{"id":13976,"date":"2017-07-01T01:10:52","date_gmt":"2017-07-01T06:10:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=14796"},"modified":"2017-06-27T00:34:51","modified_gmt":"2017-06-27T05:34:51","slug":"book-excerpt-the-magic-circle-shamanic-ceremonies-for-the-child-and-the-child-within-jennifer-engracio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2017\/07\/01\/book-excerpt-the-magic-circle-shamanic-ceremonies-for-the-child-and-the-child-within-jennifer-engracio\/","title":{"rendered":"Book Excerpt: \u201cThe Magic Circle: Shamanic Ceremonies for the Child and the Child Within\u201d Jennifer Engr\u00e1cio"},"content":{"rendered":"

Children and Ceremony<\/u><\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In many cultures in the world, rituals are built into daily life as a continual way of renewing the individual and community spirit: celebrating, giving gratitude, grieving, and letting go of that which no longer serves the health and <\/span><\/span>well-being<\/span><\/span> of the village. Ritual is a kind of glue that helps us to remember who we are and how we are related to everything in the universe\u2013something we humans tend to forget unless we build times to experience this connection consciously into our busy lives. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Each of us authors noticed several years ago that many children we met wanted and needed ritual in their lives. The children were interested in what we were doing as shamanic practitioners and some children started asking us to work with them by creating healing ceremonies either with them or for them. This was particularly true of those brought up in the Western world without ties to ancestral traditions of their particular lineage. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

With the growing secularization of society in the 20<\/span><\/span>th<\/span><\/sup><\/span> Century, mainstream Western culture gained more freedom of spiritual discovery and expression. Unfortunately, some of us also lost our conscious tie with the sacred both inside and outside of us. This has created a generation of kids who seem to feel a bit in limbo; many want ways to walk their spiritual paths and make a difference in the world but do not feel comfortable in either secularization or organized religions. We find that many kids have instinctively discovered a relationship with the cosmos in a consistent way through spending time out in nature. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Indeed, ritual seems to come naturally to many children already. For example, when a pet dies, kids intuitively give them a burial and a formal farewell. <\/span><\/span>Grandmother Ann (our co-author) wrote a little about her experience of doing ceremony with children in 2011:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was fortunate, several years ago, to work with a group of children whose parents were also studying shamanism.\u00a0 These children and I played games, did ceremonies and had discussions about their joys, fears, hopes and dreams.\u00a0 We talked about how the ceremonies related to their lives in all aspects: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and life force energy.\u00a0 We discussed the natural world and our connections to the Earth.\u00a0 Doing ceremony together,\u00a0I got\u00a0to know the children’s needs and the gifts they brought to life.\u00a0 For a parent, grandparent or other caregiver this sharing can bring increased joy and deepen your connection and love for the child.\u00a0 That is a wonderful gift.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

The following is an excerpt from the book \u201cThe Magic Circle: Shamanic Ceremonies for the Child and the Child Within:\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

\n

A few years ago, one of our teachers shared her dream of creating a book of ceremonies for children.\u00a0 She and our other teacher were working on their own book of ceremonies for adults at the time.\u00a0 A few of us expressed passion for this project.\u00a0 Each of us (Ann, Jen and Kat) have a deep devotion to children; serving them is part of our pathway in life.\u00a0 Ann is a grandmother with five children of her own and two grandchildren.\u00a0 Katherine (Kat) is a published children\u2019s author and an aunt to two little girls.\u00a0 Jennifer (Jen) is a BC-certified teacher and an aunt to a boy and a girl.\u00a0 We share a love of children and passion for their welfare and empowerment.\u00a0 Each of us has done so much healing through ceremonies.\u00a0 We know how powerful they are.\u00a0 Our dream for this book is that children everywhere will experience the magic of self-discovery as they do these ceremonies.\u00a0 <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Shamanism is a term to describe a general practice of using the wisdom of the natural world and the earth’s energies to heal oneself and add beauty to one’s life. Shamanism includes many spiritual practices and does not have one doctrine of belief to follow. \u00a0 <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

The ceremonies we have created are earth-based and draw upon the wisdom in nature (and in each of you as parts of nature) in order to bring healing into your lives.\u00a0 With the natural world as a point of connection, we hope that children (and parents) of all faiths, beliefs and cultures find these ceremonies accessible and healing.\u00a0 Children who live in urban areas can connect with nature around and within their human-made environments.\u00a0 Most kids will have access to trees, even if they are small ones that line the concrete streets.\u00a0 Most kids will find insects, birds and other animals in their cities to observe and connect with.\u00a0 All of us have access to the sun, the wind, the water and the earth\u2026<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Ceremonies can teach us how to use magical tools (altars, medicine wheels, wands) to call something we want or need into our lives, for protection, for working with life\u2019s challenges and for calling forth our gifts, so that we can live the best life we can while we are here on Earth.\u00a0 Ceremonies can help change our inner worlds so that our lives work better and we are happier people.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know about you, but in my life, it can be so hard to hear my own voice among people telling me what I should do, what I should think and how I should act.\u00a0 So many \u201cshoulds\u201d can drive a person crazy!\u00a0 As Grandmother Ann states, spending time doing ceremony can help people to hear their own voice so that they can follow their own inner wise magician in their lives:\u00a0 <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWhy do I do ceremony?\u00a0 By doing ceremonies, I clear away all of the monkey noise in my head so I can discover my gifts to the world.\u00a0 I discover magical mysterious me.\u00a0 I hear the magician that is my higher self, who knows what I need to do and how to do it.\u00a0 When I do ceremonies, I hear the song of the Universe and its vibrations so that I can vibrate in time with the Universe\u2019s rhythms.\u00a0 Ceremony sets me free to be me.\u201d<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

