Latest / Follow the Leighder / Tarot, Reiki, and a Witches' Co-Working Space | Aly Kravetz

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Tarot, Reiki, and a Witches' Co-Working Space | Aly Kravetz · Follow the Leighder

• Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, howdy folks and welcome back to another episode of Follow the Leighder. I'm your host, Leigh Larson, and y'all all the way from Bronx, New York. I have the Bronx witch with me. I'll say that a few times fast. witch with me and ⁓ Kravetz New York. ⁓ Welcome. you for being here. Aly Kravetz: Thank Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. It's such a pleasure. I'm really excited for our chat. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely, folks. That was a rough landing. I'm going to do that. The Bronx Witch, like I said, is out of Bronx, New York. Kravetz has ⁓ a dedicated co-working space ⁓ Witch Work, kind of like WeWork, ⁓ ⁓ And it's ⁓ about equipping and ⁓ a space for spiritual ⁓ wellness type workers. Aly Kravetz: Mm-hmm. Leigh/@followtheleighder: You have the furniture, you have the Wi-Fi, you have the meeting rooms, you have the spaces to take in clients. And I really appreciate what you're doing online and in person. I wanted y'all to get to know her as well and ⁓ out with us today while we listen to you. Aly, can you ⁓ with us, ⁓ was your upbringing? What was your ⁓ into spiritual work? Aly Kravetz: Mmm. Yes. Yeah, well, I think like a lot of people, it didn't start in a spiritual path. ⁓ I grew up in a very traditional southern Christian home. We were, it was rather strict, I would say. My mom was very ⁓ protective of the things that we were exposed to, you know, so we couldn't see, you know, sexy scenes on TV or watch certain shows or listen to certain music or even say certain words. So it was a pretty strict upbringing. So I always think it's quite weird that at the age of 11 or 12, I started questioning what I was learning in church and the different lessons and mostly the rules. I was not a rule following kind of kid. I always wanted to know why. And when you're a kid, that's not something that adults really want to hear from you because they want you to just follow the rule and not question, you know, the validity of it. ⁓ So I asked a lot of questions that my mom couldn't answer and she kind of said, go ask your Sunday school teachers and I asked them and they sort of just said, that's how we do it. ⁓ And I'm really grateful that they answered it that way. They kind of got frustrated with me at one point and were like, that's just what we do. And I'm really glad that they did that because what I realized in that moment was that ⁓ religions were made up and they were sets of rules that people just chose to follow. wasn't actually anything too far deeper into these rules other than the need to conform, the desire to have everyone kind of do the same thing, and pretty antiquated and outdated views about, you know, what it meant to have a life that connected you to God or the divine. Which is definitely some deep philosophical shit for a 12 year old to be thinking about, but I don't know, that's just what was on my mind. I was like, really? I don't understand. Isn't God everything? and people were like, why are you not watching cartoons? ⁓ So luckily, ⁓ I was born in 1986, so I was turning 13 at a time where internet was coming into our homes, ⁓ and there were some pop culture references like Charmed and The Craft, and that all kind of came together ⁓ to open my eyes up to the fact that there were people out there who thought differently and had different views on how to live a life that brought them the happiness that they wanted. ⁓ And that led me to do some exploring, which brought me to Wicca, which was very popular then and pretty much kind of the only structured practice that someone like myself would get access to. Because, you know, Wiccan writers were actively writing since the 70s. And so there were numbers of books and things for me to indulge in, to learn more about the idea of magic and the craft. ⁓ And so like many witches, I started there. What's unique about me is that I didn't leave. So many witches start with Wicca and then they end up going to something else and I'm one of the weirdos that stuck around. So I still identify as a Wiccan now at 39. And my spirituality and magic has always been a part of my life. It's something that I have relied on to bring me comfort, grounding, a sense of power and control at times in my life where maybe I didn't have as as as I wanted, whether it was dealing with difficult co-workers when I started working and getting into the work field, whether it was to help me through school, to have enough money for that. ⁓ It never occurred to me that it would be a part of my professional life though because my intention for all of my life was to be a lawyer. And I actually went to law school. I went to the GW University Law School in DC. I dropped out, but I went for two years. ⁓ The combination of experiences that I had in my life, going to law school, working in hospitality to pay for schools, I was a bartender for 15 years, bar manager, etc. All of those things kind of came together when COVID hit. And I had, at that point, begun tarot reading on YouTube and doing reiki, making spiritual products, and leaning into my spiritual practices more. And all of a sudden, I had this opportunity to make it my job ⁓ when I started my Etsy page that started doing really well and this location here in the Bronx became available. And I said I'm gonna take it ⁓ and I made it available to other working witches as well. Initially it was my office but then I transitioned into making it a place that other people could reserve. And so now we've been here for four and a half years. We've had ⁓ dozens of events. and hundreds of practitioners have come through this space either to shop, to learn, or to grow their businesses by having a physical space that they can take clients at. So I'm really grateful that this journey has led me to now being able to provide for other witches. It's pretty cool. