Spirit and Liberation

With over two decades of experience in youth development, Belia’s journey has included work with incarcerated youth, survivors of abuse, and communities organizing for justice. She has trained in the lineage of Oakland’s generative somatics since 2014 and in Transformational Coaching methodology in 2016–2017. Her coaching and somatic practice extends across California, supporting Indigenous land and water protectors, youth electoral organizers, warehouse workers unions, immigrant rights defenders, restorative justice advocates, and housing justice movements.

Belia also serves her Lukumí community as a beadworker and priest of Oshun Ibu Anya, having been initiated by Igbin L’ete and Odu Fora in 2008. Across her work, she brings a deep commitment to weaving somatics, spirituality, and movement building.

In this closing conversation, Jeanette and Belia speak about:

🌍 How truth is held in the ground and the body,

🌱 Building collective power by listening to the wisdom of our traditions, 

💛 Spirit and Liberation as a practice for what comes next. 

Spirit & Liberation is a limited series podcast, brought to you by the Latinx Therapists Action Network, exploring the intersection of sacred traditions and political struggle. 

Over the course of the series, we’ve been invited into conversation with organizers, spiritual practitioners, and healers committed to weaving ancestral wisdom into the fight for our collective liberation. This final episode brings the series to a close, offering grounding in somatics, truth, and spirit as we continue onward together.

Links: 

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

Zulayka is the Founder and Creative Director of Libélula Consulting, where she provides inspiration, instigation, and support for projects focused on equity, social justice, and authentic community engagement. A Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Fellows for Health Equity, she also serves on the Governance Team for Change Elemental, the Board of Directors for the NC Environmental Justice Network, and is a founding member of Earthseed Land Collective in Durham, NC. Across all of her work, Zulayka embodies awe, wonder, and deep connection with the natural world.

In this episode, Jeanette and Zulayka speak about:

🌳 The practice of being in fellowship with trees and how nature offers grounding,

🌱 What it means to turn toward Earth as a teacher in moments of crisis,

🌀 The balance between grief and joy in these times of transformation,

🌞 How reconnecting to natural rhythms helps us sustain our movements and ourselves.

Spirit & Liberation is a limited series podcast, brought to you by the Latinx Therapists Action Network, exploring the intersection of sacred traditions and political struggle.

Each episode invites you into conversation with organizers, spiritual practitioners, and healers committed to weaving ancestral wisdom into the fight for our collective liberation. This series explores how spirit moves through our movements—offering tools, stories, and truths for these times.

Links: 

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

*English Below* 

En este episodio, José comparte:

• El papel de la música y el baile de Bomba como formas de rebelión, resistencia y liberación de las comunidades negras en Puerto Rico,
• Cómo el espiritismo moldeó la vida y las luchas del pueblo afropuertorriqueño,
• Y la importancia histórica y personal de San Mateo de Cangrejos y el trabajo comunitario de la Sociedad Histórica de Villa Palmeras.

Esta conversación es una ofrenda para todos quienes se comprometen a recordar, celebrar y sostener las tradiciones africanas que laten en el corazón de la cultura y la liberación puertorriqueña. Escúchalo ahora en todas las plataformas digitales.

Spirit & Liberation es una serie limitada de pódcast, presentada por la Latinx Therapists Action Network, que explora la intersección entre la lucha política y las tradiciones sagradas. 

Cada episodio te conecta con organizadores, practicantes espirituales y sanadores comprometidos en tejer la sabiduría ancestral dentro de la lucha por nuestra liberación colectiva. Esta serie explora cómo el espíritu se mueve en nuestros movimientos—ofreciendo herramientas, historias y verdades para estos tiempos.

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José’s life work honors this inheritance. From teaching Bomba workshops for Puerto Rican and Dominican children in St. Thomas, to participating in cultural exchanges like the Dos Alas tour alongside AfroCuba de Matanzas, to his role as historian and researcher with the Villa Palmeras Historical Society, José continues to uplift the history of San Mateo de Cangrejos (Santurce) and its enduring significance for Black Puerto Rican identity.

In this episode, José shares:

• The role of Bomba music and dance as a form of rebellion, resistance, and liberation for Black communities in Puerto Rico,
• How Spiritism shaped the lives and struggles of Afro–Puerto Rican people,
• And, the historical and personal importance of San Mateo de Cangrejos and the community organizing work of the Villa Palmeras Historical Society,

This conversation is an offering for everyone committed to remembering, celebrating, and sustaining the African traditions at the heart of Puerto Rican culture and liberation. Listen now on all streaming platforms.

