Oracle of L.A.: Intuition, Magic & Meaning with Amanda Yates Garcia

Summary

---

Podcast Summary

Detox Retox with Tom Schwartz
Episode: Oracle of L.A.: Intuition, Magic & Meaning with Amanda Yates Garcia
Date: November 4, 2025
Guest: Amanda Yates Garcia, aka The Oracle of Los Angeles

---

Episode Overview

This engaging episode of "Detox Retox" dives deep into the world of modern witchcraft, intuition, and personal transformation with renowned witch, writer, and healer Amanda Yates Garcia. Host Tom Schwartz seeks to demystify witchcraft, unpacking its roots in self-empowerment, community, ritual, and activism. Together, Tom and Amanda explore how spiritual practice can counter the pressures of modern capitalism, heal spiritual disconnection, and help us find meaning and confidence in uncertain times.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Meaning & Practice of Modern Witchcraft

[00:25–06:38, 12:37–14:50, 26:33–34:20]

• Demystifying the "Witch": Amanda describes witchcraft not as fantasy but a lived, empowering practice intricately connected to healing, creativity, community, and activism.
  • “She sees witch identity as a feminist, anti-capitalist and reclamation project.” – Host [01:53]
• Connection to Ancestry & Future: The practice is rooted in recognizing interconnectedness—not just with other people, but with land, ancestors, and future generations.
  • Memorable Quote:

    “Everything in your life that you now love was put there by someone, cared for by someone, tended to by many someones over eons.” – Amanda [05:13]

• Witchcraft As a Practice, Not a Belief: Amanda stresses the difference between holding a belief and embodying it through ritual and action.
  • “Witchcraft is not a belief system, it’s a practice.” – Amanda [07:31]

2. Capitalism, Hustle Culture, and Spiritual Exhaustion

[06:24–09:58, 21:10–24:15]

• Tom and Amanda reflect on societal pressure to be productive, and how it strips us of collective rest, reflection, and even grief.
  • “Simultaneously, capitalism grind culture…doesn’t really allow for times of quiet or fallout periods. It doesn’t really let us rest.” – Amanda [06:53]
• Witchcraft and spiritual traditions are positioned as antidotes to grind culture, helping people return to imagination, rest, and interconnectedness.

3. Tolerance for Uncertainty and Building Personal Agency

[14:50–19:17, 39:21–44:54]

• Both Amanda and Tom discuss struggling with uncertainty, imposter syndrome, and the anxiety of nontraditional paths.
  • “If you say you’re a creative person or…public witch or writer, people often…wish they could do that. But to do that work really requires a very high tolerance for risk and uncertainty.” – Amanda [16:29]
• Amanda’s work is about building capacity to handle uncertainty, not fortune-telling:
  • “My work…I am not a fortune teller…that makes [people] hold on to [predictions]. And it can do, I think, real damage.” – Amanda [40:21]

4. Ritual, Magic, and the Mechanics of Witchcraft

[26:49–34:20, 47:44–57:15]

• Ritual as Intention Setting: Modern spells use ritual tools for aligning one’s own will with intention—they’re about internal and, sometimes, external transformation.
  • “She treats them kind of as spells for healing, creativity and empowerment…It’s all about self-empowerment.” – Host [01:09]
  • “Real magic is aligning your will with your desires...and that is not easy.” – Amanda [47:58]
• Clarifying Stereotypes: While Amanda humorously addresses questions about broomsticks and The Craft, she explains the symbolic and historic roots of witch symbols and practices.
• What Magic Can and Can’t Do: Magic and spells may help open new paths or bring clarity, but they are not shortcuts circumventing real-world constraints or personal work.

5. Soulmates, Intuition, and the Nature of the Soul

[34:35–38:29]

• Amanda shares a nuanced view: we have multiple significant soul connections, not one preordained soulmate.
  • “I believe that we have people who are spiritually…familiar to us and that we have unfinished business with…and that we might recognize them in this lifetime.” – Amanda [34:37]
  • “But I don’t believe that we have just one [soulmate]…I think we have many, many beings that we love deeply and with great commitment…” – Amanda [35:45]
• She describes a witchcraft worldview where our soul is multi-layered and death is a transformation, not an end.

6. Working with Clients: Transformation over Fortune-Telling

[39:21–44:54, 58:40–63:43]

• Amanda likens her sessions to “creating an oracular space…like a cauldron” for collaborative magic and self-discovery, not deterministic predictions.
  • “Helping Neo realize his own power and agency rather than giving it. Self belief activates destiny, right? Boom, boom.” – Tom [44:54]

7. Intimacy Crisis & Collective Ritual

[51:32–58:19]

• Modern culture suffers a crisis of intimacy and disconnection.
  • “We are culturally going through a crisis of intimacy. We’re going through crisis of relationship…within families, within relationships…within friend groups, often don’t know how to be in connection and relationship…” – Amanda [55:07]
• Ritual, spiritual work, and intention-setting are most powerful when done for both oneself and the greater good.

8. Tarot and Guidance in Times of Uncertainty

[68:10–78:58]

• Amanda offers a live Tarot reading for listeners experiencing uncertainty:
  • The Eight of Cups: Symbolizes the courage to leave behind situations that no longer serve us, honoring the discomfort of growth over the discomfort of stagnation.
  • “Which discomfort do you prefer? The discomfort of changing…or the discomfort of staying in a situation that no longer works for you?” – Amanda [70:56]

9. Takeaways and Nuggets of Wisdom

[75:50–78:30]

• “Choose your discomfort. You can stay uncomfortable in things you don’t like…or you can choose the discomfort of taking a risk.” – Amanda [76:16]
• “Better a life of oh wells than what ifs.” – Tom [78:09]
• Take your shot, but nourish yourself with community, nature, and practices that foster resilience.

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On interconnectedness:

  “Everything in your life that you now love was put there by someone, cared for by someone, tended to by many someones over eons.”
  – Amanda Yates Garcia [05:13]

• On capitalism’s trap:

  “Capitalism grind culture…doesn’t really allow for times of quiet or fallout periods. It doesn’t really let us rest. And there’s a reason for that…if we rested, we’d be like, why are we doing this?”
  – Amanda Yates Garcia [06:53]

• On the role of the Oracle (via The Matrix):

  “The Oracle knows the truth won’t matter until you believe in yourself.”
  – Tom Schwartz [42:00]

• On agency in magic:

  “Witch is much more about agency…I identify much more as a witch…witchcraft is a set of tools, a set of practices.”
  – Amanda Yates Garcia [45:11]

• On leaving comfort zones (Tarot Eight of Cups):

  “The discomfort of staying in this confining situation…or the discomfort of changing, the discomfort of transformation…That’s the question.”
  – Amanda Yates Garcia [70:56]

• Pocket wisdom for listeners:

  “Take your shot. And also…call to you the things that help you stay calm and nourished as you’re taking that shot. Like, call in friends…nature, music, art, connection, community.”
  – Amanda Yates Garcia [78:30]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Amanda’s Introduction & Witchcraft Demystified: [00:25–06:38]
• Personal & Ancestral Connections: [05:13–06:20]
• Witchcraft vs. Capitalism/Grind Culture: [06:24–09:58]
• Amanda’s Journey as the ‘Oracle of LA’: [12:37–14:50]
• Creativity & Navigating Uncertainty: [16:29–19:17]
• The Role of Ritual, Magic, and Agency: [26:49–34:20]
• Philosophy on Soulmates & Multiple Souls: [34:35–38:29]
• On Being an Oracle vs. Fortune-Telling: [39:21–44:54]
• Mechanics & Ethics of Magic (Spells, Outcome): [47:44–57:15]
• Collective vs. Individual Ritual: [53:10–58:19]
• Tarot Reading—Guidance for Uncertainty: [68:10–74:22]
• Ending Advice & Takeaways: [75:50–78:58]

---

Overall Tone

Reflective, warm, empowering, and practical—neither “woo-woo” nor dogmatic. Amanda communicates complex mystical ideas in an accessible, often humorous way, and Tom keeps the discussion relatable and relaxed.

