Ancestral Medicine All-Network Gathering
Madrid, Spain
April 18-22, 2026
Five Days of Teachings and Community Ritual with the Ancestral Healing Practitioner Network
About the gathering
We’re pleased to invite you to an in-person all-Network gathering of Ancestral Healing Practitioners. We hope this gathering will initiate a cycle of biennial (every other year) events for our ever-growing Network to gather on different lands around this good Earth for ceremony, learning, and connection.
Our last all-Network gathering was in 2019. We stopped because of the pandemic, so this has been a long-time coming, especially for those of you who have only ever experienced Ancestral Medicine offerings online! We hope you’ll find your way to Madrid to finally meet in person or deepen existing connections. (Logistics and more below.)
This gathering is open to everyone in the Ancestral Medicine Practitioner Network (Cohorts One through Eight). This includes roughly 270 people, and we anticipate 60-90 attendees. If you’re only able to attend for part of the time, please try to join for the start of the gathering on April 18th for group coherence and entrainment.
Programming is still in development and we’ll listen closely to your ideas. Expect Shannon and Daniel to oversee an array of experiential offerings on matters of ritual, cultural change work, and ancestral healing. There will be multi-day team-based group ritual to tend with the spirits (ancestral and otherwise) of place, along with diverse peer-led gatherings of 6-20 people to maximize connectivity and learning. More to come on programming.
Five Days of Teachings and Community Ritual with the Ancestral Healing Practitioner Network
About the gathering
We’re pleased to invite you to an in-person all-Network gathering of Ancestral Healing Practitioners. We hope this gathering will initiate a cycle of biennial (every other year) events for our ever-growing Network to gather on different lands around this good Earth for ceremony, learning, and connection.
Our last all-Network gathering was in 2019. We stopped because of the pandemic, so this has been a long-time coming, especially for those of you who have only ever experienced Ancestral Medicine offerings online! We hope you’ll find your way to Madrid to finally meet in person or deepen existing connections. (Logistics and more below.)
This gathering is open to everyone in the Ancestral Medicine Practitioner Network (Cohorts One through Eight). This includes roughly 270 people, and we anticipate 60-90 attendees. If you’re only able to attend for part of the time, please try to join for the start of the gathering on April 18th for group coherence and entrainment.
Programming is still in development and we’ll listen closely to your ideas. Expect Shannon and Daniel to oversee an array of experiential offerings on matters of ritual, cultural change work, and ancestral healing. There will be multi-day team-based group ritual to tend with the spirits (ancestral and otherwise) of place, along with diverse peer-led gatherings of 6-20 people to maximize connectivity and learning. More to come on programming.
Enjoy five days in a supportive, collegial gathering with truly excellent and interesting peers, in a dynamic European capital city.
Deepen your embodiment of lineage healing teachings through ritual immersion focused on ancestral and cultural healing arts.
Enjoy the teamwork of weaving multi-day service-oriented ritual on behalf of the land and spirits of Madrid.
About the location
With thousands of years of continuous human presence dating back to at least the late Stone Age, Madrid has grown from a modest settlement along the Manzanares River to become the capital and vibrant heart of Spain.
Madrid’s origins in the 9th century as a fortified town were tied to the centuries-long conflict between Christian kingdoms in the north and al-Andalus (Muslim-ruled Iberia). As the only European capital founded by Muslims, Madrid was a borderland of war, raids, and shifting control. By the 16–17th centuries, as the Hapsburg capital, Madrid was the heart of an empire marked by colonial expansion abroad and religious repression at home. The Inquisition (1478-1834) was headquartered here, along with long histories of Jewish, Muslim, and Protestant persecution.
In the 19th century, Madrid endured the Peninsular War (a Napoleonic invasion), with brutal repression during the uprising of May 2nd, 1808, remembered as a defining moment of resistance as well as civilian bloodshed. During the Spanish Civil War in the late 1930’s Madrid was a central battleground, besieged for nearly three years. The trauma of bombings, executions, and famine under both Republican defense and eventual Francoist (fascist) victory left scars that have persisted through subsequent decades of dictatorship until today.
