WITCHCRAFT

The Path into the Craft was an easy choice, but it wasn't an easy journey.

Many people have asked me how and why I chose Witchcraft, or to identify as a Witch. I think anyone who has been on a similar path knows it's not linear by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, it's the most crooked path you can choose as a human being - but it's worth it.

This isn't just about lighting candles and dancing under the moonlight. It starts with embracing the Unusual & the Esoteric.

My Spirituality is deep but also extremely faceted. I bind to both the Familiar (myself/ my mind/ my thoughts) and the Unfamiliar (what I can't explain but still know). My Catholic upbringing did provide some structure for me but in the long run, only to understand how the people who follow organized religion function and think. You see, while I was experiencing inexplicable events in my own life that Catholicism couldn't explain, I was being taught how to follow rules that would bring me "big rewards in my Afterlife." The funny thing was, I already knew there was no such thing. I was born into this life already knowing I'd had several lives before and why I chose to come into this one. While I was being taught in school that there was a Heaven and God, I already knew it wasn't exactly the truth.

I'm going to break my Path into bite-sized pieces:

REINCARNATION

My very first memory I had in this lifetime as "Krysta" was choosing my parents - and also why I chose this life in particular. My journey was to be the conduit for others to find their truth and tell their story. I was animated into this life to be a teacher as well.

As a child, I was born with memories that weren't my own. I always had an extreme fear of dark water, because I'd have dreams of being a young man on a clipper ship that sunk in the 1600's. I had nightmares of being underwater in the middle of a foreign ocean and seeing the ship sink into the abyss, backlit by cannons exploding from the pressure. In another dream, I'd be holding a torch and guiding men & women through tunnels to guide them to their safety. I was a pre-Civil War era wealthy woman who used her connections to help others get to safety (I was hung at the end of that life, which gave me a healthy fear of having anything tight around my neck). In another life, I remember my body being disposed of in a garbage truck.... this was a nightmare I'd have every time I had a fever as a kid. I was a young man in 1970's New York City, who went down a bad path that led me to that demise. I don't recall details from that life, thankfully; only the way it ended.

In 2010, I had my first past life regression by my healer in Los Angeles. She used energy & light hypnotherapy to move me into one of my lives: I was a cattle rancher in 1880's Oklahoma. I was a rugged but super handsome fella, but had zero social skills. I'd lived my life choosing to be isolated & alone, because I was afraid of being hurt. You see, when I was 8, I'd been sold to a nearby ranch and I had to leave my 3-year-old little brother behind and it emotionally stunted me in this lifetime. I was young when I died and I remember the feeling of being shot in the heart with an arrow by a nearby Native tribe who thought I was attacking their land (I was actually trying to herd a bull who strayed). Dying actually felt incredibly freeing and it was after that day, I released my fear of Death in general.

I've had several regressions since then to better understand what my overall trajectory is. It's hard to comprehend my global lesson as of yet, because my experiences have been varied. I've been a man in majority of my lives and my emotional journey in those has been suppressive & stunted. Interestingly, every time I come back as a woman, I'm deeply empowered, intuitive and ambitious. Which resonates in the life I'm living now. This knowledge has greatly affected my Path.

DIMENSIONS & ASTRAL TRAVEL

I've astral traveled in pockets of my life since I was probably five years old. I didn't realize what I was doing until one day, I was sitting at the breakfast table and my little brother, Sean, who was three years younger, was talking about a dream he'd had the night before. His dream was the same dream I'd had, down to details of what and who I saw. By the time I was 9 and he was 6, we were both traveling together. We never went far; mostly traveling within 5 miles of where we lived, because we were afraid of going beyond that. There was a farm we visited a lot where we'd pop in on our favorite cows to check on them while they slept, or even walking quietly through an abandoned house just a mile down the street from us.

What was strange is that, this ability also translated into our daily lives as well. When we were kids, our family would travel 30 minutes to get pizza in this little town called Bath, PA. The moment we crossed the "Welcome to Bath" sign, Sean and I would instantly see another world. This town would visually "melt" like a watercolor painting in front of us and we'd be transported back to what we later agreed was the 1970's version of this town: Volkswagons of every color, men in bell-bottoms, women with wings in their hair and tiny tops, everyone looked like they were in sepia tone. It was our favorite secret experience to share everytime we traveled to Bath.

