ITZHAK Beery

You are not alone. No shaman works alone: cultivating relationships with the elements and spirits

Learn how to enter into a respectful, friendly relationship with spirit allies and elemental forces as partners in healing.
Through practical methods and direct experience, you will discover how to sense, call, and collaborate with the unseen.

Itzhak Beery is an international leading shamanic teacher, healer, speaker, community activist, and author of three Amazon bestseller books. He was born in an Israeli Kibbutz. Itzhak has bridged the spiritual and practical wisdom his indigenous and Western teachers entrusted to him. He was initiated into the “Circle of 24 Yachaks of Imbabura” by his Quechua teacher in Ecuador and Amazonian Kanamari Pajè in Brazil. Additionally, Itzhak studied with elders and shamans in North and South America, Greenland, Siberia, and Africa. Some of his contemporary teachers are Michael Harner, John Perkins, Hank Wesselman, Lewis Mehl-Madrona, and Tom Cowan. Itzhak is the founder of ShamanPortal.org, The Andes Summit, and co-founder of the New York Shamanic Circle, he is also on major global spiritual centers faculties. Itzhak received the ‘Ambassador for Peace Award’ from The Universal Peace Federation and the UN. Itzhakbeery.com

JOHN CANTWELL

Na Sí – The Good People, Irish Inside Tracks with Faerie Folk

It is not unusual to hear a person described in Ireland as “having a bit of faerie in them”. The cross pollination of human and faerie is not a mystery nor a belief, it is simply an outcome of being alive in the natural world where elemental transfusion is both an observation as it is an experience. There is a powerful ancient heritage of lore in the Emerald Isle that awakens the shamanic person to an empowered symbiosis with Na Sí (“Nah-Shee”) as the faerie folk are spoken of in our mother tongue, Gaeilge (Irish Gaelic). In this practical and insightful sharing, John opens doorways to his native lore of living interactively with the beings who live in the land as we live on her surface. There is a contract of reciprocity and respect in the centre of the lore along with a store of knowledge and rituals to illuminate visibility and interactivity between us and Na Sí. This is at the heart of John’s offering with you today. Local stories, Irish mythology, remembered lived experiences, references to magical and healing events, traditions and rituals will all have their voice in a dream that delivers you deeper into wise and harmonious alliance with the Spirit beings of Mother Earth.

John (or Seán as is also known) Cantwell is husband of Dr Karen Ward and co-director with her of Slí An Chroí (“Pathway of the Heart”), one of Ireland’s foremost shamanic schools and keepers of their native Irish Celtic lineage. Dublin born of Cork parents and now 61 years a growing, John lives in a belonging and dedication to Ireland’s physical and metaphysical realms of mystical beauty and wonder. He is a teacher, healer, ceremonialist, writer, mentor, speaker and activist. He stands at the doorways of the island’s native mythology and of the Ancestors, opening ways for entry and beyond. For several years, he and Karen offered celebration of the 4 cross quarter seasonal Celtic festivals live for SSP members and they continue to do so now, for the 4 festivals of Solstice (Winter and Summer) and Equinox (Spring and Autumn/Fall). At the September Equinox in 2023, he co-presented with Karen at the SSP Annual Conference in Wisconsin “Teachings From The Land, Visible and Invisible”, sharing myth, lore, shapeshifting and ceremonies of Ireland’s tradition. He is especially honoured and proud that the 2025 SSP Annual Conference blesses his native land and Ancestors.
Website: https://www.slianchroi.ie

DANU FOREST

TREE SPIRITS AND OGHAM LORE

The spirits of trees have long been held sacred in the Celtic traditions. These were used as a source of power as well as a mnemonic device in the ancient Irish alphabet the Ogham, to enfold whole hosts of magical lore and spiritual lessons. In this presentation Danú Forest, author of Celtic Tree Magic will guide us through the Ogham and Celtic tree lore to discover its magical uses as well as how to work with trees as allies and spirit kin using traditional techniques with their roots deep in pre-history and ancestral memory.

AARON HARRINGTON

TRANSFORMATIONAL FIRE CEREMONY

In this ceremony, full of visualizations, songs, and practices, we will channel the power of the most ancient ceremonial centerpiece, the Spirit of Fire. 

Fire is pure transformation.

 It’s not a thing — not solid, liquid, or gas.