---

How to Connect with Amanda Yates Garcia

• Substack: amandiyatesgarcia.substack.com
• Instagram: @oracleofla
• Podcast: Between the Worlds
• Book: Initiated: Memoir of a Witch

---

Summary Takeaway

This episode invites listeners to reclaim agency, find grounding through ritual, cultivate intuition, and courageously navigate uncertainty—not by seeking external predictions, but by stepping authentically into the “magic” of personal and collective transformation. As Amanda puts it, “Self-belief activates destiny.” [44:54]

---

Transcript

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

It's now time for your weekly detox with Tom Schwartz.

[Tom Schwartz]

Guys, what is up?

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

I got a special episode in store for you today. So hyped for this one. Welcome to another episode of Detox Retox today. Amanda Yates Garcia, the LA Oracle. Yes, how cool is that moniker? She's a modern day witch.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Witch.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

And you know, from time to time I want to get mystical on here with you guys. So let's explore what it means to be a modern day witch and in the process demystify some of the common stereotypes. If you remember back to some of the vintage VPR days, Stassi and Katie actually filmed a scene with her and had nothing but wonderful things to say about her. Amanda, they were singing her praises. And ever since then I went to go meet with her myself. I. I knew I had to. She's a Los Angeles based writer, healer, medium and witch. How cool is that? And she uses her craft as kind of a vehicle for personal transformation, social activism, community building and all kinds of good stuff. All kinds of righteous stuff. By the way, I recorded this episode right before game seven of the World Series on Sunday and she rightfully predicted that the Dodgers will clinch. She pulled the tarot cups card. But yeah, I think she'll be quick to tell you she doesn't necessarily predict the future. You know, also, she doesn't wiggle her nose and cast a spell. No, no. But she does do spells. Not ones like, you know, maybe in some movies you've seen, like the Craft, but maybe not that far off. She does do spells, which if I understand correctly, I'm learning with you guys, are kind of like a modern manifestation with ritualistic intentions, tools and purposes. She treats them kind of as spells for healing, creativity and empowerment. So they're not so, so much supernatural, but it's all about self empowerment. She sees witch identity as a feminist, anti capitalist and reclamation project.

[Tom Schwartz]

So she's the real deal. And I'm super excited for you guys.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

I really enjoyed this interview. So enlightening.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yes.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

And yeah, man, her witchcraft, it's not just about like private spells and rituals. It's like deeply communal. She emphasizes connection with ancestors, nature, which I think we all need a lot more of. Touching the proverbial grass reoccurring theme on this show. Very cool, guys. He specializes in personal transformation, empowerment, all that good stuff, reclaiming your power. But ultimately, just like she'll tell you in this interview, you have to believe in yourself to fulfill your destiny.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

What is he doing?

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

He's beginning to believe. That's right. You have to believe in yourself. Okay. That's the moral of this episode. Okay, let's get into it with Amanda Yates Garcia, the La Oracle. So cool. Here we go. Hope you guys enjoyed this interview as much as I did.

[Tom Schwartz]

Amanda Yates Garcia, we're live. Hi, the La Oracle. I am so freaking happy to have this moment with you. First of all, I just want to check in and say hi and thank you. How are you?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Thank you so much, Tom. It's my pleasure and honor to be here, and I am very happy, happy today. It's the day after Samhain, Halloween, the witch's holiday of, you know, communicating with the dead and processing our greed and opening ourselves to the messages from the other world. So I'm glad to be here.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yes. You're an author, the host of between the Worlds podcast, and we have a connection. I mean, you filmed a scene on Vanderpump Rules, I don't know if you remember, with Stassi, and Katie, and I do remember. They had the most profound things to say about you, and they spoke very highly of you. So I've anticipated this day. I was hoping someday I get to just hang out with you, talk to you, and now it's happening, so I'm savoring the moment.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Oh, I'm savoring it, too. It's such a pleasure to remember that experience. And, you know, I always love to meet new people, so. Yeah, that was. That was great.

[Tom Schwartz]

Wait, by the way, I saw this on your Instagram. Can I read a quote that made me happy?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Sure.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Okay.

[Tom Schwartz]

Remember, everything in your life that you now love was put there by someone, cared for by someone, tended to by many someones over eons. I like that.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah. You know, it's. This is a huge part of witchcraft and paganism, and my spiritual practice is remembering that we are deeply connected and enmeshed with the world, with the living world. And we're not just individuals, but not only do we extend across space in the sense that we are enmeshed in our food systems and our cultural systems and our communities, but we also extend across time. So we're rooted in our ancestral past. We're rooted deep in the land that is connected to those ancestors, and we're. We're actually extending deep into the future. And so we. We should all endeavor to. To live with the future generations in mind and care for them. I mean, that is our life's purpose.

[Tom Schwartz]

So that's so beautifully stated. And I just.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

I.

[Tom Schwartz]

Not to you guys. I'm trying to think of the audience right now. But I don't want to be self indulgent, but lately I've just been so caught up in making money. Capitalism, the hustle, the bustle. So what you just said really resonated with me. It was nice. It's very grounding. So thank you.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Oh, yeah. You know, I think so many people are going through that right now. I mean, really, our spiritual traditions, even Halloween, for instance, is here to help us in life, is here to help support us, right? Like, death is a big deal, right? Like, we're all scared of it. We were worried about it. And also, we're trained from our culture to, like, be afraid of it and to reject it and to ignore it and to dismiss it. And if we're grieving, for instance, like, we get three days, you know, maybe a long weekend, and then it's like, okay, back to work. Like, I don't know, many, many people out there might have had the experience that a loved one dies or something, and then a few days later, you're at work and you're like, what am I doing here? This is absurd. Like, how can I just be going on with my. But our spiritual traditions are really here to help us move through those things, to carry those things. And simultaneously, capitalism grind culture. This imperative to constantly be working, extracting, grinding, expanding. It doesn't really allow for times of quiet or fallout periods. It doesn't really let us rest. And there's a reason for that. The reason is, of course, that if we rested, we'd be like, wait, why are we doing this? I don't want to participate in this anymore. I want to hang out with my friends. I want to create a beautiful world. I want to make music. I want to write. I want to make food. I want to garden. We would all collectively decide that we didn't want to participate anymore. So we have to keep grinding. But one thing that I love about witchcraft is that it helps us come back to our imagination, come back to the present moment, come back to the beauty of that moment. And, of course, it's also true that just thinking about that is not enough. And that's why a lot of people say, you know, witchcraft is not. Is not a belief system, it's a practice. So we can believe that we're all connected, all we want, and we can believe that we're here for a purpose, and we can believe that we're working towards the thriving of future generations. But unless we act on those beliefs, it really doesn't matter what you believe. In fact, Indigenous communities, particularly the Indigenous communities, of Turtle island, what is also colonially known as the United States. You know, they. They believe that your religion is what you do. Like, you can say, oh, I believe in Jesus Christ as our savior, but it's like if you're sending kids to boarding schools where they get, you know, harmed and abused, then that's your religion. You know, if you, if you're, if you're being toxic, then that's your religion. It doesn't matter whether or not you say, but you believe in some other loftier goal. So. So I'm sorry to hear that you've been going through that feeling of exhaustion and excessive labor, and I hope that you get to. To find some rest soon in your community and are cared for and cherished.

[Tom Schwartz]

That's what I'm feeling right now with you. So thank you. Genuinely, thank you guys.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

We are so locked in right now. Deep into fall. I woke up to a cool, foggy morning that felt like a dream. Fresh off one of my favorite holidays. How was your Halloween, you guys? My spirits are sky high. Inevitably, I get sick every time this year, though. Every year I got a nasty chest cold right now. I'm groggy, but I slept like an angel. I didn't want to get out of bed. Luckily, into cloudships.

[Tom Schwartz]

Right to your door.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

My secret remedy for a good night's rest and restoration lately got them in my hand now. The indicloud bliss gummies, the elderberry ones. Oh my God, these are amazing. They give me the most pleasant, trippy dreams. Champagne and caviar dreams, Robin Leach style. I mean, these are the real deal. So whether you want better focus for.