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. And folks, that's what drew me to Ally was looking at Bronx Munch, the content on your socials and looking at witch work, excuse me. I almost called it we witch work. But looking at witch work, because like you said, it's a space, you're a space maker. We talked about you being almost an alchemist of sorts. You're bringing things under, you're making things happen. Aly Kravetz: Mm-hmm, Leigh/@followtheleighder: But a lot of what's happening is you just kind of creating a space for it and you bringing in other people. And I think that's really empowering. ⁓ Tell me a little bit about what drew you to Bronx and opening this in this neighborhood, in this space. Aly Kravetz: Yeah, so I'm born and raised here. I'm a native New Yorker and I literally grew up in the building next door, which is pretty crazy. and I've left New York for school. Like I said, going to D.C. for law school, etc. Went away for college for a bit. So I have left the city for bursts of time. ⁓ But I always joke. It's not really a joke, but I always tell people my ID has never had an address on it that wasn't the Grand Concourse, which is like the main street here in the Bronx where I live and where Witch Work is located. And that's true. I've never had an ID that didn't have a Grand Concourse location. So I've lived in several different apartments, but I somehow always end up on the same street. I don't know what that's about. There's probably some witchy reason for that. ⁓ But I'm from this neighborhood and the South Bronx is a place that can take credit for the birth of hip hop ⁓ and being the birthplace of a lot of notable figures. in literature, in the arts, ⁓ and this is the type of place where there's just so much potential and so much creativity. And one of the unfortunate things that happens with people who have a lot of potential is we're often encouraged to leave this neighborhood. Because sadly, the South Bronx is an underserved area. We're typically overlooked when it comes to resources that are doled out by the city and the state. We have some of the highest rates of everything. and the lowest rates of everything good, right? We've got the lowest literacy rates, but we've got the highest diabetes rates and heart disease rates and all of that unfortunate stuff. And I think something that was important to me as I stepped into adulthood was dispelling this notion that you have to leave this neighborhood in order to do anything significant, ⁓ impactful, ⁓ or to have a good life. ⁓ And spiritual practices and wellness practices are hard to come by here. We don't have a lot of spas, wellness centers, retreats, yoga studios, things like that. ⁓ And so I wanted to be a part of changing the landscape of what the Bronx, the South Bronx in particular, looks like and the types of businesses that open up here. Yeah, very easy to find a liquor store, very easy to find a fast food chain, not easy to find a wellness center or a healing center or even a co-working space. ⁓ which is not like a spiritual thing, just a place that provides resources for growth, especially economic growth are hard to find and they're often lacking ⁓ in really being able to provide in a large scale. So I wanted to change that. So that motivated me. I could have opened the first location of which work anywhere. And I said, I'm going to open it here in my neighborhood and I'm going to do something different and make an impact in some kind of way. So I'd like to think that's what we've done. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yeah, no kidding. I mean, I think so as well. And you talked a little bit about how you grew up in a Christian household, ⁓ but now you've been practicing Reiki for 15 years. What has the res... Aly Kravetz: So I've been, ⁓ just to clarify, practicing Reiki since 2020, so five years, but I've been tarot reading for much longer. