May 2, 2025 • 47 mins
Step into the aromatic world of tea witchcraft as SM Harlow, author of "A Tea Witch's Grimoire" and "A Tea Witch's Crystal Brews," shares her unique magical journey blending ancestral wisdom with modern practice.
Harlow's path weaves together multiple cultural traditions—her Mexican grandmother's curandera (faith healing) practices, her Japanese heritage explored through Reiki, and Chinese tea ceremony mastery. This rich tapestry forms the foundation of her approach to tea magic, where brewing becomes a sacred act of intention setting and manifestation. Listeners will discover how Harlow's early work at a metaphysical shop and holistic tea house shaped her understanding of herbs and healing long before she coined the term "tea witch."
What makes this episode particularly valuable is Harlow's emphasis on accessibility. You don't need expensive tools or rare ingredients to practice tea witchcraft. Even a simple teabag can become magical—use the string for knot spells, draw sigils on the tag, or transform it into a pendulum. Her practical advice cuts through the complexity often associated with magical practice: "Trust your intuition. If peppermint is screaming out at you, grab it, don't question it." This intuitive approach makes magic approachable for practitioners at any level.
The conversation expands into Harlow's newest magical exploration—crystal grids combined with tea brewing—creating a powerful system for channeling energy toward specific intentions. Whether you're seeking balance, manifestation, protection, or healing, these techniques offer practical applications for everyday magic.
Ready to transform your daily cup into something magical? Listen now and discover how ancestral whispers can guide your practice, one brew at a time. Subscribe for more conversations with magical practitioners and leave a review to help others find our coven!
For more: https://linktr.ee/s.m.harlow
Connect with me here: https://www.jennycbell.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hey witches, and welcome to another Cozy Coven
chat.
I'm your host, jenny, and inthis chat you definitely want to
grab a cup of tea because wehave Tea Witch SM Harlow as our
guest.
She is the author of two of myfavorite books A Tea Witch's
Grimoire Magical Recipes foryour Tea Time which makes a
beautiful gift we're gettingclose to Mother's Day, just
(00:21):
saying and also A Tea Witch'sCrystal Brews another beautiful
book and gift For're gettingclose to Mother's Day, just
saying.
And also A Tea Witch's CrystalBrews another beautiful book and
gift.
For those of you who are notalready familiar with her, sm
Harlow is a passionate teaconnoisseur, master herbalist
and a seeker of holisticwellness.
With a profound devotion for thetransformative power of
botanicals, susanna hasseamlessly woven her deep
(00:44):
knowledge of tea into the fabricof spiritual and physical
healing.
Her best-selling book, a TeaWitch's Grimoire, has become an
essential guide for thoseseeking to explore the mystical
synergy between herbal infusionsand wellness, offering readers
a unique perspective on brewingrituals that harmonize body,
mind and spirit.
(01:05):
This conversation was awesome.
She leaves you with some reallysimple tea witch advice to get
you started today, but also wereally get to learn her journey
of tapping into both her Mexicanand Japanese heritage, we get
to learn about how she's infusedall of her practice with Reiki
(01:25):
and herbs and crystals.
She's a lifelong learner, forsure, and she blends so many
different aspects of healing andwitchcraft into her practice.
So, without further ado, here'sour conversation.
Thank you, susanna, for joiningus today on the chat.
If you could, please take amoment and introduce yourself to
(01:46):
those that are listening.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Hi, thank you for having me.
Well, I'm Susanna, otherwiseknown as SM Harlow.
I am the writer of A TeaWitch's Grimoire and now also A
Tea Witch's Crystal Brews.
So yeah, now also a tea witch'scrystal bruise.
So yeah, I am.
I guess I would say I'm not toomuch on titles, but I would say
(02:13):
definitely a lot of friends andfamily say a tea witch.
I am a tea witch that enjoyspracticing majority of my
practice with teas, herbs andnow crystals.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
So I get a lot of questions about when I shared
this book both in our coven andon BookTok.
People want to know what is atea witch, and I'm curious too
because as far as I know, beforeI saw your books that wasn't a
term I was really seeing.
So I'm curious you know what isit and, kind of, how did you
come to that, that title?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, a tea witch.
In most cases, you know it canbe associated with kitchen
witches, green witches, alongthose lines, hearthwitches, you
know, but a tea witch, inparticular, it focuses on using
teas and herbs for majority ofyour practice, whether it comes
(03:12):
to spell work, ritual work,gatherings with circles, you
know you incorporate a tea brewin that process, a tea brew in
that process, aligning yourenergies, your intentions,
correspondences with differentteas and herbs, depending on
(03:33):
what it is that you are tryingto manifest into reality.
So I would say that that, inparticular, is a well-rounded
definition of a tea witch, is awell-rounded definition of a tea
witch.
How I came about that title, orreally this part of my craft,
(03:56):
is when I was younger, in myearly 20s, I had an opportunity
to study and learn with a teamaster, a Chinese tea master,
with a tea master, a Chinese teamaster, and when he taught me
all of the ceremonial ways andhow to prepare teas and how to
serve it, I just thought I fellin love with the beauty of it,
(04:16):
the beauty of the ceremonies andthe beauty of, in a way, I
guess, the servitude of it, andit inspired me.
I had also worked there.
It was a tea house slash theword is escaping me right now.
It was a tea house, but it wasalso a holistic clinic and so
(04:40):
you served clients that came inlooking for holistic care and
whenever I served tea to thesepeople whatever whether it was
for health, balance, harmony,peace, that it basically I
served it with those intentionsfor them, to help them, and it
greatly inspired me and my pathin that regard.
(05:02):
I mean, prior to working thereand to studying that, I did work
at a metaphysical store and Igot to learn a lot of the craft
through there, using a lot ofrecipes and learning about the
herbal folklore, and with thatknowledge, along with the tea
house knowledge, it just cametogether.
(05:23):
I served clients, I servedfriends, family and it just I
saw the magic working throughthat and it is just something
that it just took a hold Icouldn't let go of.
It just became something Icontinuously loved and devoted
myself to.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Well, it's easy to say that you had the coolest
jobs.
Like I've never heard anybodytalk about me.
I worked at a pet store, likewhat, what, where were these
jobs?
Like I would have totally lovedthem.
