About the Book Yolanda Tarantino was born into chaos—abuse, abandonment, and spiritual confusion. But from the rubble of trauma, she unearthed a calling. In this powerful spiritual memoir, a woman traces her extraordinary journey from a fractured childhood to a life of divine purpose. With raw honesty and unwavering faith, Yolanda recounts a life marked by violence, betrayal, and loss—yet also by resilience, revelation, and redemption. From dark encounters with the occult to supernatural visions, from ancestral wisdom to Christian healing, her story is a deeply personal testament to transformation. Yolanda invites readers into a world where spiritual gifts awaken, healing runs deep, and the past doesn’t define the future. Whether through whispered prayers, glowing crosses, or the quiet presence of a neighbour who becomes family, Awakening the Spirit Within is a memoir about rising from the shadows to become a vessel of light. For anyone who has ever been broken, and dared to believe in something more, this book offers hope, healing, and a path home. About the Author Who am I? God is always with you. We are not separate from him. I am finally able to be my true self. However, after discovering these things about myself, I am curious to know what type of being or energy I truly am. Am I an enigma? A shaman? A medium? A psychic? Do I need to put a label on it? In the end, I realize I am all these and so much more. I’m a human being who wants to understand who God is. I am an instrument of God’s love, and I accept this beautiful gift of serving others. I’ve had numerous wonderful supernatural experiences, which have taught me a great deal about myself. There is immense joy when I can connect with others through readings, and when I can provide and validate the truths of their loved ones who have passed on and share their stories. Though it’s easy for us to twist and contort the truth to fit our own understanding of what good and evil are, it’s best to look at everything through the eyes of a child instead of sitting and judging others. We need to be present and accept the soul’s presence with unconditional love. All my suffering was a means to develop my insight and empathy. How could I relate and help others if I didn’t learn to forgive my abusers? I had to be able to comfort and tell people I understood everything they were going through. I needed to be filled with compassion and empathy. All of my supernatural experiences, all my visions, were God guiding me along the path. Even in my darkest hours, when I felt very far from God, I can always look back and see a glimpse of Him smiling and waiting patiently. Once you let go of your pain and learn to trust in the natural process, there are no limits. Nothing is standing between you and God. Throughout my journey, the schooling, learning, and experiences, a key realization in comprehending that nearly everything that happened was necessary to bring me to this level of understanding and enlightenment. When my soul never felt worthy of existence, I learned it wasn’t someone or something that would fulfill me; it was self-acceptance and self-love that allowed me to understand what God was trying to show me—that He loves me unconditionally. As it is said in Luke 11:34-36: “Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it’s bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore, be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part in dark, it will be wholly bright as when a lamp with its rays gives light.”