My Journey

I identify as a pan-tastic Trauma Informed Reiki Master and intuitive Tarot technician/reader! But, my story didn’t start with these goals in mind, nor is my story finished here.

At first…

I grew up Christian but had been agnostic for the majority of my life. I didn’t even have the time to consider religion or spirituality of any kind until after two years already into college due to various traumas. I ended up graduating college after 5 years with a degree in Biochemistry and a triple minor in psychology, biology, and criminal justice.

And, I managed to throw in a forensic science certificate in there, too!

I know, it’s a lot!

At the start of college I was thrown head first into healing my childhood traumas as I was struggling to simply function as an adult. But nothing deeply helped until, at happen-stance, I was paired with a therapist who took a different approach to guiding me. I was stuck in an analytical mindset regarding my trauma.

I could tell you what I was experiencing, why I was having these symptoms, and where exactly I picked up the trauma responses. But I could not help myself out of those cycles. This therapist inadvertently introduced me to mindfulness practices and helped me reconnect with my body and emotions so that I could feel everything instead of think about everything.

This became the foundation to a brand new world for me.

The Merging of Science and Spiritual…

Looking back with what I know now, the energy of those traumas were stuck in my body. No amount of analyzing or talking things through was ever going to help. Without knowing or discussing the energetic means of trauma, the work this therapist and I did to reconnect me to the present helped that toxic energy of trauma flow from my body.

That allowed me to heal and push forward.

While I did not know that what we were doing was considered mindfulness practices until a few years later, this became vital to how I eventually approached theological explorations. In the summer of 2020, I found an animistic perspective of paganism and began, what would now be, a deeply personal practice.

Animism and Mindfulness are at the heart of everything I do. I began thinking to myself, if these theologies could have such a profound impact on my, so I had described at the time, mundane directionless life, they could help others too.

Everyone deserves peace, a connection to themselves, and the ability to live a life that is in alignment with their inner truth.

Embodying My Practice…

The summer of 2020 also became the start of me teaching myself how to read Tarot. I was constantly reading the cards for myself and for others.

I brought them with me everywhere.

They provided so much guidance and introspection; and the accuracy of each reading, even from the beginning, was absurd! I was hooked! Friends were calling me psychic-intuitive- and I took those labels with honor.

Piece by piece, I was carving out the different aspects of myself that provided purpose and meaning.

I did not grow up in touch with the spiritual realm. Instead, the spiritual realm called to me ever so softly until I was ready to acknowledge it and dive into that unknown world.

I spent years cultivating a personal practice and obsessing over learning everything I could get my hands on. From books and articles to video lectures, my drive to understand the esoteric sparked a fire in me I had never experienced before.

My practices and beliefs were evolving to be an integral part of who I am, my true essence.

Journeying into the Unknown…

I’m a firm believer in “dating” different religions, beliefs, and theologies until you find one that feels good to you. Heathenry, or Norse Paganism, therefore, became the next step I took in specializing my pagan and animistic values. (It also helped that Loki played a major role in my development, hence the fox logo.)

The values I found within inclusive Heathenry enhanced everything I already believed and felt. Some of the morals found within Inclusive Heathenry, such as Right Action, Honor, and Weregild, can also be found in my Standards of Practice.

That’s how important all of this is to me!

As I said already, I did graduate from college, but immediately afterwards, I was hired as an analytical lab tech. My “superhero” persona- lab tech by day, spiritual inquisitor by night!

From this new-found freedom of time outside of college, I searched for a mentor who aligned with my pre-determined values. After a year, I finally found them, and spent the next nine months in an intensive trauma informed Reiki training.

I now mark my shift from solitary learning to offering guidance and healing for others with the start of Essence of Red.

And Now…

My goal is to provide for my community, to find like minded individuals that inspire each other, to help foster individual healing so that the community benefits.

My dream is to leave a legacy of cultivating individual enlightenment and weave together the threads of a supportive and engaging community.

Inevitably, as Essence of Red grows, I hope I can start this weaving of community and have it grow into a tapestry of shared culture, inspiration, support, and joy from all people.

R.I.P the weeks it took to write an “about me” and not cringe at myself

—Alyssa