Talang Dalisay’s Macy Castañeda Lee Captures the Stories of the Island’s Most Sought-After Healers Ahead of Hearth Summit Philippines

Stories from the Hearth

In July, I travelled to Siquijor Island, a Philippine island province located within the Negros Island Region. This beautiful and lush province lies in the south of Cebu, southeast of Negros Oriental, southwest of Bohol, and the North of Mindanao. I travelled there to help plan and organize Hearth Summit Philippines, alongside many passionate and dedicated Filipinos, Filipino Americans, and Americans. 

From 14-17 January 2025, Hearth Summit Philippines will be the first regional wellbeing summit for social change held in the Philippines. The summit will be one of dozens of regional gatherings held around the world where changemakers are reflecting on, among many things, how embracing and reconnecting with local cultures and traditions can help inspire their social change work.  

We are so excited to centre Hearth Summit Philippines on native Filipino healing practices, embracing lunas, the Tagalog word for “remedy” or “cure”. But like many words without a direct translation, lunas is more than that: it is an antidote, a medicine for what ails you in the broadest sense; the answers to help you get through a hard time. Lunas is an exhale after a long day, a comfort for weary souls, a balm for broken hearts, a practice of hope, and an invitation to come sit next to the fire with your loved ones.

In this sense, Lunas Pilipinas is our Indigenous/native/cultural understanding of the Hearth Summit Philippines, where we will engage 150 changemakers in an immersive journey to build a world that nurtures the wellbeing of our communities and the planet. Nestled in the lush Central Visayas region of Siquijor, the island’s unique cultural heritage and natural landscapes inspire our gathering. Once known as the mystical “Island of Fire”, Siquijor shares a rich history of traditional healing practices and environmental conservation – making it the ideal place to explore indigenous ways of knowing and their impact on our wellbeing.

To bring the wisdom of our native practices to our gathering, Lunas Pilipinas is a broad co-creation with many stakeholders, including my mental health organization, Talang Dalisay; the Siquijor Healers Association; local peoples; and other non-profits to help the Siquijor community, specifically its children and education. 

Aside from working in advocacy and organizing, I also work as a documentary photographer. Ahead of the Summit, it was important for me to make sure I documented the Siquijor healers and highlight their work and identities. Annie, one of the leaders of the Siquijor Healers Association, is one of the key characters in this story. She lovingly invited us into her home up in the mountains to observe her healing process, to experience this healing ourselves, and to share her story. These images below are from those interactions at her home, where two other healers came to meet us; as well as some images from surrounding areas the Lunas  Pilipinas team explored around the island.

Butterfly larvae at a local butterfly farm in Siquijor. A part of the agenda of our trip as a team was to find feasible venues to host workshops and make participants interact deeply with local nature spots. This imagery caught my eye: it’s so symbolic of how aligned and grounded this island makes you feel. This is the start of the photo sequence; the budding of it all.

These are three of the oldest and most experienced Siquijor healers in Annie’s home in Siquijor. 

The outside of Annie’s home. She lives on top of the mountain on Siquijor Island. She houses several chickens, piglets, bunnies, and cats. She lives with her family here, and community friends come often to the outdoor area to chat and hang out. 

This is the entrance to Annie’s home, just outside of the room where she conducts her healing sessions. Many religious icons can be seen, such as statues of Mother Mary and Jesus Christ, reflecting the dominant religion that exists in many parts of the Philippines, which is Catholicism. Many Filipinos are both religious and spiritual. 

Bolo Bolo

Annie healing one of our main Hearth Summit Philippines leaders and organizers, Renee. Annie blows river water with black stones in a clear glass with a bamboo straw. This is called the bolo bolo healing method, used to heal the patient from evil spirits and energy.  

Here is a photograph of some oils that Annie makes, all sourced locally in Siquijor.

One of the healers, just outside Annie’s home. He has been working as a native healer for more than 20 years.

A Global Calling

 Sessions at Annie’s home continue all day. Annie receives clients from all around the  world, as she is one of Siquijor’s most sought-after healers.

The bed where Annie and her family use to lay and rest, but also for her clients and  visitors. Light and shadows in her home fall very beautifully. Annie mostly relies on natural light in her home.

Community friends and healers visit Annie’s home often. This is a healer with Jang, one of the Hearth Summit Philippines’ local organizers and leaders.

Mothering

The sequence ends here, with one of Annie’s pigs with her piglets, right outside her home. The family has been raising all kinds of animals for the longest time. This photograph is so symbolic to me as it reflects the many people that Annie helps feed and grow. She is the mother of many in Siquijor island, after all. Life continues, life provides. When one gives, many grow. 

We are all so excited to share more about Filipino culture and wellbeing practices with the world.

Hearth Summit Philippines (Lunas Pilipinas) will take place from 14-17 January 2025 in Siquijor, Philippines. For more information, including how to participate, visit lunaspilipinas.com and find us on social media at @lunaspilipinas. 

About Macy Castañeda Lee

Macy (they/them) is a non-binary Filipino photographer, organizer, public speaker, & curator. They focus on advocating for psychology, mental health, social justice, and education in the work they do. 

Passionate about human beings, identity, vulnerability, and the mind, Macy calls themselves a “student for life”, consistently challenging the relationship between our external world with our internal one. With an early exposure to students with mental exceptionalities such as autism & down syndrome, Macy advocates for creating a more kind & empathic world through multi-media storytelling & research. They study how factors such as cultural movements, generational trauma, & societal norms affect the inner workings of our mind. In turn, they hope to share how humans are active agents that turn those factors over to the next generation & how important it is for one to break stigma in order to create more sustainable futures.

They run and founded a Philippine based non-profit, Talang Dalisay alongside its special project based organization, Bayan Kinaadman. They are the head curator & organizer of Worlds Through Minds, which is a people funded photography gallery and photo publication house which takes place around the world. 

To date, they have organized & hosted over 50 community events online & in-person, given over 100 keynote speeches, written & copy edited over 30 articles, and worked & collaborated with around 200 non-profits/movements/individuals for their cause & passion. 

About Talang Dalisay

Talang Dalisay is a non-profit organization founded in Manila, Philippines centering on mental health for our fellow Filipinos.  We are a young community of storytellers and change-makers, opening conversations on the current mental health stigmas in the country as well as aiding in the integration of persons with disabilities (PWDs) as members of our global community. 

Our mission upholds the values of empathy, compassion, and empowerment. We aim to focus on action oriented projects that center on moving towards a society that validates the mental health and neurodivergence of Filipinos. We acknowledge that mental health is a systemic issue — it is an ever-changing and controversial topic especially as a BIPOC community. Thus, through our art and stories, we hope to create a higher consciousness and understanding of how to create inclusive spaces for all amidst these intersectionalities.

Our vision as an organization is to become a stepping stone for Filipinos to create spaces of inclusivity. Collectively, we hope to amplify the individual’s potential to shine purely; living in authenticity, truth, and purpose. Through our projects in elevating the mental health discourse, we hope to be one of many facets that encourage others to create more avenues for positive change, always embracing the ability in any disability.

To date, they have organized & hosted over 50 community events online & in-person, given over 100 keynote speeches, written & copy edited over 30 articles, and worked & collaborated with around 200 non-profits/movements/individuals for their cause & passion.