'I'm a Modern Day Witch'

I began to suspect I was a witch very early on in my childhood. My family lived on a lake in Wisconsin and one night, aged five, I woke up shouting for my grandmother. I said I could see someone drowning at the end of our pier, but she said she couldn't see anything and told me to go back to bed.

Shortly afterward, I went to school and told one of the Catholic nuns who taught me that I saw one of her loved ones passing away soon. I don't remember how she reacted, but I know I was treated differently after that.

I'm a fifth generation witch, which means I come from a long line of women who believe they harness the ability to practice magic. Because of my family history, my grandmother thought my predictions meant I had psychic and medium abilities. She always believed me and supported me, so I never found my gift scary or frightening.

I remember being bullied a lot when I was younger; I would tell kids what I thought would happen in their future, which meant they wouldn't want to play with me. I didn't feel like I could turn my ability to predict things off.

I cast my first spell when I was five. I'm biracial and there was a girl at school who would bully me because of my appearance. She would make fun of me on the bus and try to cut off my braids. I didn't want her to bother me anymore.

One day, I was down by the lake and started gathering materials. I believe I intuitively knew how to craft spells without being told, so I found some soil, rocks, twigs, and leaves, and added them to water I had previously left out underneath the moonlight.

I put the concoction in between my crossed legs and said something along the lines of: "Please leave me alone, stop being mean to me." It didn't happen right away, but a few days later she stopped bothering me. I believe the change in her behavior was a result of my spell.

I think I started to hone my abilities when I was around eight years old. I used to take out our family canoe and paddle down by the bay. I remember once seeing a distressed bird, who I desperately wanted to help.

I held it and smoothed its back while continuously saying: "You're going to be okay." When I put it down, its wings began to flap again. I believe that was a result of the alternative medicine practice which is known today as Reiki healing.

I would spend a lot of time doing an exercise called earthing, which means going barefoot and planting your feet into the ground, in order to feel more connected to nature. I often meditated while sitting by the lake and watching the water or the sky, though I didn't know that's what I was doing at the time.

While I was growing up in the '70s and '80s, I was picked on for being a witch and felt I was shunned for my beliefs. I would try and do some spells with close friends, but I rarely talked about it openly. It was only in 2014, when I joined social media, that I realized there were witches everywhere; it even felt as though being a psychic or a medium had become trendy.

However, around the same time, I was in a very difficult, toxic relationship. I was in such a bad place that I had given up on using any of my intuitive abilities. I was at an extremely low point in my life.

I knew I had to leave the relationship, but it was really hard. I didn't even feel like I was a human being anymore. One day, after a very traumatic incident, I walked to a local woods and sat in front of a tree, where I just started screaming and crying.

I had taken with me frankincense, rosemary, and a regular candle. I sprinkled my ingredients onto the candle and lit it. I rocked back and forth in front of the tree while casting a protection spell on myself.

From that day on, I began reconnecting with my spiritual side. Among other things, I cast self-love spells, meditated, and did an energy healing practice called high-frequency sound baths. I believe it was this process that gave me the strength to eventually leave.

In 2017, I started my own spiritual practice. I specialize in trauma recovery and also work as an intuitive consultant, which means that clients come to me for guidance on various aspects of their life.

Often, professionals contact me to ask for advice about their workplace. Usually, I have worked with them before in a personal capacity and they bring me in to consult their team about decisions within the business.

For example, if a client were trying to close on a specific deal which was being held up, they may ask for what's known as a block opener candle, which is designed to release anything which has been held up or stuck.

I cast spells for clients and create spiritual tools, such as manifesting oils or candles for self-love, peace, and money, which I have been making for decades. The most requested candle is for wealth and the most sought-after spell is for love—which I will never cast.

Some witches will offer this service, but when you cast a love spell on someone else, I believe you attach a person to them against their will. I also believe that can cause the other party to become obsessive, dangerous, and violent. I will never do a spell that comprises someone else's spiritual health.

Nothing I do is harmful. I would never cast a bad spell. I believe my witchcraft returns energy sent to you. For example, if someone wishes great harm to you, I return that to them, but I will never send back harm in return.

Everything I do attempts to guide, heal and empower people. It's a very beautiful experience and I am very proud to be a witch. The biggest misconception about us is that we are dangerous or scary. Some people even think we're demonic, but that is not at all who I am.

I believe that it was thanks to witchcraft I went from nothing to living a wonderful life in my own beautiful home, with three children who are healthy and happy. I feel my success is a product of magic, manifestation, and healing.

Everything I was bullied for in my past is now how I am supporting my family. I'm just so grateful for my life and find it mind-blowing how everything has come together.

Goldi Sindic, from Wisconsin, is a psychic and intuitive life coach. You can follow her on Instagram and TikTok at @og.goldi.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

As told to Monica Greep.