Life on planet earth is about to get very, very weird.

And, odds are, you’re already feeling it: experiencing all species of high strangeness, undeniable synchronicities, and the “ascension symptoms” that come along with all of this spiritual and energetic intensity.

As a shaman, I’ve been getting glimpses of this very moment for years, courtesy of a few not-so-chill Spirit Guides that are apparently “pumped” for what’s about to spill out into the mainstream consciousness. And, while I don’t have all of the answers or details, what I do have are a handful of new TOTEM Flower Essences that I was guided to plant, grow, harvest and formulate to hit the market at this very moment.

And I don’t think that’s an accident.

In fact, I think these new premium Flower Essences are here “just in time” to be of service to those of us seeking to lean into this Summer’s energy, using the intensity to intentionally transform our uncomfortable current state into a new and wonderful future vision previously thought impossible:

Elixir of Life, made of premium exotic lilies

Our premium Elixir of Life TOTEM Flower Essence, made of a blend of exotic lilies, is formulated to infuse the energy body with transformational magic.

Elixir of Life combines lily species including Spider Lilies, Turk's Cap Lilies, Asiatic Lilies, Day Lilies, and Tiger Lilies to infuse the user's energy body with the power of transformational magic, assisting them in alchemizing, integrating and shifting their current state into their desired future state.

Elixir of Life is an ideal Flower Essence for those seeking to change, transform, and/or elevate specific areas of or situations in their life into a specific, intentional form that they desire. Changing jobs? Seeking a shift in your business? Wanting to breathe fresh life into a current relationship? Find true love? Create your Opus Magnum? Experience metaphorical resurrection after a challenging time navigating the constraints and struggles of mundane reality?

Elixir of Life is here to help transmute that which is shitty, stale or stagnant into the shiny bright image of perfection you hold within your mind’s eye!

You can buy a beautiful, gold-labeled bottle of this premium blend of flower essences on our TOTEM Etsy Shop here: https://totemreadingsatx.etsy.com/listing/4531042699

Good Bye, made of black roses

Our Premium Good Bye Flower Essence, made of rare, black heirloom garden roses, is formulated to help you energetically release inherited and ancestral trauma.

Good Bye goes deeper than our standard Thug Rose Flower Essence to address the energetic impacts of generational, epigenetic and inherited trauma, assisting the subtle energy body to remediate and release any ill effects that manifest in negative, repeating patterns and even the limiting beliefs that we’ve received from prior generations of our biological families.

Good Bye does what the name suggests: energetically supporting the user to say a positive, constructive “goodbye” to any generational challenges, releasing ancestral traumas and enabling the user to move forward with a clean energetic slate.

You can buy a beautiful, silver-labeled bottle of this premium heirloom rose flower essence on our TOTEM Etsy Shop here: https://totemreadingsatx.etsy.com/listing/4531045751

Tree Faun, made of fig tree

Our Premium Tree Faun Flower Essence, made of fig tree, acts as an energetic invitation to earthly sensuality— and the sensual, earthly spirits that dwell within trees, otherwise known as “fauns”!

Want to see, interact with, or sense nature spirits? Communicate with fairies and elemental beings like the mythic sylphs, dryads, pixies, gremlins, nymphs and tree fauns? Want to connect more with the earth’s energy, stressing less and relaxing and enjoying a slower, more natural pace? Want to inject a little impish fun and sensuality into your day?

Our new Tree Faun TOTEM Flower Essence can help you harness the wild, sensual energy of the Fig Tree into one small, easy to carry magical potion.

You can buy a beautiful, green-labeled bottle of this premium fig tree essence on our TOTEM Etsy Shop here: https://totemreadingsatx.etsy.com/listing/4531060248

TOTEM Flower Essences on sale on Etsy

Right now, we’re offering all of our TOTEM Flower Essences— including these three new premium tinctures— for 60% off. Given the not-so-subtle scent of massive, aeon-changing disruption in the air, I personally think it’s a good time to shift our flower essence “routines” to meet the moment: going deeper, dreaming bigger, and getting weirder about the Woo however and whenever possible.

Personally, I’ve started taking all three of these new essences today…and I’m more than a bit eager to see their impacts on my energy body and mundane reality!

Head over to our Etsy shop to check out all of the magical potions (and decks and books) that we offer— and take advantage of this summer sale— here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

This Capricorn Full Moon feels…intense, energetically complicated, and potentially even game-changing in unexpected (and permanent) ways. But don’t worry: we get into all of it, so listen along, and check out links and info below.

TOTEM Flower Essence Deck

So, you’re not going to be seeing a whole lot of our trusty TOTEM Tarot Deck on these Full Moon Tarot Readings and TOTEM Weekly Card Pulls anytime soon, but we will be using at least one card from our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck, which is available for sale on Etsy and Amazon.

Want to work with me?

You can book a one-on-one reading, channeling session, energy work session and many more services with me on my website’s booking page HERE.

If you want to learn more about my one-on-one Coaching or Mentoring programs, you can learn more and book a free consultation to discuss the details HERE and HERE, respectively.

-Rachel

We show off the new Spring/ Summer TOTEM + PUCK HCKY clothing collection— featuring gorgeous jewel tones and new Court Card-themed designs— and share our special top secret promo code just for Substackers (hint: it’s SHAMAN26).

I drink sake, talk about our upcoming in-person events here in Austin, go over the details of our Review Raffle (which wraps on 6/26), and even get into the incredible series Widow’s Bay on AppleTV.

I won’t be gone forever (I think), but I will be gone for a minute, so if you notice I’m not responding to messages, emails, etc., please know that I’m super duper locked into life and death stuff, and will get back to you on the other side!

I’m still doing client work, as I still own and run a Woo-based business. Online booking is up to date, so if you do want to connect, schedule a session in July or August here: https://www.totemreadings.com/about-3

Can’t wait to see many of you locals at the book signing and discussion at Vintage Bookstore and Winery at the end of this month!

-Rachel

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Thank you so much to everyone that has purchased our not-so-little pink book, The Business of Woo: Thriving In Your Psychic Business (Without Losing Your Mind Or Selling Your Soul!)!

Reviews drive book success

And, if you’ve read our book, you know all too well that small gestures can make a huge— and game-changing— difference for us small, Woo-based business owners, self-published authors and indie deck creators. One of those small gestures is writing an honest review, in this case of our new book, on Amazon.

And this is all the more important for our new book because almost half of our honest reviews (from verified purchases) have been removed by Amazon, setting us WAY BACK in the #1 key metric that drives book (and business) success.

Review Raffle wrapping on 6/26

So, if you’ve purchased our book and want to leave an honest review of it on Amazon, please consider doing so before June 25th— not just to help us with a critical metric within a critical window, but also so that you can enter to win one of THREE Grand Prizes in our latest Review Raffle! All you need to do is take a screenshot of your review (even before submittal, as Amazon often takes weeks to post a new review) and email it to me at: rachel@totemreadings.com

I’ll be drawing Review Raffle winners on June 26th— the day of my in-person book signing event here in Austin at Vintage Bookstore and Winery. Gifts will be shipped/ shared asap and include:

• A custom pet portrait from artist and illustrator Emma Cook, the same creative genius that worked on The Business of Woo book, the TOTEM Tarot Deck, and the TOTEM Flower Essence Deck!

• A premium piece from our Spring/ Summer TOTEM + PUCK HCKY clothing collection!

• Three premium, never-before-seen, full-sized TOTEM Flower Essence blends

There is also a fourth WILD CARD prize that I’m keeping a mystery…but that I think will bring a HUGE smile to all of your faces (and I can’t wait to share it with you on the 26th!).

In-Person Book Events This Month

I’m bringing copies of our not-so-little pink book to several in-person events this month here in Austin, TX:

Nature’s Treasures Tarot and Oracle Expo

On June 20th and June 21st, I’ll be at Nature’s Treasures Annual Tarot and Oracle Deck Expo, offering our book, our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck, and several summer-centric TOTEM Flower Essences at a special, discounted price for attendees. There is no price to attend the event, and you don’t need to RSVP, making it all the easier to swing by and enjoy the air conditioning during what’s going to be a very steamy weekend here in Austin. Doors open at 12 PM and stay open until 5 PM each day, and here are the basic details if you’re thinking of joining:

Nature’s Treasures Tarot and Oracle Expo June 20-21

• Time: 12-5 PM CST

• Phone: 512-472-5015

• Email: Rocks@ntrocks.com

• Address: 11055 N. IH-35, Austin, TX 78753

Business of Woo Book Signing at Vintage Bookstore and Winery

And I hope you can join me and on Friday, June 26th to celebrate the release of my new book with a lively book discussion and Q&A at Vintage Bookstore and Winery here in Austin, TX.