Despite (and because of) its turbulent history, Madrid has since blossomed into a crossroads of traditions. There’s royal grandeur (Palacio Real, Plaza Mayor) and layered spiritual heritage (San Isidro, Almudena) along with a rich culture of art marked by some of the most noteworthy museums on the globe (The Prado, Reina Sofía, Thyssen-Bornemisza). Today, Madrid is very cosmopolitan and also deeply rooted in its past. You’ll find flamenco rhythms, Islamic arches, and baroque facades side by side. Olives, jamón ibérico, and paella are culinary staples, and they’re each meant to be enjoyed languorously, without rush.
The weather in Madrid in April is usually mild and refreshing, a true spring atmosphere. Average daily temps hover around 12°C (54°F), with highs reaching 18–20°C (64–68°F) and cooler evenings around 8°C (46°F). Rain is possible but rarely abundant. It’s one of the most pleasant times to visit: days are long and the tourist crowds of summer have yet to arrive.
We need to update this quote team.
— Daniel Foor
Logistics
Registration includes four and a half days of ritual. Prices do not include travel, lodging, or food, though there will be lite refreshments between sessions.
The Venue: We’ll gather at Gran Via Venue located at 46 de la Gran Vía in Madrid, on the second floor of the Palacio de la Prensa. The venue is divided into two floors and it overlooks Plaza de Callao and Gran Vía.
Gathering: We’ll gather for dedicated time in group for about seven hours per day over four full days and one partial day (April 22). Daniel and Shannon will oversee programming for the full five days.
- Full days are 10am-1:30pm & 4-7:30pm with breaks throughout. On April 22 we’ll complete by 1:30pm.
- We’ll leave ample time for the traditionally slow Spaniard luncheon to begin around 2pm each day. A lighter dinner typically follows around 9pm onward. Be prepared to adjust to local rhythms.
We’ll mostly gather indoors, but if weather permits, we may have an occasional outdoor session.
Chairs and floor cushions will be provided and please bring whatever else you might need to be comfortable.
Meals: The price of entry is not inclusive of meals, though there will be lite refreshments throughout the day. We do hope to break bread together during lunch times and after gathering. We will make ample time for lunch breaks each day (1:30-4pm) as Spanish lunches can easily take several hours, and it’s good to just enjoy the city and one another’s company.
Lodging: Each attendee will be responsible for the cost of their own lodging. As a courtesy, we aim to secure a block of rooms at reduced prices at a nearby hotel (details along soon). There’s no obligation to utilize this group rate, but it might be nice to gather where other practitioners will be. We’ll try to book a block of double rooms so you can share with your colleagues, should you so desire. If you prefer to stay elsewhere there are dozens of hotels and hostels in the vicinity of the venue.
Price: The cost to attend the five-day event is $875 USD. You’ll find supporter and reduced rates below. If none of these prices work for you and you’d like to attend, fill out the scholarship form. We’re committed to this being accessible for all who wish to join. Scholarships don’t include stipends for travel or lodging, only event costs.
Optional Gatherings
The day before we officially gather and the day after we complete (Friday, April 17th and Thursday, April 23rd) we envision optional outings to cultural and natural sites in and around the city for those who want to savor the stay in Madrid. We also hope to schedule at least one optional evening cultural activity. Planning for these events will unfold in the months to come, and if you’re booking flights, keep this in mind.
Madrid is close to amazing mountains and natural landscapes and home to some of the world’s most renowned art museums, along with other cultural sites. If you haven’t savored the city and it’s surroundings, we encourage making a trip out of it and allowing yourself to acclimate before being in the commotion of community.
What to expect during session
Learn a life-long framework to relate in direct, safe, and empowering ways with your family and lineage ancestors.
Engage in experiential practices to make connections with ancestral guides and teachers and learn to partner with those guides for personal and family healing.
Enjoy a nurturing blend of teaching, direct practice with your ancestors, and inclusive space for group dialogue and exchange.
Explore ways to join with your ancestors to support the resolution of larger systemic, generational, and cultural wounding within the supportive vessel of group ritual.
