Searching. Longing. Hoping. She journeys with faith in discovering her connection with Spirit. Never had she imagined what she would find.
Footsteps on the path to success, working in the corporate world of numbers and logistics, Enolia Foti found herself “living the dream”. She went to college and gained a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics, with an MBA in Business. Enolia thought, like most people, that she would find happiness and fulfillment within the scope of securing a career in business, where she would make a lot of money and virtually be very successful.
She started out as a person “who transferred books for small business accounting onto the computer, which led her to the Systems of Engineer position. This led her to the role of computer designer, where she started designing global networks. That’s what she started doing for Corning Inc., as a Senior Analyst. Then she went on to a management role where she worked with every aspect of Information Technology there is”. Little did she know, a vacation with friends would provide a pivotal moment would change the course of her journey. So what was it that altered her direction on the path that she was on? Here are her words in detail:
“I went to a Bed and Breakfast with a bunch of friends, and everyone was getting readings done and I’m thinking I have no idea what this is about, but ok that’s good, that’s fun (laughing)! We get to Angelica, NY and we were getting ready to have dinner, and then the medium comes out. There was a woman in red that asked to take our picture, and as she takes our picture this woman stared at me the whole meal. She wouldn’t take her eyes off of me. Then the medium introduces herself, and of course, it’s this woman in red that has been staring at me the whole time. As she introduces herself, she is staring at me while I am sitting there and there are like 30 other people in the room, and I’m saying to myself does she realize that she’s staring at me?
“In the middle of introducing herself, she says to me, ”You have an entourage around you. I am going to talk to you first.” I was like ok?? And she continues, “I am sorry that I am staring at you, but your family, your lineage, the people around you that love you that have passed onto the other side won’t leave me alone.” I was floored because the things that she told me right then and there changed my life.
“She basically said that I am to embark on my music and that my music was important. She said that I am an orator and that my family is trying to communicate with me but I am so closed off, my heart was so closed that nothing was getting through and that I needed to open my heart. Right then and there, that was it!” She went onto explain that “opening your heart is everything. We all start off with your hearts open and then through different trauma, things happen to us that hurt our feelings, hurt our hearts, and we shut it down little by little. Whether we encounter it as a child first, or whether we manage to get through our childhood completely happy, and then the trauma happens to us as adults, it shuts it down”.
It was in this truth that she realized there was something much bigger than degrees, money, and material success. She found the path that fed her spirit, and in doing so she has been able to help bring light to others struggling on their own journey. There are many names for what she does: Healer, Witchdoctor, Mesa Carrier…SHAMAN. So much mystery around this word. SHAMAN. There are so many questions needing answers about exactly what it is that shamans do. Enolia was able to explain what it all means, and how a Shaman’s “magic” has a lasting effect on people seeking healing.
“I look at what I do in a much broader sense than a quote/unquote “Shaman”. Each one of us has a gift, and some of us choose to bring our gifts forward. Shamanism is the way that I live my life. I choose to acknowledge nature and all aspects of nature and how it balances my life.
I live in harmony with nature to see things in the most positive aspects and positive ways. I feel that my gift is to motivate and to inspire and to work with people. There is an alchemy that takes place when in a classroom or workshop. The gift I have is to help people break through their fears and the barriers that are holding them back. And if they aren’t able to break through, then I can at least help plant the seed.”
Enolia articulates the importance of working on her own issues before facilitating healing on others. It is within this inner work that she is able to help those seeking her guidance. A shaman knows the value of the inner journey and the work that takes place when doing do so. Enolia leads by example with her actions and words… “I would not dare to help others until I’ve worked on myself. Breaking through your own barriers, and breaking through your own issues, assist you to relate to the issues that other people have. It assists you in being able to “see” and to have compassion for the work that you need to do with other people because without compassion you are no different than someone having something to say and not truly representing what they are standing for.”
So now that there is a better understanding of the mindset and heart placement of what a shaman has, what exactly is IT that they do? Enolia explains several modalities that she experienced before taking on the role of a shaman, and it is within these experiences that she can provide medicine for the soul.
“When I had that turning point in Angelica, NY, I read any and everything I could get my hands on. I read voraciously, so that exposed me to many modalities, which brought me to the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers. I attended a retreat at OMEGA in Rhinebeck, NY where I was joined by women from around the world. It was so powerful! I felt it in my body and I was shaking. I was looking at this 4’1” woman from Nepal and she had the whole group praying and shaking. It was there that I’d meet my first grandmother to teach me, her name is Isabelle Mawosighi and she is of the Ojibwe Nation. I approached her and asked her if she would teach me. She said to come visit her sometime and she would be happy to. Three months later I followed up and she taught me my drumming. She taught me how to express my voice through the drum, and how drumming is an empowerment and that it is an extension of us. It is able to speak the words that we are not able to speak and how the song is so much more meaningful than just song.