Not only will we be discussing the good, the bad and the ugly of The Business of Woo book and taking audience questions, I will also be signing your copies of the book— or new copies that you purchase at the event! Please note: the number of available hard cover copies will be limited and will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis, but don’t worry: there are literally endless copies available to print and ship on Amazon!

This is going to be quite the party, and is landing the day before my birthday— so can’t wait to enjoy some libations and celebratory vibes with all of you there!

Vintage Bookstore and Winery Book Signing + Discussion June 26

• Time: Doors Open at 6:30 PM CST, event starts at 7 PM CST and goes until 9 PM CST

• Phone: 512-551-9215

• Email: info@vintagebooksandwine.com

• Address: 1101 E 11th St, Austin, TX 78702

• RSVP to secure your FREE spot here: https://www.vintagebooksandwine.com/events/5264520260626

A Heartfelt THANK YOU!

If you’ve taken a look at our recent post, titled Toska, HERE, you know that I’ve been “in it”— and am taking time away from a lot of nonessential social media, non-client communication, and other activity for the next few months.

This is the hardest phase of my life to date, a true accomplishment considering…well…the rest of it up to this point! My health recovery from acute toxic mold exposure, the financial and emotional strain of our prolonged (and mold-related) legal battle, and the sheer fatigue of needing to work above normal levels for a very, very long time have really hit an unmanageable peak in recent weeks, and I’ve kind of hit the wall.

But a tactical retreat is not a surrender. In fact, Joan of Arc credited breaks between battles— and her contact with archangels during those intermissions— with her ability to do the impossible: use psychic data to defeat the English military at the ripe old age of 13.

Let’s just hope my story doesn’t end the way Joan’s did— I’m not sure I’m the kind of person that can remain stoic and cool while being burned at the stake by the very people I helped to save! In fact, I’m fairly cautiously optimistic about the eventual outcome of all of these efforts and my own battle against the forces of evil, and couldn’t have done any of it without all of your support.

So, if I make it through this gauntlet, it will be because of incredible supporters like you— and your purchases and reviews of our not-so-little pink book. Thank you all so, so much, and stay tuned in the next few months for a positive pivot!

-Rachel

Everything was forever, until it was no more.

The Russian word “toska” does not have an English equivalent.

Vladimir Nabokov attempted to translate its meaning across this linguistic and ontological ravine, writing, “Toska is deepest and most painful, it is a sensation of great spiritual anguish, often without any specific cause. At less morbid levels it is a dull ache of the soul, a longing with nothing to long for, a sick pining, a vague restlessness, mental throes, yearning.”

The word “toska” is beautiful, serving as a kind of elegant, nuanced etymological time capsule from the same part of the world that also gave us the word “shaman”. But, unlike the word and culture that approximates its meaning, the living, breathing day-to-day lived experience of toska is not beautiful, elegant, or in any way desirable.

Sure, there are the standard spiritual upgrades that come along with any prolonged trauma, life crisis or shamanic illness: existential and ontological insights, spiritual lessons learned, the addition of new psychic gifts, and incredible levels of personal discovery and self-awareness.

But toska also does not, by it’s very nature, allow for the sweet relief of disassociation, or for the mercy of the palliative effects of load-bearing delusions. There is no therapist or genius medical doctor that can offer any insights or treatments that will free you from its bondage. And, perhaps most upsetting, there is no writer or mystic that can offer any poetic transcendence from its grip.

Said another way? There is no avoiding the suck.

The ache is too deep for that, too persistent. It comes on again, savage and alive, every day. And the afflicted are forced to stare at their own fresh, gaping wound with the knowledge that they are impotent to heal it. They only have the belief that, one day, what feels like forever will simply be no more.

The secret nature of toska, and its antidote, lies only within is the realm of shamanism and its gods: wounded deities driven mad, having lost their eyes or limbs or memory of themselves, forced into exile, wandering the borderlands between the sacred and the profane.

These gods are the “wounded healers” depicted in the Hanged Man of the Tarot: gods that are not allowed to die, not allowed to live, perpetually forced into a state of surrender, suffering, and sacrifice that keeps them stuck between stations, upside down, betrayed and bleeding until they are resurrected, ultimately transcending death.

If, like me, you have been in an extended cycle of toska— perhaps even with recent visits from shamanic gods like Odin, Jesus, and Prometheus— I expect you’ve noticed it hitting a crescendo in recent months, culminating in an almost intolerable tonal pitch in the last few weeks and days. Negative entity attacks have become so overt their nature is undeniable, even to the most skeptical and logical among us. In fact, our spiritual adversaries are revealing their hand (and their true nature and identity) in unprecedented accounts of documented diabolical confusion, constriction, and inexplicable “bad luck” in nearly every area of daily life, seemingly all at once.

Even the tacit faith in our shared social structure, as with the efficacy of elections or reliance on basic infrastructure and systems of commerce, seems to be evaporating at an astonishing rate, revealing not just decoherence in social media, politics or news, but in our own human-scaled lives.

Everyone is starting to talk about how hard and how weird life at the moment is, seemingly particularly so for the truth-telling, ethical and legitimate psychic practitioners we all know in our lives. All evidence suggests that these folks seem to be objects of a relentless demoralization campaign: sudden illness, acute financial compression, loss of employment, inability to find a job or get a leg up in their own business, expert-level internet fraud and impersonation, death, loss and grief for loved ones, and unexplainable difficulties with even the simplest daily mechanisms of modern life.

And that’s not an accident. It just can’t be.

So, what’s all this toska all about? Why would benevolent spiritual beings allow (or desire) us to suffer like this if they are in fact both real and good?

Well, shamanism gives us the answer.

You see, we need to individually and collectively hit peak toska, stare it down and not give up— even when it feels and looks like we’re losing everything and it doesn’t feel like we have the strength to proceed— before the real shift can take place, made possible by the destabilizing, high-stakes shamanic phenomenon of liminality.

It has to feel permanent before we can see— and appreciate— when, where, why and how it ends, not to mention take stock of what we’ve learned and what we’ll all do differently moving forward.

It has to feel like forever, and we have to surrender to that with our heads held high in spite of the pain, in order for it to not actually be forever.

It’s only in this last week that I understand the presence of my strange spirit guide Prometheus, bookended by visits, gifts and clues from both Jesus and Odin. Today, writing this, I see clearly what Prometheus’ shamanic gifts, including toska, have given me.

And, as I re-read the lines from the play Prometheus Bound— the very first tragedy ever written featuring the first-ever antihero ever documented— I have new levels of awareness and appreciation for him as a spirit guide. You see: like both Jesus and Odin and other shamanic gods, Prometheus had two things working for him despite being chained to the side of a mountain, having his liver eaten out by Zeus’ eagle every single day for 10,000 human years, and mocked by assholes as he remained helpless in bondage all along the way:

• Prometheus knew that he could not be killed, even by Zeus; and

• He could see the future, and literally knew how and when his suffering would end

With these two shamanic gifts, all that was left for him to do was endure it: remain stubborn and steadfast in spite of the incredible suffering, trusting in the knowledge that he saw the future— and understood how the story would actually, eventually end.

Everything was forever until it was no more.

Said another way? Until physical, final death, all failure is psychological.

I am personally in a very, very difficult situation in my life, and while I know the how and the why— and even understand that I am far from alone in my suffering— I find myself revisiting this truism, reminding myself of the fits and starts in psychic sight that have enabled me to get glimpses of my inevitable release from bondage.

Like Prometheus, all I have to do is endure it— and remember the prophecy.

But, if I’m being completely honest, this does not mean it isn’t affecting me.

It is, and as Prometheus said in Prometheus Bound: “It is painful to speak. It is painful not to. Every way, there is misery.”

So, despite being in the midst of several business critical efforts like promoting my new book, needing to stay busy in my shamanic practice to keep my business and my life afloat, as well as communicate with my followers and subscribers, I am making a (hopefully) temporary tactical retreat from non-essential labor and communication.