This book is an invitation to ceremony for adults and kids. It can be used in a random and intuitive way. <\/i><\/span><\/span>We invite each child and adult\u2019s inner child to listen to the ceremonial descriptions and choose ones that feel\/sound interesting. It is okay for parents to make suggestions, as long as they are not attached to the outcome.\u00a0 It is important that the child participate willingly.\u00a0 Each one of us has our own path to walk in life and making self-governed choices is a vital part of that journey.\u00a0 We have included age groups that each ceremony is best suited for.\u00a0 However, this is only a guideline.\u00a0 Kids who are outside the age range are welcome to do any ceremony that calls to them.\u00a0<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

It is important to note that this is not a book \u201cfor\u201d kids as much as a guide that will allow adults to connect with their playful, lighthearted selves while they participate in the ceremonies with their children. It is not intended to be a book where kids are left on their own to do these ceremonies\u2026 <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Each one of you has special gifts you brought to the world when you were born that you carry around inside.\u00a0 Our deepest wish as the authors of this book is that doing these ceremonies supports each one of you to shine more of your inner light into the world.\u00a0 Discover your mysterious magical self!\u00a0\u00a0 What magic will you bring to the planet?<\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

***<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Author Bio:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

Jennifer Engr\u00e1cio has been a student of shamanism since 2005. Jennifer is a certified teacher\u00a0<\/span><\/span>who has worked with children in many different education settings since 2001. She is a certified\u00a0<\/span><\/span>shamanic coach, reiki master, and lomilomi practitioner; in addition, she runs Spiral Dance\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Shamanics. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she now lives in Calgary, Canada with her life\u00a0<\/span><\/span>partner.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Engr\u00e1cio participated in self-publishing three books that are now available:<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe Magic Circle: Shamanic Ceremonies for the Child and the Child Within\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWomen\u2019s Power Stories: Honouring the Feminine Principle of Life\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cDreaming of Cupcakes: A Food Addict\u2019s Shamanic Journey into Healing\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

For more information go to: www.spiraldanceshamanics.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

