Founders of Tracing Roots of Peace

Thomas Jocko

Tom is a vibrant spirit of light whose life and guidance has been instrumental in my Journey as a Spiritual Seer, Healer and Teacher.  It was his dream that we work together to create Union and Peace in this world returning to the Truth of the Peacemakers Message and recreating the ability to live in harmony with each other and our  Mother Earth.  On September 17, 2006 Tom moved into his light body and entered the Spirit world when he was hit by a car on the Onondaga nation. Since that moment his Loving spirit has continued to support, love and teach people from all walks of life. I have heard so many people tell me stories of Tom' s Guidance and presence.  Tom continues to watch over his two children Keely and Tommy with love and adoration and it is his dream that they will both grow up to embrace their own gifts. Tom touched the lives of so many people when he walked this earth. He continues to touch our lives now as he did then. After Tom Crossed to the spirit world surrounded by a mass of grieving people, my daughter said  “Tom Never Left me.. Am I the only one who gets that?” She was right Tom continues to walk among as a beloved friend, brother and teacher.  He is free now beyond the limits of time and space to assist us all on our journey to peace and truth.  The creation of this weekend is a perfect example of the gifts he continues to pour onto us all.

— Sheila          

Facilitators/Speakers

Diane Shenandoah
Diane was born into a large Haudenosaunee family on her ancestral Oneida Nation Territory in upstate Oneida, New York. Diane's father, Clifford (now deceased) was an Onondaga Chief and her mother Maisie is an Oneida Wolf Clan Mother. Her parents encouraged all of her siblings to pursue their talents and gifts in the arts. Clifford was a Jazz musician and singer and their Mother Maisie is an artist, painter, and pianist. Diane is also a back up singer and percussionist for her sister the internationally renowned Grammy winner, singer/songwriter Joanne Shenandoah.

Diane has recently been honored with receiving two grants from the First Peoples Fund in South Dakota. She then created a series of Lady stick pin/necklaces in honor of woman, called the “Life Giver” series and a line of Jewelry with babies called "Angel Babies Network" a non-profit series to help children organizations, which were originally carved from Buffalo bone then cast in Sterling Silver and 18k gold. Both series will soon be available on her web site. She now works in several mediums, which includes numerous woods, bone, and some welding.  She designs traditional items with contemporary flair. This work includes; Cradle boards, Rattles, furniture and custom work, utilizing local Black Walnut, Oak, shell and various materials.

Diane also teaches sculpting, carving and hand building techniques.
Diane is most honored to be in the permanent collections of the New York State Museum, Albany, N.Y. The Fennimore Museum , Cooperstown, N.Y., The Rancocus Nation Museum, Mt. Holly, N.J. and numerous Private collections.

Artist Statement
My style has been evolving with every new piece I create. I have seen the energy of my work change before my very eyes. I stare in awe of some of my pieces, knowing that this work didn't come from me but through me. What an awesome gift I have been given from which I am so very honored and grateful. My work moves me in a way that is hard to describe and it brings forth an energy that is overwhelming. The mother and babies pieces bring me to tears; I acknowledge the great gift I have been given-of being a woman. I have been so blessed to give birth to five beautiful children. All of whom were forced to be my models since birth!

The paths I have taken since I was a young child have always been
influenced by my mother. She has always encouraged me and my five siblings to be creative with our hands. This was our means of supporting such a large family; we traveled to numerous Native gatherings throughout my upbringing. She is an amazing woman and artist. I have always felt the sun rise and set on my presents.

In 1979 I moved to New Mexico and attended Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute and then The Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe. It was there that I found the love of carving. I had the honor of meeting and showing my work to the renowned master sculptor, Allan Houser. I was hoping to be his apprentice. He said to me "I have never had a woman apprentice but if I were to have one, you would be it' Which gave me the much need confidence to continue exploring my passion. While at IAIA. I received two degrees, one in 3-dimentional arts and creative writing. I moved back "home' in the late 80's, right next door to my mother. She is the Oneida Wolf Clan Mother, and due to her influence I also became involved in the Wolf Clan as a Faith Keeper, a title that represents the "helper of the Clan Mother.'

There is beauty in knowing who I am, finally realizing my gifts and how healing it is me to just know there is a plan greater than you or I, it is a relief to let my faith le ad me and know of the pure love and strength that flows through my art. I hope you get the same energy as you view and experience my work. Thank you for taking the time to share this with me and I truly pray for many, many blessings to you and yours.