It’s been a difficult impulse to resist, but with my ongoing illness (which is pretty ghoulish, even this far into recovery), the protracted and very expensive litigation against those that caused this illness (as well as my husband’s and my dog’s illnesses, not to mention the disposal of all of our former belongings due to toxic contamination), and the ongoing spiritual battles unfolding in the margins of what is publicly perceivable, I’m past the point of exhaustion.

The center, as it were, cannot hold. The falcon cannot hear the falconer. And I cannot carry the burden of social sense-making alongside my own toska— at least not right now.

Things on planet earth are about to get very, very weird. Toska will visit you, your homes and your loved ones and communities, too.

So, I hope you remember what I’ve written above and come back to read it when you need it, too. Outside of that, all else I can offer is that I think we’ve been living in a false construct of the natural order since before prehistory. The labor pains and high-stakes liminality and decoherence, while hard, are also signs that something new is about to be born.

And, perhaps, the paradigm of Eden that never really was may just come to be. But we need to stay strong and true, focused, resolute, and not try to tap out of the suck. In this game of chicken, we cannot blink. We must stare the enemy in the face and, while we may suffer and feel fear and want desperately for it to end, this is the precise moment in which we must, at all costs, resist the urge to quit.

Besides: the way out may be hard, but it’s also rather simple:

“Do you want to see what human eyes have never seen? Look at the moon.

Do you want to hear what ears have never heard? Listen to the bird’s cry.

Do you want to touch what hands have never touched? Touch the earth.

Verily I say that God is about to create the world.” - Borges

-Rachel

Etsy TOTEM Flower Essence Sale

The Suit of Armor TOTEM Flower Essence and TOTEM Flower Essence Deck featuring it (as mentioned in this week’s card pull audio) are all included in our current Etsy shop sale.

The Business of Woo book…is here!

Our new book, The Business of Woo: Thriving In Your Psychic Business (Without Losing Your Mind Or Sellig Your Soul!) is here, and you can check it out or buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX7MHB8L#

Early reviews matter a lot, so if you’ve purchased The Business of Woo please consider taking a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon. We are doing a NEW Review Raffle— with Grand Prize winners announced on 6/26— so be sure to email me a screenshot of your review (w/your snail mail info) to: rachel@totemreadings.com to enter to win!

And check out the upcoming IRL book event details— including RSVP links— here:

TOTEM Flower Essence Deck

We’ve sold the last copy of our TOTEM Tarot Deck, so you’re not going to be seeing a whole lot of it on TOTEM Weekly Card Pulls anytime soon! That said, we will be using at least one card from our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck, which is available for sale on Etsy and Amazon.

TOTEM Etsy Shop Sale

In other New Year news, we are also running a 60% off sale on our TOTEMReadingsATX Etsy shop, which includes all of our TOTEM Flower Essences and our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck.

A big thank you to everyone that wrote a review or made a new purchase after we got Paula’d. And yes: I keep telling myself it gets darkest just before the dawn (as I sit in my Batman costume mid-nervous breakdown in my office).

The Skeptical Shaman Podcast

If you enjoy The Skeptical Shaman podcast, please consider leaving a rating or review on Spotify HERE or Apple Podcasts HERE. Reviews and ratings REALLY help us build on our momentum and get great guests for all of you to listen to!

Tip Jar

If you want to leave us a tip or donate for our weekly card pull or any other content here on Substack, here is our PayPal link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EFFQDP4JQ6E4A

Want to work with me?

You can book a one-on-one reading, channeling session, energy work session and many more services with me on my website’s booking page HERE.

-Rachel

As our new book The Business of Woo: Thriving In Your Psychic Business (Without Losing Your Mind Or Selling Your Soul!) emphasizes: half the battle of any small business— or professional effort more broadly— is getting in front of the right audience at the right time with the right message.

After all: no one can book with you, buy your products, or promote you to others if they don’t know you exist— or where to find you! So, in this context, building your eminence, growing your network, and amplifying your message are crucial survival skills for Woo-based (and non-Woo-based) business owners.

But, as hard as getting seen in the Business of Woo and elsewhere can be, here’s the good news: there are some seriously powerful Woo-based practices that can help shift us out of obscurity and into the big, bright lights, courtesy of Feng Shui: the ancient Chinese practice of arranging buildings, objects, and space in an environment to achieve harmony, balance, and positive energy.

As a Feng Shui practitioner myself, I use what’s called, “The Bagua Map” in both my client consultations and my personal practice in my own work/ live space here in Austin, TX:

The Bagua Map

The Bagua Map of Feng Shui (depicted directly above) provides a grid that we can superimpose onto the floor plan of our spaces dividing the area into nine specific zones, each of which correspond to a central issue or focus point in our lives.

We start by orienting the front door to the Career + Life Path Bagua, working out to the other key focus areas from there.

Within this system, the Bagua for Fame + Reputation is directly across from the Career Bagua, at the middle/ back of your space. This Bagua is connected to our public image, level of fame, quality of reputation, and the size and engagement of our client base, audience, and/or decision-makers at our office or similar job.

The Fame + Reputation Bagua of our work or living space dictates:

• Whether or not we are being seen by the marketplace

• The strength of our brand, business, and professional reputation

• Whether or not we’re memorable and respected by clients and/or key decision-makers in our workplace

• What professional awards, recognition, or achievements we may receive

• Our visibility to new clients or potential employers seeking out our skills

• The efficacy of any PR effort, such as a book launch, podcast tour, or other dynamic announcement

In this way, the Fame + Reputation Bagua is less about being a world-famous actress getting photographed by the paparazzi while on a yacht and more about evading obscurity, both in business and at the workplace (if you’re an in-house employee) such that you’re on the top of powerful and influential minds— and tongues!

For a Woo-based or similar small business owner, the Fame + Reputation Bagua in your home or office is a crucial needle-mover to ensure that you and your work isn’t getting lost in the hyper-busy lives (and minds) of your clients and customers:

• Are you growing your client list and staying busy with bookings?

• Are you expanding your e-commerce footprint?

• Are your Etsy ads bringing new customers to your herbal apothecary?

• Will your recent podcast interviews help to grow the audience for your Substack newsletter?

• Can customers find your new book or divination deck on Amazon?

• Are your peers and collaborators recommending you or referring your clients?

• Are folks signing up for any upcoming online or in-person events you’re hosting?

• Are you in line to get a promotion or a bonus?

Outside of these core functions, this is also the Bagua that dictates the quality of your reputation— and whether or not people respect you, speak well of you, and trust you and your business.

So, it’s kind of a big deal— especially in a challenging economy with an equally challenging job market in which referrals, recommendations, and reviews can make all of the difference!

To this end, it’s important to address two key aspects of your Fame + Reputation Bagua to prevent some of the more serious potential problems:

• Remove clutter: Any clutter, mess, or dead, stagnating detritus (like dead flowers, food mess, bags of garbage, etc.) are very, very bad things to have in your Fame + Reputation area, potentially obscuring your ability to be seen in business-critical ways or, worse, getting a similarly cluttered, stagnant or negative reputation out in the marketplace! So, if nothing else, make sure this part of your house is clean, clutter-free and only has living plants and flowers. And don’t set bags of garbage or recycling in this area, either— just take it out to the trash cans in real time to avoid any scandals!

• Close bathroom doors, toilet seats, and drains: Part of my own Fame + Reputation Bagua is in our master bathroom, which is less than ideal. But, to be clear: in Feng Shui, any Bagua situated in part in your bathroom presents a challenge, and god knows we still need bathrooms, so don’t stress too much if yours is in a more challenging spot like mine. Besides: there are simple things we can do to help mitigate any negativity, like making sure the toilet is seat down and the bathroom door is firmly closed when not in use. Because water is the opposite element of this Bagua— which is instead focused on fire— you want to minimize the effects of the water element (drains, toilets, etc.) when and where possible.

Fame + Reputation Color: Orange + Red

The color for the Fame + Reputation Bagua in your home is a reddish, deep orange, like the color of persimmons.

And, while I’m sure no one wants an entire room in their house to be painted in this intense, activating hue, you can add small orange/ red details like:

• Anchor objects: Any small figurines or objects— especially those that also hint at the themes of fame, reputation, or visibility in the marketplace— in the colors red or orange are a great thing to add to windowsills, shelves, or countertops.

• Art: Art that emphasizes something positive, that evokes aspirational symbolism around your own eminence, and/or that features red and orange color notes is a great addition to this Bagua. My master bathroom features a framed print of a photograph my husband took of orange and red stickers and street art in Chicago, complete with an image of a German Shepherd dog (like mine) with the phrase “You are beautiful” alongside it.