So anyway, I'm just kind oflike being a little bit not
alone there.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I did work at a pizza shop too on there.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I did work at a pizza shop too.
Okay, so let's back up.
So you worked at themetaphysical store, I'm guessing
also in your 20s, and so wereyou already like on a witchy or
pagan path at that point, andthat's why you got that job.
Like, how did?
How did you start on the witchypath?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
How did you start on the witchy path?
So, okay, we're going far backnow.
Okay, so most witches, moststories, begin in their
childhood.
You know, when I was a child,early as like five, six years
old I already had felt thisconnection with Mother Earth,
(06:45):
father Sky, grandmother Moon,all the nature spirits.
There was a connection there.
I could hear them, I could feelthem and I let that guide me.
But there was also mygrandmother who was a healer.
In ways she was like a faithhealer, or in other words you
could call her a curandera, andI was.
(07:08):
I mean, I wouldn't say I knewthe word at the time, but I was
definitely inspired by her.
I loved to observe her whenevershe had people come to her,
either for guidance, for healing, for prayers, you know.
So she was a great source ofinspiration that I learned from.
And then, when I was actually17, you know, from then to there
(07:32):
, I just I naturally justfollowed the calling.
What magic energy, what haveyou call it?
It just always came to menaturally and I would just
follow through with any kind ofintentions, any kind of messages
that came to me.
(07:54):
So by the time that I was 15, 16years old, I was hungry.
My grandmother was passed bythen.
I I was a solo practitioner,what you would say at the time,
and I was just hungry forknowledge.
I needed to know more.
At that time.
You know, you can only find somuch resources in libraries and
(08:17):
bookstores when it comes tobooks.
You know, I knew I needed moreand it was almost like the
universe answered that becausejust right down the block from
where I lived, a metaphysicalstore opened and it was like I
wouldn't say it was the first ofits kind, you know, but it was
definitely like an amazing sightto me to see this beautiful big
(08:40):
purple building full ofpentagrams and symbols and
triple moons.
And I was just, and I would walkhome from school every day
passing this store and I wouldjust always constantly be drawn
in and speak to the woman thatworked there and it felt like,
(09:04):
like when I was stepping into mygrandmother's kitchen.
It felt like stepping into home, you know, and I grew a
relationship with the woman thatworked there or who owned the
store, and at 17, she gave me achance to start working there
and to learn.
Majority of it was really tolearn there and to learn.
(09:28):
Majority of it was really tolearn and, yeah, I spent a good,
a good portion actually, of mytime there in the back room
amongst, like, all the herbs,the crystals, the candles, and
basically learning to make itall, making the oils, making the
incense, making all the recipes, and learning as I went.
And it was there where where Iwas like, yes, this is, this is
(09:48):
where I'm supposed to be, thisis what I'm supposed to do.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
That's amazing.
I um, I'm from New Jersey, butthen I moved to kind of a rural
part of California in my senioryear and when I was like 18, 19,
our first witchy store openedup to is called the Divine Gifts
Shop and that is actually whereI first learned about crystals.
I took a crystal class there at19.
(10:14):
And that's where my love ofcrystals.
I was already taking geologyclasses and my geology club
treasurer and I'm terrible atmath, so I don't know how I got
that job, but and so it was liketwo worlds coming together.
I was going out to the fieldcollecting garnet and things
like that that we could find inthe Mojave Desert and then also
taking this class with myspecial like witchy books and
(10:35):
putting them together.
So those shops were rare, I feellike.
And far in between, you know,if you weren't in a big city,
but there was some kind oflittle boom.
I feel like.
And far in between, you know,if you weren't in a big city,
but there was some kind oflittle boom, I feel like 90s,
early 2000s of those shopsopening, probably because of the
craft and all of us with, likeour azure, green uh catalogs
(10:56):
wanting something in person,right?
so, um, I love that.
Uh, do you remember the name ofyour shop, ca?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Cauldron Kitty.
Well, she first started off asjust Cauldron and then, over the
years, it became Cauldron Kitty.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
I love that.
That's really I love that.
I would like to go back to yourgrandma, so if you wouldn't
mind sharing her name, latinoculture of a healer versus a
(11:30):
witch, right, because a lot oftimes, even though they do
similar things, I have a lot ofMexican friends and it was like
you know, yeah, it's cool to goto the Kirandera, but it's not
cool to go to the Bruja, likethat's, that's a no.
So I would love to hear alittle bit about grandma, if you
don't mind sharing.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
No, not at all.
My grandmother's name wasSimona and she was born in
Mexico, a small little villagethere by the coast, and she, I
think she, came to the StatesOoh, that's a little tricky to
say.
My mother was nine, so that waslike in the 60s about probably
(12:14):
mid to late 60s when she arrivedto the states with her family.
It was a large family that wegrew up.
You know it was nine childrenthere and she was an Aquarius,
but she was also deeply Catholic.
But she practiced her healingthrough her faith.
(12:36):
So when I say that basically alot of it, just like any other
Kirandara of that faith, likeany other Kirandera of that
faith, they practice healingthrough prayers, healing through
sacred waters, holy waters,through sacred smoke, through
(12:58):
sacred touch, and a lot of whatshe did was through her cooking,
through touch.
She had these amazing healinghands that I'll never forget
this.
One time that I was veryrambunctious as a child, I fell
down a tree and I cracked mywrist and it was in agony and I
(13:19):
was quiet for like a good coupleof hours.
I didn't want to get in troublefor climbing a tree, so I was
quiet for a couple of hours andI was in agony just holding it.
I was huddled and I remembershe finally came looking for me
because she knew she just knewthat was another thing she had.
She just knew things and shefound me and she it was funny
(13:43):
enough, my Spanish at the timewas also not very strong, um,
and so there was like a alanguage barrier there.
But she and I had thisenergetic telepathy that I
didn't have to say anything, shedidn't have to say anything, we
just connected in that way andshe just knew something was
(14:06):
wrong with my wrist.
And the moment she put herhealing ointment herself over my
wrist and touched it and prayedover it, that the pain just
went away and it didn't comeback, until I went to a doctor
and they aligned it.
(14:36):
But no, she just had this way ofusing her energy, using her
faith, and extending that tohealing.
