stages. This retreat is an introduction to the beginning of that process, not an attempt to complete the full healing arc in a weekend.
During our three sessions, we’ll explore:
Ancestral Guides
What do we mean by a well ancestral guide? We’ll explore the role of ancestral guides and the importance of beginning this work from a place of wellness, support and discernment.
Lineage Assessment
Participants will be introduced to the practice of assessing an ancestral lineage—beginning to notice its condition and exploring where connection and support may be available.
Finding a Guide
We’ll begin the process of finding and establishing relationship with a well ancestral guide who may be able to support continued ancestral practice.
You can learn more about the methodology directly from Ancestral Medicine.
An experiential retreat
This will not be nine hours of sitting and listening.
Each three-hour session will include ancestral practice alongside mindfulness and relational practices, with movement, storytelling and play naturally woven into the weekend.
There will be opportunities to practice individually, in pairs and together as a group. There will also be spacious time between sessions to eat, rest, talk, wander and simply be on the land.
The intention is not only to learn about ancestral relationship, but to create conditions in which ancestry, relationship, body and place can be explored together.
The rhythm of the weekend
Saturday, October 17
9:30 am–10:00 am
Registration & Light Breakfast
10:00 am–1:00 pm
Session One
1:00–3:00 pm
Lunch, rest and time on the land
3:00–6:00 pm
Session Two
Evening
Dinner + bonfire
Participants who would like to stay are invited to camp overnight on the land at Moya. Camping is completely optional; you're also welcome to head home or arrange other accommodations and return Sunday morning.
Sunday, October 18
9:30 am–10:00 am
Light Breakfast
10:00 am–1:00 pm
Session Three + closing
Meals, fire & land
Meals are provided.
Saturday lunch and dinner will give us time to be together outside the formal practice container. Saturday evening, we'll gather around a bonfire, weather permitting.
Those who camp can remain on the land overnight and wake at Moya before our final session Sunday morning.
We see these spaces between the formal sessions as part of the retreat: time for conversation, integration, rest and connection.
Who is this for?
You might be drawn to this retreat if you:
feel curious about developing a relationship with your ancestors but don't know where to begin;
have explored ancestry primarily through genealogy or family stories and want to experience another approach;
feel disconnected from your ancestral or cultural roots;
are already engaged in contemplative, spiritual, relational or embodied practice and are curious about ancestry;
want an experiential introduction before deciding whether to pursue Ancestral Lineage Healing more deeply;
simply feel a pull toward this work, even if you can't quite explain why.
No previous ancestral practice is required.
You also do not need detailed knowledge of your biological family history to participate. Ancestral Lineage Healing is not genealogy.
A note about the practice
Ancestral Lineage Healing comes from an animist orientation in which ancestors are approached as more than psychological symbols or memories.
You do not need to arrive with certainty about what you believe. Curiosity, discernment and a willingness to engage respectfully with the framework of the practice are enough.
Participants will always retain agency around their own participation and experience.
Cost
Sliding scale: $25–$100
We want this retreat to be financially accessible while also supporting the food, land and labor that make the gathering possible. Choose the amount within the sliding scale that is workable for you.
Land Stewardship and Work Study opportunities are available. If cost would prevent you from attending, please reach out rather than staying home. We are able to find some opportunities though land stewardship and work study that you can do as a trade instead of payment.
Your registration includes the full day-and-a-half retreat and meals.
Location
The Bee Hive at Moya
Todd, North Carolina
Moya is a land-based community space in the North Carolina High Country. Our gatherings bring together contemplative practice, movement, relationship, shared food and connection with the living world.
Specific arrival, parking, camping and what-to-bring information will be sent to registered participants before the retreat.
Gather. Remember. Belong.
October 17–18, 2026
Sliding scale $25–$100 · Scholarships available · Meals provided · Optional camping
[REGISTER FOR ANCESTRAL BELONGING]