• Accessories: Any red or orange items effectively add little sparks of the fire element in your Fame + Reputation Bagua, injecting the proper energy into this area of your home or workplace.

Fame + Reputation Shape: Triangle

This is the only Bagua that boasts triangle as its primary shape! Obviously, you can’t necessarily have a literal triangle room in this part of your home or business, but you can bring this shape into this Bagua fairly easily.

I literally have a prism like the one picture above resting, alongside other key Fame + Reputation anchor objects, art and more, on the windowsill of my master bathroom. Not only is a prism a great way to satisfy the triangle requirement, but it’s effectively many triangles brought together in the form of a multi-dimensional pyramid. It also regularly catches and refracts the light, acting as an activator in the spirit of the fire element.

Fame + Reputation Element: Fire

Sometimes, the best Feng Shui tricks are the simplest. Case in point: a red candle that you can light with intention around specific Fame + Reputation efforts, like the one I’ve placed in my master bathroom, brings together both literal fire with the color of the fire element.

Every single time I have lit this candle with a specific intention around promoting my new book, elevating my eminence in the marketplace, or getting booked on a specific podcast, it literally happens. One day, I forgot that I had done this, and encountered a lovely smell (as it’s a tobacco and blood orange-scented candle) as I walked into my bedroom. I asked my husband if he was using some wonderful new bath product, and he reminded me that I had lit that candle several hours earlier. I laughed, a little nervous that I had forgotten literal fire in my home during my day, but then also realized with some shock that it had worked: in the hours in which the candle had burned, I was booked on a huge podcast to talk about my new book, and even received emails about some seriously helpful contract consulting work.

I mean, I know this stuff works…but there are some moments in which the shift is so magical and remarkable that it’s utterly undeniable, not to mention humbling.

Thank you, red candle! And thank you, world of spirit!

Top Secret Pro Tip? Feed the fire!

Wood element feeds fire element, making any wood element objects— like plants or wooden anchor objects—a great addition to fuel your Fame + Reputation Bagua. In other words: think of adding wood element to your Fame + Reputation Bagua as throwing wood on a raging fire!

And perhaps the “woodiest” of wood element objects is bamboo, making this easy to care for plant a perfect fit in this room. I have four, small red containers housing beautiful green bamboo shoots in my master bathroom windowsill that I regularly water, and that are thriving despite minimal sunlight in their nook.

Given the other challenges of my current space— with my Fame + Reputation Bagua being situated in the Feng Shui-dreaded bathroom— these bamboo plants and their bright red planters are (hopefully) taking the edge off of the more negative influences and energizing the fire element with fresh fuel.

Overcoming imposter syndrome

Woo-based practitioners, business owners, and frankly most sincere human beings are generally uncomfortable promoting themselves in any arena. Many of my Business of Woo Mentoring clients will, at some point during our time working together, verbalize the fear that we all wrestle with: “Why me? Who do I think I am?”

The Fame + Reputation Bagua of your home answers, “You’re you, bitch! And you rock!”

Pride, dignity and a sense of fulfillment in hard work, achievement, and expertise is not the same thing as navel-gazing, fart-huffing narcissism, and it’s very important to build a little personal dignity if you’re going to pursue any task worth doing.

So, spend a little time this month on giving your Fame + Reputation Bagua a much-needed glow up, and watch as the magic unfolds— and your visibility in the marketplace grows!

Want to work with me? I do targeted, cost-effective remote 1:1 Feng Shui consultations that you can book anytime here: https://calendly.com/rachel-1061/feng-shui-consultation

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts— and the magic of your own success stories as they unfold!

-Rachel

The Business of Woo book…is here!

Our new book, The Business of Woo: Thriving In Your Psychic Business (Without Losing Your Mind Or Sellig Your Soul!) is here, and you can check it out or buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX7MHB8L#

Early reviews matter a lot, so if you’ve purchased The Business of Woo please consider taking a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon. We are doing a NEW Review Raffle— with Grand Prize winners announced on 6/26— so be sure to email me a screenshot of your review (w/your snail mail info) to: rachel@totemreadings.com to enter to win!

Apologies to everyone who had their review taken down- hopefully, Amazon puts it back up soon. I know it takes time- and I know you spent your hard-earned money to buy it- so just know that, even if it’s no longer visible, I still have it and appreciate all of you very much!

Also, we’re doing several in-person book events here in Austin, TX in June and August- to learn more or RSVP to these FREE events, check out this post for details:

TOTEM Flower Essence Deck

We’ve sold the last copy of our TOTEM Tarot Deck, so you’re not going to be seeing a whole lot of it on TOTEM Weekly Card Pulls anytime soon! That said, we will be using at least one card from our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck, which is available for sale on Etsy and Amazon.

TOTEM Etsy Shop Sale

In other New Year news, we are also running a 60% off sale on our TOTEMReadingsATX Etsy shop, which includes all of our TOTEM Flower Essences and our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck.

A big thank you to everyone that wrote a review or made a new purchase after we got Paula’d. And yes: I keep telling myself it gets darkest just before the dawn (as I sit in my Batman costume mid-nervous breakdown in my office).

The Skeptical Shaman Podcast

If you enjoy The Skeptical Shaman podcast, please consider leaving a rating or review on Spotify HERE or Apple Podcasts HERE. Reviews and ratings REALLY help us build on our momentum and get great guests for all of you to listen to!

Tip Jar

If you want to leave us a tip or donate for our weekly card pull or any other content here on Substack, here is our PayPal link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EFFQDP4JQ6E4A

Want to work with me?

You can book a one-on-one reading, channeling session, energy work session and many more services with me on my website’s booking page HERE.

If you want to learn more about my one-on-one Coaching or Mentoring programs, you can learn more and book a free consultation to discuss the details HERE and HERE, respectively. Spots are starting to open up in June and July, and folks have already booked ten consultations to chat and/or secure their spot, so reach out sooner vs. later as availability is limited!

-Rachel

We chat good and evil, what happened to my rosary the other night, how to fall in love with our fate (known as “Amor Fati” in Latin), and what looks like an incredible journey of spiritual and liminal awakening just on the horizon line for our guest of honor, all revealed through the divinatory interpretation of the cards.

We also touch on my new book, The Business of Woo: Thriving In Your Psychic Business (Without Losing Your Mind Or Selling Your Soul!) and how you (yes, YOU) can enter to win one of three incredible Grand Prizes by submitting your Amazon review (via email to me: rachel@totemreadings.com) before June 26th. I also revealed a mystery jar containing a top secret in-progress TOTEM Flower Essence, which has yet to hit the scene via our TOTEMREadingsATX Etsy Shop.

The silver lining of the whole thing? The AI bubble is actually bursting, with many corporations realizing that human labor is actually cheaper and more efficient than Claude or ChatGPT (which cost many, many arcade tokens). Are the good guys actually winning?!? Just might be. But head on a swivel. You know what Commission Gordon said to Batman: “The night is always darkest just before the dawn.”

So, stuff’s gonna get weird. And heavy. And dark.

So we must have faith in the mechanics of existence and trust that the Universe actually cares about us— and that’s why we’re here!

And, when we’re in doubt, we can always cheat a little bit: check in on our tarot cards or runes or I Ching coins to see what glimpse we can get through the veil of the ignorant present.

You can book a 1:1 tarot reading with me, too, anytime: just check out the booking page of my website HERE to get a list of service and session types (including the TOTEM Tarot Reading) and links to get on my calendar in the next few months.

Thank you to everyone that joined live and/or is catching this replay- your engagement makes Substack the only social media platform I enjoy (or will continue to use reliably).

Happy Full Moon!

-Rachel

If you’ve read my new book, The Business of Woo: Thriving In Your Psychic Business (Without Losing Your Mind Or Selling Your Soul!), you know that I’m very, very bullish on podcast tours as a core piece of any Woo-based business owner’s Thought Capital Strategy.

Thought Capital is not marketing. Rather, it’s the strategic, substantive published content in the form of white papers, books, podcasts, long-form Substack posts, and newsletters and emails that highlight your Woo-based business’ intellectual assets, insights, and innovative ideas…and, in my opinion, it’s a whole lot less cringe than social media promos and ad reads!

A well-designed and thoughtfully executed Thought Capital Strategy isn’t just an effective way to reach existing and target clients through memorable content. It also helps to differentiate your Woo-based business’ Value Proposition from less thoughtful, less expert, or otherwise comparatively low-value competitors.