Her culture, latin Americanculture, like you say,
kiranderas are faith healers ofa sort.
Dadas are faith healers of thesort.
They use their energies, theirfaith in certain ointments,
remedies, oils, cooking teas,even because I saw her doing a
lot of teas as well all it forthe way, all for healing, and
(15:01):
that when I speak of healing,it's basically covering all
things, whether it's spiritualhealing, physical healing,
emotional, mental.
It basically covers that wholecircle and majority of it begins
within the spirit.
The spirit is broken, it can behealed and it can heal
(15:24):
everything else.
So she always approached it inthat way, firstly, like asking
them what are their struggles,what are they facing, what it
hurts them.
You know, she always tried tofind the source within each
individual.
Definitely not bruja, like yousaid.
(15:49):
There's differences there.
I mean, they have both aservitude.
In some ways Brujas will serveothers in manifesting their
clients' desires, whether it isreturning, negative energies,
(16:09):
protections, love, you know,whereas with Kiranderas, I mean,
they do something similar tothat.
But I think the main focusthere is if you can heal the
spirit, you'll heal the mind,heal the heart, heal the body
and all that will come to them,whether it be love, protection
(16:33):
and such.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yes, yeah, I as a outsider, but someone who
studied it quite a bit, I'vealways thought of my spanish is
atrocious, but curanderas aslike shamans, or what we would
call in like the new agecommunity, like a Reiki healer,
but more than that, yes, and sothat's how I've always kind of
looked at them, because I'vestudied shamanism and it's very
(16:56):
similar.
It's like the shaman sees thesick spirit.
It's like that's who the shamanis healing.
They're serving the spirit, andthen, when you serve the spirit,
everything else falls intoplace, and I think of that as
kind of like similar, do youfeel?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
like her influence affects your practice, like even
now.
Oh yes, definitely.
You know, a lot of my practicealso involves ancestral work and
whenever I do any kind ofritual or ceremony, I invite her
spirit to it and she is one ofmy guides, wholeheartedly.
She, you know, I, I contributea lot of my abilities to her.
(17:38):
I am an empath, I am a psychic,I am a Reiki practitioner, but
I also incorporate a lot of hertraditions to it, a lot of her
Kirandera traditions to it.
I, you know, when I am notdoing tea, which is because,
even in my, I work at a shophere nearby it's called Sky
(18:02):
Apothecary and I do offer thoseservices, those cleansing or
otherwise known as limpiaservices there, and a lot of
what I do there is definitely anextension of her.
I know it, I know she worksthrough me, she teaches me, she
has taught me how to heal, howto serve others, because that is
(18:24):
definitely a big part of mypath.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Even from the get-go, from incorporating tea, it has
been to serve others, to healothers it has been to serve
others, to heal others well withyou know, limpias, which I'm
currently um over halfway donewith the course I enrolled in
because I wanted to yeah, so Iwanted to learn, as I have a
(18:48):
mexican best friend and I've had.
Uh, when I was a teacher, themajority of my class were
mexican-american, and so we talkabout the rolling of the egg
and you know like.
I knew a lot of this as anoutsider, but I wanted to take
an actual class and so in thecourse I've learned how
important herbs are, like whenyou're doing like a white smoke,
limpia, or you're doing anykind of cleansing, you're
(19:11):
inviting herbs in to communicateand help and and I love what
I've learned is like talking tothe herbs, because I've always
done that in my own magic, islike good morning, rosemary,
thank you for being here andcleansing and protecting me,
like I've always felt that, andto see that in the class you
know it's it's amazing to melike how all of these things
(19:35):
kind of blend right.
I've studied herbalism.
That's like been my new kind ofadventure for the last few
years and how herbalism led tolimpias, but limpias going back
to herbalism, and so I think itmakes sense now that I'm
learning more of your journeyand how you ended up with like
tea, which is like going fromthis great influence of your
(19:55):
grandmother and then workingwith like a tea ceremony master,
I'm like, well, there was nochoice really for you but to
write these books.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Yeah, it came full circle.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
You mentioned that you are Reiki master.
Is that right?
I would love to know a littlebit about your Reiki journey,
because I say to people all thetime like, if you can afford it
and you have the time, I feeleverybody should get attuned to
Reiki because it's just such agood experience.
Whether or not you're going touse it doesn't matter, I just
think it's such a goodexperience.
So I'd love to know a littlebit about your Reiki journey, if
(20:30):
you don't mind.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
No, of course.
A few years ago I started my Rethe Reiki courses, also in a
(20:59):
way to, I guess, honor my otherancestry.
I have a very big ancestry mixin me.
I have Mexican but I also haveJapanese, and so I wanted to
honor that because as part of myancestry work I was hearing my
(21:21):
Japanese culture coming insaying okay, check this out, see
what you can learn and how toincorporate us into it.
So I was like, okay, let mestart here with Reiki.
So I took some courses online.
I met my Reiki master, sebastian, and he basically gave me the
(21:41):
full rundown on it.
He my first two attunements andthen basically I wouldn't say,
left me to my own devices, butbasically it was a lot of
learning to heal myself.
It was like a 40-day journey ofhealing, balancing and learning
to attune.
(22:01):
So it was a grand journey let'sjust say that Very spiritually
healing, and it definitelyshowed me different methods of
how to incorporate Reiki with mylymphias, my two cultures
together, and how to weave ittogether and to use it, and to
(22:26):
which I now use.
Now where I work at SkyApothecary, I incorporate both
Reiki andymphias together toestablish balance, clear away
the chakras, heal the spirit.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
That is so beautiful.
I love that.
Yeah, that's amazing.
So it's like there's healing onboth sides of your culture and
I love that you are a product ofthat and you're honoring both
cultures with your practice.
I think not everybody'scomfortable with ancestry work
(23:01):
but for me I'm Italian and forme, really diving into Italian
folk remedies and Italian folkmagic has been so healing.
You know, it's like if you can,I think, if, if you're
listening, if you haveopportunity to learn your
ancestry, and just you don'thave to go.
You know, some people are likea real mixed, mixed up kind of
(23:22):
bag.
You don't have to go for all ofit.
But if there's one that you'relike Irish I really want to know
more about Irish folk remedyand Irish folklore it can be
really healing.
And then, like you said, theancestors show up as guides,
right, so your grandma is aguide.
