Magic

Magic and the occult have been a part of my life since I was a teenager. I will never forget the first spell I did, because when it manifested into being, it totally blew my mind. I Was 15 years old and it was from a candle magic book I had gotten from a corporate bookstore chain near my house. Back then accessing independent stores was a challenge if you didn’t live in a big city. I would sit on the floor of the occult isle and read page after page because I couldn’t afford to buy the books. The internet wasn’t a thing, google search did not exist and neither did social media, it was 1996.

23 years ago the information you needed was mostly only found in books or by sharing it with like minded folks. I was fortunate enough to be introduced to other forms of magic thanks to my mother and because of her presence, I was able to learn about crystals, flower essences, energy work, the Tarot and pendulums. I went through a period in my late teens of feeling disconnected from any kind of practice but came back to it in my mid twenties.

I feel quite strongly about honouring those who have paved the way for us to be here doing the work that we do. Part of this process is being honest with where we are at with our passions, crafts and studies. There is so much misinformation out there about ancient studies like Astrology, Tarot and herbalism. We are currently in a thick web of spiritual materialism.

It’s okay to not know everything. It’s okay to say “I don’t know what this means, would you like to share more information about this topic with me? I’m still learning about all of this.” I genuinely miss the days when people wanted to share information with each other in non competitive ways, and I’m hoping we get back to that at some point.

It seems like more and more people want to feel connected to something bigger than themselves. This is very important, the more understanding we have of our ancestry and lineage, the more connected and respectful we can be. We all come from somewhere and your ancestors probably have a wealth of knowledge to share with you. Connecting with our own culture and roots helps us in understanding the importance of not stealing and appropriating from other cultures and marginalized communities. Colonialist mindset, love and lighting and white supremacy is rampant in the spiritual and magical communities (and the world). I promise that your ancestors have a wealth of knowledge to share with you! I feel as though it’s more important than ever to continue undoing the harm we have caused, take responsibility for our actions and magical practices. I wrote more about my relationship to magic in my zine available here.

These are some of my favorite tools to work with:

Flower and gem essences

I’ve been making my own Essences since 2010. Some of my other favourite essence brands out there are: Dori Midnight, Desert Alchemy, Ms.Tea botanicals, moon by moon apothecary, and Alaskan essences to name a few.

What are essences? to put it simply, it is working with the energetic properties of the plant, stone, environment or animal without actually consuming them. It is energetic vibrational medicine imprinted in water and preserved in alcohol, vinegar or glycerin. It is a gentle and effective way to help us with any parts of our healing journeys. Essences offer support in deep and fundamental ways.

I’m available for consultations if you would like to purchase your own intuitive essence blend, you can contact me here:

Oracle cards

I love oracle cards so much! I sometimes find them to be less intimidating than the tarot (which also takes years and years of work and practise) I do work with both oracle and Tarot cards. I created my own deck, which is called Visions: a crystal oracle deck. I started the project in 2013 and it took me two years to complete. It was self published in 2015 locally in San Francisco, CA. A series of watercolour paintings of crystals from my own personal collection. I had to start a go fund me with the help of my friends, to be able to pay for the printing costs. It was extremely exciting to see it come to life! The first edition is sold out, but I am looking into a sustainable way to print the second edition.

My go to question when I pick a card is more often than not: “what do I need to pay attention to right now?” Or “ what do my guides want me to know.”

Some of my favourite oracle decks are: ascension to paradise by Jane toerien and Joyce van dobben, flowers of the night by Cheralyn Darcy. There are some really great independent folks creating some really stunning projects out there!

I also love working with: ancestral practices, pendulums, daily beauty rituals, dream work, crystals, food, candle magic, the moon, astrology, flowers and my art practice which is very tied in with my intuitive magic. It is truly endless! I generally practice magic in a solitary way with the exception of a few people. In 2014 a dear friend and I started Spinning wheel apothecary, seasonal magical boxes. A magic CSA share kinda deal. Below are photos of some of our products that we created.

I’m currently diving deeper into my own ancestry and its customs, flower magic, working with colours via visualization, making oxymels and going deeper into my art practice.