So, in the effort to practice what I literally preach in the pages of my new book, I’m back on my bullshit: doing fun, engaging interviews with incredible industry experts, thought leaders, and peers— and I hope the fruits of these labors are as interesting for all of you to listen to and watch as they were for me to do!

Today, the first part of my interview with the amazing Nichole Bigley on A Psychic’s Story podcast is out, and I can’t wait for all of you to listen along to both this episode and the one hitting next week:

First Look with Wild Raven Tarot

I also met with the very lovely Bobby of Wild Raven Tarot on his incredible YouTube channel of the same name, and had a great time digging into the good, the bad and the ugly of our shared experience being professional tarot card readers for the general public.

Business of Woo Book Review with Essence of the Moon

The incredible Celina of Essence of the Moon YouTube made TWO whole videos featuring The Business of Woo book: one flip through and review of the book and its contents, and one live interview with me (below). Her questions were super insightful and prompted me to think about novel stuff that I had never previously contemplated.

Voices From The Liminal Interview

Hex and the City Interview

And, of course, the very lovely Cardsy B had me back on the Hex and the City Podcast, running through the key themes and through lines featured in the book, as well as her own work to “make it” on the business end of our very weird Woo-based profession:

Spiritual Sisters Interview

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Gabrielle Celeste on a roundtable with The Skeptic Metaphysicians, and since then I’ve interviewed her on The Skeptical Shaman podcast and has the pleasure of being her guest on a recent episode of her incredible podcast, The Spiritual Sisters! Please check it out and let me know your thoughts:

Upcoming: Live TOTEM Tarot Reading this Friday!

And, while it’s not exactly an “interview”, I am doing the impossible this Friday, May 29th: reading the lovely ’s TOTEM Tarot Cards live right here on Substack at 6 PM CST. We’re going full Hot Topic Goth for this one, friends— so mark your calendars, ready your cocktail (or mocktail) and enjoy us for a psychic extravaganza!

And don’t forget about tonight’s Sorting Hat!

And don’t forget that and are still doing their Sorting Hat lives, using our Business of Woo book to sort various psychics and other Woo-based practitioners into their Practitioner Archetype!

They’re going live tonight with friend of TOTEM , who will also be hosting my upcoming book signing at Vintage Bookstore and Winery on June 26th right here in Austin, TX.

Not only is Audrey a talented yoga instructor and Ayurvedic practitioner, but her logo is literally included in the pages of The Business of Woo as a prime example of a super functional (not to mention beautiful) Logo! So, set your calendars and log on tonight…I know I will be;)

And keep your eyes peeled for more interviews, videos and updates as we continue to spread the anti-gospel of The Business of Woo here on Substack and out there in the real world!

-Rachel

“Every hero contemplates their own villainy.” -Prometheus

Sometimes, you have the unique pleasure of engaging in a spontaneous conversation with an awesome person and, out of nowhere, it sparks an incredible, accidental new idea.

Over the weekend, I was blessed with one of those wonderful, magical, serendipitous chats with the dynamic creative tour de force : working visual artist, purveyor of channeled art, herbalist, and all around hard working, cool person that actually makes stuff and puts it out into the world. And, in this particular chat, Laura and I stumbled across a concept that I think is going to generate a very fun and much needed season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, this one all centered around the concept of the guest’s so-called “Villain Era”.

As I was walking along one the green belts here in Austin, talking to Laura to catch up on life and enjoying the stimulating distraction from the banal reality that I was sweating my ass off, we started joking about the sometimes nasty, shadow side of ourselves that comes out to play when we’re stressed, in scarcity, overwhelmed, triggered, or just plain old burned out— and even started laughing as we came up with nicknames for our respective “Villain Alter Egos”.

Now, I’m not going to share what those names are or what these mischievous characters do, think, feel or say when they’re let out of their little boxes in this post— mainly because it’s going to be great fodder for a brand new, shiny season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast all about our collective Villain Eras.

You see: with all of the Western Astrology stuff moving into “wheels of air and fire” as put it and the approaching midway point of the very individualistic, creative and action-oriented Fire Horse Year (in Chinese Astrology), we’re all starting to feel the pivot out of group collectivism, shared feelings and ideologies into an age driven by individual projects, creative and expressive potency, and singular visions of business, relationships, and how we can use the force of our wills to bend the very nature of reality.

And this age, my friends, is inevitably going to look, feel, sound, and smell a lot like our Villain Eras as we find ourselves saying the quiet part out loud— and taking back some much needed personal agency! And this isn’t necessarily because we’re evil or bad or here to do anyone harm, but rather because we’re inevitably going to be the villain in someone’s story if we are actively, honestly pursuing our goals, maintaining our boundaries, and embracing our whole selves: the good, the bad and the sometimes villainous.

In shamanism, we often call this persona the “Dweller in the Threshold”: a menacing entity comprised of equal parts zeitgeist, egregore, genus loci, and tulpa that acts as a guardian of distinct, crucially important spiritual thresholds— like the Janus Door or the various sefirot on the Tree of Life.

The Dweller’s job is to put shamans and seekers through a series of high-octane existential tests, collectively referred to as an “initiation experience”, before utlimately allowing them to proceed to the so-called “higher realms of spiritual knowledge” armed, of course, with new antibodies, skills and resources from having integrated the scary attributes from the darker corners of our minds and souls.

And, whether you’re drawing from shamanic, Jungian or family systems frameworks, the goal remains the same: confront your villain alter ego, take inventory of its traits, cleave off that which no longer serves you, and befriend the more useful and benign aspects such that you integrate your shadow aspect into your whole self.

After all: if you name and then shake hands with the proverbial monster in the closet, it can become a friend instead of a foe— and that’s good news for everybody in your circle!

So, let’s do it— and, better yet, let’s talk about it!

If you’re interested in pitching yourself as a guest for this special season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, please complete this Google Form to submit yourself— and your “monster” here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfB6Cqzu05aElvP1P2SFmWO8mHRwFxUplDHju2h6Vn_aLeWLA/viewform?usp=sharing&ouid=117634638294828346520

I’ll probably be closing out submissions at the end of June, and will begin recording in July…but I may let this season go on a bit if we have a lot of solid, meaty submissions.

And remember: this isn’t about shame, self-doubt or guilt! In fact, it’s quite the opposite. We’ll satirize and lampoon the metaphorical (or maybe very literal) demons that haunt us, effectively taking the piss such that their grasp on power wanes and we can, once again, become the proper rulers of our psyches, behaviors, energy bodies and lives.

I think it’s going to be a blast, and is certainly going to piss off the toxically positive “love and light” brigade…which is a gift in and of itself;)

Can’t wait to see what you submit, and I can’t wait to talk to you all about it!

-Rachel

It’s a Blue Moon, the second of this merry merry month of May, so it should be no surprise that May 30th’s Full Moon in Sagittarius feels like a major pivot point. Listen along, and check out links and info below. Thank you all for listening, and don’t forget to keep your eyes peeled for the Sagittarius shamanic deep dive that is yet to come!

TOTEM Flowe…

Read more

My new book, The Business of Woo: Thriving In Your Psychic Business (Without Losing Your Mind Or Selling Your Soul!) features a robust section on Client Relationship Management, otherwise known as “CRM Strategy” in corporate speak.

And, while the bulk of this section in the book focuses on client relationships (as the name would suggest), we in the Business of Woo know that clients are often also collaborators and peers— and that we may even refer our clients to them, invite them to be guests on our podcast, and team up on workshops or offerings.

But this dynamic in an already unregulated, squishy industry with incredible variation from practitioner to practitioner can get quite messy— particularly when it comes to manners and etiquette. When are we the metaphorical guest in someone else’s business? How, when, and why should we say “thank you”? And, perhaps most importantly of all, when should we go beyond a simple thank you note to return their generosity by extending tangible resources of our own, like client referrals, introductions to podcast hosts, or a recommendation of their Substack?

After all: being respectful, supportive, and/or polite despite the many demands on our time, money, and attention is not just good manners or admirable from a personal and spiritual perspective— it’s also good for business. In fact, it could make the difference between growing your Woo-based practice or watching it stagnate, shrink, or go bust over time without the very necessary support from our broader community.

