I encountered the bright and burning spirit behind Natural Magics a while back while Golden Thread Tarot was pretty much still a baby. I've been lurking in her feed for a while on Instagram, lately filled with shots of her travels through nature in her tiny house - a dream that I've aspired to since I was a teenager.

We talked with her while trying to understand how her work with crystals makes its way into her tarot practice and her life overall. 

Can you give a little background about what your passions are, what you do, and what your background is?

I'm just your average, run of the mill chaos witch who creates smoking pipes out of crystals. My life's greatest passion is being a student of the universe and experiencing life as fully as I can. Though my pursuits lie more in the mysterium, the abstract and the psyche, I also love learning and exploring how our material reality works. I am mostly self-educated in all my areas of interest. I went to college for a bit but it wasn't what I wanted at the time so I dropped out after a year and have been learning on my own ever since.

Tell me about your journey into tarot. What were your first impressions back then, and why did you feel drawn to it?

Tarot was a matter of time thing for me. I have been very into the idea of archetypes and the work of Carl Jung for the past decade so I knew i would get involved in tarot, there are just so many things to learn as an initiate or fledgling witch that it took me some time to get there. But once I did, I was a quick and mad convert! I felt it was so obvious that this system held a huge portion if not the whole of the human experience within it along with archetypal energy, and that it was a tool everyone should be using for self discovery at the least. I now have ways for utilizing tarot in many aspects of my life but as far as exploring the Self, there are few better systems out there. My favorite quote concerning Tarot comes from Alejandro Jodorowsky... "Tarot will teach you how to create a soul."

I felt it was so obvious that this system held a huge portion if not the whole of the human experience within it along with archetypal energy, and that it was a tool everyone should be using for self discovery at the least.

Is there a certain principle you stick to when giving readings? What is your goal when you give a reading?

Before anything else, I want my readings to be for the benefit of all and I make that my intention before every reading. And other than that, I just do my best to trust myself. Every reading is different, even when the same card has been pulled by different people at a group reading where I don't know any of the querents. I have to trust that the words I have for each person are what they need to hear or what will spark a connection for them.

I recognize that they are here with a question and I am merely an avenue for a message they may need in order to discover their own answer to that question.

I recognize that they are here with a question and I am merely an avenue for a message they may need in order to discover their own answer to that question. I think my goal for readings for another is to get out of my own way and to remember that receiving a tarot reading is a way for someone to make a connection with the universe. Staying centered and grounded is key as well as not allowing your own ego or projections to enter another person's reading. I think it is so vital in all modalities used for personal growth and healing, that healers and readers are not put on a pedestal and looked to themselves for answers. They are someone we trust to be doing their own work of self-exploration and healing to bring unbiased guidance from a place of wholeheartedness. They are simply showing people to themselves or lighting the way to a path that may be of great benefit to the querent. I know from experience that a poignant reading is an incredible way of accelerating personal, spiritual and even business growth. If a tool works, i say use the hell out of it.

Tell me about what your favorite experience giving a reading was like. Why was it your favorite? How did you feel after giving the reading? 

My absolute favorite was a reading I did for a fellow entrepreneur who was really having an issue with some members of his team. I didn't know the details of the situation, but I pulled some cards with everything he needed to hear about where to be investing his energy with these people as well as how he was getting tripped up and contributing to the problem. As I gave him my interpretation, I could just see his eyes and face totally change like all the light bulbs were going on and new connections were being made! 

You do crystal healing as well, right? Tell me more about that - I’m completely unfamiliar with what it is, but have always been curious.

I do! It's one of of my favorite modalities for energetic shifting. So crystal healing hinges itself on the physics principal of entrainment. Entrainment is a phenomenon in which objects of a higher frequency will entrain objects of a lower frequency to theirs, meaning higher frequencies naturally bring up lower frequencies to match them. And crystals, being of a perfectly symmetrical atomic structure (which is what allows us to see crystals in all the cool shapes we do! It's literally the shape of the atomic particles making that substance up!), they're less subject to entropy than humans are.