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Thank you. With these practices, what was the response from Christian community members? Aly Kravetz: Well, I mean, you can probably guess. Yeah. ⁓ ⁓ Well, I will say overall the neighborhood has been really wonderful. The majority of the folks in the building we're located in, we're in a commercial slash residential building. So there are apartments above us and the first floor is all dentist office, lawyers, stuff like that. ⁓ Overall, the building ⁓ has been pretty accepting and welcoming of us ⁓ and the neighborhood in general for folks who do know that we're here have been excited to see something different and certainly curious about us. ⁓ you know, what the like religious identification of all those folks are. I don't necessarily know. ⁓ I do know and I can say that we have had, you know, some kickback ⁓ from Christian folks in the building who initially when I moved in were not so happy and expressed that to building management. We ⁓ receive quite regularly letters at this location, you know, calling on us to repent, phone call. You know saying similar and things like that. So It's it's very interesting and really unfortunate I find that the folks that are the most hostile towards us are people who identify as Christians Because when I think of Jesus Christ and his teachings, they are so rooted in love ⁓ and acceptance of all and lack of judgment and I could never imagine Jesus ever saying the things that Christians who have become aware of this business have said to me. So it's very ironic and really strange. ⁓ But yes, ⁓ any animosity or hostility towards our business has come overwhelmingly from Christians, but that doesn't mean that all Christians have an issue with us. I'm sure that, you know, the neighborhood probably mostly identifies as Christian and yet we've been able to be here with little to no incidents. So I'm happy about that. Leigh/@followtheleighder: So, well, and I'm glad you bring that up about how it is so vile, what some Christians have said, and I'm saying that also as growing up in the faith and ⁓ even with me with some of my ministry work years ago, just look and being like, for one, and especially in your line of work when you talk about like ⁓ Wicca, Earthbound, Alchemy, just... ⁓ tarot, just reiki, all of these. Was Jesus not a mystic? ⁓ So it's confusing for a number of reasons, not only his words and his behaviors, but there's definitely a mysticism to the story of Jesus that I feel like gets down. Anyway, I'm sorry that you have experienced that. Aly Kravetz: Thank Yeah. Yeah, it's okay. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Can you tell us a little bit, I'd like to talk a little bit about Tarot and then we'll move into Reiki, but for folks who may not know, ⁓ can you share with us what is Tarot and how is it used? Aly Kravetz: Mm-hmm. Yeah, so tarot is a form of divination. It's a card based form of divination. It's not the only card based form of divination. There are also playing cards and oracle cards and some others out there. But tarot specifically form follows a certain structure. And there are three major forms of tarot cards. There's the Rider Waite Smith ⁓ form that folks are probably most familiar with in terms of the imagery on it. 22 major arcana cards, ⁓ 56 minor arcana cards ⁓ that kind of take you on a journey. It's often called the fool's journey of like self-development and life's milestones. ⁓ And then there's Thoth, which is another form of tarot, and there's Marseille, ⁓ another form of tarot. And I don't read Thoth or Marseille, so I'm really only familiar with RWS. ⁓ But the idea of any type of divination, and card divination in particular, is to basically have a clearer mode of communication with the higher powers that you want to communicate with. So that could be your higher self, that could be various guides, guardians, or angels, or that could be God himself, the divine, the creator. ⁓ And the idea is that because these energies don't speak with spoken verbal language, understanding what it is that they're trying to communicate to us can be difficult. We don't speak their language. They speak in signs and symbols and synchronicities. And so the cards basically lay out those various signs and symbols so that you can ask spirit to manipulate the cards and basically talk through them. So if you've ever seen on TV the idea of the Ouija board, the spirit comes in and moves everyone's hands around so that you can understand what it's trying to say to The same thing is happening with cards. It's just in a slightly different format where you're looking at pictures to help understand what it is that the spirits you're trying to connect with are trying to say to you. And there's many forms of divination other than cards. You can throw bones, there's runes, there's sticks, there's pendulums, coffee leaves or coffee grinds, tea leaves. Basically anything that you can use as like a neutral. You can basically say, hey, energy, can you manipulate this in way that I could understand better what it is you're trying to say to me. And the analogy that I use with my students is that your divination tool, whatever it is, is your telephone. So when you talk on a phone, you're not talking to the phone, right? So you're not talking to the cards. The cards aren't telling you anything. That's just the device. You're talking to someone on the other side and you're using this device to help you to understand them and them to understand you so that you can have a conversation and be certain about the messages that you maybe intuitively feel like you're getting, but now you can really have in concrete right in front of your face and say, yes, OK, I am being encouraged to quit this job or move to this location or embrace this lover, et cetera. Leigh/@followtheleighder: So does tarot, where does that fall with spirit? Like do you see, I know you said at the very beginning that there are lots of different divination tools. ⁓ Where did tarot emerge from? What's its history? Aly Kravetz: So tarot, and I'm not the best historian, as, there's also like some murkiness