But then your Japaneseancestors were like, hey, what
about us?
Right?
Yes, I love that.
(23:42):
I find too that a lot ofpeople's grandmothers are guides
.
Like nine times out of 10, whenI give someone Reiki, a
grandmother shows up and it'syes, they really love to watch
us, right?
I would like to continue onkind of your story and it's kind
of backtracking, I think.
But I would like to know moreabout the tea ceremony, because
(24:06):
that is really cool.
I think I don't think a lot ofpeople outside of kind of the
cultures get to learn teaceremony.
It's kind of special.
I feel that you were taughtsince tea ceremony, so I'd love
to know a little bit about thattoo.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
The Chinese tea ceremony.
Okay, so the Chinese teaceremony usually consists of the
type of tools.
There is a tray I wish I couldremember the name of it right
now, but it's difficult to saybut there is a tray that's
really.
It almost looks like a twolevel and it has slates to it
(24:44):
where the water, the teas, candrain down into and usually that
begins that ceremony.
Like you, you bring it out, youshowcase it.
You know, usually the moreintricate the better.
It symbolizes your rank in away, because as far as Chinese
tea connoisseurs go, it is allabout how let me choose the
(25:11):
right words how beautiful andlet's say, I don't want to say
privilege, but it's basicallyhow ornate it is, you know, and
or sometimes it basically showsyou a lot of where you stand
(25:32):
like.
It can be simple, or it can bevery ornate, and so you start
there and then you usually havethese lovely tea cups oh, they
probably still storage, I havesome, they have.
They're basically with a trivetand a nice round bowl to it
with a lid to it, and there'susually about as many as you
(25:54):
need of who is attending andwhoever is the brewer and slash
the server.
It's basically very respectful.
You brew it in one cup and thenthe way that you serve it it's
supposed to.
The lid is supposed to remainon top and you serve it so
(26:16):
skillfully, so exact, that not adrip falls.
It's.
It's supposed to be.
I want to say them all veryshowy, but it is, in a way, it's
supposed to represent.
Every move that you make issupposed to represent respect
very smooth, very harmonious, um, very much like the, the
(26:38):
japanese tea ceremony, the greentea ceremony, where you serve
each bowl to each personrepresenting and then, with
respect, you pass it to each oneand then, interestingly, as
people, as each of the peopleattending are sipping your tea.
If they like your tea and theywant to show respect back to you
(27:02):
after what you have presentedto them, they loudly sip your
tea.
I thought that was sointeresting when he said that to
me when I first took a sip oftea, and I did it very quietly,
he was just like you don't likemy tea, I'm like, I'm sorry what
(27:23):
?
And he's like if you like mytea and you like the way that I
served you respectfully, then,with respect, you slurp it
loudly, showing that you alsoenjoy and you appreciate the
moment, the experience the teain general.
So it's like, okay, wonderful,and it's not even an afterwards
(27:44):
moving forward.
You usually have yourdiscussions, because it's
oftentimes during meetings.
You know business arrangements,you know promises, things like
that, that you're having a teaceremony over and when it that
when the discussions are done,you don't actually have to sit
there and finish to see if youwant to move on or you want to
(28:06):
finish or you want to tryanother tea.
You basically pour over the teathrough the tray that has the
slates to it and it is kind oflike it is done, um, also paying
respect, thank you, it's done,it's, it's good to move on and
things like that.
So it, it was really beautiful.
(28:28):
I'm if he, oh, if he heard medescribing all this, he probably
would whack me because Iprobably did a very poor job in
explaining.
But yes, it is, chinese teaceremony is all about respect in
(28:49):
general, basically, and showingand not necessarily an equal
balance between each other.
But I guess it is.
Yes, yeah, I would say thatwhere you come together in an
equal playing ground and discuss, come together, things like
(29:11):
that well.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
The way you described it reminds me of how, when
witches come together, they'lllight a candle, right.
It's very similar.
It's like a case and then, whenyou're done, you pour the tea
out and it returns to like theearth, basically.
So that made sense to me.
Like you, I think you explainedit well.
As an outsider, I couldenvision what you were talking
about.
So don't don't worry, I wouldlove to know too.
(29:37):
You're also an herbalist.
You wear, like many, many hatsthey're all tea related hats but
I would love to know a littlebit about that journey and how
that kind of connects back totea.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Of course.
So my herbalist journey was inthe very beginning.
It was definitely self-taught.
You know it was because Istarted in the metaphysical shop
and then I worked my way overto the holistic shop slash tea
room.
She it was.
It was two people that workedat that shop.
She was a acupuncturist,holistic healer, and then there
(30:15):
was the tea master.
They both worked together.
They owned the shop and when Iworked there I was fascinated by
all of the Chinese herbs and Iwanted to learn from that and it
.
That basically started theself-taught herbalist journey
(30:37):
there where I would sit down andI would learn as much as I can
about holistic remedies.
(31:05):
26 or 27,.
I had a family member that wentthrough a health issue and it
affected me deeply because Iwanted to help her and I was
trying to think of so many waysthat I could have helped her
when it came to remedies, herbsand things like that.
But I held myself back and Iwouldn't say I regret it, but it
definitely it pushed me where.
(31:28):
I wanted to learn more.
I went into a holistic schooland I took that and that's what
(31:58):
basically Led me more tosolidify Becoming an herbalist.
I'm still doing a traditionalnaturopathy doctor, traditional
name property courses found alittle longer, but, yes, that's
what's guided me on that journey.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Well, thank you for sharing that.
I find a lot of witches at onepoint find themselves herbal
curious, right, because it'slike they're in all the things
they're in the incense, they'rein the simmer pots, are in you
know a lot of things we use, andso having limited knowledge of
that sometimes feels like itholds you back a little bit.
(32:41):
So I think it makes sense for alot of witches to study
herbalism, even if, like yousaid, first is on your own, just
, you know, getting curious andlearning.
Okay, so we have like a goodbackground on the healing, the
tea, the herbs.
In your latest book you alsotalk about crystals and let me
tell you I was so excitedbecause my crystal book comes
(33:01):
out this year too.
So I think of us as likecrystal sisters and crystals
coming out.
So I'd love to know about whencrystals entered the scene and
like a little bit about that too.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Okay, so funny enough .