Later on in life, I stopped traveling altogether and Sean experienced astral travel to the point where it was too unpredictable and he shut it down. But there was one year where we lived together as adults and it fired right back up again. Almost nightly, we either traveled or we experienced sleep paralysis with a spirit who lived in the house where we were staying.

I have yet to use it in my Craft, because it's fun but it's also wild and a little uncontrollable if you don't know how to manage your tether back to reality.

WORKING WITH SPIRITS & THE OTHER REALM

I identify as a Psychic/ Medium because I have the ability to connect with both other people's Higher Selves and the Spirit World. This is a pretty recent development, as it's a "muscle" I'd never realized I could work before. When I connect to a spirit, I'm able to get names, personality traits, details on the way they passed and messages to Loved Ones who are seeking answers. I wasn't always able to do this.

Historically, I've been able to sense the presence of a spirit but as an Empath, I tethered moreso to human energy. I could tell when someone or something was attached to another person and I'd often see dark outlines or what others term as "Shadow People" out of the corner of my eye. My Empath abilities allowed me to instantly sense when someone had bad intentions towards me or that there was something negative in their aura. I avoid using the term "Evil Spirit" because it really doesn't exist from what I've seen. I've seen alot of beautiful, enchanting energies around people and I've also seen really inky, sticky substances attached to people too. I've also had people try to pass off those energies to me as well and I've done a lot of work around protecting myself and setting up Wards where I live so that, if anything follows me, they can't get through to my personal space.

I've also seen human energy & intention infused into the land. This is one of the reasons I don't like traveling to Louisiana. New Orleans is FULL of Spirits and dark human energy, but there's enough joy & livelihood to balance that out. The further South you travel, not so much. A few years ago, I was filming a story about several women who were murdered in Jennings, Louisiana and it seemed like everyone in town had an agenda or was in on it. The land was oozing with trauma and the air smelled putrid. One night, I was cruising around with an eyewitness when I saw what appeared to be a Wendigo (white snakeskin-covered male human body with a Stag's head) showing itself in a nearby forest. That night, I did multiple protections and even called a psychic friend to create a strong boundary around me. It was the first time an Energy manifested itself In solid physical form in front of me. Knowing what I know now, I believe that Wendigo was a manifestation of people's intentions on that land; not a friendly nature spirit.

Two years ago, when my brother, Sean, passed away, it was like a switch turned on. Instantly, I wanted to attune to where he was and it was like we had a two-way radio to communicate. I received songs, poems, intuitions, messages from him nearly every day. Once we established that connection, he began to bring other people through with messages for their Loved Ones. Then, once my "training wheels came off," Sean stepped back and let my Spirit Guides work with me to hone my Mediumship abilities. Now, when Spirit comes through, I can attune strongly enough to get validations and messages from the other side.

ANIMISM & WORKING WITH NATURE ELEMENTS

When I was as young as 6 years old, I'd wake up in the summertime to feel the moonlight streaming across my bed. We didn't have AC in our house so we kept the windows open for any kind of breeze when it was hot. But as soon as her rays touched my skin, I could feel the Moon. I'd wake up, crawl up to the window and just stare. As I grew into my teens, I'd make wishes on that moon and when I was old enough to drive, I'd pull off the road at night and just stare at the sky.

Nature, by far, is the deepest expression of my Spirituality. I'm by definition an Animist: someone who believes that there is Spirit & Divine Energy in everything around us. It's in the wood that was made into paper that was then constructed into the Tarot Cards I read. It's the raw clay that was used to create my Runes. It's the air we breathe, the dirt at our feet, the birds who arrive with a morning song at our window. I personally worship the Goddess, which is represented by the Moon but also embodies Mother Earth. A system established LONG before Patriarchy came through to destroy and (attempt to) claim it; to rename her high holidays with their own.