Make tangible offerings of healing and beauty for your ancestors and for the larger prayer of cultural and Earth healing.
Our shared time is guided in ways that are psychologically grounded, ritually safe, and culturally inclusive. All teachings and practices are led by Daniel and a team of trained ritual supporters. Those new to ancestor work, adoptees, and folks with a tough experience of family and culture are warmly welcome.
Register for Madrid Network Gathering
The price includes only access to the retreat. Lodging and meals should be arranged separately by you.
3 and 6 month payment plans available at checkout at 0% interest.
Supporter
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This rate helps us make our work accessible to those with modest means and applies if you have investments, a retirement plan, and/or access to economic abundance.
Standard
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Our standard rate allows us to sustain our work. This typically applies if you’re employed in the Global North, and you’re able to provide for your needs in a consistent way.
Reduced
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This rate applies if you’re relatively less economically advantaged in the ways listed under “standard rate” or that cost is simply out of reach for you financially.
About the Instructors
Daniel Foor
Daniel is a doctor of psychology, experienced ritualist, and the author of Ancestral Medicine: Rituals for Personal and Family Healing. He is an initiate in the Òrìṣà tradition of Yoruba-speaking West Africa and has learned from teachers of Mahayana Buddhism, Islamic Sufism, and the older ways of his English and German ancestors. Daniel is passionate about training aspiring leaders and change makers in the intersections of cultural healing, animist ethics, and applied ritual arts. He lives with his wife and two daughters near Granada, Spain in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
Shannon Willis
Shannon is a dedicated ritualist working at the intersection of dream midwifery, psychopomp, ancestral and oracular practices. She holds a Masters in Leadership and Professional Counseling and has more than four decades of experience leading individuals, groups, and organizations through consultation and ritual. She is an initiate of Ọbàtálá and Ọ̀ṣun in the lineage of Olúwo Fálolú Adésànyà Awoyadé, a devoted student of Jhankri shamanism through the 27th generational lineage of Bhola Nath Banstola, and Ancestral Medicine’s Ritual Director. She is a descendant of settler-colonists from the British Isles, Belgium, France, freed peoples of West Africa, and indigenous Cherokee and Kaskaskia/Illini nations.
Frequently Asked Questions
The schedule will unfold in the coming weeks. Please see the event description above for what we know so far.
First things first: please register. Planning an international event at this scale takes quite a lot. Once we have the general shape of things dialed in on our end, we’ll open up opportunities to pitch offerings or teachings. If you simply can’t wait, email info@ancestralmedicine.org and we’ll hold onto your ideas till we’re ready. And we’ll likely make space in the next network gathering for this topic.
We’ll definitely do some ritual with/for the spirits of place. This will likely take the form of one important group thread being ritual with/for the ancestors of the Madrid area. This can be a really dynamic opportunity for teamwork and ritual coordination among those present. This element will be about a quarter to as much as a third of our overall focus.
Hopefully. We’re looking into what it would take to livestream (and record) certain full-group sessions in a way that isn’t distracting for those present live. Once we know more, we’ll circle back.
Shannon and Daniel will oversee the programming as it comes together and will be present for the full gathering. Amina from our team will handle most questions as well as scholarship requests. We’re still sorting out which staff members may be able to attend live; hopefully a few. If you need anything just email info@ancestralmedicine.org per usual.
There are three ways we’re trying to build this in. One is long, slow Spanish lunches as is the custom in Iberia. Two is by keeping evenings free for whatever chill, late Spanish dinner or other Madrid madness participants want to explore. If you think New York is the “city that never sleeps”, try Madrid. If you’re an early riser, those are also great times to enjoy a cafe and tostado. Three, there will be optional meet-ups both the day before and the day after the gathering. Stick around or arrive early to savor the time.
We can offer full refunds for cancellations requested by the end of the day April 15, 2026. To help us support a smooth event, please let us know as early as possible if your plans change.
We’re happy to help with any questions! Reach out to info@ancestralmedicine.org with your question and someone from our team will be in touch, usually within two business days. Amina will be overseeing many aspects of this gathering.
Have a question that’s not answered here?