Fire is the embodied transformation of solid, dense material into light and energy.

In this ceremony, the spirit of fire will transform all the dense, stuck, blocked energy in our life into the pure light of spirit and the energy of our highest potential.

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Ceremonial fire has been with me since before I was born, when my parents did an all night Native American Church fire ceremony to ask for a child and 8 months later I was born. A week later my Arapaho Godfather held 4lb me in one hand over the ceremonial fire and gave me my Arapaho Spirit name Neeahee Chebxawt — Walking Eagle/Bird 

Spirit of Fire began teaching me when I was a boy when I was given the job to watch the fire as the grown-ups went into sweat lodge. And throughout my life I have continued the work of ceremonial firekeeper from sweat lodges to all night ceremonies in the sacred deserts of Mexico. Spirit of Fire is always teaching me the art of transformation and I look forward to sharing those teachings with you. 

Watch: my life-long history with sacred fire — youtu.be/M6TmBPqgLEM (excerpt from the online course Working with Sacred Fire)

Join a fire ceremony &/or mailing list for current offerings: aaronharrington.com/bless

DAN HULL – STRONG HEART BEAR AND CHRISTINA ULIBARRI – SHE STANDS TALL

A SACRED RETURN: INDIGENOUS CEREMONY FOR HEALING AND BALANCE

Wazaakone Ode — The Divine Heart offers a sacred, healing experience guided by Indigenous elders Christina Ulibarri, She Stands Tall, and Daniel Hull, Strong Heart Bear. Through the Bear Healing ceremony, held within the Bear Den and centered around the Divine Heart Altar, participants are invited into a deeper reconnection with spirit, ancestral wisdom, the natural world, and their own inner balance. This offering may serve as a powerful complement for those who feel they have reached a plateau in traditional healing approaches, creating space for spiritual release, restoration, and renewed harmony of mind, body, heart, and spirit. Rooted in ceremony, reciprocity, inclusiveness, and respect for all living beings, Wazaakone Ode supports individuals seeking a meaningful path back to peace, connection, and the living earth.

Daniel Hull – Stong Heart Bear was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to parents whose connection to their Native heritage had been disrupted by generations of forced assimilation through Catholic boarding schools. His early life was marked by instability, including alcoholism, domestic violence, and a lack of guidance or cultural grounding. A life-altering turning point came in 1987 when he was shot three times during an altercation and briefly died on the operating table. After weeks in a medically induced coma, he awoke with a profound realization that he could choose a different path. A beaded tobacco bag left by a cousin during his hospitalization became a spiritual catalyst, leading him to seek out his grandmother’s reservation and begin reconnecting with the traditional Anishinaabe (Ojibwa) ways.

Over the years, Daniel immersed himself in ceremony, language, and mentorship under elders, receiving the names Gentle Bear and later Strong Heart Bear, and eventually being entrusted with the Pipe—signifying his readiness to carry spiritual responsibility. He has since devoted his life to service, leading ceremonies, mentoring youth, working in prisons, and creating inclusive healing spaces such as the “Finding Peace in Your Heart” dance. Now based in Tennessee, he continues this work through ceremonies, community circles, and collaborations with the University of the South, helping bridge Native and Western perspectives. Guided by the belief that “we are all one,” Daniel’s purpose is rooted in service, inclusivity, and restoring balance, beginning each day by asking, “How am I to be in service today?”

Christina Ulibarri – She Stands Tall, is an Indigenous spiritual practitioner, ceremony facilitator, Reiki Master, musician, and community circle keeper based in Tennessee. Her work is rooted in reverence for the land, ancestral wisdom, relational healing, and the responsibility of living with care for the next seven generations.

Christina’s path into spiritual service grew from her own journey through grief, when traditional healing methods fell short and she turned to the natural world for solace. In relationship with the land, she found a way to release what no longer served her and deepen her embodied connection with Spirit—an experience that awakened her calling to support others through sorrow, transition, and transformation. Music is central to her work; a flute player of over 30 years, she carries ceremonial songs with humility and care, using them to create sacred space, support release, and strengthen connection between the physical and spiritual realms.

