I graduated from massage school 22 years ago with no intention of becoming a lifer. Initially it was a trade that I hoped would give me flexibility and bartering ability, which it definitely has. I didn’t know that after ten years of having my own downtown office, with a big lobby and off street parking (omg such luxuries) I’d go to working out of my kitchen in a New Orleans shotgun. Or that I’d enter the spa business and experience what it’s like to be exploited... but also learn some truly valuable tools and lessons (and people). I didn’t know that after 20 years, I’d be diagnosed with an auto immune disease that caused peripheral nerve pain and numbness in my hands, causing me to quit said job at spa and really consider my skill sets and options. I never ever anticipated a global pandemic that would afford me time to re-evaluate my life at the exact same time that menopause settled in (which was an unexpected blessing). And finally, I wouldn’t have believed you if you’d told me that at the age of 50 I’d be coaching clients through the mediums of Tarot and astrology or hired by a psychologist to join a practice of BIPOC witches. But hey, y’all that’s the beauty of not being tethered to a capitalist model rooted in patriarchy. Please follow me on Instagram @temple.blacksnake for astrology updates and philosophical ramblings about the collapse of Patriarchy. |
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May 2023
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