[Tom Schwartz]

The fall, the holidays, or just a.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Sweet November reset, deeper sleep as the days get shorter. Yes, this is how I like to take the edge off these days. Every product, by the way, is tested in DEA certified labs and shipped straight to your door. Like I said, no sketchy dispensary runs, no guessing what's inside. So check it out. Into cloud. If you're 21 or older, go to Indicloud Co use code RETOX for 30% off your first order plus free shipping. Okay, that's Indecloud. Code RETOX 30% off free shipping and a better mood showing up right to your door. Yes, take their quick survey, by the way, when you order this to support the show. And thank AnyCloud for making November feel a little lighter. And as always, please enjoy responsibly. You guys, huge thanks to indecloud for sponsoring today's episode.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

What do you Think makes the perfect snack.

[AM PM Commercial Voice]

Hmm. It's gotta be when I'm really craving it and it's convenient.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Could you be more specific?

[AM PM Commercial Voice]

When it's cravinient.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Okay.

[AM PM Commercial Voice]

Like a freshly baked cookie made with real butter, available right down the street at am, pm. Or a savory breakfast sandwich I can grab in just a second at am, pm.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I'm seeing a pattern here.

[AM PM Commercial Voice]

Well, yeah, we're talking about what I.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Crave, which is anything from am, pm.

[AM PM Commercial Voice]

What more could you want? Stop by am, pm where the snacks and drinks are perfectly craveable and convenient. That's cravenience. Am, pm. Too much. Good stuff.

[Tom Schwartz]

Before we go too deep, like for the listeners who have no idea what. So you are the LA Oracle. I love that name. Can you tell us a little. Yes. Can you tell us a little bit about your journey? Like, if someone's like, so what do you do? Which I hate that question, but what do you. How do you respond?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I am a professional and public witch. And I'm a writer. I've written a book called Initiated Memoir of a Witch. And I have a substack where I talk about witchcraft and ritual and, you know, practices that root us into land and community. I'm also right now a doctoral student at UCLA in my third year of a doctoral program. And I. Yeah, and I'm the Oracle of Los Angeles. So I got that name actually. Oh, I don't know, like 15, 20 years ago when I just finished my master's programs at California Institute of the Arts. I was studying art there and. And I started doing these public rituals as an artist, really, where you could communicate with the spirit of the city of Los Angeles. And then people just started asking me to do them privately. And from there the Oracle of Los Angeles was born. And one of the things I found that's really amusing to me and also very dear to my heart is taking a name for yourself is very empowering. It's like having a band name, you know, you could be like John Lennon, just some kind of no. 1 in Liverpool. And then you're like, get together with a group of people and say, oh, we're the Beatles. Right? And then, like, that gives you power, right? It gives you another identity. It's kind of like a kind of theater, a sort of sacred theater where you kind of give yourself a name. In this case, though, my community gave me this name and then I started using it and it was so amazing to me to just be like, oh, yeah, I am the Oracle of Los Angeles. And then people started saying, it back to me, you know, like the LA times was like, oh, this is the oracle of Los Angeles. And I'm like, that's right.

[Tom Schwartz]

I love that. So it's not self proclaimed, but you stepped into your power. I love that. Does it feel like something that was innate, something you were born with, or does it feel or that? Plus did you kind of have to nourish and develop it and curate it, if you will?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, I was brought up practicing witchcraft. My mother is a witch and she was like a public witch in a small way in her community, you know, in San Luis, Lisbon, Santa Barbara, where I grew up. But being a witch takes a long time. There's a reason why in many cultures witches are like old women hags, you know, because it's a really fully step into. I feel like that's a lifelong process. So yeah, I did, I really did. I kind of had these seeds planted as a young person, but I feel like it's something that I'm constantly learning about and growing with and nourishing in myself. But you know, I'm curious about that with you as well. Like, do you feel like you were just born to do this work or do you feel like you became the Tom Schwartz today?

[Tom Schwartz]

Whoa, I didn't think you were to throw it back at me. I don't know if I'm even ready to respond to that.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I bet you are.

[Tom Schwartz]

I feel more myself than I've ever felt in my entire life. I feel fulfilled in so many ways. I think just professionally I have so many good things going, but I guess I don't have like that one true calling. Professionally I do a lot of side quests. I'm very fluid with my work, but. But sometimes that gives me some anxiety when you're, you know, I'm not a therapist, I'm not a doctor, I'm not an accountant. Do you know what I mean? I don't have like one title I can assign to myself and sometimes that can send me into little mini existential spirals. But for the most part I really enjoy my side quest nature.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah, well, I think you're speaking to something that many creative people can identify with because, you know, if you say that you're a creative person or for, in my case, you know, if I'm a public witch or writer, people often are like, oh, that's so cool. I wish I could do something like that, or I wish I could be an artist. But to do that work really requires a very high tolerance for Risk and uncertainty. And there's no pathway. Like, every single person who does this kind of work has to carve their own path. There's no, like, this is how you do this. There's no pathway. Like, first you get a bachelor's degree and then you get an internship, and then you work your way up the ladder. It just doesn't work like that. So part of our practice, I think, as creative people is, you know, developing that tolerance for uncertainty, but also developing practices that can help us to, you know, support our. Our nervous system as we. As we do this work. Because it is so hard and it does produce a lot of anxiety. And while you're. While you're sailing high, you know, like, while you're experiencing times of success, then you're like, okay, things are okay. But the problem is, like, even when you're experiencing moments of success, which is all relative, of course, because like, we. Like when I was, you know, 25, of course in my life right now, I would look at the life I have right now and be like, oh, that is success. But then when you reach that place, you're always kind of looking at a higher peak or someone who's, like, doing better than you are, quote, unquote. So there's no real, like, destination where you arrive at. There's always more. And then also you don't stay in that place. Right. Like, everybody's career has highs and lows. So. So you know that, like, oh, right now I just published a book, or right now I've got this incredible podcast. Right now I'm getting emails all the time asking me to do things, but, like, in a few months, it might not be like that. And we've all gone through periods like that, and those moments were like, oh, what if that's the last thing I ever do? What if I never do anything again? So it's like, it's really. There's a lot of anxiety to hold. So I admire you for doing that.

[Tom Schwartz]

And you as well. I mean, you're so accomplished and everything. Do you ever have days where you're like, do you ever doubt yourself? Do you ever have, like, imposter syndrome or anything like that? Or not? Doubt's such a strong negative word. Would you ever have days where you were like, who am I? Are you just so sure of yourself at this point in your life?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Oh, no. Oh, my God, no. As a matter of fact, the reason that I am getting this doctorate is because for a long time, I felt kind of dissatisfied with the space that I was occupying in the work that I was doing. And so I just felt this kind of ambient sense of, yeah, there's something not quite right here. Like, there's. I'm a. There's a path I'm supposed to be on, and I'm not quite on it. And I didn't know how to find my way towards that right path. But I think that, you know, I really think it has to do with, as we said before, nourishing our nervous system. Right? So being able to tolerate that state of uncertainty because it can be really generative, it can be really productive. Right? Well, that feeling of dissatisfaction is often what propels us to create something new. But when our nervous system is depleted, like, we haven't been sleeping well, we haven't been eating well or nourishing ourselves, we haven't been getting enough time outside or with our friends or enough downtime, then those moments of uncertainty feel truly intolerable. And. And we. We usually will loop back into what's known in somatics as our. Our conditioned tendencies. So that means that, like, you know, you. You can have this intention, like, oh, I'm. I'm going to shift my career. I'm going to start a podcast, or I'm going to write a book, or I'm going to, you know, go for a promotion or something. And doing that is hard, Right? It requires change. It requires that you change. It requires that you kind of reach beyond on your pond, wherever you are.