I’ve included below a few easy tips and tricks, with excerpts and examples from my book, The Business of Woo, that have helped me to mind my manners over the last 16 years of doing Woo-based business:

Be easy to do business with

In my book, The Business of Woo, I share a case study about a reiki practitioner that wanted to host a series of reiki attunement workshops in my space in Chicago. She was brand new at facilitating attunements and did not have a robust client list— or physical space— of her own. In this dynamic, she was a metaphorical guest in my business…but, as the case study in the book details, she didn’t act like one. Instead, she started sending a series of complicated, judgmental, and dictatorial emails to my clients seeking to control their diet, lifestyle behaviors, and other factors several weeks out from the scheduled reiki workshop.

Of course, my clients— with whom I had steadily built a relationship for more than a decade— started emailing, texting, and calling me to ask if they really had to ditch meat, alcohol, etc.— or, if they couldn’t do that within the prescribed window, whether or not they were still “eligible” to attend the workshop. Needless to say, I cancelled the workshop. The practitioner was shocked, but I told her the real deal: you can’t be a guest in my business and benefit from more than a decade of back-breaking work only to then generate a bunch of time and energy-consuming noise for me to handle.

What’s more: one reiki attunement workshop (regardless of any profits it may generate) was not worth damaging my brand, business reputation, or hard-earned client relationships.

So, she had to go.

Moral of the story? Whether you’re in the role of practitioner, business owner or collaborator, be easy to do business with. Adding arbitrary layers of noise and complexity doesn’t make you seem more expert, authoritative, or knowledgeable. It tends to just make everyone agitated and exhausted, and its a great way to never get invited back— or receive a client referral— again.

After all: no one wants to work with a diva— not even a diva with a big client list or platform to help promote a project!

So, when in doubt, act like a house guest: flow with the business owner’s rhythms, communicate through their preferred channels and at preferred cadences, respect their client relationships, minimize unnecessary noise, and don’t get out over your skies— or your specific scope of work. If you do, they just might pull the plug and keep it moving with other, less high-maintenance collaborators in the future.

I mean, the world has never been more full of reiki practitioners. So, there’s a lot of reiki fish in that reiki sea to choose from!

Don’t ask for “free advice”

In the last week alone, I’ve received more than a handful of requests to walk other Woo-based business owners through Substack, the world of online publishing, and podcasting. And, despite me writing an entire book about The Business of Woo and offering Business of Woo Mentoring services for both short- and long-term needs, none of these people booked with me through my website or offered to pay me for my time and insights.

What’s more: all of these things took years for me to “master” (in as much as I can say I’ve “mastered” anything), and I certainly didn’t have a mentor or field guide arming me with cheat codes or hacks to sidestep the daily grind— or help me avoid potential pitfalls along the way. Said another way? Any progress, perceived success, or best practices I have in these areas were earned the hard way, and that means that if someone else wants immediate access to them for their benefit, we’re going to need an even exchange of energy— most likely in the form of monetary compensation within the structured container (and boundaries) of a well-defined session.

Pro tip? If someone asks you for advice in one of your areas of core competency, direct them to your booking page. This applies even if they have been a client in the past, as this is a new ask on a new day with a new scope and new effort on your part. And, if you’re in the Business of Woo, try to respect your peers’ time and business by booking with them online, paying them their standard rate, and respecting any boundaries that come along with the session as they have designed it.

In the last year, I’ve booked with four Woo-based practitioners with whom I am friendly myself, paying them in full and showing up on time (with my notebook and pen in hand) for each individual session. Several of them have asked me why I booked or paid full price with them when we’re friends and collaborate on business projects. In each case, I responded by saying, “It’s what I would want people to do for me, too. And, besides: I need to practice what I preach in my book and on Substack.”

It’s really pretty simple, and is effectively just a callback to the Golden Rule we were taught as children: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

If you want other folks to respect you, your expertise and your time, then extend them the same in kind.

Remember to say “thank you”

Sending a quick email, text, voice message, or even hand-written card to say “thank you” to peers that are helping your small, Woo-based business in tangible ways (like client referrals, platforming on podcasts, etc.) is a great way to prevent hurt feelings, resentment, or the well of goodwill drying up in the long-term.

Most practitioners that refer you clients, introduce you to other helpful people in the industry, or who platform you and your work on podcasts, Substack or YouTube to help you get the good word out, have been working to grow their network over many, many years— if not decades. They’ve also made financial investments, taken business risks, and developed relationships the right way: slowly over time. By receiving such a helping hand from them, you’re effectively short-cutting a journey that they had to do on their own— and often at great personal expense.

Without a “thank you” or similar acknowledgement, this dynamic can lead to a lot of burnout and resentment over time, with the helping hand deciding to retreat after not feeling any appreciation or reciprocity for such unbidden acts of thoughtfulness. Sometimes, it can even serve as the straw that breaks the camel’s back, acting as the final, deciding factor for a Woo-based business owner deciding to leave their practice and get a “normal” job once and for all.

And, as a community, we really don’t want the kind, generous people to leave.

I mean, none of us can make it out here on our own— a lesson I learned in technicolor when I was going through a pronounced life crisis towards the end of last year. I’ll forever be grateful to everyone that supported the TOTEM + PUCK HCKY fundraiser and/or who donated to me during my time of need, which is why I put all of their names in the Acknowledgements section of my new book— the very least I could do while still short on financial resources to let them know just how much it meant to me!

What’s more: folks like and Bigley have big, powerful platforms and similarly large, engaged audiences, so when they give my book or products a shout out— or have me on as a guest on their podcast or Instagram page— I know that the dynamic is inherently out of balance, and that they’re helping me way more than I can help them back at the present moment. Given this, I conduct myself accordingly, and do the things that a guest in their business should do: follow their lead, conform to their schedule and/or asks, say “thank you”, and promote the shit out of their efforts in kind.

Besides: saying “thank you” is literally free, so consider taking a moment this coming week to sit down and write out a short list of those that helped you in tangible, measurable ways when you needed it the most. Then, consider practicing a bit of gratitude and actually shoot them a short “thank you” note, either electronically or in hand-written format, resisting the urge to ask for an additional favor in the process.

Match like with like

If someone has continually referred their clients to you, particularly if they’re doing this in spite of technically being your Woo-based business competition on paper, it’s probably a good time to refer a client or two to them, too. And, while you may offer some of the same services and may even be in a time of scarcity, try to think through what their specialty (or key differentiators) might be: are they better or more expert at divination? energy work? coaching? herbalism? Then, send them a few referrals for those services or modalities. Trust me when I tell you: expanding out through acts of generosity is one of the easiest, fastest and most effective ways to pull out of a scarcity tailspin.

Said another way? Referring clients for one-on-one work almost never results in “losing” a client. In fact, it tends to work in much the opposite way.

Besides: if they’ve sent you clients despite probably being technically capable of undertaking that very work themselves (and very likely needing the revenue for their own, Woo-based business), you can certainly find a similar synergy for client referrals on your end, too.

If someone has introduced you to podcast hosts or live streamers so that you can promote your business, your book, or an event you’re hosting, sit down and think through similar connections that you can tee up on your end. Odds are, you know people, too— and, even if it doesn’t manifest as anything real, the other practitioner will greatly appreciate the effort.

In the case of TOTEM, of PUCK HCKY gave me a very tangible, revenue-producing and mood-lifting helping hand when I needed it the most, offering to do a clothing collaboration fundraiser (which means she made no money despite making the items)— and then a for-profit collection together. Because this help was so needed at the time it was given, I look for every opportunity to showcase our collaboration to my clients and to the general public, even if it means my other solo projects (which produce more margin for my Woo-based business) take a momentary back seat. I mean, I would literally sell PUCK tanks and t-shirts off the side of the highway here in Austin if it would make a difference, and that’s loyalty you just can’t buy.

If nothing else, odds are that the Woo-based business owners sending you tangible help are not keeping what they need for their own business a secret. In fact, they’re probably articulating, in real time, what they specifically need to keep their business going, too— and it’s probably not very hard for you to execute as an action item! If you are confused about what they may need help with, just ask them. Trust me when I tell you: they’ll respond with specifics that are totally actionable and more than easily doable.

In my case, I’m perfectly capable of booking myself on podcasts, YouTube live streams, and promoting my book on social media and directly with one-on-one clients. But what I do need at the moment are early reviews of my new book on Amazon, which are not only hard to keep up and visible in a world in which they can be flagged by anonymous Paulas for “offensive language”, but which literally determine the ultimate success or failure of my self-published project, The Business of Woo book. To that end, I communicate this to anyone listening or asking— and have myself written five five-star Amazon reviews for other authors that showed up for me recently, too.