Okay, I worked at ametaphysical store.
There was crystals everywhere,there was herbs everywhere, but
what was really mostly callingme it was the herbs.
Sure crystals, I loved it.
They were pretty.
I loved to connect to them whenI needed to, you know, but they
never really like drew me in sostrongly as herbs did.
(33:37):
So I let the herbs guide me andshow me the way.
When I moved from California toAlabama a couple of years ago, I
met a wonderful group, circleof witches that were all crystal
fanatics.
They loved crystals, theyabsolutely loved crystals, and
(34:03):
so whenever we gathered, Ibrought the tea, they brought
the crystals and it just kind ofyou know what, like their love
and fascination inspired me andI was like you know what, let me
check these crystals out alittle bit more.
You know, we, whenever wegathered, we talked about it, we
talked about tea, we talkedabout herbs, we talked about
(34:24):
crystals and more and more itstarted to fascinate me and the
crystals started to talk to meand before I knew it, I started
buying crystals.
Before it was like constantlytea and herbs and and all that
was driving my husband crazy.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Now it's crystals which are more expensive.
I just have to say crystals.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
I'm like, oh my gosh, you're so pretty, you're 30
dollars, okay, come home.
But no, and I started learningabout them more and I started
taking courses to become acrystal healer.
Because why not, you know?
I'm like, okay, I'm already ahealer, I need to know all ways
(35:11):
that I can holistically,spiritually heal.
And so I started taking courseson crystal healing.
Taking courses on crystalhealing and I had, like in my
first book, a Tea Witch'sGrimoire, I have crystals in
that book, but I wouldn't callthem as a standby, but they were
(35:35):
there to help infuse your teaand herbs.
But when I met this group andwe started coming together, like
I said, with the crystals,crystals with the tea and as I
was studying crystal healing,when it got down to the course
on using crystal grids yeah,geometric patterns it was like
(35:59):
for people a tea which iscrystal brews.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
There are so many grids in here.
Like you cover a lot of gridsand it's beautifully illustrated
.
So if someone is brand new tocrystal grids, I feel like this
is a really great book.
If you've been doing it a while, it's also great book because
you take it to the next levelwith tea Right.
So I just wanted to interjectreal quick to tell people that
was the thing I was mostimpressed with, because in our
(36:23):
coven a lot of new witches andsomething they've all been
wanting to learn is grids.
And then I'm like oh well, hereit is.
I mean, it's like laid out,it's like so, and I've used some
of your grids and I find themto be very powerful.
So I just wanted to interjectthat real quick.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm very happy to hear thatyou've tried them and it and
they worked out great for you.
Yes, when I discovered crystalgrids and using them, it was
like a whole new epiphany hit me.
It was just like back in myearly 20s when using tea in my
(37:04):
craft hit me and I knew.
Then I was like, ok, I need toexplore this more, I need to
follow that guidance and Istarted incorporating crystal
grids.
I started when I was making themand practicing with them.
I was like you know what willbe beautiful, a teacup, let's
put it right there.
And I just I fell in love withit.
(37:27):
And then when I incorporated itinto my practice and I tried it
and I tasted it, I tasted theenergy and it was just
electrifying.
And then I started bringing itto the gatherings.
I was like everybody, let's trythis, let's tell me what you
feel, what you think.
And everybody was just all justwow with that, you know.
(37:50):
So I started diving deeper.
I started making more recipes,I started exploring and
experimenting with crystal grids.
So every time there was agathering, I brought something
new.
I brought a new grid ofcrystals tea and it was just, it
was fabulous, and that's reallywhat motivated and inspired and
(38:13):
put all into the tea which iscrystal grids.
Yeah, yeah, the Tea Witch'sCrystal Grits, yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
Yeah, if you wouldn't mind sharing a little bit about
the books, I just have to saythey're beautiful and I love
that they have a ribbon bookmark.
I am amazed by the amount ofdetail, because there are
recipes for like everything.
You mean every kind of moon,every kind of Sabbath, and then
(38:41):
now we have in the second bookall these crystal grids.
I feel like everybody needsboth.
You just can't have one of them.
And they really are new.
And I have to say that, assomeone who has been a witch for
a long time and has read a lotof books on witchcraft, I got so
excited.
I was like this is new to me,like this is I.
(39:01):
I love tea.
I always say if I could haveany fictional best friend, it'd
be Uncle Iroh from Avatar.
Like I love, because I and wewould hang out in the Jasmine
Dragon together in my, in myhead.
But yes.
I never.
I never put them together, andso I'm like this person is a
genius.
That's what I was thinking whenI got the book.
So if you wouldn't mind sharingjust a little bit about the
(39:24):
books and how they're helpfulfor any witch's practice, Of
course.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
Well, honestly, I try to make it very broad for any
witch, no matter what way youpractice, that it can be as a
guide for them, however theywish to incorporate it.
You know, if you're not a hugetea fan, then you incorporate
crystals.
You can do that with any spellor ritual or gathering.
(39:55):
A tea witch's grimoire wasdefinitely more focused on using
herbal recipes, teas and such.
It was honestly a tea, which isgrimoire, was my original baby,
like I've told people.
Everything that you see, all therecipes in that book was our
(40:21):
mind.
They come straight from my owngrimoire, from all the years
that I've practiced tea recipesand tea ritual and the trials
and errors that went into it tosee if it worked out or it did
not work out.
And such A tea which is crystalbrews is very much the same as
well.
It still has my tea recipes, mypersonal ones, as well as the
(40:44):
crystals and the grids that Ihad experimented and practiced
with with others or with myself.
So, whether you are a tea witchor any other witch and you have
an inspiration, an inkling toexperiment with herbs, herbs or
(41:10):
crystals, but also really injust finding yourself, finding
and trusting in your intuition,finding your path, your craft
and what feels right to you.
(41:32):
I also definitely wanted thesebooks to not be difficult, to
not be something that you haveto wait to do with all these
tools and things like that, butsomething that you can
incorporate into your daily life, your daily mundane tasks,
(41:52):
whether you are at home oryou're on the go.
You can use any recipe, anyintention, any crystal.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
So that's what I was really hoping that it would be
more of as a guide to helpingothers find their own personal
joys and inspirations.
