*The following is an excerpt from the book “Dreaming of Cupcakes: A Food Addict’s Shamanic Journey into Healing:”

It was by practicing and studying shamanism that I learned to hear and identify the true voice of my own spirit, also called “Dreamer” or “Higher Self.”  Through journeys, I met this luminous being and got to know her more intimately throughout the years.  At first, I found it hard to believe that there was a part of me that could never be broken, hurt, screwed up, or depressed.  I had the tendency to see her at first as something other than me–the way I saw Jesus or Mary as enlightened prophets.  Her benevolence, beauty, and compassion bowled me over time and time again.  You see, shamanic cultures have always known that there is a part of our beings that is pure spirit and they trained people to tap into the wisdom of the dreamer within.  Our Dreamers know what our life purpose is in this lifetime and are the only ones who can guide us perfectly on our journey in order to accomplish our purpose. 

At first, I had a lot of resistance to the idea that there is a part of me who absolutely knows what I am meant to be doing, how to do it, and how to accomplish it.  I would follow my ego’s idea of what I should be doing and totally neglect to consult with my Dreamer to see if this plan of mine was even worthwhile.  I learned the hard way that refusing to go in the direction that my Dreamer was sending me in was counterproductive and often painful.  When I didn’t listen, I had a lot of messes to clean up in my life that took energy away from living my dreams.

…Shamanic cultures have always known that we are intimately and spiritually connected to the dreaming of the planet and to life’s creations on earth.  Nothing can break that connection and so it is to our benefit to learn to align with that stream of energy in order to create the lives we want for ourselves instead of giving our power away to others’ ideas of what we should be doing with our time here on Earth.

Jennifer Engrácio 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.