around it because tarot overlaps with the history of playing cards, which we've had for actually much longer. So even though the picture is on, you know, tarot cards can seem like, oh, they're very old. They actually are kind of like out of like the 1500s, 1400s, 1500s in Italy. And I think it's actually a French soldier that like really popularized it. from what I remember from brushing up on tarot history, ⁓ we had playing cards and there were some games that were played. ⁓ with just what were called the Trump cards, the Jack, Queen, King cards, et cetera. And that kind of gave birth to the major arcana in the tarot. But somewhere around the 1500s in Italy, they started using playing cards more for divination purposes ⁓ and ⁓ for gambling games. And those gambling games kind of turned into games of luck and chance. and games of luck and chance kind of evolved into predicting the future, fortune telling, and then that kind of evolved into general divination and we get these different versions of the card deck that were now made less for playing games and more for the future predicting divination side of things. And then in the early 1900s we had Pamela Coleman Smith get commissioned to design ⁓ a tarot deck for, ⁓ is his name Edward Waite, maybe? A.E. Waite. ⁓ And so she contributed the art ⁓ that really kind of got popularized throughout the 1900s and became what we know of when we think of the fool and the star card, et cetera. Those designs ⁓ are hers. And now people have freestyled those designs and now there's thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yeah. Aly Kravetz: different interpretations ⁓ of that original design that she created. ⁓ Leigh/@followtheleighder: That's amazing. Thank you for that because I didn't know that bit of it. And it also seems like there's some numerology going on in Tarot. It may also seems like maybe there's some, what is it, earth and wind and fire and water going on. when you start looking at Pamela Coleman's like that, there's a lot of imagery going on. ⁓ Aly Kravetz: Yep. ⁓ yeah, the tarot designs, you know, the idea is if this is going to serve as a way to communicate with the spirit world, then you need to have imagery that makes sense for like their. language. And so the imagery on the cards pull on astrological concepts, on numerological concepts, on alchemical symbols and concepts, and just many different layers of occult traditions are imbued in the imagery on the decks. Even biblical references are sprinkled throughout the imagery as well. So the tarot, especially the RWS designs, are really non-denominational. and the images really pull from many different schools of esoteric thought in order to give you, know, kind of like a, what's that, the sorcerer's stone that would allow you to, you know, understand anybody that could be talking to you. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yeah. Yeah, that's a great way to put it. So can you talk about, you also, like you said, Reiki, tell us what is Reiki, are there different forms, and what is it? Aly Kravetz: Mm-hmm. Yeah, the form of Reiki that I'm most familiar with because it's what I was trained in is Usui Reiki. ⁓ And the really simple answer is Reiki is energy manipulation and energy healing. And when I'm speaking to folks that are not as well versed in, you know, ⁓ esoteric concepts, ⁓ I simply relate it to the laying on of hands. A lot more people have been in maybe Christian environments where you have seen often an elder or a spiritual leader of some kind, place their hands on a person and be able to shift their energy in a way that they're able to perhaps drive out illness or help them to overcome some type of a physical problem or some type of issue in their life. Maybe they're struggling with addiction or ⁓ they have ⁓ relationship problems on, know, ongoing relationship issues. ⁓ So Reiki is just that. It's laying on of hands ⁓ to help shift the energy within. in a person. Reiki as its practice in the West is brought to us by a Japanese individual, Dr. Mikau Usui, who, you know, the history is kind of fuzzy and with a lot of things, there's a lot of like... well, somebody wasn't quite as honest and like this and that and the third, but essentially someone of Japanese descent came to the West and brought over this practice and alleged that the particular technique that he was sharing with the world was informed by Japanese practices and Japanese techniques. We know now that that's not necessarily super true that Riki isn't like being widely practiced. throughout Japan and folks ⁓ of Japanese culture are not necessarily super familiar with it and we kind of thought that maybe in the beginning. ⁓ But the kind of regardless of like the the person's intentions when they brought it over or the lack of accuracy of the history of these practices is the results. know, does it work? And what people have found ⁓ in the time since we've been exposed to these techniques is that it does. that having someone who is trained to manipulate your energy can actually have a very true and like a tangible impact on your body, whether it's your physical body or your energetic body. My teacher, ⁓ Dr. Thomas Kapshu from Inner Spark in Virginia, actually went to Japan to learn a particular type of reiki in addition to usui reiki and has been practicing for many, many years. He was in ⁓ seminary school and actually