Everywhere I've traveled holds its own form of Magic or Spirit Element. In Scotland and also in Northern California, I encountered TONS of Fae and Ancient Tree Spirits. Cape Cod has the most insane Sea Spirits in the water and along their beaches (I also have a feeling it's where my clipper ship crashed from another life -- eek). Southern Alaska and the North Carolina Appalachian Mountains have deeply rooted, ancient Native spirits who communicate only with their own. I've only sensed them here in NC, but in Alaska, one of the elders taught me how to attune to the "Great Hum," as he called it. If you got really quiet, you could hear this distortion/ low hum around you that was theirs alone.

I've historically worked with The Elements (East/South/West/North) but now that I'm in the mountainous region of North Carolina, I work with energy that lives above the trees. I see it every morning and evening before the sun rises & sets. It's called "The Wafting" by most Pagans or Witches, but I'm not sure what to call it yet. I draw it down to work with my spells when I'm in need of a boost.

SPIRIT GUIDES

(My Spirit Guide, Beakie)

When we come into our lives, we sign what is considered a "soul contract," or a binding agreement that identifies what we'll be executing in this life. We agree to the other souls we'll be traveling with, what opportunities and challenges we'll be facing.... even down to how we die. Then, we're assigned Spirit Guides who help us in this journey of our lifetime.

Guides can come through as ancestors (blood lineage), angel energy (intention manifesters), Alien/ ET's or new guides who are interested in working with you. Usually, we have a core team of 3-5 Guides but we can lose and gain new ones throughout our life, depending on what paths we choose. If you're an advanced Witch, you can call down any other guides, from celebrities to deities, should you need their help. (Sounds crazy, but it works)

I didn't pay much heed to my Guides until just recently, when I began my Mediumship journey. At first, my brother Sean and my grandmother Janina came forward as my Guides. They both had their own signature when they'd show up. For Sean, I get goosebumps on my right side, from my forehead down to my waist. His purpose was to bring spirits forward who needed to relay a message to Loved Ones.

For Janina, I get the same goosebumps but on the opposite side and I smell the scent of her hair when she comes through. Her purpose was to bring people into my path who I needed to meet; for example, she brought me my first Grief Counselor and a few new friends once I got to Asheville. I always know it's her because she tries to connect me with other Polish folks (like she is).

(A painting of Janina in her 30's)

Last May, I had a new guide come through. I was traveling through Germany with my mom and I felt someone hit me with goosebumps from the back and I saw a glimmer at the left side of my face. I told my mom someone new was coming through and later that night, I used a pendulum to figure out who it is. Turns out, it was an old friend from high school - my friend Rebecca or "Beakie" as we called her. Beakie told me she'd be guiding me on my journey with Divination and Mediumship when I was ready. In high school, she was the first witch I'd ever met; she was actually a Catholic witch, who believed in God but also studied the Esoteric. She always challenged me to push beyond what we were being taught to explore what else is out there in the world. Unfortunately, she'd died at 19 in a car crash. Now, she's one of my main Guides; she shows up in multiple meditations I have to bring in Spirits, often as a goddess with other Souls attached in her hair (see picture above). The first time I saw the souls floating behind her, I asked her what they were. She explained that they were Spirit Guides in training, so they stay with her to learn the lessons for their own journey. Fascinating shit.

OK, so if you've read this far into this post, now you know that The Crooked Path is called that for a reason. Becoming a Witch/Light Worker/ Intuitive/ Whatever you want to call it isn't just about picking up a book and having an epiphany. However, it does start with the "A Ha" moment of knowing that what they're teaching us isn't all there is. Most of us lose our "special-ness" when we come into puberty and become socially conditioned by those around us. It takes many years to de-condition, re-parent, restructure and pull off the many blindfolds & constraints that hold us back, hold us down.

The key to unlocking your Calling is mainly enthusiasm and a ravenous interest in continuing to push your own boundaries. The moment you peel back a layer, one more presents itself. The more you question, the more questions you'll get. It's up to you to open your mind and push aside any doubt that society has placed there for you - and TRUST YOUR INTUITION as you take the first step onto this Crooked Path.