Entrainment is a phenomenon in which objects of a higher frequency will entrain objects of a lower frequency to theirs, meaning higher frequencies naturally bring up lower frequencies to match them.

We have tons of different energetic systems interwoven within our own body so lots of conflict in frequency so our base resonant frequency is much lower. Crystals' vibration are much higher in frequency than ours so in theory, they should be able to entrain us to a more resilient and strong vibration. Put it to you this way, I also work with Tuning Forks - 432hz is the grounding frequency for humans, and 4096hz is the frequency for crystals!

So by having these extremely atomically symmetrical crystals in our environment (that's important) we are able to entrain our own base resonant frequency to a higher one. When we use stones corresponding to each Chakra on the body, these energy centers can be opened up/balanced/stimulated and get physical energy moving. This can cause shifts in mood, perspective or behavior, it can also assist in emotional release and mental breakthroughs. You can also visually sense when the energy centers have been opened through energy sensing tools like dowsing rods or pendulums. It's honestly one of the coolest things to witness.

How does your work with crystals crossover into your work with tarot? What relationships have you found between those fields?

I really like working with tarot and crystals together as a energetic team. Crystals are energetically supportive to specific areas of life so when a tarot card has a message for me, I think to the stones I have and work with regularly and consider who can help with that! So for instance, let's say I get the Emperor card and either it's reversed or I just know that the message is concerning the fact that this energy within me is out of alignment. I'm going to go for a lot of Root Chakra stones, lots of grounding crystals like Obsidian, Red Jasper, Pyrite or Galena to support whatever my blockage to the positive side of the Emperor is.

Crystals are energetically supportive to specific areas of life so when a tarot card has a message for me, I think to the stones I have and work with regularly and consider who can help with that!

If I get a minor Arcana card, I usually look to the element of the suit to pair crystals with that reading. Those crystals can then be carried around, worn or used for an intentional energy grid to assist in dealing with the message of whatever card is drawn. If it's an energy I'm trying to really amplify than working with Clear Quartz is my go-to! I also utilize different crystals like Lithium Quartz, Rose Quartz, Amethyst, Celestite, Kyanite and Selenite in order to maximize my connection to source energy and communication with my Higher Self so that my reading is clear and for the benefit of all.

I really like creating grids for my readings with these crystals, I just feel like words come easier vs just feelings or visuals which is how I typically receive information from the ether.

What aspects of a tarot deck draw you? How do you determine whether a deck is a good fit for you?
It's an energetic/aesthetic thing for me to be sure. As a psychonaut, and someone who's psychic gifting leans more to the side of clairvoyance and an essentially visual learner, I feel like something that vibes with me aesthetically is the first things that makes me take notice of a deck. A clear vision or creative voice is what I look for first as I truly do appreciate all styles of art, and then, usually by following makers or huge advocates of a certain deck, I learn by proxy of the energy contained within those decks and from there, go based on intuition which ones are worth my money and attention at that point in my journey.

I’ve been following you on this amazing journey you’ve taken on the road in a tiny house! What made you come to that decision, and what are you learning out on the road? How has being on the road spiritually affected you?
Oh my, I've been dreaming of living small and traveling since I was a very young person! It's certainly a mixture of freedom desire and capitalist rebellion! I've definitely had more time to practice and its been so healing to do so in such beautiful places in nature. My year card is The Hermit so retreating into nature to develop my spiritual path at a more accelerated rate is my goal for myself with this particular year of traveling. I've been doing a lot more readings for myself and journaling about them, more in depth rituals and crystal meditations than I would have normally made time for living in our too big for us house in Colorado like we were previously.

Hustling constantly to make the bills depresses me. Living small creates space for so much bigger things than things! I donated probably 95% of my possessions to fit in this little trailer and to be honest, most of our storage is devoted to my crystal inventory! And I honestly feel like I have more to get rid of. It's really a way of making space in your life i think, this lifestyle. I wanted way more space for my spiritual practice and for creating new types of things so it just made sense to do this at this time. I have a lot of big projects for the future in the mental works and I feel like this time of my life is where all that is incubating. And I'm not sure at this point now if I'll ever permanently reside in a home on a foundation again...having the freedom and mobility of a home on wheels is so addicting!