[Tom Schwartz]

Scary. And also, like, yeah, it's kind of embarrassing on some level, too. It's like, you see that. You see the memes. Like, humiliation is the barrier of entry for any new endeavor or chasing a dream. But.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Sorry, yeah, yes, exactly, right? Like, in order to build confidence is something, you have to fail at it many, many, many times. And that is not comfortable at all. But the real issue is that when we're failing, we can tolerate it and have a practice in place to be able to handle it. But when we're exhausted, undernourished, under pressure, which we all are right now because the world is like, cuckoo. It's like everybody is like, oh, my God, what's happening? So when all that is happening and we're depleted and we are under pressure, that's when we. That's when we loop back into our conditioned tendencies, which usually come from, like, childhood trauma or just, you know, things that happened to us when we were young, where we, like, learned to adapt by, like, shrinking or hiding or disassociating or making.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Making fun, making jokes.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Deflecting. Or overworking or, you know, like, in my case, like, eating popcorn and watching television. You know, like, that's my kind of, like, vegetative state when I'm. When I'm really nourished. I don't default to that, you know, when I'm. When I'm really resourcing myself. For me, time in nature is really important. So when I'm spending time in nature, like, regularly, like, every week, then when I get home and I'm really tired and exhausted and, you know, want to maybe read or meditate, then I can choose to do that. But if I don't resource myself, then I don't make that decision. I just, like, turn on, you know, Lord of the Rings and put my popcorn on. But the problem with that is if I do that too much, then it makes things harder.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

What's your. What's your. What's your default?

[Tom Schwartz]

Like, I think my default is being in bed, maybe a cold Coors Light, and watching reruns of Antiques Roadshow with my dogs nearby near my side and just vegging out pretty much the same as yours, but I know. I know I can.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

That sounds nice, right? It's nice.

[Tom Schwartz]

It's as good as. Yeah.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

The thing is, like, there's nothing wrong with doing that. For me, what's wrong is when I want to do something else. You know, like when I had an idea like, oh, I'm gonna get home and I'm gonna meditate, but instead I do that. So it's when the choice is removed that it becomes a problem for me. And that choice is removed when we are exhausted because we're just gonna default to whatever we did as kids, you know, like, I'm of the latchkey kid generation. So, like, you know, my mom wasn't home, or when I was, like, alone as a kid and didn't know what to do, I would just, like, watch Oprah or whatever.

[Tom Schwartz]

There was a long time I couldn't even sleep without a tv. I love, like, the. Just the warm glow basking over me when I sleep. I feel like it was a co parent, even though I had amazing parents. Like, I am codependent on the television. That's how I was raised.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Well, I mean, you've really made it work for you, right? You've kind of turned it into a thriving career.

[Tom Schwartz]

I guess I have have it really soaked in.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

This episode of Detox Redox is sponsored by Better Help. If you guys been with me on.

[Tom Schwartz]

This journey so far, you know, I'm.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Obnoxiously cheerful during the fall. You know, spiritually, I'm skipping through fallen leaves and my Uggs, my pumpkin spice latte, hot toddies, apple pies. Yes, I love all that stuff. But for a lot of people, seasonal sadness is very real. As the seasons change, days grow darker, sooner. It can be a tough time for many. So this November, Better Help is encouraging.

[Tom Schwartz]

Everyone to reach out.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Check it on your friends, reconnect with your loved ones. Remind the people in your life that you're there. I miss you. Yes. You know, it can take a little courage to send that message or grab coffee with someone you haven't seen in a while. Reaching out for therapy can be difficult too, but it's so worth it. And it almost always leaves people wondering, why didn't I do this sooner? It's important, you guys, to stay connected. We're healthier when we have community and we have support. I love checking in on my friends a little miss you. Just checking in, you know, we all need somebody to lean on. BetterHelp. Yes. With over 30,000 therapists, Better Help is one of the largest online therapy platforms, having served over 5 million people globally. And it works.

[Tom Schwartz]

Check out the reviews. An average rating of 4.9 out of 5 for a live session based on.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Over 1.7 million client reviews. Can you dig it?

[Tom Schwartz]

Yes.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

So this month, don't wait to reach out.

[Tom Schwartz]

Whether you're checking in on a friend.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Or reaching out to the therapist for.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yourself, BetterHelp makes it easier to take that first step.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

And our listeners get 10% off their first [e-mail] Tom Schwartz that's better. H E L P.com Tom Schwartz can.

[Tom Schwartz]

I ask you about modern witchcraft? Like, maybe just demystify it for people who are like, their eyes are crossing right now. They're like, okay, woo, woo. What's going on? Is it more about, like, from what I know, it's less about spells and more about just like self empowerment and manifestation.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah, well, you know, I can't speak for all witches because one of the cool things about modern witchcraft and also historical witchcraft is it's essentially like an anarchic religious tradition or spiritual tradition. So that means that there are as many ways of practicing witchcraft as there are witches because everybody develops their own relationship to the practice. But having said that, I will. That are some kind of major schools of thought in witchcraft today. And some of them are very much about spells and, you know, ritual or, you know, manifesting what you want. And then many others are more about, like, nature, religion, and communing with the Spirits of land and water and air. And I guess though most people, the problem, the problem with the way most people see witchcraft today is that they were told what witchcraft is by first of all, the movies, right? Like Harry Potter or like the craft. I haven't even seen Harry Potter.

[Tom Schwartz]

Love the craft.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Everybody always says that. Everybody's always like, oh, do you do what's like in the craft? Like, did you base your religion on the craft? And I'm like, no, they base their, their movie on us. Like we did, we didn't base our, our practices on them. But, but also, not only are we learning about it through movies which necessarily are sensationalist, right? Like they, they're going to pull out the kind of sexiest, weirdest things about witchcraft and, and make that into the whole show, right? So it's, it's, it's like saying if you only learn about love from rom coms, like you're gonna have a very biased view when it comes to your own relationship. You're gonna be like, oh wow, there's a lot more boredom and bad sex than I thought it was gonna be. Like, you know, when, when I was watching When Harry Met Sally or whatever. But yeah, so then the other way that people learn about witchcraft is through its enemies, like Christian doctrine, you know, inquisitions, and you know, people saying that witchcraft is this like evil, bad thing where, you know, women who think they have magical powers are like riding through the sky with the devil or whatever. We have to remember, you know, witch. Typically this is not always true, but typically witches aren't Christian. We don't believe in the same God, we don't believe in the devil. You know, we don't have that same like framework for viewing the world. So, so in short, witchcraft is really a practice for rooting into your ancestral knowledges and developing your own relationship to the living world based on these practices. It is also absolutely about personal empowerment, but it's also about collective empowerment. And witchcraft tends to be a liberatory practice that is about liberating us from systems of oppression and hierarchical authority structures, which is why it was persecuted historically. And yeah, I mean, it can be whatever you want it to be, although it does have like some specific practices that most people do, such as working with elements, fire, earth and water, casting spells, performing rituals, working with the moon, learning about herbs, spending time with the land, spending time connecting with your intuition and cultivating your intuition, which is a non rational way of knowing or like an embodied way of knowing and you know, working with your ancestors, also developing knowledges of divination systems like Tarot, like astrology. You know, maybe the runes. People have different. Different practices. Also, you know, there are some witches work with deities. Like, you know, Hecke is big witch goddess or Persephone or Diana or Breed Bridget in the Celtic world. But some witches don't see deity as gods and goddesses, but instead see it as, you know, the web of life or, you know, different kind of forces or powers that are alive in the world around us.

[Tom Schwartz]

Wait, so you don't ride around on a broomstick?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Well, brooms do feature in our tradition, for sure.

[Tom Schwartz]

I'm just kidding, Amanda.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah. No, I mean, the thing about witches is, especially contemporary witchcraft does like to play with some of the images and archetypes of popular culture. But the broom in witchcraft goes way back. You know, it's like, as a symbol of cleaning, of clearing, and also, of course, writing it around. But, you know, there's. There's a kind of myth. I'm not actually sure if it's true or not, but I like to think that it maybe was true that witches of old would take this flying ointment, which was maybe like a fly Garrick mushroom, so like a psychedelic mushroom, or like ergot, which is kind of a psychedelic that comes from a mold that's on, like, barley. So in the. In the classical world, it was something that could make people have mystical experiences. Right. So there's this idea that witches made this flying ointment, which they would, well, put on their broomstick and, you know, take in a. Plus, they take vaginally, maybe you might say that. And that. That because the skin of the vaginal canal is, like, porous, that they would then take in this psychedelic potion, essentially, which would. Which would lead them to having, you know, visions where they flew through the air and what was called the. The Wild Hunt, where they, like, joined with the other spirits of the night and of the other worlds and rove through the skies on the full moon. I haven't. I haven't tried that, but I'm open to it.

