Angie Buchanan
The Reverend Angie Buchanan is the Founder and Spiritual Director of Earth Traditions, and of Gaia's Womb, an interfaith spirituality group that has been producing women's spiritual retreats for over 25 years. She is a Rite of Passage Officiant, Senior Minister at Earth Traditions Church, Emeritus Board Member of the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions, and Pagan Student Advisor at the University of Chicago. In 2014, she was inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr., International College of Ministers and Laity, at Morehouse College. Reverend Buchanan has been involved with a number of organizations that encourage interfaith dialog and promote peace among the world’s religions, including, the Lady Liberty League, for which she served as the Public Relations Director for 10 years, Women For International Peace & Arbitration, and the Our Freedom Coalition. Angie was the instructor for "Introduction to Interfaith" at Cherry Hill Seminary for four years. She has been a religious freedom activist and an advocate for women's equal rights, and the protection and safeguarding of First Amendment since the 1970's. She was instrumental in securing the pentacle symbol for use as a religious symbol on the headstones and grave markers of deceased Pagan veterans. She is currently the Spiritual Advisor for Pagan students at the University of Chicago, a Certified Death Midwife, and an Instructor for the Death Midwife Certification class. (www.deathmidwife.org) She also currently serves on the Advisory Council for The Guibord Center – Religion Inside Out, an educational, interfaith nonprofit organization founded in Los Angeles in 2011. Angie can be reached at Angie@EarthTraditions.org. Or at: angiebuchanan@uchicago.edu.
Drake Spaeth
The Reverend Drake Spaeth, PsyD is the Co-Founder of Earth Traditions. He is a Clinical Psychologist, and a faculty member of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. He is the author of several entries in the Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion (Springer , 2010), as well as contributing a chapter (Psycho-spiritual roots of adolescent violence; The importance of rites of passage) in the book, Transforming Corrections; Humanistic Approaches to Corrections and Offender Treatment. ( Carolina Academic Press, 2009). Dr. Spaeth has been a presenter at the Council for a Parliament of the World’s Religions events in Barcelona , 2004, Melbourne , 2009 and Salt Lake City, 2015. He regularly presents papers on spirituality and psychology at conferences including the annual meetings of the Midwest American Academy of Religion, and the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion. He has been a staff member, presenter, and ritual facilitator at the annual Pagan Spirit Gathering (1995-2011). His interests include the relationship between spirituality and psychology, ecopsychology, Humanistic-Existential psychology, transpersonal psychology, Jungian psychology, shamanism, Celtic mysticism, and the Western Mystery Tradition. He holds ministerial credentials with Earth Traditions. Drake currently serves as a Director, and is the Treasurer for Earth Traditions. He can be reached at Drake@EarthTraditions.org.
Dave Espinosa Aguilar
A student of comparative religions (thru emersion), Dave has been facilitating private and public rituals and Rites of Passage for festivals/gatherings for over 30 years. A Founding member of the Earth Traditions community, he has also presented lectures and workshops internationally on a variety of magical technologies and has been mentoring youth and new students on magical theory and practice since 1993. Dave currently serves as a Board Member at Large for Earth Traditions, and he can be reached at breeze@earthtraditions.org
Paula Alejandre
Paula has been active in the Earth Traditions community since it began in 2008. A former schoolteacher, she has been instrumental in the development and contribution of our Seeds children's programming at Oasis, and for our Wheel of the Year events. She has both presented and hosted a variety of community events. She is currently the Personnel Manager for a large manufacturing company, a student of Natural Medicine, Mother of two, wife, gardener, keeper of dogs, cats, and chickens, Reiki practitioner, and a Certified Death Midwife. Paula serves as a Board Member at Large for Earth Traditions and she can be reached at Paula@EarthTraditions.org
Susan Cane
Susan Cane - a Chicago-dwelling graphic designer, Death Midwife, filmmaker, puppeteer, aficionado of fine dark coffee and chocolates, cat mama, and petter of ALL the dogs. She is also a Wonder Junkie, minion of conferences, ritualist, and impermanent art builder for shopping cart races to raise money for the Chicago Food Depository. She is the creatress of our Earth Traditions logo, and with her Person, served in the role of May Couple for our community, 2017-2018. Susan can be reached at Susan@EarthTraditions.org.
Our Advisory Council
