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(Roots by Frida Kahlo<\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBe like a tree. Stay grounded. Connect with your roots. Turn over a new leaf. Bend before you break. Enjoy your unique natural beauty. Keep growing.\u201d<\/i><\/span><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n -Joanne Rapits<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ve been going through major internal shifts in the last year. Recently, I\u2019ve been making some changes in my life that are shaking up relationships with people I love. Some of these patterns are co-dependent and that is a no-go for me. When I read this quote by Victor Hugo, I realized that I have a changeable mind and ways of being that used to work for me in those relationships stop working as my thinking shifts: \u201cChange your opinions, keep to your principles; change your leaves, keep intact your roots.\u201d But one thing that keeps uncovering itself at deeper levels are my values; these, I\u2019ve discovered don\u2019t change. They do, however, reveal themselves more completely as I get older. As I grow towards my chronological elder hood, I see how important it is to be who I am at my essence. The intent that takes the most courage for me to keep meeting is to be who I really am, no matter what.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I\u2019ve been sitting with this directive for a few weeks now. I\u2019ve taken this question into ceremony, I\u2019ve prayed about it, and I\u2019ve stayed silent to hear the response from A<\/span>v\u00f3 Maria or Great Spirit or my ancestors or the land. It turns out they all had something to say about it! Paradoxically, this statement\u2013 volta para tuas ra\u00edzes\u2013has so many meanings on different levels. I remembered the many lessons <\/span>A<\/span>v\u00f3 Maria taught me about the things my ancestors valued. Like all children, I\u2019ve taken the values from my culture that resonate with me and left behind others that don\u2019t. Among those that remain into adulthood are: inclusion, community service, hospitality, open-mindedness, and open-heartedness. Then there are the spiritual values that I feel come from Great Spirit of unconditional love, unity and equality among all of Spirit\u2019s creations. From the land, I remember the values of diversity, creativity, and advocacy. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n When I talk about <\/span>ra\u00edzes<\/i><\/span> now, I see this going past my blood line to the earth, the sky, and all my relations in nature. My body comes from the earth and I am rooted in the Great Mother herself. It took me a long time to feel like I belonged here on earth but the Earth Mother was patient until I remembered the truth. My spirit comes from the sky; no matter what happens, it can never be damaged or destroyed\u2013only transformed. I believe that Spirit will simply give me many chances and lifetimes to grow and change until I am finally living in alignment with the essence of who I am and why Spirit created me so.\u00a0 Rumi reminds me that <\/span>\u201cEverything [I] see has its roots in the unseen world. The forces change yet the essence remains the same.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n As I work through the spiritual causes of the autoimmune issues I\u2019ve been facing in my body, I notice how part of my spirit has been living in the past searching for the answer to the question of where I belong. Through journeying in the spirit world, I realized that much of my consciousness was holding onto a past life where I felt I\u2019d been completely accepted for who I was. I was living with this desperate feeling that if I let go of that past lifetime that I would never find my place in this present lifetime. Buddha reminded me that the only time is NOW: <\/span>\u201cDo not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.\u201d <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n I am aware that I have little control of what happens in the universe save for my response to the present moment\u2019s happenings. My life hasn\u2019t turned out the way I expected it to, however, I am so grateful that Spirit\u2019s hand reached into my life at pivotal moments to re-direct me to stay on my path with heart. The truth is that I have no idea where my Sacred Dream is taking me and this scares me sometimes. I wonder if I will drift so far away from my <\/span>ra\u00edzes <\/i><\/span>that I will be unrecognizable to those I love<\/span>. But these are simply fears and I\u2019ve never let them stop me before from creating positive change in my life. After all these weeks, I do know one thing\u2026If I stay rooted in my values and I keep sharing my gifts through my essential being, my life will be well lived\u2013no matter what surprises the universe sends my way.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n ***<\/b><\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n About the Author:<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jennifer Engr\u00e1cio<\/b><\/span> has been a student of shamanism since 2005. Jennifer is a certified teacher who has worked with children in many different education settings since 2001. She is a certified shamanic coach, reiki master, and lomilomi practitioner; in addition, she runs Spiral Dance Shamanics. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, she now lives in Calgary, Canada with her life partner. <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Engr\u00e1cio participated in self-publishing three books that are now available: <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe Magic Circle: Shamanic Ceremonies for the Child and the Child Within\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWomen\u2019s Power Stories: Honouring the Feminine Principle of Life\u201d <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Dreaming of Cupcakes: A Food Addict\u2019s Shamanic Journey into Healing<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For more information go to: www.spiraldanceshamanics.com<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\nOver the last month or so, my paternal grandma\u2013who I called A<\/span>v\u00f3 Maria\u2013has been showing up in my \r\ndreams at night. <\/span><\/span><\/span>She died when she was in her nineties in 2014. She had a big hand in raising me. As a \r\nchild I spent a lot more time with her than I did my parents. <\/span><\/span><\/span>My family were new immigrants to Canada \r\nat the time and my parents worked hard to build a life for us here. <\/span><\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\nI am so grateful for the time I got to spend with my <\/span>A<\/span>v\u00f3 Maria. <\/span><\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\nIn my dreams, we are back in her house only this time, I am in my adult body. <\/span><\/span><\/span>\r\n\r\nWe are doing the same things together that we always did: cooking, picking vegetables for meals, crocheting,\r\npraying, and talking. <\/span><\/span><\/span>The overwhelming feeling in the dream is one of comfort: You know, the kind you feel\r\nwhen you are with someone who really loves, accepts, and gets you at an essence level. <\/span><\/span><\/span>My dream ends with\r\nher telling me in Portuguese to go back to my roots: volta para tuas ra\u00edzes<\/i>.<\/span><\/span><\/span>\r\n<\/pre>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/Jen-200x300.jpg\")
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