To purchase \u201cThe Magic Circle,\u201d visit: www.ceremoniesforkids.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Children and Ceremony In many cultures in the world, rituals are built into daily life as a continual way of renewing the individual and community spirit: celebrating, giving gratitude, grieving, and letting go of that which no longer serves the health and well-being of the village. Ritual is a kind of glue that helps us to remember who we are and how we are related to everything in the universe\u2013something we humans tend to forget unless we build times to experience this connection consciously into our busy lives. Each of us authors noticed several years ago that many children we met wanted and needed ritual in their lives. The children were interested in what we were doing as shamanic practitioners and some children started asking us to work with them by creating healing ceremonies either with them or for them. This was particularly true of those brought up in the Western world without ties to ancestral traditions of their particular lineage. With the growing secularization of society in the 20th Century, mainstream Western culture gained more freedom of spiritual discovery and expression. Unfortunately, some of us also lost our conscious tie with the sacred both inside and outside of us. This has created a generation of kids who seem to feel a bit in limbo; many want ways to walk their spiritual paths and make a difference in the world but do not feel comfortable in either secularization or organized religions. We find that many kids have instinctively discovered a relationship with the cosmos in a consistent way through spending time out in nature. Indeed, ritual seems to come naturally to many children already. For example, when a pet dies, kids intuitively give them a burial and a formal farewell. Grandmother Ann (our co-author) wrote a little about her experience of doing ceremony with children in 2011: \u201cI was fortunate, several years ago, to work with a group of children whose parents were also studying shamanism.\u00a0 These children and I played games, did ceremonies and had discussions about their joys, fears, hopes and dreams.\u00a0 We talked about how the ceremonies related to their lives in all aspects: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and life force energy.\u00a0 We discussed the natural world and our connections to the Earth.\u00a0 Doing ceremony together,\u00a0I got\u00a0to know the children’s needs and the gifts they brought to life.\u00a0 For a parent, grandparent or other caregiver this sharing can bring increased joy and deepen your connection and love for the child.\u00a0 That is a wonderful gift.\u201d The following is an excerpt from the book \u201cThe Magic Circle: Shamanic Ceremonies for the Child and the Child Within:\u201d A few years ago, one of our teachers shared her dream of creating a book of ceremonies for children.\u00a0 She and our other teacher were working on their own book of ceremonies for adults at the time.\u00a0 A few of us expressed passion for this project.\u00a0 Each of us (Ann, Jen and Kat) have a deep devotion to children; serving them is part of our pathway in life.\u00a0 Ann is a grandmother with five children of her own and two grandchildren.\u00a0 Katherine (Kat) is a published children\u2019s author and an aunt to two little girls.\u00a0 Jennifer (Jen) is a BC-certified teacher and an aunt to a boy and a girl.\u00a0 We share a love of children and passion for their welfare and empowerment.\u00a0 Each of us has done so much healing through ceremonies.\u00a0 We know how powerful they are.\u00a0 Our dream for this book is that children everywhere will experience the magic of self-discovery as they do these ceremonies.\u00a0 \u00a0 Shamanism is a term to describe a general practice of using the wisdom of the natural world and the earth’s energies to heal oneself and add beauty to one’s life. Shamanism includes many spiritual practices and does not have one doctrine of belief to follow. \u00a0 The ceremonies we have created are earth-based and draw upon the wisdom in nature (and in each of you as parts of nature) in order to bring healing into your lives.\u00a0 With the natural world as a point of connection, we hope that children (and parents) of all faiths, beliefs and cultures find these ceremonies accessible and healing.\u00a0 Children who live in urban areas can connect with nature around and within their human-made environments.\u00a0 Most kids will have access to trees, even if they are small ones that line the concrete streets.\u00a0 Most kids will find insects, birds and other animals in their cities to observe and connect with.\u00a0 All of us have access to the sun, the wind, the water and the earth\u2026 Ceremonies can teach us how to use magical tools (altars, medicine wheels, wands) to call something we want or need into our lives, for protection, for working with life\u2019s challenges and for calling forth our gifts, so that we can live the best life we can while we are here on Earth.\u00a0 Ceremonies can help change our inner worlds so that our lives work better and we are happier people.\u00a0 I don\u2019t know about you, but in my life, it can be so hard to hear my own voice among people telling me what I should do, what I should think and how I should act.\u00a0 So many \u201cshoulds\u201d can drive a person crazy!\u00a0 As Grandmother Ann states, spending time doing ceremony can help people to hear their own voice so that they can follow their own inner wise magician in their lives:\u00a0 \u201cWhy do I do ceremony?\u00a0 By doing ceremonies, I clear away all of the monkey noise in my head so I can discover my gifts to the world.\u00a0 I discover magical mysterious me.\u00a0 I hear the magician that is my higher self, who knows what I need to do and how to do it.\u00a0 When I do ceremonies, I hear the song of the Universe and its vibrations so that I can vibrate in time with the Universe\u2019s rhythms.\u00a0 Ceremony sets me free to be me.\u201d This book is an invitation to ceremony for adults and kids. It can be used in a random and intuitive way. We invite each child and adult\u2019s inner child to listen to the ceremonial descriptions and choose ones that feel\/sound interesting. It is okay for parents to make suggestions, as long as they are not attached to the outcome.\u00a0 It is important that the child participate willingly.\u00a0 Each one of us has our own path to walk in life and making self-governed choices is a vital part of that journey.\u00a0 We have included age groups that each ceremony is best suited for.\u00a0 However, this is only a guideline.\u00a0 Kids who are outside the age range are welcome to do any ceremony that calls to them.\u00a0 It is important to note that this is not a book \u201cfor\u201d kids as much as a guide that will allow adults to connect with their playful, lighthearted selves while they participate in the ceremonies with their children. It is not intended to be a book where kids are left on their own to do these ceremonies\u2026 Each one of you has special gifts you brought to the world when you were born that you carry around inside.\u00a0 Our deepest wish as the authors of this book is that doing these ceremonies supports each one of you to shine more of your inner light into the world.\u00a0 Discover your mysterious magical self!\u00a0\u00a0 What magic will you bring to the planet? *** Author Bio: Jennifer Engr\u00e1cio has been a student of shamanism since 2005. Jennifer is a certified teacher\u00a0who has worked with children in many different education settings since 2001. She is a certified\u00a0shamanic coach, reiki master, and lomilomi practitioner; in addition, she runs Spiral Dance\u00a0Shamanics. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she now lives in Calgary, Canada with her life\u00a0partner. Engr\u00e1cio participated in self-publishing three books that are now available: \u201cThe Magic Circle: Shamanic Ceremonies for the Child and the Child Within\u201d \u201cWomen\u2019s Power Stories: Honouring the Feminine Principle of Life\u201d \u201cDreaming of Cupcakes: A Food Addict\u2019s Shamanic Journey into Healing\u201d For more information go to: www.spiraldanceshamanics.com To purchase \u201cThe Magic Circle,\u201d visit: www.ceremoniesforkids.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13976\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}