[Tom Schwartz]

Thank you, by the way, for expounding on something that's kind of been reduced to a cliche. Do you know what I mean?

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Thank you.

[Tom Schwartz]

That was, like, beautiful. I really appreciate that, Riff. Thank you so much for that. That was beautiful. Can I pivot for a second?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Sure.

[Tom Schwartz]

Do you believe in soulmates?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Oh, that's a good question. I definitely believe that we have contracts or relationships with other beings, whether they're human or more than human, that extend across lifetimes. And I I believe that we have people who are spiritually or beings that are spiritually familiar to us and that we have unfinished business with and that we might recognize them in this lifetime when we encounter them. And sometimes that unfinished business is a pleasure and a. And a delight. And it's like we just get to be with this person, which is great. And sometimes it's really more about healing and challenging and challenging each other to heal. So.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, I like that.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I don't.

[Tom Schwartz]

I like that the bumps don't feel like deal breakers. You know, this reminding you that you're both human and you make mistakes, but you're still aligned and.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. But I don't believe that we have just one. I don't believe that there's just one being across space and time who's like our person. I think we have many, many beings that we love deeply and with great commitment, especially because I do see that there's something of our soul that survives even after death. But I think it's very different from our personality here. Now in witchcraft, in some lineages of witchcraft, I should say, in my lineage of witchcraft, we believe, I guess you could say, that we have three souls. So we have a soul that is immortal, that is existed through all space and time. And that soul is like a very deep soul. It's very much connected to the collective. And we can't even really conceive of what it is because our perceptions are so colored by our. What's called our talking self. Or, you know, it's like our daily soul, which is really about our personality. And it comes to us through our body and our mind, our reason, our breathing self. And that does die, right, that. It's like when our body dies, that's the end of that one. And it. And that one will really fight to keep itself alive. We might call that. You might call it like our ego, right. Which is really based on our experiences in this incarnation. And then we also have like an animal soul or a material soul, which when we die, continues to exist, but it. It goes back into the. The material compost of life, you know, so like our cells. What makes up what we are now, which. Which has a big impact on how we experience the world. Like that'll go back into the world, but so we have like an inter. An interwoven self. I forgot even what you asked. You were saying about soul mates, right?

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, but more a little self indulgent.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So what made you ask that question? Are you in love?

[Tom Schwartz]

Maybe. But I do believe it's fluid I agree with you. I don't think there's one singular soul mate. I don't know. I don't like that idea. It seems. I don't like the. It sounds brutal or brutalistic or.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah. Could you imagine? It's like that's. That's the only chance you get, you know? I don't think so. Yeah, it doesn't. It doesn't make sense.

[Tom Schwartz]

Do you ever.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I think that that serves, like, a political purpose to make us. To train us into thinking that the way we should organize our life and culture is around this, like, hetero nuclear family, which I think is actually a destructive idea.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, I love that. It sounds like a zero sum game, but I'm. No, I'm very happy and very in love right now. I'm not. I wasn't searching for answers. I feel very happy and content. And I just. I don't know, I just was curious to hear your take on that. When you're doing, like, some deep work with clients and stuff, how do you know when you hit, like, that aha moment or like the light bulb turns on or. How do you describe that? Is it like a. Is it a visceral feeling you get, or. Or is it more of a cerebral thing, you know, when you're doing deep work with your clients? Is it. Is it an intuitive thing or is it more cerebral?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Oh, it's definitely not cerebral. I would call it a flow state. So, you know, it's a state of creativity. What I say about my work is it's. It's oracular, right? My clients come to me and we create an oracular space. Space together. And I think of this space like a cauldron, right. A container. The cauldron is like where we boil the potions and make magic. Right. We keep it in this container. So we come to the work, we, you know, invoke the spirits, we create this container, and then it's like we whisper into this well together and make magic together. And you can feel when that starts to happen because it feels like this creative, alive space. Space. And the important thing for me in my work, which is maybe different from some of the practitioners that your listeners might be familiar with, is that I am not a fortune teller. I don't see that as no shade on the people who are fortune tellers. Good for them. I hope they enjoy their life and practice. But that's not what I'm doing because that makes. When you tell people's fortune, people hold on to that. And it can do, I think, real Damage. So for instance, yeah, it can become.

[Tom Schwartz]

A self fulfilling prophecy, right? Even if.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yes, exactly. And it can harm people. For instance, let's say you tell someone the next person you meet, like that is your soulful mate. Now what if that person is abusive? What if that person ghosts them? You know, they, and they're going to be more tolerant because they're, because they've been told by this oracle or by, you know, by this, you know, fortune teller, like, oh, you better hold on to this person. So instead of going into that, that circumstance with curiosity and openness, they're like, oh, this is the person, so I better like make this work. And that's not helpful.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, it's like you're reminding me. I took a creative writing class in college for the Matrix. Remember the Oracle? Of course, she tells Neo what he needs to hear, not what's true. Right. I think when she says you're not the One, maybe in your next life. I wrote this down because I was, I had to, I had to go back. It's not because he isn't, it's because he doesn't believe it yet.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Right?

[Tom Schwartz]

The Oracle knows the truth won't matter until you believe in yourself, right?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

He has to claim it for himself. So if she says, yeah, you're the One, then he won't become the One because the being the One means that you are able to determine your own reality. You're able to step outside of the Matrix. So how could it be that an oracle tells you you're the One? That's not what makes you the One being the One is not needing that.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yes.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So, so in my work I really developed a practice which is about us co creating together and inspiring each other to create the life that this person wants for themselves. However, the challenge with that is, you know, people want other people, oracles, therapists, teachers, priests to solve their problems for them. Yes, of course I do. You do, we all do. Yeah, we want to be like, we want to outsource that. We want to be like, I've been having trouble doing this. So like you do it.

[Tom Schwartz]

Wait, you're not going to solve all my problems today. Yeah, just kidding, sorry.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So. So like I put in my website, I hope it's there somewhere. I'm redoing my website, but so I'm not sure if people can see it now, but it's in there somewhere that I say, listen, don't come to me if what you're wanting is for me to be like, okay, like the next person you meet is going to be your soulmate. And yeah, like you're gonna get the job of your dreams. Like, don't worry about it because, because I, I don't think that that's going to be helpful for you. I, I've seen that that's not helpful for you. What is helpful for you is when we start to identify your desires and we identify the next step towards bringing those into being and we shift your narrative about how reality goes and together we start cultivating some tools to help you expand and realize that new reality in co creation with the universe, in co creation with your community and with, you know, with the people in your life. So, so yeah, my work is really more about creativity and inspiration and connecting you with your intuition and the part of you who already knows like what to do next than it is about me telling you what to do next. Because that actually defeats the purpose. Like it's exactly that Neo thing, right? Like it's exactly the Oracle in the Matrix. Helping Neo realize his own power and.

[Tom Schwartz]

Agency rather than giving it self belief activates destiny, right? Boom, boom.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Mike Shrub.

[AM PM Commercial Voice]

Wait, have you.

[Tom Schwartz]

Well, you're. So would you. If someone was like, are you a psychic? You would say, no, I'm not a psychic.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

You know, there are people who do identify as psychics, but I identify much more as a witch and witch is much more about agency. And you know, it's funny, I once was at a party, a small party, where there was a psychic, and I was with someone at the time and their mother had just died. And this psychic was like, oh, your partner's mother wants to give you a gift. They've got a gift coming for you. And I was like, okay, whatever. I just didn't really think about it that much. But then a few weeks later, I did receive in the mail from my partner's aunt a necklace from. That was, that was my partner's mother's.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Wow.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

But this necklace was, it was like something you'd get on those spin racks at CVS or something. It was like plastic. It was like, I was like, okay. You know, I was like, what? Well, thank you. I mean, I guess it's nice to have a moment of like, okay, I'm trying to give you something. And this is what I've got available. So that's good. But like for me, I don't always find psychic stuff that useful. Like, it's interesting, right? So many people have had experience of going to a psychic and having them be like, oh, yeah, I'm seeing your dad, he smokes cigarettes or something. And you're like, okay, yeah, he does smoke cigarettes. But like, I need more than this, you know, Whereas my work is really much, much more rooted in your question, like, what you want to create for your life, where you're wanting to go. And it's much more like collaborative and constructive. And so really it's about, you know, witchcraft is a set of tools. It's a set of practices. And, and they're not easy to do. Like, they're easy in the sense that like, anybody can, let's say, do a candle spell, for instance, right? Like, anybody can get a candle, carve their intention into it, oil it up, dress it with herbs, light it. You know, that's available to all of us. But real magic is aligning your will. It's aligning your will with your desires. What's called your true will. So like, and that is not easy.