Yeah, I think it's veryapproachable.
No-transcript.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
Well, I always say pretty much to anyone who asks
to really just trust in yourselfand trust, trust in your
intuition.
Your intuition is your ultimateguide and it will tell you what
it is that you need every day.
Every day, you wake up and yougo and you say what do I need
today?
And especially if it comes toherbs, allow your intuition and
(43:13):
allow the herbs to talk to you.
I know that sounds like alittle foreign, maybe, to some,
but having that connection toyour tools, to your herbs, to
your crystals, letting them talkto you, is a sure way of
guiding you towards what youneed that day.
Like, for example, if, if Iwake up and I need some balance
(43:37):
and clarity and I walk into myapothecary and I see all the
herbs, if peppermint isscreaming out at me, whether it
is the color of it or the scentof it, or just a pull and draw,
trust it, grab it, don'tquestion it, don't be like wait,
but isn't peppermint forprotection or expelling
(44:01):
negativity, well, maybe that issomething that you actually need
.
Maybe you need to expel thenegativity that is blocking the
clarity in your mind.
You know, just trust it.
Don't overthink about thecorrespondences, about the
mixture or what have you.
If it's something your energy,your soul needs, trust that.
And then, when it comes totools, whether you have a teapot
(44:27):
or a teabag, don't make itcomplicated for yourself either.
You know your craft is your own.
If you can only afford a te bagat the tea aisle, then get that
too.
Get it, use it, incorporate it.
That string that's attached tothe tea bag is a cord that can
(44:48):
be knotted.
That can be knotted with yourintentions, or can be tied
around a cinnamon stick.
Be creative.
Or you could even draw a sigilon the tag of it.
Incorporate it.
Or even use it as a pendulum,hanging it over your teacup and
(45:09):
asking your, your tea brewquestions like is this going to
be a good day and see whichdirection it goes?
Or even use it as thatintention, like to draw away
negativity, counterclockwise it.
You know it.
Be creative with your craft,trust in it, and surely every
(45:31):
day you'll get closer to findingwho you are on this path.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
That is beautiful and , I feel, very attainable for
anyone and no matter their teaexperience level, no matter
where they live.
Just using a teabag settingsome intention.
I love all the little ideas yougave right now.
I greatly appreciate you givingus your time, your energy on
this chat and sharing yourjourney with us as becoming a
(46:01):
tea witch.
So thank you so much for yourtime.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
I greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for having me here.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Well, witches.
Thank you for listening to theconversation.
I hope you walk away with a newkind of insight and love into
the power of tea.
I really do think at some pointall of us kind of on our witchy
path, go to this, this witchyherbal quest, right, and, like
Susanna said, it can just startwith curiosity and intuition and
(46:31):
getting to know what's at yourgrocery store, so it doesn't
have to be a difficult path.
Her books are A Tea Witch'sGrimoire and A Tea Witch's
Crystal Brews.
You can find her at the TeaWitch's Grimoire and A Tea
Witch's Crystal Bruise.
You can find her at the TeaWitch blog.
So that's her Instagram and herTikTok handle.
It's the underscore tea,underscore witch underscore blog
.
She also has a website, the TeaWitch's blog, which has really
(46:53):
beautiful posts.
So definitely check those out.
And thanks again for watchingor listening, wherever you are
tuning in from.
Hey witches, and welcome to another Cozy Coven
chat.
I'm your host, jenny, and inthis chat you definitely want to
grab a cup of tea because wehave Tea Witch SM Harlow as our
guest.
She is the author of two of myfavorite books A Tea Witch's
Grimoire Magical Recipes foryour Tea Time which makes a
beautiful gift we're gettingclose to Mother's Day, just
(00:21):
saying and also A Tea Witch'sCrystal Brews another beautiful
book and gift For're gettingclose to Mother's Day, just
saying.
And also A Tea Witch's CrystalBrews another beautiful book and
gift.
For those of you who are notalready familiar with her, sm
Harlow is a passionate teaconnoisseur, master herbalist
and a seeker of holisticwellness.
With a profound devotion for thetransformative power of
botanicals, susanna hasseamlessly woven her deep
(00:44):
knowledge of tea into the fabricof spiritual and physical
healing.
Her best-selling book, a TeaWitch's Grimoire, has become an
essential guide for thoseseeking to explore the mystical
synergy between herbal infusionsand wellness, offering readers
a unique perspective on brewingrituals that harmonize body,
mind and spirit.
(01:05):
This conversation was awesome.
She leaves you with some reallysimple tea witch advice to get
you started today, but also wereally get to learn her journey
of tapping into both her Mexicanand Japanese heritage, we get
to learn about how she's infusedall of her practice with Reiki
(01:25):
and herbs and crystals.
She's a lifelong learner, forsure, and she blends so many
different aspects of healing andwitchcraft into her practice.
So, without further ado, here'sour conversation.
Thank you, susanna, for joiningus today on the chat.
If you could, please take amoment and introduce yourself to
(01:46):
those that are listening.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Hi, thank you for having me.
Well, I'm Susanna, otherwiseknown as SM Harlow.
I am the writer of A TeaWitch's Grimoire and now also A
Tea Witch's Crystal Brews.
So yeah, now also a tea witch'scrystal bruise.
So yeah, I am.
I guess I would say I'm not toomuch on titles, but I would say
(02:13):
definitely a lot of friends andfamily say a tea witch.
I am a tea witch that enjoyspracticing majority of my
practice with teas, herbs andnow crystals.
Speaker 1 (02:27):
So I get a lot of questions about when I shared
this book both in our coven andon BookTok.
People want to know what is atea witch, and I'm curious too
because as far as I know, beforeI saw your books that wasn't a
term I was really seeing.
So I'm curious you know what isit and, kind of, how did you
come to that, that title?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Well, a tea witch.
In most cases, you know it canbe associated with kitchen
witches, green witches, alongthose lines, hearthwitches, you
know, but a tea witch, inparticular, it focuses on using
teas and herbs for majority ofyour practice, whether it comes
(03:12):
to spell work, ritual work,gatherings with circles, you
know you incorporate a tea brewin that process, a tea brew in
that process, aligning yourenergies, your intentions,
correspondences with differentteas and herbs, depending on
(03:33):
what it is that you are tryingto manifest into reality.
