Moon Goddess
 

Meet Our Staff

Susan Lipshutz, LCSW

The trip’s primary facilitator is Susan A. Lipshutz. A licensed clinical social worker with an active Chicago-based practice for more than 25 years, Susan brings both a foundation in Western medicine and extensive training in indigenous spiritual practices to her work. For the past decade, she has focused on bridging cross-cultural traditions and contemporary culture to help individuals heal soul wounds, awaken hearts to self love and acceptance and bring the mind/body/spirit systems into balance with nature. Deeply devoted to building strong communities that reawaken and integrate the divine feminine into our daily lives, Susan founded Everyday Medicine Woman, which offers programs such as monthly medicine circles, Thirteen Moons—a seminar series honoring the spiritual life cycle of a woman—and retreats/gatherings.

Susan’s professional background includes serving as the Director of Behavioral Sciences for the Family Practice Residency Training Program, affiliated with Illinois Masonic Medical Center and West Suburban Hospital; lecturing extensively on such topics as women’s health issues and wholistic well-being; creating audio cassette tapes with guided meditations; participating in two shamanic Andean/Peruvian apprenticeships; and studying with Chilean medicine women and Machi tribal elders in order to bring their healing traditions and ceremonies to women in North America.

 

 

Susan

 

Heather Allen

A wholistic massage therapist who incorporates sound, vibration, energy work and spiritual healing into her practice, Heather has been a student of world religions for more than 20 years and a co-creator of rituals, retreats and ceremonies for the past 15. She has studied earth-honoring medicine, as well as worked with groups across the country and in Jamaica using earth-honoring traditions. She is a kultrun carrier, a djembe player and a believer in spiritual activism.

“ The concept of faith in action—that is, daily celebrating, honoring and cherishing the gift of living—is a cornerstone for my existence.  My intention is to open doors and eyes and hearts to the love that saturates the universe, and to invite all to the dance.”

 

  
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Biz Huiras

A certified Acutonics practitioner and healer, as well as a drummer and kultrun carrier, Biz is devoted to the shamanic use of sound for healing and transformation. She has studied Earth-honoring traditions, including the Quero and Mapuche traditions, for more than 10 years and is passionate about reawakening the divine feminine through ritual and ceremony. She also has had a lifelong interest in astrology and astronomy as it relates to understanding our place in the cosmos and its relationship to our vibrational essence and life path.

“ I have chosen a path of service and have committed myself to assisting other women on their journey toward wholeness. I find it extraordinary to witness someone’s healing process. It is an honor and privilege to be part of it and beautiful to see the resulting expansion of spirit and joy. It’s also just plain fun to be with my sisters and make magic happen.”
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Tatiana Cira Sanchez

Originally from La Paz, Bolivia, Tatiana is a dancer, yoga instructor, arts educator and follower of earth-honoring traditions. Her love of community has guided her to travels and studies around the globe. She draws from the knowing of these cultures and traditions to create an eclectic and multi-dimensional mandala of movement in her workshops. At Maya Tulum, she will guide us through trance dance, yoga and creative movements with a loving hand in a safe, supportive environment.		  

 

Tatiana

 
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Mary Ellen Sullivan

Mary Ellen is writer who first opened up to indigenous medicine and shamanic healing through her travels around the world. She has studied
Earth-honoring traditions for more than a decade, is a mesa carrier and has assisted with numerous medicine workshops for women. She is deeply committed to helping women find their voices and their place in the world. 

“ Doing this medicine work has helped me come home to myself. And being a part of this community of women committed to personal and global transformation is nothing short of amazing. It is an honor to serve it, and is breathtaking to assist others through their own journey— seeing them transform into the beautiful, empowered women they were always meant to be.”

 
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