on his way to become a priest when he got very close to graduation and he basically said, you know, answer me this. If I... was to find like a remote village in the middle of the rainforest. And someone in that village is the most angelic person. Like they are the ones that heal everybody. They will give anything that they have to the next person. They maybe are responsible for birthing the babies in the village and they heal and they do all of these incredible things. They live a life that is so good, that is so righteous and wonderful. If that person doesn't know who Jesus is, are they going to And their teachers basically were like, yes. And he was like, I quit. He was like, I quit. That does not make sense to me. And that brought him to exploring other modalities. He learned reiki. He's been teaching it for years. And why reiki was the thing that really stuck with him is because he had really bad knees. He's a runner. And she was told that he needed to have surgery on his knees and that there was no way around it. They were going to both need to be replaced. In learning Reiki, he was able to give Reiki to himself and to his knees. 25 years later, he still has not had that surgery and he still runs on a regular basis and is fine. No pain, no issues. So when you have those types of results in your own life or you see somebody else have those types of results, ⁓ I think it's often funny the mental gymnastics that people will play in order to dismiss what they're seeing with their own two eyes. But I'm really grateful that my teacher didn't just chalk that up to like, it's coincidence. or whatever and say, no, there's really something here. I want to learn it. I want to offer this to other people and I want to teach it. Then many years later, I got the opportunity to be his student. And ⁓ that's kind of, for me, what Reiki can do for someone. Leigh/@followtheleighder: So if someone were to go to you for a Reiki session, you said it's kind of like laying on hands. Like, is it like a massage or kind of talk about for someone who has never done Reiki, what could they imagine? Aly Kravetz: Mm-hmm. Mm. right. what they could imagine. So Reiki can be performed hands on or hands off. ⁓ Different practitioners approach their sessions differently, but the way that I was trained was to always ask. ⁓ And so I let my client decide whether or not I actually physically make contact with them or if I hover my hands just above their bodies. ⁓ What you can expect in most Reiki sessions is that you will be lying down. Some practitioners will have you face down. Some will have you face up. Some might do a of both depending on the areas of your body that they want to have access to and to work on. ⁓ I tend to have my clients face up ⁓ and we usually start by doing a general energy assessment ⁓ using our hands to feel the energy of that person. ⁓ I do a short intake form but I typically try not to spend too much time on what my teacher calls reinforcing the story. ⁓ So you are already telling yourself every day that my knees are bad or I've got a bad hip or you know, I'm never gonna find love, whatever it is. And so I don't wanna keep reinforcing that narrative with you, but I will give you the opportunity to let me know if there's a particular area that you feel could use extra work. But then I do my own assessment and see what I feel at first. And then ⁓ after the energy scan, we then proceed to move through the chakra system. ⁓ and allow those systems to basically let go of that old storyline. And my job as the Reiki healer is to hold a space where you can be the healthiest, most perfect version of yourself, and then just invite you to like come into that space. And a session usually takes somewhere around 45 to 55 minutes. The after effects are usually a combination between relaxing and a ⁓ bit of euphoria. You might feel a little bit lightheaded, so we might do some grounding right after to bring you fully squarely back into your body. And then I usually encourage people afterwards to, you know, now would not be the time to like go to the club afterwards. Like keep the energy interactions peaceful and calm for, you know, the next 24 hours. Maybe go home, have some tea, take a bath, ⁓ just chill out and let yourself process that new storyline that you just wrote for for yourself. Leigh/@followtheleighder: So, as you're moving and transferring the energy on the client, do you also feel like you're receiving messages or vision or anything in return? Or what is it like for you to do this? Aly Kravetz: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah, so Reiki sessions are so fabulous. I don't get the opportunity to do them or tarot reading as much anymore because I've really fully stepped into my role as a spiritual business coach. And so my job now is to help tarot readers and Reiki healers to grow their businesses and their practices, which means I spend less time in the field, if you will, and more time helping the healers themselves. ⁓ But yeah, I love giving Reiki sessions because it's a nice, healthy dose of that creator energy for myself. The way that a Reiki healer is operating is we essentially are opening ourselves up for that divine energy, that bright white light that is God's love, and we let it come into ourselves and then radiate out of our hands towards our client. And so because I'm literally standing there just