Maria João Angélico is not only my cousin as she is also an inspiring woman that I truly admire. She first studied Engineering, before following her true path into Shamanism. In this exclusive interview, Skin at Heart has the opportunity to share more about Maria João’s journey and also to know more about Shamanism and how it can assist the individual to heal, grow and self-develop.
1 – What is Shamanism and how can it help people?
Shamanism is a philosophy that reconnects us to nature and reminds us that we humans are also part of that nature. It establishes that everything that exists is interconnected in a wider net, nothing exists isolated, everything is connected in a big system. It’s a philosophy that we can see in the form of life of mine tribes who live in communion with nature and with a more accurate sense of community.
Shamanism helps people to reconnect to their own nature, to their essence, to rediscover their potential, to center themselves in it and use it to accomplish their own purpose in life and, consequently, to the good of the whole higher system.
To me, other than meeting with my essence and potential, it helped me deal with the fears and insecurities, to know how to establish limits, to make myself more self-confident, more centered, more rooted, to know how to occupy my place in life and in all the systems I am inserted (reminding that our first system is family).
Shamanism allows us to discover the meaning of life, spirituality through nature, the four elements, the Earth and everything that exists here. That’s the reason why we see images connected to Xamanism, animals, herbs, forests, rivers, fire, instruments of sound such as drums which reconnect us to the wonderful planet in which we choose to live.
A good movie to understand this concept of Xamanism is the movie “Avatar”, all of it lies in this philosophy.
2 – What attracted you to Shamanism?
I discovered Shamanism through a session of healing sounds that I made with a friend. He does the session in such an intuitive way, feeling the person and playing the instruments that make sense to him. In this session with me, he felt like he had to play drums and other sounds of the earth a lot and he told me that there was something xamanic about me and that it was calling me. That awakened in me a profound feeling, something ancestral, something that gave me back the feeling of returning home. That’s when I started to look for and investigate and the Universe took me to several people and places that iniated me in this path. But, essentially, it’s a feeling of being in “my tribe”, of feeling that deep down all is simple and that in that simplicity there is an immense force, to feel the Mother Earth receives us in her arms and it gives us back everything we need for our learning process and personal growth.
3 – Can you share some of the most important work experiences you have had so far?
In Shamanism the most rewarding work and the one that has fantastic results is Sacred Sauna or Temazcal. It is a work where we build a kind of tent with high temperatures and without light in the inside to simulate the womb of Mother Earth. There we do what is kind of a reborn. It is a work that through sweat helps purge physical, emotional, mental or spiritual injuries. It has also the purpose to work with ego, whose conditions inside sauna demand trust and confidence in the work which makes us let it go and release all control, taking us to the limit and therefore to deeper depths of our beings, helping us deal with our fears, fragilities and work our self-esteem.
4 – In what way have you been implementing essential oils in your activities? What benefits have you been noticing?
I started to use essential oils in the Summer of 2017 and this passion has been growing in me and my family. My 5-year old son is a fan and he already knows the oils and what they can be used for.
I have been feeling the benefits in several different ways. This Winter I didn’t have any problems with colds and flus, I frequently use the oils which help to boost the immune system. Digestive issues, headaches, breathing issues are easily relieved with the oils and this makes a huge difference when it comes to wellness. I use them on the skin and on the hair and I apply them in my therapies and I’ve been having a positive feedback from the clients. I take them with me in purse everywhere I go and I can use them for me or for anyone near me at any time.
5 – From all the activities which one do you apply in your personal life? How did these philosophies contributed to change your life?
I do varied works with holistic therapies: Xamanism, Karmic Astrology, Reiki, Angeology and Tarot. All of them have been a part of my personal path and they have all been contributing for my personal development. I’ve also been noticing the change and the development in the people who use these therapies.
I remember that when I started my path in this area, in a Spiritual Therapy Course. At the time I was working as a Construction Engineer, which I’ve studied in College. I didn’t feel accomplished, I felt inadequate, I had simply entered in automatic pilot and I couldn’t see another path.
The Spiritual Therapy Course initiated with Karmic Astrology and when I started to study and applying it in my life it was as if all of the sudden I had woken up and realized that I was out of my essence, of what truly made me feel alive, that I had other potentials and that life didn’t have to be just what I was living at the time and that I was shortening myself, limiting myself and loosing my vital energy. It was then that I’ve decided to quit my job and begin again. It was a feeling of an undescribable freedom, as if I was freeing myself from the heavy chains and I was seeing the light in the end of the tunnel.
6 – Is there anything else you would like to share with Skin at Heart’s readers?
Open up to life, develop a receptive attitude and don’t let fear and insecurities to block you. Don’t stop to create movement in your life. Do we have fragilities? Yes. Recognize them, learn how to deal with them and you will be ready to receive your maximum potential. Accept and embrace all of it, because that is what you are and use that energy in a constructive and sustainable way for you and for the world.
“Follow your dreams, they know the way…”
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