Spinning The Wheel of Ancestral Care

I survived winters in Chicago, where I was raised, by living part-time at a Korean American bathhouse — King Spa iykyk ;)  When I returned to Korea, where I was born, in the spring of 2012 after 26 years estranged, I immediately made my way to a jjimjilbang. In fact, I frequented nearly a dozen different Korean bathhouses, where I eased back into the collective Korean soma and received blessings via elder-induced salt scrubs and childhood memories in liquid form. I’ve been researching this practice of cultural care ever since.

This project is not only about Korea, but about all of us displaced from lands, our care rituals and rituals of initiations; it’s about how much has been taken and how we re-instate the gift economy in our lives. This heart project weaves my personal journey of soaking in hot water with dedicated dharma practice, as gateway to remembering who we are. 

I will return to Korea in 2026 to further document the ways I am summoned to spin the wheel of ancestral care. This time I will return with my child who has been requested specifically by our ancestors and ritual elders. We open to receive support in a myriad of forms. 

Donate to the research.

See all projects.