getting this flood of beautiful energy, I get all of that as well. Reiki session is ⁓ really beautiful for the practitioner because you just get all of that pouring through you. ⁓ And so you'll find Reiki healers that have been doing this for a really long time. They're like weirdly angelic people. Like nothing seems to bother them. They're in a constant state of unconditional love towards everyone. ⁓ we're all human. We have human emotions. They're not perfect. But you can really see how how having all of that energy flowing through them on a regular basis really puts them in a constant state of just loving, kindness, and compassion towards others. And it's really cool to see. And one day maybe I'll be at that level after all the Reiki sessions that I've done, but definitely it's ⁓ something you get. And one of the concerns that people have or misconceptions that they have is that being a Reiki healer is like somehow exhausting because you're like picking up negative energy or whatever, but that's not how reiki works. There are other forms of cleansing and healing that do involve actually like taking on the negative energy of the other and dispelling it within yourself, et cetera. But that's not what reiki is. So we're not taking on the negative energy or the pain or any of that that the client is experiencing. We are literally inundating them with God's love and sort of pushing out of their body anything that is lingering in their energy centers and allowing that to just like dissolve right back down into the earth. It just kind of goes away. Leigh/@followtheleighder: I went to a Reiki Healer during my divorce and it was very powerful for me. really, really... Aly Kravetz: in. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yes, I enjoyed it and respected it a lot. And one of the things she told me was like, it was, she said that she was like getting visuals of like, spikes and spears in my back. And when she was like feeling like she had to like pull all these little splinters out and, and, that's, was kind of like how I felt. Like I was going through a divorce. It was a lot of betrayal. And there was a lot of, not just from the husband, but from family friendly, just, so it was wild that she could Aly Kravetz: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: see that and and and then it that energy looks a certain way or that you know but again it's it's just it's it's all really there's just so many ways to connect with the divine and I think that's why I think that's why I was so excited to meet you and learn more and Aly Kravetz: Mm-hmm. Leigh/@followtheleighder: The other thing I wanted to talk about, I know we touched on tarot earlier, but was for tarot, can you talk about a couple different ways that tarot card spreads could be laid out? Is tarot fortune telling? how can and how do you read your tarot? Aly Kravetz: Yeah. So I utilize tarot as a way of getting guidance ⁓ and ⁓ insight into situations, most often for making decisions ⁓ in my life or getting greater knowledge into situations that I wouldn't know about, right? So if I want to know what someone's actual intentions are towards me, maybe a potential business partner or a relationship, ⁓ the cards are tools that I can use not to speak to the card, but to speak to my guides who are able to, you know, I can't go through walls and travel into places. So my guides are able to go and say like, yeah, actually that person would be a good person to have a relationship with or no, you're right. Your intuition that this person's, you know, got an agenda that you don't know about. Yeah, you're right. And also by the way, here's the agenda, right? Which, I couldn't know that as a human being, I'm limited to my physical body and the space that I'm in, but they can go peek off into different timelines into different places, they can gather information and give me more so that I can make better choices because I'm more informed. So that's mostly how I use the tarot. ⁓ And in terms of tarot spreads, you can certainly use them. They can be very helpful, especially if you are just beginning to use the tarot. If you, to follow my phone analogy, you know how they have those cell phones for like older folks where like all the numbers are really big and like the, you know, the apps are simpler or there's fewer of them and things like that. ⁓ That would be what I would equate using a spread to where it's like, I'm new to using this tool. I need it to be really clear. I need it to be really simply laid out for me. And so when I pull a card, if I don't have a spread, maybe I need to have a really good relationship with my guide to understand what they're trying to tell me. Whereas if I'm doing a spread and I know that this card represents this question, Leigh/@followtheleighder: you Aly Kravetz: and this card represents the future, this card represents me in the present, it's just a little bit easier for me to understand what the message is that's being delivered to me. So spreads are great, very helpful, especially if you're just starting with tarot and have not yet gotten to the point where you consider yourself a diviner. For me, tarot is the after effect. I'm already having the conversation with my guides. The tarot just confirms. what I'm already hearing from them, but that's because, you know, it's been 20-something years of me practicing speaking to beings that I cannot see. So ⁓ speaking their language is something that comes a little bit more easily to me now, ⁓ and the cards help to usually just confirm what it is I am already picking up with my intuition and my energy body. