Spring Washam - A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment

Washam brings considerable gifts for conveying her vision of personal change and offers vivid, inspiring testimony to the power of Buddhism (and other wisdom traditions) to help heal suffering.

Publishers Weekly

I believe A Fierce Heart will be read and loved by millions of earnest seekers. That it will find its way where no book of Buddhist thought in the Western world has gone before: into the homes and hearts of those who have doubted whether the teachings of the Buddha would ever brighten their obscure doors, or open and uplift their challenged souls. A Fierce Heart is a book whose time is an eternal now: sacred help, made beautifully accessible, by the wild and determined spirit of a no-nonsense female teacher, a bodhisattva, brown as Earth, real as oxygen.

Alice Walker, National Book Award-winning author of The Color Purple

Springs personal tale is also universal. Like the most beloved accounts of sages and shamans, ancient lamas and wise mamas, Spring leads us through the trials and revelations of her own life, to show in intimate and personal ways how the mud we are given can give birth to the lotus.... Amidst uncertain times, we need strong and inspiring medicine. In A Fierce Heart, you will find this medicine: beautiful teachings and heartfelt stories that can transform your day and change your life.

from the Foreword by Jack Kornfield, author of No Time Like the Present

Spring Washam offers us wise medicine through courageous storytelling, transmuting suffering into faith and beauty. A Fierce Heart is earthy, practical, heartfelt, and humanizing. A must read for those of us who want to become more intimate with the gifts that suffering makes possible.

Ruth King, author of Healing Rage and Mindful of Race

My own personal journey hit a Go Very Fast button recently, and I started reading A Fierce Heart right away. Its powerful and inspiring. I will pass this book on to other librarians and thus into the hands of others in need of a fiercer heart.

Deborah Dutcher, Youth and Adult Services Librarian, New Hampshire State Library

With the growing awareness of the many benefits of mindfulnessenhanced emotional well-being, improved concentration, and the reduction of stress and anxietymore people are turning to meditation. As a longtime meditator, I find myself returning to certain books as part of my daily practice. [A Fierce Heart is one] of my favorites,.... accessible to beginners and can also deepen the practice of experienced meditators.... [Its] a welcome addition to the canon of mindfulness texts from a pioneer in bringing mindfulness practices to diverse communities.

Marti Paschal, OZY.com

Teachings and stories to awaken us to the calling of our own hearts.

Andrea Miller,Lions Roar

In A Fierce Heart, Spring Washam includes personal stories, stories from her family/ancestors, and anecdotes from people around the world to express the teachings of the Dharma to the widest audience possible. This book is a nice mixture of stories and practical advice, both with the intention of leading the reader toward mindfulness, wisdom, loving kindness, and compassion.

Emily Martin, bookriot.com

I read this gem of a book on a long plane ride, arrived at my destination somewhat changed, and have repeatedly gone back to my highlighted passages for re-reading. Its both memoir and instructional/inspirational, and while the passages related directly to being a woman of color are insightful, she is clearly just a warm, genuine, and talented teacher and writer.

Katherine Aaker Salant, medium.com

This challenging national moment must be met with exactly the kind offierce heart that Spring Washam reveals in this book. If you are someone looking to find ways to merge the voices of social justice work (for real) and mindfulness/meditation practice, then Spring is someone you should know and follow. It is with such gratitude that I continue to read and re-read her book, and it is with earnest love that I recommend it to others.

Heather Hackman, co-editor, Readings for Diversity and Social Justice

Spring Washam beautifully illustrates key Buddhist teachings in a way that I find so much more accessible than other, more traditional writings. This is a book for real people who are immersed in the good, the bad, and the ugly of everyday work and life.

Yali Bair Ruiz, Strategic Planning Consultant

YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE, the movie,
starring Louise Hay & Friends
(available as a 1-DVD program, an expanded 2-DVD set,
and an online streaming video)
Learn more at: www.hayhouse.com/louise-movie

THE SHIFT, the movie,
starring Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
(available as a 1-DVD program, an expanded 2-DVD set,
and on online streaming video)
Learn more at: www.hayhouse.com/the-shift-movie

***

ENERGY STRANDS: The Ultimate Guide to Clearing the Cords That Are
Constricting Your Life, by Denise Linn

GROW A NEW BODY: How Spirit and Power Plant Nutrients Can Transform
Your Health, by Dr. Alberto Villoldo

RISE SISTER RISE: A Guide to Unleashing the Wise, Wild Woman Within,
by Rebecca Campbell

WINDS OF SPIRIT: Ancient Wisdom Tools for Navigating
Relationships, Health, and the Divine, by Renee Baribeau

All of the above are available at your local bookstore
or may be ordered by visiting:
Hay House USA: www.hayhouse.com
Hay House Australia: www.hayhouse.com.au
Hay House UK: www.hayhouse.co.uk
Hay House India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Copyright 2017, 2019 by Spring Washam

Published in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com

Published in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au

Published in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk

Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover and interior design: Josh Michels

Cover and inset artwork: Paul Lewin

Interior illustrations: Anna Oneglia

Author photo: Nico Nelson Photography

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional, physical, and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.