Mariposa Young

05/05/2026

Listen, it’s not magical doings instead of mental health care or spiritual healing instead of going to therapy… it’s both, reinforcing each other.

I have PTSD from surviving being kidnapped and trafficked as a child. I started the heavy lifting of therapy and therapeutic activities in my late teens to address this. Why? Because I couldn’t manage my life or relationships because I was acting out and spinning out. I needed to hold down a job and maintain trusting relationships. Therapy helped me do that.

At the same time I was getting myself together, psychologically, I was going very far afield magically and spiritually. Because I was attending to my psychology, I had a great sense of discernment when it can to spiritual practices. I also had childhood training so I was able to explore my mastery instead of trying to gain mastery in early adulthood in magick and divination.

My mental health improvement made me a better metaphysical reader and being a metaphysical reader fast-tracked my mental wellbeing.

Not to downplay serious mental health conditions like mine that to my eternal irritation, take lifelong management. So when some spiritual practitioner says they can “heal” me completely with spiritual practice, that’s a huge red flag and makes them easily avoidable.

You should also see that kind of 1 and done sales pitch as BS. In addition you should see your mental health as important as your physical health as something to attend to.

That way we can be super duper manifestors together!

04/29/2026

Online there’s all manner of quizzes and descriptions of different kinds of witches but really this is a trick question. There is all kinds of different witchcraft. A witch typically does a variety depending on their intentions.

For example, I do reverent magic at seasonal events of the year, especially at equinoxes and solstices as well as new and full moons. I celebrate my connection as a human being with nature. That I have air in my lungs, fire in my nerves, earth in my bones and blood and water everywhere. That the seasonal changes can cause similar changes in my life and I encourage these changes by celebrating being an earthling.

I do devotional magick when I focus my energies on a specific deity in order to do what they do or borrow their powers for a purpose. For example, when I left my marriage in a hurry with my child, I did devotional rituals about Kali and Hecate.

I do spellwork for very specific purposes like healing, luck, to enchant an object, and even glamour magick. These I do in conjunction with other forms of witchcraft and separately.

I do magick around divination to ensure I am an ideal messenger and give messages for others’ highest good, delivered with diplomacy.

For some of this witchcraft, I am a “green witch”, for others, I am an “Astro witch” and so on. Sometimes I have practiced alone (hedge witch) but mostly I have practiced with others.

I encourage you to define witchcraft more broadly for yourself and see the different ways more utilitarian in use.

04/26/2026

I want to talk about coaching in a nuanced way.

Long before there was SM, there were life coaches. I don’t respect the profession but it exists. I remember when my son’s therapist lost her therapist’s license due to misconduct (nothing to do with my son) and became a life coach. Life coaches are something in between mentors and therapist.

Before I get rolling too far into this criticism, I want to express my respect for expertise. If I’m sick, I will go to a doctor, if I need help with my taxes, I’ll hire an accountant. In court? I’ll get a lawyer (learned that one the hard way). Need support with my mental health, I’ll see a licensed therapist.

Growing up as a witchy metaphysical reader, I was taught to give specific readings (palm, card, astrology , etc.) for a price. And of course these readings have to do with the questioner’s life and every aspect of it. And so not just reading people but delivering what you see for them is a skill. You want whatever you read to be useful information. But I don’t pretend to be an expert in any other field (except education in which I hold a master’s degree).

Any expert in anything should be paid for their expertise.

But to my horror, I’ve watched a lot of spiritual practitioners basically charge for recycled knowledge they have repackaged (not expertise) and proximity - access to a private group or generic content that is very much of the life coach variety.

And it quickly becomes apparent that many women especially are trying to monetize friendship. What you should be freely sharing with your friend group you are putting behind a paywall.

It’s gross and unbecoming of an emerging matriarchy.

04/23/2026

I’m agnostic about past lives. Here’s why:

When I’ve had past life readings from others, it just didn’t resonate.

I have had 3 profound spiritual experiences that revealed a few of my past lives. Two of which were very simple, common lives. I wasn’t famous, I wasn’t in great distress. One I was a fisherman and one I was indigenous before any white folks found us.

The third, I was trying to be in Hollywood but didn’t get all that far. I was a great back up dancer though.

So, what is the point of remembering a past life and also, is that even what happened to me?

I think reincarnation is an interesting concept. But I don’t think anything should distract us from this life.

So many spiritual practitioners that believe in reincarnation and are helping others with past lives have such famous or tortured memories.

For example, I know a spiritual practitioner who claimed to remember being burned as a witch. Then she unloaded on me when I didn’t believe exactly as sh does. So I guess the past life as being burned alive is just performative and did not teach her anything about being religiously tolerant.

Back to me… before I had these past life reveals, I loved fish and the ocean, had great respect for indigenous peoples, and loved movies and shows. I’m not sure what my takeaways should be.

I am a talented reader but I have no talent at reading past lives.

Anyway, I’m such a weirdo, I don’t need to indulge my special-itis any further. And I say, if you’re not getting anything out this topic, then throw it away.

09/29/2025