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, and it's, I haven't heard it explained that way before, you know, that the spreads are in a way, you know, like a template almost, ⁓ but it goes so much deeper. There's so much more to it than that. ⁓ Another thing I liked about ⁓ what, which work does is you have this directory of other people who, Aly Kravetz: Yeah. Leigh/@followtheleighder: I with so I see quite a bit of you know, Tarot and Oracle. Are they also all in the Bronx with you? Aly Kravetz: Yeah, so the directory on the BronxSwitch.com website is of our members here in the space for the most part. We have a few folks that are virtual and have asked to be on the directory because they want to advertise their services to our audience. But for the most part, the folks on the directory are members of our physical space. So they either utilize our space in the past or have an ongoing membership where they utilize our space for their in-person readings, classes, workshops, et cetera. just thought it would make I just thought it would make sense to like list them all there because we often get phone calls like hey can I get a tarot reading and I'm like no but and one of our members could definitely do that for you if you need a space to rent then we got you but if you need a reader here are members so I thought it might be helpful to just kind of list them all there so that people can reach out to them directly so the links on the directory will take you to their personal booking pages or social media pages Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yeah. Aly Kravetz: not employees of which work in any way. But they are vetted by us in the sense that we do have a relationship with them in some way. They have to fill out an application and they have to provide three references who have purchased their services in the past. And we do call those references. And once we've gotten the okay from those references, then we will put them up on the site. So you can trust that they have had a certain level of vetting by us, but they're not our employees. They're folks who have used our space or have a relationship with us. in some way. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Fantastic. Talk about some of the events that one might attend in your space. Aly Kravetz: So one of the biggest events that we had going on is tea and taro, which we would typically host ⁓ every equinox and solstice. So we've had about 17 of them since we opened. We did not have a spring equinox party this year because we're undergoing some changes here in the space and we've got some repairs that need to be done. ⁓ But ⁓ those are usually the events that we have. They're completely free to the community and We usually have a great selection of vendors and readers that are available. So you can come and shop. You can come and get a tarot reading. It is tea and tarot. And I do make medicinal herbal teas that I sell on my Etsy page, Bronx Witch Bodega. So of course I always have one of my teas available and that is also complimentary. We try to have a food vendor or two. So there are some snacks to purchase and you can hang out and enjoy. And those have been really wonderful for me because when we first started, we were holding them here in the spot ⁓ inside of Witch Work, but they started to get too popular, so we had to take them outside. And so now we host them in the park, the Joyce Kilmer Park across the street. And so that's been really great for people in the neighborhood to just walk by and be like, ⁓ what is this? Like wellness, spirituality, tarot reading. It's something so unusual for this neighborhood. ⁓ It's gotten a lot of ⁓ attention and traction, and we've been on the local news a few times. And so that's just been really cool to bring something different to this neighborhood. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Absolutely. And thank you for, I mean, it is, it's just a different way to connect with the divine. It's a way, and that also allows folks to access a different part of themselves. Like it's a really interesting. ⁓ outcome, because it's just so much more than what it is in the moment. Do you ever get a chance to work or have contacts with root workers in New Orleans? Or what is or I'm just trying to think of like other places around the country that are like notably spiritual. know Sedona gets a lot of ⁓ and Black Hills, Dakotas. What does it look like to work with folks across the country? Aly Kravetz: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So ⁓ I love that you bring up New Orleans because I am adopted and I found my birth mother for the first time in my life ⁓ last year. ⁓ So that's kind of wild to finally know who your mom is at 38 years old. ⁓ And it was very cool for me to find out that my grandmother is from New Orleans. And so I had a connection there that I didn't know about. But it also kind of makes me being interested in the craft at 12 years old, like make a lot of sense. And it's pretty funny because Leigh/@followtheleighder: Congratulations. Yeah. Aly Kravetz: after I met my birth mom and like we had our first meeting I went to Charleston to