Through talking circles, ceremony, drum teachings, music, and land-based practice, Christina supports individuals and communities in returning to deep listening, personal truth, and respectful connection. Grounded in inclusion, she creates spaces where all are welcomed and honored, recognizing each voice as part of a greater healing field. As a Reiki Master, her work is guided by prayer, love for Jesus, Indigenous ceremonial relationships, and reverence for diverse spiritual paths. She approaches her work with humility and integrity, holding healing as both personal and relational—nurtured through community, and rooted in right relationship with Spirit, the land, ancestors, and future generations.

“My work was born from grief, healed through nature, carried by music, and guided by Spirit — so that I may offer others the kind of sacred, compassionate space I once needed.”

DAVE MCCORMACK

An Elemental Approach to Sacred Work and Service

Many spiritually guided people feel called to teach, create, start a practice or serve in some capacity for their community — yet struggle with next steps, visibility, boundaries, becoming stuck or receiving support for their work.

Drawing on a strong background of business experience and many years of shamanic practice, Dave offers an integrative approach to sacred work, abundance and service rooted in the wisdom of the elements. Through the archetypal energies of Fire, Water, Earth, and Wind, participants will explore how spiritual insight and practical structure can work together rather than in opposition.

Together, we will examine how the elements influence intuition, creativity, communication,  grounding, and energetic balance. Participants will discover how elemental awareness can support greater alignment and authentic abundance.

Designed for those engaged in sacred, creative, supportive or transformational work seeking to bring their gifts more fully into the world while remaining rooted in integrity, balance, and right relationship.

Dave McCormack is a business leader, entrepreneur, and shamanic practitioner with more than four decades of experience helping organizations and individuals navigate change and achieve meaningful growth. Combining executive leadership expertise with training in indigenous wisdom traditions, Dave bridges strategic business practices and transformational principles to help leaders align purpose, performance, and impact. Through PIVOT™, he guides clients in cultivating conscious leadership, authentic success, and lasting transformation. For more information on PIVOT™, go to www.thepowerpath.com.

DEBRA MORRILL

The wise ancestor elders have much compassion, perspective, and healing to offer. We can journey to them in the Gathering Place of Ancestors (along with totems and other allies who work with our lineage) and receive their wisdom, comfort, and nurturing. With their support we bring healing to ourselves and our family. 

Debra Morrill, BA, has a shamanic healing practice near Baraboo, WI. She specializes in ancestral healing, soul retrieval, and compassionate depossession. She teaches the popular “Energy Essentials for Empaths” series of classes, a one-year ancestral healing program called “The Red Thread,” and a 2.5-year shamanic training program. Her gentle grounded energy creates a safe place for healing. She has been in practice since 2005. Visit www.debramorrill.com for more info.

NATHANIEL RUCK

PRACTICING IN A DIGITAL WORLD – NEW TOOLS, NEW GUIDES, SAME TECHNIQUES

We live in a digital world. Modern technologies (particularly social media and AI) provide conduits for possession, curses and energetic illness. In this presentation, we will discuss why technology enables this, why we need new tools, why we need new guides and how to use your existing techniques. Please join me for this fascinating discussion into this new realm of healing.

Nathaniel Ruck: During the summer of 1984, Nathaniel got his first computer. The next years found him teaching himself how to program, learning all he could and pursuing a career in Information technology. With over 40 years of IT experience, Nathaniel was a part of the internet growing, the first virus attacks, the evolution of Cybersecurity, social media and AI. Sixteen years ago, Nathaniel answered the call to be a Shamanic Practitioner. He currently practices out of his home in rural Waunakee, WI where he holds space with his wife Laurie and their four cats. Nathaniel holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from UW-Madison and an MBA from Edgewood University in Madison, WI. https://www.theancientwillow.com/

JEAN SCHNEIDER

PLANTS AND TREES OF FIRE AND ASH

Since starting her teaching practice in 2008, Jean Schneider has become nationally known for her trainings in relational Plant Spirit work as well as personal energetic and ancestral tending work. Jean trained as a Völva, in the art of Seidr, and has studied extensively in the shamanistic traditions of Northern Europe. She teaches modern plant utiseta, the practice of “sitting-out” between realms, and psychopomp with Plant Spirit. Jean also regularly works with clinicians and therapists, sharing the art of energetic tending and ancestral healing. She has degrees in botany, psychology and clinical herbalism.
Along with one-on-one healing sessions, she offers Plant Spirit preparations as well as body supportive plant tonics at her website. Her practice is located in Token Creek, just outside of Madison, Wisconsin. www.nativamedica.com