[Tom Schwartz]

That is not easy.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

No, it is not. Because we have all sorts of internal blocks towards achieving our true will. We have all this self doubt, we have all this anxiety, we have all these traumas, we have all these things that get in our way. And so the practices of witchcraft are not just helping you to transform the outer world, they're helping you to transform the inner world. And that takes practice. Now sometimes you might have a kind of beginner's luck or like a medium skilled practitioner's luck in that. And like, sometimes your true will is aligned with your, your desires, right? So, so usually you know when a spell is going to work, you can feel it. You can feel it when a spell is going to work because you're completely sincere.

[Tom Schwartz]

How does it feel? But a lot of, oh, sorry to cut you off.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

It feels like a complete clarity of like, yes, this is, this is what I want. Now some people out there, I know some people out there are going to be like, okay, there's this dude that I have a crush on at the office and I genuinely want to date this guy, right? So they're like, yes, I. And I tried a spell and it didn't work or whatever. But it's like, and let's say this guy hasn't noticed them. This guy has not noticed them. This guy has a girlfriend. So this guy is treating them dismissively. Now there's no way that your, your heart of hearts is like, I really want to be with someone who doesn't notice me and treats me dismissively. That not your true will. That is like your anxieties and insecurities and daddy issues, like projecting onto this person. And so you can do Spells or rituals to, like, date this person. But usually things like that are gonna really blow up. Magic is. Magic is volatile, right? You don't know what result you're gonna get. And part of that, Part of the reason for that is because you're the spirit world, let's say, you know, the realm of the imagination. The other world doesn't care about your comfort, right? It doesn't. It. It doesn't care about any of our comforts. It's an adventurer. It's like, let's try this shit and see what happens, right? Like, it's. It's like it. It likes excitement, it likes novelty. It's. It's like the kind of. It's like fire, right? Fire doesn't care about your comfort. So the energy that you bring to a spell is often the way it's going to respond. So if you're bringing to the spell this kind of, like, insecure, unsettled, dark, vindictive, whatever energy, you are genuinely playing with fire, right? You don't know what it's going to do because it's. That's going to be built in. And that's why the more advanced you get at magic, the more likely you are to do magic for, like, wisdom, to be able to navigate a certain situation in your life or, you know, when I do rituals for love for people, I don't do love spells on other people ever. I don't want to be involved in that. I don't want that to, you know, mess with my life.

[Tom Schwartz]

That's for. That's for the Etsy witches, right?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah, girl, we'll come back. They can do that if they want. I don't want to do that.

[Tom Schwartz]

Not to diminish their power. I don't mean to diminish their power, because I may. Listen, maybe there's some amazing Etsy witches. I just wanted to add that.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Well, totally. Like, they might have their own practice, their own tradition, their own lineages, you know? And also, like, people come from very different ages. So, like, for instance, there's a whole history and tradition of like, African American or African Caribbean folk magic that has, like, a long history of, like, let's say, combat magic, like curses and things, and for very good reason, right? Like, in a group of people who were oppressed, tormented, victimized, extremely harmed by a very powerful oppressive force. Like, they used magic to combat that. And, like, good for them, they should do that. Like, like more power to them, right? Like, that is fair, right? However, like, for me and my own lineages, that is not the Energy that I want to be involved with. Right. That's not a part of my practice, but I really judge what other people should do. And, like, often, you know, magical practices evolve from the place and time and people, cultures in which they emerge. So they have deep roots in the political and historical and sociological and economic situations of the people who are practicing that magic. So. So, you know, voila, there it is. But. But to get back to this, the question of, like, how do we know when our magic is working or why does it work sometimes and not others? It's like, sometimes you can just feel what is, what is, right? It's like, it feels like clouds parting. It feels like the path is opening before you, and it. It tends to feel calm and clear and bright. And if you are practicing magic and you're not feeling that, then what you want to do is, is kind of get a little more remedial and start doing magic to, let's say, find some clarity or, you know, to ground yourself so that you can start working towards the things that you do really want. And sometimes those things are really obscure. So let's say you've been doing love magic and it hasn't been working. Or. And. And. And I also want to just give a caveat here that we are not isolated individuals. Right? Your life doing love magic is not just about you. You are not just acting alone. You live in a culture. You live in a political and economic world and system. So when you're doing magic, let's say for love or let's say for money, you are. You're doing this within a context. So, you know, if, for instance, who owns Elon Musk? Let's say I do a spell for a million dollars, and Elon Musk does a spell for a million dollars, is like, who has more possibility of getting a million dollars, like, immediately in their future? Well, it's Elon Musk, right? Like, he has more pathways and options within the culture to receive that. So, like, one which, operating on their own, is not going to be able to combat, like, economic collapse in the larger world. Like you. It's gonna improve your odds, but it's not gonna erase the odds. It's not gonna make you live in a, you know, like, in an unmediated world. Similarly, with love magic, like, we are culturally going through a crisis of intimacy. We're going through crisis of relationship. Like, we, as. As a culture, as a community, within families, within relationships, within cities, within friend groups, often don't know how to be in connection and relationship with one another. And so like we can't really just as individuals do spells to eradicate that. We have to do that collectively. We have to make that do that work collectively. And that's why for witches, like when we do spells, it's best practice not to just do the spell for yourself, but to do it for everyone. So whatever you would want for yourself, you would want for everyone. So it's like if you're doing a spell from, for let's say money, you also want to will or imagine that everybody's needs are met. Right. So if you're doing a spell to, to, to have your material needs met, then part of that spell should be contributing to the collective support of and material care for like the larger, the larger collective of humanity or even beyond humanity. The more than human world.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So that all being have their needs met. So for instance, sometimes when I do rituals with people and they're doing like money work, usually they'll be like, there's many ways of doing that, but usually there'll be like, let's say four different ways, like four different tasks they have to do. And one task might be, let's say to create a budget. One task might be to build an altar, like a money altar. One task might be to you know, take a money drawing bath. But another task will be like help your friend create their CV or like donate money to micro lending for, you know, women who are starting businesses and like disempowered communities so that you're also contribute. So that you're saying outward like oh, I, I want this to happen for all of us, not just me.

[Tom Schwartz]

I was, I was going back to. You're talking about an intimacy crisis. Is that. I think that's the word you use.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Or just.

[Tom Schwartz]

Do you ever, do you ever have a moment with someone where. Or like do you ever have a, a revelation or an epiphany with a client or someone were something you realize or intuitively feel that's almost too dark to tell them.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I definitely have times with my clients where I can see what is getting in their way and I can see that what I'm saying to them, they're not hearing right. Like where or I'm trying to show or, or clarify for them, like oh, you remove this obstacle, then your path would be a lot clearer. But, and that is, and that is exactly why fortune telling doesn't work. Because until someone's ready to hear or to see whatever the truth is about like the blocks that they put up for themselves, they're not going to, for Instance in your friend group, right, there is a someone, maybe it's you. I think we've all been this person at some point where, like, everyone in your friend group, and they all love you, can see what it is that you're doing wrong, right? Like. Like, you're like, I keep having the same experience when I'm dating over and over and over again. And then one day one of your friends says to you, like, well, it's because you keep choosing the same person in different forms. Like, you keep, like, allowing your boundaries to be transgressed, and you keep going out with these people who represent your success, right? And they say this. And then you're like, well, why didn't you tell me that before? And they're like, girl, we've been telling you that for like 10 years and you've never heard us.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

But it's like someday at one point you're like, ready to hear that. And then it's like, why did no one point this out? And it's like everybody is constantly pointing it out. You just ready to hear it. So in my work, then what I want to do is make is help people get ready to hear it, to prepare the ground to be able to have the capacity to make that change. But if they're not, if they don't have that. And that's what magic is really about. And that's why it can be volatile. Because if you say to the spirit, if you invoke the spirits and you're not clear with them, and it really depends what spirit you invoke as well. And you're like, you know, I'm having problems with my boyfriend or girlfriend or they friends, and, you know, I really want to have, like, a successful relationship. And then you do a ritual or spell for it, and then you go home and dude, like, breaks up with you. I've had this happen my clients. And I'm like, if you say this, you better be sure that this is.