see my adopted mom and she's like how was it ⁓ my goodness we want to see the pictures or whatever and I let her know like my grandmother's from New Orleans and they're super spiritual and kind of witchy women and like that was so cool to find out and my mom just looks at me and she goes I'm so glad you found that out because you definitely didn't get this witch shit from us and I was like yeah I know huh it feels so Leigh/@followtheleighder: you Aly Kravetz: good to find. I feel like Harry Potter in some ways. I was like, I always knew I was from someone else. But so that was cool to find out. And then last year, I got the opportunity to teach at the Christian Witches Convention, which is a small conference hosted for like the last 13 years by Reverend Valerie Love, who is the author of How to Be a Christian Witch and like 25 other books on the topic of Christianity and the craft. Really, really great books for anybody who is coming from a Christian background and is interested in the craft. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Yeah. Yeah. Aly Kravetz: She's got a book for you. She'll detail every instance of astrology, of herbal magic, of crystal use, you know, all of it. And she'll help you to understand the biblical text in a way that isn't infused with a bunch of religious propaganda, but that really just looks at it as a text for kind of guiding your life and your lifestyle and connecting with God on your own terms. So she is super fantastic. I absolutely adore her. And I had the opportunity to teach at the conference. It's held every year around the end of May in New Orleans and so that was my first opportunity to really kind of hang out in that city and I was blown away. couldn't believe there were like 30-something witchy shops within you know a few miles of each other ⁓ and so I definitely desire to open a witch work location down there because I think it would be well received. ⁓ Because of my own ancestry, my family being from Charleston, now knowing about this connection to New Orleans, Hoodoo, Voodoo, and Rootwork have all become increasing parts of my own practice. So, started with Wicca, and as I've learned more about myself, those practices have become infused into what I do. But out of respect for those practitioners, I wouldn't refer to myself as a Hoodoo practitioner or a Rootworker, but those nuggets. of those practices have come into my work and I've been blessed to meet some leaders and elders who are more experienced in those practices who have taught me a thing or two which has been really great. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Well, I have just really enjoyed getting to know you and listening to you and hearing you and we are ⁓ getting closer about out of time. How can folks follow you or become a part of which work or learn more? Aly Kravetz: Yeah, well, if you're in the New York City area, we are right here on 162nd Street and the Grand Concourse. You can reserve workstations or private rooms here on an individual reservation basis. So you can go right to our website and book a spot. ⁓ If you are unfamiliar with the space, not sure if it'll meet your needs, you can also just book a tour and come in and I'll show you around and then you'll know our space a little bit better. Or of course, you can become a member and members of course get all the perks and the bells and whistles and package pickup and the ability to use our address on their return labels and their collect mail here and you know things like that. So if you are a working witch this really is the place for you where you can build your practice ⁓ if you're not yet at the place where you're ready to open a storefront or rent an office for yourself. So we aim to serve you there ⁓ and my coaching platform Better Witch Coaching ⁓ is where you can get further education. So if you are a working witch that's maybe struggling to find clientele, trying to market yourself, build your brand visibility. I've had the opportunity to do that for myself and to help dozens of others on their entrepreneurial journeys with building their businesses. So in addition to using our space, you can also work with me as your business coach to help you with that stuff. And I'm probably easiest to find on Instagram at Bronx Witch. But if you're looking to dive deeper, you can follow me on YouTube at Better Witch or you can join my school community, the Better Witch community, ⁓ on school and it's free to join. You can always level up and get more perks, but if you want to just pop in and say hi, you can join us for free and get to know the community and the other witches there. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Wow, this was, check them out. You gotta go down the rabbit hole, see what is down ⁓ Exactly, yeah, you've plenty of things going on, whether it's online or in person. Aly Kravetz, thank you. Bronx Witch, thank you for being here. Aly Kravetz: Hit us up, we got what you need. Thank you. Thank you so much for having me. This has been incredible. Blessed be to everyone who's listening. Leigh/@followtheleighder: Thank you. Folks, let me know what you thought of this conversation today. This is Aly Kravetz with Bronx Witch. Let me know in the comments. ⁓ Do not forget to like, follow, and subscribe. You know the drill. And until next time, I'm your host, Leigh Larson. This is Follow the Leighder. See ya.