Sheila Applegate

”I am the perfect reflection of divine love and so are you:
you only have to remember.”

— Sheila Applegate

Sheila's truth didn’t appear overnight. For the last twenty years, she has been on a relentless mission to reveal her true, authentic self. In fact, the following words were inscribed under her senior photo in the high school yearbook. ”I will be myself as soon as I find her”

Sheila has been found! Without a doubt, the world can clearly see who Sheila Applegate is. She embodies unconditional love and goddess energy.

”The truth of who I am has been a long time in coming. My personal journey has not only been self-fulfilling it has become a gift to others. A gift that allows men and women to understand who they are, how they are living and what needs to happen to live with more understanding, joy, insight, energy and abundance.

The journey we are all traveling is individual, yet one common thread unites us. All that exists within you is far more than you realize. Your body feels and your mind recognizes your physical surroundings, but you are so much more.

The knowledge of who you are; what makes up the inside of you; is key to having all you desire”

Education and Experience
Sheila has a Bachelor’s Degree of Social Work (BSW) from Syracuse University and a Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work (MSW) from the University of Maryland. Sheila also received her certification in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). She has worked for Aurora of Central New York as a play therapist for blind children and their families and at a school for children with emotional and behavioral problems. Sheila’s extensive experience also includes having worked as a psychotherapist for individuals, groups, and families at SUNY Health Science Center, Oneida Indian Nation Family Services and the Onondaga Nation School. At Vera House, a shelter and advocacy program for people affected by domestic violence, she worked as a therapist and community advocate, supporting and empowering women and children in crisis situations and in courtroom settings. Sheila’s education and experience as a therapist have provided a solid foundation for and natural segue into her work as a spiritual reader and healer.

Spiritual Background
Sheila has always been intuitive but was not consciously aware of any particular spiritual gifts she had while growing up. In college, she learned to meditate and took courses in comparative religion, which set her on a lifelong journey of spiritual practice and exploration. In 1992, through her work with Reverend Joan Lee at the First Congregation of Infinite Light in Syracuse, New York, she became aware of her ability to work with spirit guides and developed a deeper connection with them. She took classes in healing and prophecy, used her gifts by giving spiritual readings to members of the congregation, and eventually gained a certificate in prophecy. In 1998, she branched out on her own to do spiritual readings and healing work full time, and received certification as an Ordained Minister through the Light of Divine Truth Foundation.

Work with Clients
Sheila Applegate is a gifted spiritual reader and healer and teacher. She is a very high level intuitive and clairvoyant who can describe guides, people, and situations with astonishing detail and accuracy. She is able to clearly see the guides, angels, and Ascended Masters of her clients, and facilitates communication between these guides and her clients in order to provide information about their spiritual progress, relationships,  and other practical, everyday issues from a higher perspective. This is an ability that Sheila has developed through years of diligent practice, and one of her main goals as a teacher and spiritual reader is to help others understand that they too, possess this innate ability. She encourages them to learn to connect directly with their own guides and spiritual teachers in the same way. Through readings and classes with Sheila, her clients learn to develop and trust their own intuition, and to use their spiritual readings with Sheila as a means of empowerment. Sheila’s belief is that she is not the source of healing, but rather the vehicle through which the Creator’s energy flows.

For more information see www.sheilaapplegate.com <http://www.sheilaapplegate.com>

Mary Richardson Schechter

”Choose your life as you choose your words. Know that every thought, every feeling and every action you take creates your life. What will you create today??”

—Mary Richardson Schechter

I was told as a child to stop seeing things, to focus on what was in front of me and to stop feeling what I knew to be the truth. What that meant is I spent much of my younger life ignoring what I knew, what I saw and what was possible.

The journey of becoming who you truly are means taking risks, stepping out, saying and doing what you believe to be true,disagreeing with authority when you need to. It means saying I am who I AM. Not what others might expect of me.
 
Whether as motivational speaker, intuitive channel or consultant to business, Mary is known for her ability to connect with her clients immediately, inspiring them to their potential as she leads them through personal and organizational change.

