My name is Janet “OSHADA” Jagodzinski (pronounced ya-go-gin-ski), but please feel free to call me Oshada. I am an Ordained Spiritualist Minister and Certified Medium.

Since 1980 I have been serving the public, both within the Spiritualist Community and through my private practice. Working nationally & internationally, I have been conducting classes, workshops & public demonstrations, as well as providing spiritual consultations and private readings.

The Gifting of Oshada

In 1986, Janet was gifted the name “Oshada” from Grandmother Twylah Nitsch. Twylah Nitsch was an Elder and founder of the Seneca Indian Historical Society. She was a Wisdom Keeper and Sacred Elder of the Seneca Wolf Clan Teaching Lodge. She taught that wolves are the teachers of the earth. They are pioneers and trailblazers. They have taught the two-leggeds, us human beings, how to live as a family and a community. The name Oshada is a teaching name. It teaches Oshada about who she is in the world, giving her the strength and wisdom to use her life and gifts to help others.

A Native American name is more than something people are called by. Western names, given names, are often like the punctuation mark at the end of a sentence. They mark an exact time of birth and identify us in the lineage of our ancestors. With that name we become a fixed point on the continuum of our family tree.

Native American names received ceremonially move and breathe through time and space. They speak to the essence of who we are, as well as the possibilities of becoming. They are anything but a fixed point. Rather they are like a river running through you. There is a relationship, and a responsibility between you and your name. The name teaches you lessons. It guides you through both the calm waters and the rapids of life. You in turn agree to follow the current and trust that you are being held inside the Great Mystery’s care and infinite wisdom. You spend your life becoming more truly who you are. You spend your life becoming your name.