So I would say that that, inparticular, is a well-rounded
definition of a tea witch, is awell-rounded definition of a tea
witch.
How I came about that title, orreally this part of my craft,
(03:56):
is when I was younger, in myearly 20s, I had an opportunity
to study and learn with a teamaster, a Chinese tea master,
with a tea master, a Chinese teamaster, and when he taught me
all of the ceremonial ways andhow to prepare teas and how to
serve it, I just thought I fellin love with the beauty of it,
(04:16):
the beauty of the ceremonies andthe beauty of, in a way, I
guess, the servitude of it, andit inspired me.
I had also worked there.
It was a tea house slash theword is escaping me right now.
It was a tea house, but it wasalso a holistic clinic and so
(04:40):
you served clients that came inlooking for holistic care and
whenever I served tea to thesepeople whatever whether it was
for health, balance, harmony,peace, that it basically I
served it with those intentionsfor them, to help them, and it
greatly inspired me and my pathin that regard.
(05:02):
I mean, prior to working thereand to studying that, I did work
at a metaphysical store and Igot to learn a lot of the craft
through there, using a lot ofrecipes and learning about the
herbal folklore, and with thatknowledge, along with the tea
house knowledge, it just cametogether.
(05:23):
I served clients, I servedfriends, family and it just I
saw the magic working throughthat and it is just something
that it just took a hold Icouldn't let go of.
It just became something Icontinuously loved and devoted
myself to.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Well, it's easy to say that you had the coolest
jobs.
Like I've never heard anybodytalk about me.
I worked at a pet store, likewhat, what, where were these
jobs?
Like I would have totally lovedthem.
So anyway, I'm just kind oflike being a little bit not
alone there.
Speaker 2 (06:00):
I did work at a pizza shop too on there.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
I did work at a pizza shop too.
Okay, so let's back up.
So you worked at themetaphysical store, I'm guessing
also in your 20s, and so wereyou already like on a witchy or
pagan path at that point, andthat's why you got that job.
Like, how did?
How did you start on the witchypath?
Speaker 2 (06:23):
How did you start on the witchy path?
So, okay, we're going far backnow.
Okay, so most witches, moststories, begin in their
childhood.
You know, when I was a child,early as like five, six years
old I already had felt thisconnection with Mother Earth,
(06:45):
father Sky, grandmother Moon,all the nature spirits.
There was a connection there.
I could hear them, I could feelthem and I let that guide me.
But there was also mygrandmother who was a healer.
In ways she was like a faithhealer, or in other words you
could call her a curandera, andI was.
(07:08):
I mean, I wouldn't say I knewthe word at the time, but I was
definitely inspired by her.
I loved to observe her whenevershe had people come to her,
either for guidance, for healing, for prayers, you know.
So she was a great source ofinspiration that I learned from.
And then, when I was actually17, you know, from then to there
(07:32):
, I just I naturally justfollowed the calling.
What magic energy, what haveyou call it?
It just always came to menaturally and I would just
follow through with any kind ofintentions, any kind of messages
that came to me.
(07:54):
So by the time that I was 15, 16years old, I was hungry.
My grandmother was passed bythen.
I I was a solo practitioner,what you would say at the time,
and I was just hungry forknowledge.
I needed to know more.
At that time.
You know, you can only find somuch resources in libraries and
(08:17):
bookstores when it comes tobooks.
You know, I knew I needed moreand it was almost like the
universe answered that becausejust right down the block from
where I lived, a metaphysicalstore opened and it was like I
wouldn't say it was the first ofits kind, you know, but it was
definitely like an amazing sightto me to see this beautiful big
(08:40):
purple building full ofpentagrams and symbols and
triple moons.
And I was just, and I would walkhome from school every day
passing this store and I wouldjust always constantly be drawn
in and speak to the woman thatworked there and it felt like,
(09:04):
like when I was stepping into mygrandmother's kitchen.
It felt like stepping into home, you know, and I grew a
relationship with the woman thatworked there or who owned the
store, and at 17, she gave me achance to start working there
and to learn.
Majority of it was really tolearn there and to learn.
(09:28):
Majority of it was really tolearn and, yeah, I spent a good,
a good portion actually, of mytime there in the back room
amongst, like, all the herbs,the crystals, the candles, and
basically learning to make itall, making the oils, making the
incense, making all the recipes, and learning as I went.
And it was there where where Iwas like, yes, this is, this is
(09:48):
where I'm supposed to be, thisis what I'm supposed to do.
Speaker 1 (09:53):
That's amazing.
I um, I'm from New Jersey, butthen I moved to kind of a rural
part of California in my senioryear and when I was like 18, 19,
our first witchy store openedup to is called the Divine Gifts
Shop and that is actually whereI first learned about crystals.
I took a crystal class there at19.
(10:14):
And that's where my love ofcrystals.
I was already taking geologyclasses and my geology club
treasurer and I'm terrible atmath, so I don't know how I got
that job, but and so it was liketwo worlds coming together.
I was going out to the fieldcollecting garnet and things
like that that we could find inthe Mojave Desert and then also
taking this class with myspecial like witchy books and
(10:35):
putting them together.
So those shops were rare, I feellike.
And far in between, you know,if you weren't in a big city,
but there was some kind oflittle boom.
I feel like.
And far in between, you know,if you weren't in a big city,
but there was some kind oflittle boom, I feel like 90s,
early 2000s of those shopsopening, probably because of the
craft and all of us with, likeour azure, green uh catalogs
(10:56):
wanting something in person,right?
so, um, I love that.
Uh, do you remember the name ofyour shop, ca?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Cauldron Kitty.
Well, she first started off asjust Cauldron and then, over the
years, it became Cauldron Kitty.
Speaker 1 (11:10):
I love that.
That's really I love that.
I would like to go back to yourgrandma, so if you wouldn't
mind sharing her name, latinoculture of a healer versus a
(11:30):
witch, right, because a lot oftimes, even though they do
similar things, I have a lot ofMexican friends and it was like
you know, yeah, it's cool to goto the Kirandera, but it's not
cool to go to the Bruja, likethat's, that's a no.
So I would love to hear alittle bit about grandma, if you
don't mind sharing.