Spirit & Liberation is a limited series podcast, brought to you by the Latinx Therapists Action Network, exploring the intersection of political struggle and sacred traditions.

Each episode brings you into conversation with organizers, spiritual practitioners, and healers committed to weaving ancestral wisdom into the fight for our collective liberation. This series explores how spirit moves through our movements—offering tools, stories, and truths for these times.

Links: 

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

Links: 

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

Soul Fire Farm - http://www.soulfirefarm.com/

Farming While Black - https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/farming-while-black/

Black Earth Wisdom - 

https://www.harpercollins.com/products/black-earth-wisdom-leah-penniman?variant=40616469757986

Links: 

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

Institute for Small Islands - https://www.instituteforsmallislands.org/

Links:

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

Links:

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

Spirit & Liberation is a limited series podcast, brought to you by the Latinx Therapists Action Network, exploring the intersection of political struggle and sacred traditions.

Each episode brings you into conversation with organizers, spiritual practitioners, and healers committed to weaving ancestral wisdom into the fight for our collective liberation. This series explores how spirit moves through our movements—offering tools, stories, and truths for these times.

Links: 

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

Fondes Amandes Reforestation Project - https://www.facebook.com/facrp/ and https://www.instagram.com/fondesamandes_facrp/?hl=en

Engish Below*

En el episodio de esta semana de Espíritu y Liberación, nuestra host Jeanette Charles-Márquez conversa con Rosa Miranda—trabajadora cultural, poderosa organizadora comunitaria y devota de la Orisha Osun.

Originaria de Hidalgo, México, Rosa comenzó a organizar desde su adolescencia. Desde que emigró a Estados Unidos en 1999, se ha convertido en un pilar de los movimientos de base en Los Ángeles, luchando por la despenalización de la venta ambulante y promoviendo alternativas de seguridad pública y control comunitario.

Miembra fundadora del Colectivo de Poder Comunitario (CPC), el trabajo organizativo de Rosa está profundamente guiado por su camino espiritual dentro de la tradición Orisha. En este episodio, comparte:

🌼 Su recorrido como hija de Osun y cómo llegó a la tradición Orisha,
🌻 Su lucha constante por proteger los alimentos tradicionales, organizar junto a vendedores ambulantes y defender la dignidad de la clase trabajadora,
💛 Y el poder sanador de las enseñanzas espirituales en momentos de desafíos políticos.

Espíritu y Liberación es una serie limitada de pódcast, presentada por la Latinx Therapists Action Network, que explora la intersección entre la lucha política y las tradiciones sagradas.

Cada episodio te invita a una conversación con organizadores, practicantes espirituales y sanadores comprometides con entretejer la sabiduría ancestral en la lucha por nuestra liberación colectiva. Esta serie explora cómo el espíritu atraviesa nuestros movimientos—ofreciendo herramientas, historias y verdades para estos tiempos.

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On this week’s episode of Spirit and Liberation, host Jeanette Charles-Márquez welcomes Rosa Miranda—cultural worker, fierce community organizer, and devotee of the Orisha Osun. This is our first episode in Spanish for this series! 

Originally from Hidalgo, México, Rosa began organizing as a teen. Since immigrating to the U.S. in 1999, she has become a pillar in Los Angeles’ grassroots movements, from fighting for the decriminalization of street vending to uplifting community control and public safety alternatives.

A founding member of Colectivo de Poder Comunitario (CPC), Rosa’s organizing is deeply guided by her spiritual path in the Orisha tradition. In this episode, she shares:

🌼 Her journey as daughter of Osun and how she came into the Orisha tradition,
🌻 Her long-standing struggle to protect traditional foods, to organize alongside street vendors, and fight for working-class dignity,
💛 And the healing power of spiritual teachings in moments of political challenges. 

Spirit & Liberation is a limited series podcast, brought to you by the Latinx Therapists Action Network, exploring the intersection of political struggle and sacred traditions.

Each episode brings you into conversation with organizers, spiritual practitioners, and healers committed to weaving ancestral wisdom into the fight for our collective liberation. This series explores how spirit moves through our movements—offering tools, stories, and truths for these times.

Links: 

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

Latinx Therapists Action Network - http://ltan.org

The World of Ifa - https://www.instagram.com/theworldofifa/?hl=en