Today we’d like to introduce you to Rachel Wilkinson.
Rachel, before we jump into specific questions about your work, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
My life was a dumpster fire, so I turned to witchcraft. By 2018, everything I thought I would do and be when I grew up had never come to fruition. I was getting by as a freelance ghostwriter constantly hustling for work someone else’s name would inevitably go on. I had tried to become a mother, and doctors told me that would never biologically happen. I discovered people I trusted had betrayed me. And I felt incredibly alone. I also felt like a failure. I had tried to live an ordinary life and was terrible at it. As I faced a unknown future, I was sick with grief. All I wanted was someone to magically swoop into my life, take my hand, and reassure me that everything was going to work out. Shocking no one at all, that fairy godmother never appeared.
Whether it really was my own less-than-stellar life choices or circumstance dropkicking me into this mess, in the end, I was the only person who could get me out of it. So, yeah, it was time to get weird, which lead to my inspiration for Lifemancy.
I’ve had a passion for the supernatural, paranormal, and the occult my whole life. I’ve collected tools of divination like tarot cards and pendulums since grade school. While my friends were into boy bands and Sega, I was into astrology and numerology. In fact, I used to write horoscopes for my high school newspaper.
So, as I started to reprise my witchy past, I realized I was literally turning into my own fairy godmother. I was bippity boppity booing my way to a better understanding of myself and rebuilding the confidence I lost. Knowing that I couldn’t be the only person going through a wretched time in their lives, I made Lifemancy in the hopes of being that helping hand I wish I had when I was a wreck.
I want to inspire people to take action, do something different, and have fun. I want listeners to hear the stories of other people who have faced their own challenges while making their mark on the world. And I want to offer folks a chance to learn things they might not otherwise investigate themselves. We all have to save ourselves, even if that means doing it unconventionally. And that’s what Lifemancy is all about.
The podcast is where the practical and paranormal meet. It’s where we can let our curiosity run free. For 45 minutes every two weeks, it’s an opportunity for folks to learn cool stuff, get a little weird, and discover their own magical selves.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
My biggest struggle is that I’m only one woman when I wish I were six. I want to produce the best quality podcast I can, but I’m limited to a shoestring budget. So, I do all the research, writing, interviewing, recording, editing, and marketing and there is only so much time in the day.
Because I have to be all-the-things, the obstacles never end. One time I forgot to plug in the mic. A few days ago, I fried a hard drive and lost chunks of work I’ll never see again. There were a couple of episodes I needed to finish on time, where I was so sick. I wanted to die. So, I downed a cocktail of Nyquil and Tylenol and prayed the gods would smile on me.
But I’m resourceful, and I make what I have work. When my hard drive burned out, I pulled out a dinosaur of a desktop, a handheld recorder, and my phone to put the episode together. My recording studio is literally a coat closet. And despite all these challenges, people come up to me all the time talking about how it sounds like a show on NPR (high praise!) and how I’ve inspired them to get witchy.
If I’ve motivated someone to do something as simple as taking a left turn down the road less traveled or as dramatic as running naked into the moonlit woods because it makes them feel dauntless, then I know I’ve changed someone’s life for the better that day. Which, of course, makes all the struggle worth it.
Please tell us about your work.
Lifemancy is a light-hearted, educational podcast that teaches the history behind supernatural stories, the science of paranormal abilities, and how to use the tools of divination to discover secrets about ourselves.
What sets the show apart from other paranormal or occult podcasts is how I make the topics relatable. Someone who knows nothing about tarot cards or American folklore can listen to an episode and enjoy what we’re talking about. Someone without any experience in mysticism or witchcraft can come away with something to use in their every day especially when I interview experts – individuals who have devoted their lives to a given subject and who can explain the science behind a thing, or the history of a supernatural phenomenon or belief, far better than I can.
Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
While I wouldn’t call it my favorite childhood memory, I think I always knew I was a witch of some sort. Let’s say; I learned the lesson of “Words are like a tube of toothpaste” very early on in life. I remember in elementary school. I told a girl I could make her a magical potion if she brought me an empty toothpaste pump. One of those old Crest stand up pumps that were supposed to prevent toothpaste messes and never did. I have no idea why this was the key container of my magic potion. Probably because I knew I had no idea what I was doing and probably figured that would be too hard for her to collect.
But sure enough, the next day she comes to school with an empty pump. She had emptied the toothpaste into her sink the night before. My crafty self hadn’t thought of this basic approach to problem-solving. I took it from her and told her I needed a week. From that moment on, I hoped and prayed she’d forget. She didn’t, of course. Eleven-year-old girls have minds like steel traps when it comes to the possibility of acquiring a magical potion.
Eventually, I fessed up all red-cheeked and flushed from embarrassment. Thirty years later, I’m sure she’s long forgotten, but not me. That moment is seared into my brain for all eternity.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.lifemancy.com
- Email: contact@lifemancy.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lifemancymagick/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lifemancy
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lifemancypod
Image Credit:
Sarah Korus Photography
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