Personal Empowerment
As the principal of LifeWorkNow Empowerment Practice, she is the creator of the LifeKeys seminar and Visions of Heaven-Lessons In Light series, designed to help people find their true LIFEWORK purpose and passion. Based on the six keys to Life-Balance, she facilitates personal change using universal principals and intuitive practice as part of “everyday” life.

Intuitive Counsel
Given the ability of intuitive vision since a child, Mary has cultivated this gift to assist others in their life-journeys.

Expressing clairvoyance and clairaudience as a child, Mary will receive information which can include, but is not limited to higher self guidance from your IAM presence, your guidance entourage, or Guardian Angels, or those who have crossed over. As a channel, she works with every client by aligning herself first with the IAM presence and then including the information presented by vibrating in alignment with the clients divine plan pattern. Evoking the greatest joy alongside the learning opportunities presented by spirit, information is always serving your best self and highest potential.

Developing inner awareness and the courage to use it in everyday situations is both her gift and desire as she works with individuals and groups. When each of us recognizes that our presence on this planet is not a random chance, but a deliberate choice, we begin to move into our fullest potential as creators and human beings.

Business Experience
Mary Schechter, is both motivational speaker and Principal of Next Step Consultants, a consulting and training practice dedicated to maximizing organizational effectiveness, employee skill potential and personal accountability.

Offering on-site facilitation/training, consulting and individual coaching in the areas of employee retention, productivity, performance coaching and assessment, her specific expertise is applied NLP (NeuroLinguisticProgramming) in the areas of leadership and peak performance. As a certified PHR, with the national organization, SHRM, she holds expertise in Human Resources Training.

Her professional experience draws upon time spent in manufacturing, engineering, hi-tech, services such as health care, insurance, education and banking, human services and government. Selected organizations with which she has worked include AT&T, Sithe Industries, Saint Lawrence Explosives, Blasland, Bouck and Lee, Inc. Niagara Mohawk/National Grid, Syracuse University, Carrier UTC, Philips Broadband Networks and Lockheed Martin, Medical Management Resources Inc., US ARMY and New York State.

For more information see www.nextstepconsultants.biz

Joanne Shenandoah

Shenandoah has drawn upon her rich heritage in establishing a reputation as one of America's foremost Native recording artists. In addition, Ms. Shenandoah has given hundreds of lectures and workshops throughout the world, from the Parliament of the Worlds Religions, to commencement speeches and multicultural affairs. Ms. Shenandoah appears in a principal role and performs in "The Last Winter" starring Ron Perlman (Hellboy and Beauty and the Beast). In addition, she has been featured in many PBS, video and television documentaries. Joanne is a two-time Grammy Award winner, INDIE Award winner and Native American Music Award winner. Learn more...

Spirit Wing

Sprit Wings members Barbara Gregg-Andrews Christy (vocals, flutes, percussion) (Kiowa/Cheyenne/Shawnee/Cherokee), Barry Lee (vocals, guitar)(Munsee) and Chris Hawley (bass, percussion)(Munsee) and Doug Penglase (percussion/guitar) are known for their impassioned performances and have appeared at the Philadelphia Folk Festival, Bethlehem Musikfest, and many Native American Festivals in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland and Virgina. Their music comes from a strong folk/acoustic tradition along with traditional Native songs that date back hundreds of years. Their first CD, Ancient Spirit Voices has received critical acclaim with airplay on Native American radio programs throughout the country. Their second CD: To Future From Past has been nominated for Best Folk/Country in the Native American Music Awards. This CD is receiving airplay across the country and internationally. Spirit Wing's third CD: Flutes, Drums and Guitars is all instrumental and has also been nominated for the 2007 Native American Music Awards. in the world music category.

Christopher Scott Hamilton

Soulful, Romantic, Engaging, Honest, Sensuous, Melodic and Sexy are words that have been used to describe this man, his voice, and his music. Christopher Scott Hamilton is a musician that is truly unique. Around the age of three, his dad said to him, "Son, lots of folks can play really well and there will always be someone better than you. It was that advice that spurred Scott into searching for himself in his music instead of what he thought someone wanted to hear. He wanted to be able to hit the playback and say, Yeah, I believe in me. It was his father‚s advice that makes him really strive to be different. This solo singer/songwriter plays all of the instruments you hear guitar, vocals, cello, saxaphone bass, and the keys. He is especially proficient on the guitar.