[Tom Schwartz]

What you want, because give me my money back.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

No, but that's not it, because. So for instance. For instance, in the case of one person I'm thinking of, we did a love spell that is exactly what they wanted. And they went home. They wanted it for their boyfriend at the time they went home, dude broke up with them. And they were like, when it, like, they email me, they were like, we did this now and we broke up. And I was like, just. And of course then, like a few months later, they met the love of their life, they got married. You know, they have kids. Now. But, like, the thing is, like, Spirit's like, oh, well, you said that you wanted to be in love, and this person isn't gonna give you that, so, like, let's get that out of the way, you know, so. But you're. You're like, but now I want it to be him or whatever. And it's like, well, that's not. You know, if you say you have to be really clear with Spirit because it's not going to see things the same way that you want. So it's like, you're like, I just want security. And then, you know, next thing you know, you're in this, like, corporate job where you get paid really well and you have great benefits and nothing ever changes. And you're in this little cute. Sorry. Nothing ever changes. And you're. And you're in this little cubicle, and you're like, oh, I am miserable now. So you have to be really clear. And that's why it's really usually better to, like, do work to transform yourself so that you are going for the kind of job that makes you flourish and thrive, or something like that.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, I mean, I've seen it play out time and time and again. I'm in my 40s. Like, you have to. You have to nourish and heal yourself. Love yourself. Before you know you can find your true love, your true calling. You have to do the inner work first. That sounds so stock. But. Right?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I mean, is. But. But that's why, you know, all spiritual teachers worth their salt say that. Because it's really true. And until you start doing it, you probably won't see the results that you want. The good news is, you know, you have the rest of eternity to figure it out. Just about how comfortable you are.

[Tom Schwartz]

That's strangely comforting. I love that. By the way, I've already taken up double the time I wanted to hang out with you. I have so many questions, but I know it's almost been an hour. I mean, I could talk.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Do you want me to pull a card for you? Pull a card.

[Tom Schwartz]

That would be so cool. I don't want to take up too much of your time, if that's okay.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Oh, no, I love to. You're so fun to talk with. I see why you're so successful because you're such a char.

[Tom Schwartz]

Oh, thank you.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So, okay. So what's your question? That's. What do you. What are you. What are you longing for?

[Tom Schwartz]

At the moment, I feel fulfilled in every way, shape and form in my life. I'm happy. I'm in love right now. I think just career wise, I. It doesn't feel shaky, it just feels scary. It's like being in your 40s, not having a solidified career, doing lots of little things. I'm diversified, I have good investments, blah, blah, blah. But, like, it just, it's scary to not have, like, one singular purpose. Do you know what I mean? That's. Scares me a little bit. It doesn't feel sexy. In your 40s?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

No. Well, okay, so that's, that's what we would call the via negativa, or what Jung would call the via negativa, which means the road you don't want to go down, which is the scary road. Like, you don't want to be scared, but so what's the opposite side of that coin? And like, in other words, like, what are you longing to feel or be? So if you don't want to be scared, do you want to be courageous? Is that what we're thinking? Or what do you think?

[Tom Schwartz]

I mean, maybe I just think it's. Yeah, I, I'm good. Like, I'm, I'm very happy. I'm, I, I'm stable. I'm not. I don't have financial insecurity, but I just like, what am I going to do for the next 10 years, the next 15 years, the next 20 years? Oh, my God, 20 years from now, is what I'm doing sustainable? Do you know what I mean? I don't have, like, I don't have a pension like my dad had when he retires.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah. Yes, I hear all of that. And that makes so much sense that you would feel, like, uncertain or nervous. Right. Like, we, as humans, we want that security. And in order for us to get the best result, we do need to be thinking about or asking or leaning towards, like, what you do want. So if you can say, if you can, if you can frame your question positively in the sense of, like, I hear that you're saying, I don't want to feel scared, but what do you.

[Tom Schwartz]

Want to not feel scared? I'm so scared of it. No, I'm not. I'm good. I'm good.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

No, you want, you want to put it like, you want to put it like, how can I greet the future with courage? Or how can I find peace in risk and uncertainty? Or. Which I've done to that.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, I become a master of finding peace in uncertainty, which, if you're going to be an artist of any capacity, I think is a necessity.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Okay, how about this then? How about this? What questions do you have for your community or your world? Like what. What would. What do you think we need to know? What would you like to know for us?

[Tom Schwartz]

For, like, everyone listening and friends and family? I like little pocket, like, little digestible, like, pocket beacons. Do you have any little nuggets, like, you want to leave with? People, like, caught up in the rat race, just, like, lost in uncertainty, not sure of where they're at with their relationships, their lives, like, they're just caught up in the rat race. Do you have, like, little. Not an elevator pitch, but little. I like little pocket wisdoms. I can remember. Like, this too shall pass. I know, it's so stock, but sometimes it's really helpful to say that out loud. Do you have any nuggets?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So the question is, for those folks in the. In your audience who are going through times of uncertainty, what is something that spirit has to offer them that can help them find a way through to. Through this transition? Okay, let's pull a card. Ooh, this is a really good one. So this is called the eight of cups.

[Tom Schwartz]

Okay, I'll take a picture of that.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So eight.

[Tom Schwartz]

Sorry.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah. Well, let me. There you go.

[Tom Schwartz]

Thanks. Hi, Amanda. Sorry, guys. So you were saying?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So the eight of cups. So cups are the suit of water. They're the suit of emotions, relationship, intuition, imagination, connection. And eights are about building strength. They're about, you know, finding our power. And in this image, you see someone. They're wearing a red cloak, and it's night. There's an eclipse. It's dark. It's kind of a spooky landscape. They're. They're at the ocean. The tide is either pulling in or pulling out. And they're kind of walking off. You see them from the back, and they're walking off into this dark, unknown territory. And behind them in this stack on the sand, like, kind of stacked on top of one another, are these eight golden cups. Of course, the question we get when we're looking at this image is, like, why are they walking away from these eight golden cups? Right? Like, golden cups are great. Why would you just go off into the dark and leave those? And the answer is, they're built on. These cups are on sand. This is an unstable place. It's no longer satisfying. The person in this image has come to the. The realization that, like, this thing that they. They created, they called into their life they wanted on some level, it's no longer enough for them. It's not satisfying to them. We might imagine that they're like frogs who have come to the edge of their small pond, and they're like, I'm not comfortable in this pot. It's too small for me. Now, it might be a relationship, it might be a job, it might be a living situation. And, you know, it worked for a while, but there's something about it that is causing discomfort now. And in this image, in the. In the Eight of Cups, the person is leaving that behind, and it's scary because they're walking off into the dark. But we have to remember that the discomfort of staying in this confining situation, it's kind of asking us, which discomfort do you prefer? The discomfort of changing, the discomfort of transformation, or the discomfort of staying in a situation that no longer works for you? That unsettles you. So when you're saying, oh, there's these people out there, they're going through these times of, you know, transition. Remember that. Transition growth is scary. Yeah, it's unsettling. The very nature. Growing means that we have to disrupt the pattern that we'd had before.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, if you're comfortable. Yeah, sorry. No, I'm riffing with you. Yeah. It says if you're. If you're too comfortable, it's hard to grow.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah, well, you can't, right? Like, if you're a snake and you're growing, you have to shed that old skin, and that's uncomfortable. It's itchy. You have to pull it off you. The other option is to, like, stay that small snake, you know, but that also is going to be very uncomfortable. So the eight. The wisdom of the Eight of Cups is to lean into the discomfort of growth and change and to remember your purpose. Like, for the sake of what are you going through this time of discomfort? And if it's, like, to preserve my status quo, then that's going to lead you back into the smaller pond. But if you're saying, I'm doing this for the sake of growing spiritually, I'm doing this for the sake of allowing more intimacy in my life. I'm going through this discomfort so that I can create more intimacy, create more stability for my family, create more thriving for my community. That's like gonna be your magic token as you're walking off into these dark lands, which are uncertain, right? And also the lands of adventure. So remember that you're going on an adventure. You're moving towards your desires. You're moving towards your dreams. And so in that moment, cultivating things, strategies that can help you deal with that uncertainty. For instance, now might be a really good time to start a meditation practice or to recommit to yoga practice or towards, you know, maybe cooking, like, really lovely dinners, like, really helps you ground. Like, committing yourself to one simple, achievable thing that can help you tolerate uncertainty and remembering your purpose in that uncertainty. Like, where. What made you want to move out of that old cocoon?