It creates the environment by which we can do practically anything in. I had another grandmother by the name of Shirley and she is an African American woman who is recognized by the Lakota nation as a leader for the work that she does with the Lakota. Through her, I learned the alchemy of behavior. I studied with the Keres Indians and learned Energy Medicine and how to work with energy with an individually or as a group.”
Enolia began taking from all of these modalities and started creating her workshops and the foundation for her retreats. She has a retreat coming up in August and the process by which the participants will go through is an alchemy process. They will be able to take trauma that has hurt them, and they’ll be able to not only face it but release it. They’ll learn techniques to work all the way through it by using ceremony which they’ll be able to use on their journey all on their own. This helps them to confront daily issues by using daily tools to find their own inner strength, and not looking externally to resolve your problems. Enolia urges that the answers are within and that all people need are the tools, guidance, and effort to find them, which will help them to shine bright like the stars they are.
Enolia understands. Looking at all the conflict within the social and political scope, it’s easy for people to get caught up in the day to day life and start to feel hopeless and frustrated. On an individual level, many people find themselves not knowing what exactly to do in the current societal climate, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed.
This is why it is so important to find the time to reach within and iron out each and every spiritual wrinkle that surfaces. When asked about these pressures and what could be done, Enolia insisted to “Stand in your truth!! Be who you are and lead by example! Have you ever been in a situation where someone just comes up to you and says, ’Wow! You are happy! What is going on with you?’ They want to know what you’ve been doing to be so happy so that maybe it is something that they can take on. What I’ve found is that all it takes is me living my life the right way, because when I am in my joy and in my peace and filling what my heart needs, then it extends politically. Standing in my truth, people will see my truth and then they will want to participate in my life and possibly participate in my truth.
“When you are in darkness and you light one match, what happens to that darkness? It lessens. It changes. One single light has been lit and that’s all it takes to create change. When you are in your light and there’s a flicker of darkness, darkness will be drowned out by light. So if each person is in their light, and then they gather together, it’s like a passing forward. I touch your heart, you touch the next heart…”
And just like that, there is peace. Change comes in the form of solidarity, and Enolia makes it very clear that creating social reform and change starts from within.
Women are creating change now more than ever before and there is no coincidence that the rise of alternative healing methods related to spirit seems to be running a parallel to the social climate involving women’s empowerment. Enolia shared her perspective on how they are connected and how the Women’s Empowerment movement that we see today is affected by the streamline levels of consciousness and spirituality?
“I don’t see them as separate. We, as women, live in a very patriarchal system. We hear about the good ol’ boys network in so many respects and I think that something is missing and empty for women, for men too, but more so for women. In seeking to fill that emptiness, women look for alternative methods. What they are finding is that they are starting to love themselves more and are liking what they see in the mirror. They are learning how to speak their truth and that they are of value and worthy to be heard. They are learning that they have and possess skills, speech, and actions that are worthy and valuable to be seen. And as they go through that self-discovery, they are able to lead more, share more, touch the hearts of more, and create more. They are acting on those creations and lead in that regard.” Enolia goes on to say, “I’d have to say that to men’s credit that it is time for the women’s awakening that is currently taking place. They are supportive of our work because we have been in backgrounds for so many years, with the exceptions of the beautiful women leaders that have dared to go against the stream and stand up. But what is happening now, is that that it’s time for the mass awakening of the women to come forward. I hope to be a part of that mass awakening, whether it’s women in leadership from a corporate standpoint of view, or if it’s leadership that takes place in one of my workshops or retreat. Whatever it takes for a woman to motivate and come forward to be the best person she can be.”
Enolia Foti exemplifies wisdom, compassion, and understanding, which is at the core of being a true shaman. Her path is not unlike many others, but what she has decided to do with her experiences has defined her and not the other way around. There is a lot to learn from other people, but each person has their own individual truth which is only revealed when looking within.
Take the time to investigate her website at https://lovesinfinitepossibilities.com and sign up for a workshop or retreat. The tools and resources that lie within are priceless, and Enolia Foti is the person to encourage those that are seeking to dig deeper. For the deeper a person digs, the more they’ll realize that it was a path worth finding.
– DAKARI ELI
