1/22 For as long as I have been alive I have had to depend on the world of the unseen for my very existence.

Sounds dramatic, I know. Just hear me out...

I was born into this world to an underage girl. My body broken.

2/22 Doctors said I wouldn't live past seven years of age; if I was lucky.

To avoid the emotional and financial burden that comes with a dying child, I was immediately put up for adoption.

I was fortunate to be taken into a loving home.

3/22 My new parents spending their entire life's savings trying to keep me alive but, in the end, it was my spiritual mother's unrelenting faith that kept death's hand at bay.

I remember many times being rushed to the hospital in the dead of night.

4/22 Gasping for breath as one or both of my lungs had collapsed. My mother, cradling me in her arms crying out to her god for my life as my dad broke every speed limit and ran every traffic light.

5/22 (The simple fact we never had a single-car accident is probably the real miracle. )

And, right as I was slipping into unconsciousness, I would feel a warmth come over my body and suddenly, I could breathe.

6/22 When no doctor can save you and no amount of money can buy you your next breath...

7/22 When your very first memory as a living, aware being is not of being lovingly breastfed by your mother or having a joy-filled surprise birthday party...but of a hag hovering over your bed, eyes rimmed yellow and face cracked as she floats, smiling down, waiting for you to…

8/22 …stop breathing...

You learn early on that there is much, much more to life than most will ever know.

For over 30 years I've sought understanding of these unseen worlds. My search has taken me down many, many winding roads.

9/22 Misha, @feralvenefica and I have lived and studied the occult in over 12 countries. I've been a teenage evangelist in the Christian church, I've studied with a genuine hoodoo rootworker, I've been a ceremonial magician, and dark pagan.

10/22 I've used magic to heal myself, build successful businesses

and, I've had magic backfire and burn my life to the ground. Losing everything more than once.

11/22 All I've ever wanted was to know and understand magic and power through the actual living and breathing of magic and power.

Occultists, teachers, seers, mystics...are meant to guide us through our darkness.

12/22 Helping hands that ease the way through the often lonely borderlands and heartbroken crossroads of life...

But, the truth is that our occult communities are fragmented, paranoid, and mostly empty husks of what they could be.

13/22 We've all seen occult schools riddled with ego, prejudice, backbiting, and struggles for power; making them impotent as institutions of grand learning.

14/22 Many of our most well-known teachers of esoteric principles use their platforms to seduce eager students, spread conspiracy and fear and sow seeds of dissension.

15/22 They convert their followers to little more than sycophants that bully, intimidate, and terrorize anyone with differing opinions.

Then, there are legions of those who teach without knowing, who try to lead while also being lost themselves...

16/22 Instead of offering solid spiritual food from the storehouse of their own authentic life experiences, they serve us watered-down, wormy imitation that does little to satisfy and even less to impart true spiritual wisdom and insight.

17/22 These people are not genuine bearers of truth but are merely regurgitators of others' revelation.

As occultists and devotees of the unseen, we can be messengers to those who urgently need insight into the nature of reality...

18/22 To help those seeking sovereignty in their own unique magical life.

The occult community must raise its standards and boldly judge the effectiveness of its teachings and teachers.

19/22 We have to stop settling for what just looks or sounds magical and instead only accept that which IS magical by whether or not it actually WORKS.

What good is beautifully written magical prose and enchanting hymns if the gods themselves refuse to answer?

20/22 No, we must prune the dead and fraudulent and let them serve as fuel to the fire of that which is living, genuine, and sincere.

I'll be 45 years old this year. I have discovered a lot of answers in my search for understanding.

21/22 But, for every single insight I enjoy, I have countless unanswered questions.

Remember this...

Your unique experience and knowledge of the nature of reality are just as important as anyone else's.

22/22 I would love to hear what you have found to be true and magical in your life.

Every voice counts.

Peace and love