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, cocoon. I like that. I feel like there's so many people in my life, amazing people, with so much. Wait, how this might sound condescending. Well, no, because they've told me this. There's, like, I feel like I have so much untapped potential. I hate my job. You know, I'm pretty happy overall, like, but I just hate my job. I don't feel like I'm. I'm not the person I'm meant to be. I never know what to say. I'm just like, take a leap of faith or take your shot. I never know what to say to them. I don't know if you have some sort of pocket wisdom for them to leave them with.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Well, I feel like. I mean, in your case, like, what helps you? Right? You weren't always you. You must have had a situation in your life where you were unhappy with what you were doing, and now you are happy. So what, what, what helped you?

[Tom Schwartz]

I just. I. I finally just listened to what was inside and I took the leap of faith and I told. I guess I just shut up my inner critic, and I was like, I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna resign from my job. I'm gonna move to LA and pursue my dream. And I mean, I don't know if. Yeah, I don't know if that's some sort of, like, survivor bias or something. I've not achieved what I wanted to achieve, but, yeah, I just did the damn thing. I guess I always kept moving when I'm. When I'm not moving, when I get stagnant is very dangerous for me. Very dangerous.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Well, exactly. The thing is, like, if you. It's what I said at the beginning, you know, if you. You get. Choose your discomfort, right? Like, you can. You can stay uncomfortable, things that you don't like and, you know, but be secure in that because you're like, well, I at least know how things are going, but I'm. I'm miserable.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah, that's the thing.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Or you can.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yeah.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Choose the discomfort of taking a risk. I mean, for myself, I did a spell, you know, many years ago. I was working a job that I hated. It was, like, in a windowless office. I commuted many hours on stuck freeways. I Hated the job. I did a ritual, a spell. This was like a spell where I was very aligned. I was like, I need to get out of this situation or I am going to die. Like, I cannot live in this situation anymore. And my. My spirits were like, we got you, girl. And so very soon after that, I. I got laid off from that job so I could collect unemployment. And an aunt, out of the blue, who I hadn't really talked to in years, like, sent me a $5,000 check. So I told myself, okay, I'm gonna do this oracle of Los angeles thing with 120% of my heart, right? I'm gonna give it everything I have.

[Tom Schwartz]

Wherever you go, go with all your heart. Yes.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah. Like, with everything I have. With 120% commitment, right? Like, just full on. And when the money runs out, then I'll. I'll get another job. But then money never ran out. I'm still doing it, you know, 15 years later. So, like, doing that, you know, full commitment really did transform things for me. Now, I won't say that everyone who follows their dream, you know, everybody who wants to be a ballerina is not going to be a ballerina. But what's worse? To try and give everything you could to being about ballerina. And at least you tried, right? You gave it everything you had. Or to, like, stay dreaming and never having tried and never knowing, yeah, maybe they're both equal, but it's your choice.

[Tom Schwartz]

That might be the takeaway from this whole, like, my favorite, one of my favorite quotes is better a life of oh, wells than what ifs. I could have never lived with the what if, And I'm so happy, you know, if it didn't work out, I would have been fine. I took my shot. Do you know what I mean? So anybody listening? Take your shot. And that's so stock, but take your shot.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah. And also, like, take your shot and call to you the things that help you stay calm and nourished as you're taking that shot. Like, call in friends, call in, you know, things that bring you peace, nature, music, art, like, you know, connection, community. Like, those are the things that are going to help keep you safe and nourished as you take that shot.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Yes.

[Tom Schwartz]

I feel like that's a great place to end. Is that okay?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I think you did. Yeah. I think it's, like, perfect.

[Tom Schwartz]

This is so fun.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

So much fun. Tom, Amanda, thank you so much for coming me on the show.

[Tom Schwartz]

Thank you.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I'm so just a dear, a charming, a full of love being.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Thank you.

[Tom Schwartz]

I feel Full.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Creating this space for people.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Tom Schwartz]

And for people who want to book a session with you on. Online. You can do zoom or you can come in person. You're. You're based in la. Can you tell everybody how to book a session with you?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I don't really do in person sessions anymore. Sometimes I will. It's like people that I've worked with for a long time.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Okay.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

But my. You know, my practice has grown a lot since, so I don't really just want to invite randos over to my house, you know.

[Tom Schwartz]

Totally.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

How.

[Tom Schwartz]

Well, how can we book a session with you?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah, but you can book a session with me online. I tend to book out quite far in advance, so another really great option is, you know, I have my substack amandias garcia.substack.com and then I do live rituals every full moon. People can just, you know, if you want to. If you want to just see what it's about, you can, you know, subscribe to my substack and you can come to these zoom rituals. And I also. Let's see. But you could read my book initiated memoir Witch. Follow. Follow me on Instagram at Oracle Valet. Oh, listen to my podcast, Worlds Podcast.

[Tom Schwartz]

Yes.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

That's all about tarot and magic.

[Tom Schwartz]

So cool.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Yeah. So, yeah, all these different ways.

[Tom Schwartz]

I love it. I'm sending. Yeah. Katie and Stasi, I think. I think I could speak on their behalf and they send their love. This has been amazing. Thank you so much. Wait, you're the Oracle of la? I have one more question. Are the Dodgers gonna win game seven of the World Series tonight?

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Oh, you know, I. Not a fortunate top, so I don't know, but let's see. Well, we got the page of Cups right side up, so it's looking. It's looking good, but it's looking like. Like there might be some surprises in store. Might be, yeah. Page of Cups, like. Okay. Yes. But. Wow, this is weird.

[Tom Schwartz]

All right, that's perfect. Thank you, man. I really appreciate your time so much. Sorry for going longer than we expected. I really, really appreciate.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

It was a pleasure. It was a pleasure.

[Tom Schwartz]

So grateful.

[Podcast Host/Announcer]

Thank you.

[Tom Schwartz]

And I really, really, truly appreciate you. Thanks for your time and your energy and your awesomeness and your gift you share with the world.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

I send you off with blessings of abundance and joy and healing.

[Tom Schwartz]

Thank you, Amanda.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Detoxification complete.

[Adam Rippon]

Hi, I'm Adam Rippon, and this is Intrusive Thoughts, the podcast where I finally say the stuff out loud that's been living rent free in my head for years from dumb decisions to awkward moments I probably, probably should have kept to myself. Nothing's off limits. Yes, I'm talking about the time I lost my phone mid flight and still haven't truly emotionally recovered from that. There might be too many sound effects. I've been told to chill. Will I Unclear, but if you've ever laid awake at night cringing at something you said five years ago, congratulations. You found your people Intrusive Thoughts with Adam Rippon is available now wherever you get your podcasts.

[Amanda Yates Garcia]

Hey, this is Sarah. Look, I'm standing out front of a.m. p.m. Right now and well, you're sweet and all, but I found something more fulfilling, even kind of cheesy. But I like it. Sure, you met some of my dietary needs, but they've just got it all. So farewell. Oatmeal. So long, you strange soggy.

[AM PM Commercial Voice]

Break up with bland breakfast and taste AM PM's bacon, egg and cheese biscuit made with K tree eggs, smoked bacon and melty cheese on a buttery biscuit. AM P M Too much good stuff.