I once paid ninety actual pounds to a psychic who told me she could make my boobs bigger. And while you will no doubt be shocked when I tell you it did not work (I still have the CD full of her chanting, 'your mind is a powerful thing, your breasts are swelling and getting bigger,' you know, just incase) this hasn’t dampened my love affair with the world of woo and wonder. I’m a sucker for spirituality. I have always lived my life believing fate would step in to sort out my future. Whether it was turning to tarot to tell me how many dud boyfriends I’d have to wade through before finding the one, crystal healing for career advice or a life guru to tell me whether I was going to win the lottery, you name it, I’ve done it.
I’m not the only one either - four in ten people believe in witches. And with hashtags like #witchtok and #LuckyGirlSyndrome racking up millions of views on TikTok it’s clear that witchcraft and the paranormal is a way of life and guidance for young people trying to create control amidst the chaos. That and the fact that the Psychic Sisters recently had three of the usually steely faced Dragons fighting to invest in their business on Dragons Den shows spirituality is a booming business.
My twenty years plus of research has enabled me to sift the wheat from the chaff and the white witch from the what-a-load-of-nonsense. Slowly but spiritually, I have gathered a group of gurus who have become like a personal life board to me, and who I regularly rely on for a myriad of different reasons.
Here’s my best crew of the woo woo.
The Talisman - Emma Knowles
Emma Knowles can only be described as a magical human being. Her powers and qualities range from reiki, psychic readings, aura energy work, crystal healing and meditation guidance - she’s a best selling author and a celeb magnet (Holly Willoughby is such a fan that Emma regularly appears on This Morning and is a columnist for Wylde Moon). She’s now become one of my best mates, so I try to book sessions with her once every six months to ensure I’m not pulling on our friendship muscles too much (e.g making sure it’s not all about me when we go for dinner). My visits are like a mind MOT and each time I emerge feeling instantly lighter, lifted, hopeful and recharged. Emma sends her clients recordings of the sessions afterwards, but I try not to be swayed by her predictions and put them aside to revisit a few months later. Without fail, I’m always in complete awe of how uncannily accurate they are.
The Life Healer - Katie Brindle
After a friend suggested I book Katie Brindle for a Bazi reading she’s become a powerhouse of positivity in my life. Bazi - and Katie’s superpower - is a blend of expertise around Chinese wisdom and medicine, with spiritual healing and chart analysis. Her steadfast belief is that the body and mind (mental and physical health) are completely interconnected - so when one suffers it has a knock on effect on the other (eg feeling trapped can cause heartburn). She’s also a trailblazer for alternative approaches to the menopause - she herself is walking-talking-age-defying and example of how chinese medicine and self-healing can supercharge the body - and she is a champion of this being reframed as a woman’s ‘second spring’. It’s little wonder she’s got mega fans like Trinny Woodhall and Fearne Cotton.
The Compass - Jordan Paramor
Among those I’ve found via professional recommendation sits a very old friend who until recently has quietly offered her spiritual services to a closed circle of close friends, keeping it ‘under the radar’ so it doesn’t clash with her day job. Journalist, author and editor Jordan is a born intuitive and guide. Having completed all manner of training (some quirkier than others) to hone her skills, she’s now offering it as a service beyond her circle, channelling ways to nurture, unblock imbalances, offer support and define future growth for those that need it.
The Spirit Coach - Karen Coutts
Some of the most spot-on spiritual guides are the least in-your-face - and there’s no better example than Karen Coutts. Based in Newcastle and holding sessions from her kitchen - you’d never know to look at her just how powerful her work can be . Karen offers clients a number of sessions depending on what they want to achieve and what she sees them ‘come in with’. Karen explains, 'A spiritual coach differs from a normal life coach in that it’s more to do with the psychology of things and giving meaning, purpose and empowerment'. Each time I’ve met Karen she’s told me what I needed before I’ve even opened my mouth, recently telling me quite rightly -'You need some balance and peace in your life' - and within minutes she’s onto the solution.
The Visualiser - Karen Heras-Kelly
Karen Heras specialises as a feminine and female empowerment coach - (including feminine forms of leadership) with the aim to help women with ‘high level inner work’. She's also trained as an Advanced Akashic Records practitioner - which is how I first encountered her work - when someone gifted me a reading. Akashic Records are quite a mind-bending concept (described as 'metaphysical information connected to all universal events, thoughts, words, emotions') and the experience felt like Karen was opening a big mystical book of my life that purported to have all the answers to my past, present and future. Karen says that accessing clients records allow her to 'download vital information and energies that are in the highest good for that person'. Even afterwards, I still can’t explain any of what happened - but I did feel an overwhelming sense of calm and focus afterwards. Karen offers courses for women that mix Akashic records and life-coaching as a blend of 'meditation, mindfulness and creative visualisation expertise to find your path in life'.
The Numerologist - Rita Hiri
Rita Hiri is like a spiritual mathematician of your birth charts and works across several mediums as a personal development facilitator but always working around numbers. When I meet with her she is clear her work focusses on the present rather than any prediction of the future but what she can determine from your chart is mind boggling. Somehow in the space of an hour on zoom Rita can help unravel what’s happening in your world, your mind, your surroundings and importantly help you land on exactly what to do about it.
The Insta Medium
Going by the name of Chloe Mediumship on Instagram, Chloe has appeared in my DM’s out of the blue at moments when somehow or other she has sensed that I’ve needed a bit of calm, grounding or assurance. As a medium psychic she helps people go through general obstacles in life and somehow tunes into people when they are in need for direction and positivity. Her instagram is flooded with positive testimonials (including a fair few celebs) and she’s definitely a psychic on the rise.