Take inventory

The bottom line is that, in the Business of Woo, we just can’t survive and thrive entirely on our own. And, while it’s always good for the mind and the soul to be generous, supportive and thoughtful, it’s equally important to revisit these dynamics with fresh eyes and a clear mind on a somewhat regular basis to ensure that we’re:

• Actually helping those that help us; and

• Not investing our resources into folks or businesses that never reciprocate.

Case in point: last year, I got burned pretty bad by a very close friend whom I had supported professionally, financially, and emotionally for many decades. In my time of need, they simply did not show up— despite me communicating clearly that this was the moment in which I needed to call in the favor in kind. It was devastating, and left me feeling resentful, sad, and confused— not to mention a bit burned by the collective Business of Woo paradigm.

What’s more: this experience revealed that, in spite of all of the lip service among energy workers and other Woo-based practitioners about the importance of community and acts of random (or purpose-driven) kindness, many people are simply incapable of stepping up when the moment calls for it or otherwise contributing in real life when it can make the most impact.

But, despite all of the ick that experience brought with it, this experience also brought into focus a renewed awareness of who was showing up for me— and how I can better support them through intentional— and impactful— actions on my end.

Since then, I’ve regularly checked in on who’s been present for me and how I can repay the favor. In the cases where synergy just isn’t clicking and the dynamic just isn’t reciprocal, I’ve gotten more proactive in making adjustments on my end, ensuring that I’m not throwing my precious resources into a bottomless pit that will only leave me feeling butt hurt and burned out.

One significant key to these check-ins is observing the difference between words and actions. For many decades I made the same mistake repeatedly: assuming that words I heard or read were the same as actions, inferring (erroneously) that, when the time came, all of those good vibes and whatnot would transform into the practical assistance that was promised, and that I had previously given to them.

Unfortunately, this is not the case, so keeping on eye on real actions and other real stuff that you can actually measure is paramount to managing your precious resources while navigating the slings and arrows of The Business of Woo.

After all: compassion fatigue in this space is very, very real, and nobody likes a self-pitying martyr. When I feel those nasty emotions and thoughts bubble up to the surface, I now take immediate action and assess my own accountability for the dynamic, pivoting in real time instead of waiting for the inevitable emotional explosion when I just can’t bear the burden any longer.

Whether we’re the one being generous or receiving the support, self-awareness and accountability goes a very, very long way, and writing The Business of Woo book has served as a stark reminder for me to take accountability for my actions across the spectrum between helper and helpee.

I would love to hear your own experiences with this in the comments or, at the very least, how fellow readers and Substackers can maybe help your own Woo-based business at the moment! Remember: if we don’t use our throat chakras to articulate our needs, we can hardly expect others to meet our needs.

Like, sure…some of us are actual mind readers, but most of us aren’t— and we just need a little direction and specificity to show up for you in kind!

Want to learn more about The Business of Woo? Check out our new book of the same name on Amazon here: https://a.co/d/0777sAHS

And remember: if you leave a review of the book or any of the other products or services TOTEM offers, email me a screenshot to enter to win one of THREE Grand Prizes in our latest Review Raffle, with winners scheduled to be announced on 6/26 here: rachel@totemreadings.com

If you want to go deeper on a specific Woo-based business issue, challenge or project or work with me long-term to learn the ins and outs of this strange, weird Woo-based business world, you can learn more about my Business of Woo Mentoring Program— and schedule a FREE consultation to get details or secure your spot— on my website here anytime: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-woo

Thank you all— and I can’t wait to see your thoughts and experiences here in the comments!

-Rachel

In this ninth episode of the 11th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with client, friend, and newly-anointed psychic channel all about the strange, strange journey from being a “normal person” to becoming your true psychic self.

Teresa opens up the kimono on the good, the bad, and the cringe of what it’s really like to transition from being a nurse practitioner, psychic, business owner and even corporate subject matter expert to “owning” her psychic gifts out loud and proud with the people in her life.

Teresa is a perfect example of a Woo-based practitioner in the midst of a major transformation, and her story edifies the messy middle for those seekers (and psychics) looking for a way shower on exactly when, how and why to embrace the Woo as their life path!

Rachel’s LINKS:

• TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.com

• Rachel’s Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:

• Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmM

• TOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totem

• The TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsG

• The TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

• TOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coaching

• TOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-woo

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In this eighth episode of the 11th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with friend of the show and astrologer extraordinaire all about planetary magic: how to do it, when to do it, and how to customize it to your unique natal chart- and annual astrological transits!

Sam provides listeners a crash course in the background and fundamentals of chaos magic, ritual magic, and the specifics of how (and where) planetary magic fits into the big magic picture. Sam also digs into what big planets are making big moves this year, and how to harness their energies to amplify what’s working-- and mitigate what’s more challenging.

Rachel’s LINKS:
TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.com
Rachel’s Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:
Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmM
TOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totem
The TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsG
The TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX
TOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coaching
TOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-woo

Our guests’ links:
Sam’s Substack: https://skyguyreadings.substack.com/

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

This episode is now unlocked for all subscribers, and available anywhere you listen: Apple, Spotify, Google, and more!

In this seventh episode of the 11th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with friend of the show and Skeptical Shaman podcast editor Natalie Fehlner (of Sidhe) all about Natalie’s strange, strange journey into weird world of online dialogue-- and what it revealed about the spiritual reality underpinning surface-level ideology.

Natalie experienced a pronounced spiritual trauma when accidentally encountering the hyper-violent images of Charlie Kirk’s death online. While not a right wing Christian nationalist herself (I mean, Natalie is a fairy-channeling astrologer, poet and theater teacher, among other things!), she was gobsmacked by the reaction of “her team”: the supposedly compassionate, open-minded, and ideologically consistent, spiritually-aware group to which she and many other Woo-based practitioners generally belong.

Shocked by the cognitive dissonance of it all, Natalie did the unthinkable: she entered into the online colosseum to battle it out with anonymous faces (and voices) on the inter web. What she learned from this experience has not only served as a major spiritual and societal awakening for her, but also served as her inspiration to get educated and certified in cult awareness, ultimately setting out into the world to help deprogram her fellow humans that are ready to leave their distorted, ideological prison and enter the real world.

Rachel’s LINKS:

• TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.com

• Rachel’s Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:

• Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmM

• TOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totem

• The TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsG

• The TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

• TOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coaching

• TOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-woo

Our guests’ links:

• Natalie’s Substack: https://nataliesidhe.substack.com/?utm_source=global-search

• Natalie’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/nataliesidhe/

• Natalie’s Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieSidhe

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.

In the last three weeks, I’ve seen more than a dozen herons.

Every encounter with this incredible bird has been totally unexpected, in very close quarters (a matter of a few feet away) and, luckily, has taken place on the ground, with the heron looking me dead in the eyes while standing on the side of a small creek or bog.

From a shamanic perspective, the unusual volume and nature of these visits in such a small cluster of time is one of the key hallmarks of a TOTEM animal visit, separating it from other mundane animal encounters that unfold as a matter of normal life.

And, if you’ve never seen a heron up close in real life, let me tell you: they’re dinosaurs. They’re physically huge, and there’s something inherently primordial about their stature, carriage, and movements as they slowly, intentionally wade to and fro in bodies of fresh water looking for fish. It’s a striking image to encounter unexpectedly, and each visit has certainly gotten my full and undivided attention.

Each time I encountered a heron while out for a walk in my East Austin neighborhood (only a 15 minute walk away from downtown high-rises, making these visits all the more unlikely), I was deep in thought about the various points of tension I’m trying to navigate in my professional life, managing an expensive and stressful legal situation alongside the slings and arrows of running a small, Woo-based business.

Needless to say, my workday has felt like a frenzied version of the board game Perfection lately, and I find myself holding tension as I wait for the dreaded noisy explosion of little game pieces if I can’t complete each subsequent, faster and harder round of the game in time.

So what is heron trying to say to me with his magical appearances during these precise moments of meltdown? What is the “medicine” he’s offering to “cure” my current “ailments”? And why is he emerging as a TOTEM animal for me right now? Is he here to help? To mock and scorn? To eat the carrion after it all goes bad? What do herons eat, anyways?

Well, as it turns out, the answers to these questions (and more) aren’t just easy to get to— they’re downright comforting in the context of my current challenges!

