Luzia was born Jewish, raised a Humanist and practiced Buddhist meditation most of her life. She participates in Native American ceremonies and adores mother Ammachi. In 1987 she was enchanted by the Queen of the Forest and initiated into the church of the Santo Daime in 1989. She lived extensively in the Brazilian rainforest as an active member of the community of Ceu de Mapia, practicing herbology, “energetic healing” mediumship, and assisting in the church services. Luzia also has a clinical practice specializing in Bio-energetic Analysis, a psycho-dynamic psychotherapy through the body. She is the founder and spiritual director of Ceu da Luz Divina, a Santo Daime church, and originator of Embodying Womanhood Rites of Passage in the New Era, a year long initiation program. For her 70th birthday, Luzia made a video entitled the Crowning of the Crone, a tribute to the ancient bird tribes and celebration of elderhood. Additionally, she offers a retreat ‘Aging Graciously’, a women initiation into elderhood. Her book, SoulTalk, conversations at the intersection of psychotherapy and spiritual practice will be out in the fall 2026