It's really a way of making space in your life i think, this lifestyle. I wanted way more space for my spiritual practice and for creating new types of things so it just made sense to do this at this time.

What are the biggest and most harmful misconceptions you hear about tarot or crystal healing? If you could tell people anything you wanted either of these crafts, what would you say?

I think the most harmful misconceptions about tarot and all forms of divination is that it's a way of telling the future. It just keeps people from a really helpful tool for growth in all areas of life just because they write it off as bull shit. And with crystal healing, I think the "woo woo" misconception is the worst. It's like if you do your research, there are so many scientific principals that we have seen in action that support the modality as theoretically possible. I really hope to see studies in the next 5 years on how it affects the body physically because I have watched total skeptics loose their shit about how they felt after a crystal healing. Vibration, energy, it is no joke.

What do you do in your everyday life to spark magic?
I have rituals for everything. For waking up, for self-care, for my creative work, for hooping, for tarot, for manifestation and visualization...my life has become a series of rituals and I find myself more inspired and hopeful at this point of my life than any other. I think it's on each and every one of us to create  a meaningful life for ourselves and seeing everything as sacred and bringing more awareness to everything I do is magical to me.

What rituals are a part of your practice? How do you prepare for a reading? How do you end a reading?
I always smudge my reading area and bring my current favorite crystal partners into the space to either create a crystal grid around me or on an altar. I do a lot of breath work to center myself and then to alter my brain state to what I feel like is a more open and free(er) of ego state. I try to meditate a bit beforehand. I smoke Cannabis; the Spirit of that Plant is one of my Matron Goddesses, so it's a beautiful way to invite Her energy into the reading. Depending on Astrological positioning/time of year/moon phases I may do things a little bit differently but those are usually the constants.

Who are your biggest influencers when it comes to your spiritual practice? Any particular authors or books we should take a dive into? I’ve seen snapshots of some books on instagram! What are your favorite reads?

I am a huge fan of Be Here Now by Ram Dass, Pema Chodran is like an ultimate mother figure in the Buddhist tradition, and just the most comforting Being in the world to me. All of her lectures and books are inspirational and freeing. I loved both of Eckhart Tolle's, the Power of Now and A New Earth. Don Miguel Ruiz's the Four Agreements was definitely life changing. Terrence McKenna's lectures (so many amazing ones on youtube) and books, the Archaic Revival and Food of the Gods. One of my current obsessions is actually a comic book created by artist Ron Rege Jr. and it's based largely on alchemical and magickal notes that he took from the lectures by a lovely witch out in LA named Maja D'aost. She's really knowledgeable in all of the occult realms so the highlights that Ron uses in the book highlight a lot of spiritual messengers and ideas in the realms of magick that I love and vibrate with. Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha is still one of the most liberating pieces of spiritual fiction I've ever encountered and that book definitely changed my life forever. The ideas of Carl Jung are a good part of the framework of my worldview I would say. There are so many more, but these are definitely some of the most influential or powerful in my perspective.

What is your favorite mythical creature, and why?
I'm a huge fan of the Mermaid archetype because I feel like the Master Mammals of the   sea dominate in the realms of freedom. Or maybe it's freedom plus mystery since the Ocean is still something we humans have yet to fully explore, like, by a long ways. So to have  the ability to powerfully navigate the depths of the depths on our planet, that has always enchanted me! I'm literally jealous of dolphins more than pretty much any other creature.

Is there anything else in particular that you’d like people to know?

Everywhere on our planet diversity is an element that causes health in the environment. Let's acknowledge our differences and embrace each other. We are one.

I personally would love to share that I believe that we are all One, interconnected, multidimensional expression of the same Universal Substance. Separation will lead us nowhere. Everywhere on our planet diversity is an element that causes health in the environment. Let's acknowledge our differences and embrace each other. We are one.

Finally, where can we find you on the interwebs?

Website(s): www.naturalmagics.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/naturalmagics
Twitter: twitter.com/naturalmagics
Instagram: instagram.com/naturalmagics