Read more

What started as a fundraiser last winter (as I languished like a character in an Andrei Tarkovsky movie) has evolved into one of the most creative and joyful projects I’ve ever worked on: a clothing collaboration with ’s streetwear company PUCK HCKY!

And, while many of the classic Winter collection pieces, inspired by the Major Arcana of our sold out TOTEM Tarot Deck, are still available— there are now new pieces to add to your cool kid wardrobe, and they’re all featuring the much more colorful Court Cards from the TOTEM Tarot Deck!

You can check out all of the new styles, colors and cuts (including tanks and soon-to-drop hand-dyed tank dresses!) on PUCK HCKY’s website here: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totem

And, because you’re all special Substack people, I’ve created a secret promo code and promo link (which adds the code to the items in your cart before check-out) that gives you 20% off your order:

Code: SHAMAN26

Link: https://puckhcky.com/discount/SHAMAN26?redirect=%2Fcollections%2Ftotem

Please don’t share this special code or link with non-Substack people. It’s a special treat JUST FOR YOU!

Here are some glimpses of what to expect from the new Summer collection:

Mistress of Crystals: Freya

Our TOTEM Tarot Deck’s version of the traditional Queen of Coins card is Freya: the Mistress of Crystals.

In Norse mythology, Freya is Odin’s wife and the goddess of witchcraft— particularly if that witchcraft is rooted in abundance, shop-keeping (i.e. small business), and aesthetics— including in jewelry and crystals.

This TOTEM Tarot Deck Court Card and Freya-centric collection of hockey jerseys, tanks, t-shirts and hockey pucks are all centered on the energy of good taste, refinement, luxury, beauty, a well-appointed home (or workplace), grace, earthly, natural beauty, and the sensual pleasures of food, fabric, aroma and comfort.

Think of it as the ultimate abundance and manifestation vibe— and now you can wear it in beautiful jade green gem tones!

Lady of Crystals: Succubus

Our TOTEM Tarot Deck’s version of the traditional Page of Coins card is Succubus: the Lady of Crystals.

A succubus is a female, living vampire that feeds on the sexual energy of life— and of her “prey” (I’ve never heard them complain, FWIW!). Think of the sexiest Scorpio you know and then give them some extra magic (and sensual horsepower!).

This TOTEM Tarot Deck Court Card and Succubus-centric collection of basketball jerseys, tanks, and t-shirts are all centered on the unstoppable urge to experience life in all of its intoxicating dimensions and sensations: intelligence, wit, humor, sensuality, and kindness that should never be mistaken for weakness.

Succubus is the fun, feisty younger sister of Freya— and now you can wear her emblem if you want to draw the spirit of adventure into your life!

Knight of Metals: Vampire

Our TOTEM Tarot Deck’s version of the traditional Knight of Swords card is Vampire: the Knight of Metals.

Few figures have been mythologized across ancient history, folklore and pop culture more than the vampire: the sexy stranger that mesmerizes you with powers of the mind (and spirit), intoxicating you to the point where you’re more than willing to give up the goods…and a little blood!

This TOTEM Tarot Deck Court Card and Vampire-centric collection of colored hoodies, camo t-shits, tanks and more all centered on the Vampire’s hunger for life: art, inspiration, culture, arcane knowledge…and yes, even you.

This tarot card has always been a huge hit with tarot readers and goth kids alike, and now you can wear the very flattering design in a bunch of colors and styles all Summer long!

A special treat for early orders…

The team at PUCK HCKY has located TEN remaining copies of our sold out TOTEM Tarot Deck that didn’t go out to customers just yet, so if you’re one of the first ten orders…you get a copy of our sold out tarot deck for free!

You literally can’t get a copy of the deck anywhere else, and we’re not planning on doing another run anytime soon…or ever.

Not to mention: some of our Major Arcana designs are now reimagined for Summer, marking their territory on various cuts and styles of tank tops, joggers, shorts and more— and in new, Summer-friendly colors including pink, camo and teal!

So, head on over to PUCK HCKY’s website and grab yours up before my bigger podcast tour episodes start to hit the scene- and the hosts share their own, custom promo codes with their listeners!

-Rachel

The Business of Woo book…is here!

Our new book, The Business of Woo: Thriving In Your Psychic Business (Without Losing Your Mind Or Sellig Your Soul!) is here, and you can check it out or buy it here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GX7MHB8L#

Early reviews matter a lot, so if you’ve purchased The Business of Woo please consider taking a moment to leave an honest review on Amazon. We are doing a NEW Review Raffle— with Grand Prize winners announced on 6/26— so be sure to email me a screenshot of your review (w/your snail mail info) to: rachel@totemreadings.com to enter to win!

Apologies to everyone who had their review taken down- hopefully, Amazon puts it back up soon. I know it takes time- and I know you spent your hard-earned money to buy it- so just know that, even if it’s no longer visible, I still have it and appreciate all of you very much!

Also, we’re doing several in-person book events here in Austin, TX in June and August- to learn more or RSVP to these FREE events, check out this post for details:

TOTEM Flower Essence Deck

We’ve sold the last copy of our TOTEM Tarot Deck, so you’re not going to be seeing a whole lot of it on TOTEM Weekly Card Pulls anytime soon! That said, we will be using at least one card from our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck, which is available for sale on Etsy and Amazon.

TOTEM Etsy Shop Sale

In other New Year news, we are also running a 60% off sale on our TOTEMReadingsATX Etsy shop, which includes all of our TOTEM Flower Essences and our TOTEM Flower Essence Deck.

A big thank you to everyone that wrote a review or made a new purchase after we got Paula’d. And yes: I keep telling myself it gets darkest just before the dawn (as I sit in my Batman costume mid-nervous breakdown in my office).

The Skeptical Shaman Podcast

If you enjoy The Skeptical Shaman podcast, please consider leaving a rating or review on Spotify HERE or Apple Podcasts HERE. Reviews and ratings REALLY help us build on our momentum and get great guests for all of you to listen to!

Tip Jar

If you want to leave us a tip or donate for our weekly card pull or any other content here on Substack, here is our PayPal link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EFFQDP4JQ6E4A

Want to work with me?

You can book a one-on-one reading, channeling session, energy work session and many more services with me on my website’s booking page HERE.

If you want to learn more about my one-on-one Coaching or Mentoring programs, you can learn more and book a free consultation to discuss the details HERE and HERE, respectively. Spots are starting to open up in June and July, and folks have already booked ten consultations to chat and/or secure their spot, so reach out sooner vs. later as availability is limited!

-Rachel

This episode is now unlocked for all subscribers, and available anywhere you listen: Apple, Spotify, Google, etc.! Please take a moment to rate and leave an honest review- it helps us keep on keeping on!

In this sixth episode of the 11th season of The Skeptical Shaman podcast, host Rachel White (of TOTEM Readings) chats with Review Raffle winner and *as luck would have it* experienced animal healer and communicator (of Phoenix Healing) all about her journey from being an animal groomer and “normal person” to talented animal psychic and healer.

Alyson has spent years in real deal, bonafide animal communication and healing training programs, and just recently launched her own Woo-based business: Phoenix Healing!

Alyson shares her rigorous training background, and chats about the very, very crucial need for ethics, boundaries, and standard operating procedures when working in the Woo- especially for fuzzy and feathered clients that can’t speak up for themselves!

Rachel’s LINKS:

• TOTEM Readings Website: https://www.totemreadings.com

• Rachel’s Other Links: https://linktr.ee/totemrach

Please support the Sponsors of The Skeptical Shaman Podcast:

• Buy The Business of Woo book HERE: https://a.co/d/0g7EFJmM

• TOTEM + PUCK HCKY Merch Drop: https://puckhcky.com/collections/totem

• The TOTEM Flower Essence Deck: https://a.co/d/gw16LsG

• The TOTEM Flower Essences: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TotemReadingsATX

• TOTEM Spiritual Transformation Coaching: https://www.totemreadings.com/coaching

• TOTEM Business of Woo Mentoring: https://www.totemreadings.com/business-of-woo

Our guests’ links:

• Alyson’s website: https://phoenix-healing.com/

• Alyson’s IG: @phoenixhealingcommunication

Please note: The views and opinions expressed on The Skeptical Shaman do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the podcast. Any content provided by our guests, bloggers, sponsors or authors are of their opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, protected class, group, club, organization, business individual, anyone or anything. And remember: sticks and stones may break our bones, but words—or discussions of religious or spiritual topics-- will never hurt us.