Speaker 2 (11:49):
No, not at all.
My grandmother's name wasSimona and she was born in
Mexico, a small little villagethere by the coast, and she, I
think she, came to the StatesOoh, that's a little tricky to
say.
My mother was nine, so that waslike in the 60s about probably
(12:14):
mid to late 60s when she arrivedto the states with her family.
It was a large family that wegrew up.
You know it was nine childrenthere and she was an Aquarius,
but she was also deeply Catholic.
But she practiced her healingthrough her faith.
(12:36):
So when I say that basically alot of it, just like any other
Kirandara of that faith, likeany other Kirandera of that
faith, they practice healingthrough prayers, healing through
sacred waters, holy waters,through sacred smoke, through
(12:58):
sacred touch, and a lot of whatshe did was through her cooking,
through touch.
She had these amazing healinghands that I'll never forget
this.
One time that I was veryrambunctious as a child, I fell
down a tree and I cracked mywrist and it was in agony and I
(13:19):
was quiet for like a good coupleof hours.
I didn't want to get in troublefor climbing a tree, so I was
quiet for a couple of hours andI was in agony just holding it.
I was huddled and I remembershe finally came looking for me
because she knew she just knewthat was another thing she had.
She just knew things and shefound me and she it was funny
(13:43):
enough, my Spanish at the timewas also not very strong, um,
and so there was like a alanguage barrier there.
But she and I had thisenergetic telepathy that I
didn't have to say anything, shedidn't have to say anything, we
just connected in that way andshe just knew something was
(14:06):
wrong with my wrist.
And the moment she put herhealing ointment herself over my
wrist and touched it and prayedover it, that the pain just
went away and it didn't comeback, until I went to a doctor
and they aligned it.
(14:36):
But no, she just had this way ofusing her energy, using her
faith, and extending that tohealing.
Her culture, latin Americanculture, like you say,
kiranderas are faith healers ofa sort.
Dadas are faith healers of thesort.
They use their energies, theirfaith in certain ointments,
remedies, oils, cooking teas,even because I saw her doing a
lot of teas as well all it forthe way, all for healing, and
(15:01):
that when I speak of healing,it's basically covering all
things, whether it's spiritualhealing, physical healing,
emotional, mental.
It basically covers that wholecircle and majority of it begins
within the spirit.
The spirit is broken, it can behealed and it can heal
(15:24):
everything else.
So she always approached it inthat way, firstly, like asking
them what are their struggles,what are they facing, what it
hurts them.
You know, she always tried tofind the source within each
individual.
Definitely not bruja, like yousaid.
(15:49):
There's differences there.
I mean, they have both aservitude.
In some ways Brujas will serveothers in manifesting their
clients' desires, whether it isreturning, negative energies,
(16:09):
protections, love, you know,whereas with Kiranderas, I mean,
they do something similar tothat.
But I think the main focusthere is if you can heal the
spirit, you'll heal the mind,heal the heart, heal the body
and all that will come to them,whether it be love, protection
(16:33):
and such.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Yes, yeah, I as a outsider, but someone who
studied it quite a bit, I'vealways thought of my spanish is
atrocious, but curanderas aslike shamans, or what we would
call in like the new agecommunity, like a Reiki healer,
but more than that, yes, and sothat's how I've always kind of
looked at them, because I'vestudied shamanism and it's very
(16:56):
similar.
It's like the shaman sees thesick spirit.
It's like that's who the shamanis healing.
They're serving the spirit, andthen, when you serve the spirit,
everything else falls intoplace, and I think of that as
kind of like similar, do youfeel?
Speaker 2 (17:16):
like her influence affects your practice, like even
now.
Oh yes, definitely.
You know, a lot of my practicealso involves ancestral work and
whenever I do any kind ofritual or ceremony, I invite her
spirit to it and she is one ofmy guides, wholeheartedly.
She, you know, I, I contributea lot of my abilities to her.
(17:38):
I am an empath, I am a psychic,I am a Reiki practitioner, but
I also incorporate a lot of hertraditions to it, a lot of her
Kirandera traditions to it.
I, you know, when I am notdoing tea, which is because,
even in my, I work at a shophere nearby it's called Sky
(18:02):
Apothecary and I do offer thoseservices, those cleansing or
otherwise known as limpiaservices there, and a lot of
what I do there is definitely anextension of her.
I know it, I know she worksthrough me, she teaches me, she
has taught me how to heal, howto serve others, because that is
(18:24):
definitely a big part of mypath.
Speaker 1 (18:27):
Even from the get-go, from incorporating tea, it has
been to serve others, to healothers it has been to serve
others, to heal others well withyou know, limpias, which I'm
currently um over halfway donewith the course I enrolled in
because I wanted to yeah, so Iwanted to learn, as I have a
(18:48):
mexican best friend and I've had.
Uh, when I was a teacher, themajority of my class were
mexican-american, and so we talkabout the rolling of the egg
and you know like.
I knew a lot of this as anoutsider, but I wanted to take
an actual class and so in thecourse I've learned how
important herbs are, like whenyou're doing like a white smoke,
limpia, or you're doing anykind of cleansing, you're
(19:11):
inviting herbs in to communicateand help and and I love what
I've learned is like talking tothe herbs, because I've always
done that in my own magic, islike good morning, rosemary,
thank you for being here andcleansing and protecting me,
like I've always felt that, andto see that in the class you
know it's it's amazing to melike how all of these things
(19:35):
kind of blend right.
I've studied herbalism.
That's like been my new kind ofadventure for the last few
years and how herbalism led tolimpias, but limpias going back
to herbalism, and so I think itmakes sense now that I'm
learning more of your journeyand how you ended up with like
tea, which is like going fromthis great influence of your
(19:55):
grandmother and then workingwith like a tea ceremony master,
I'm like, well, there was nochoice really for you but to
write these books.
Speaker 2 (20:04):
Yeah, it came full circle.
Speaker 1 (20:07):
You mentioned that you are Reiki master.
Is that right?
I would love to know a littlebit about your Reiki journey,
because I say to people all thetime like, if you can afford it
and you have the time, I feeleverybody should get attuned to
Reiki because it's just such agood experience.
Whether or not you're going touse it doesn't matter, I just
think it's such a goodexperience.
So I'd love to know a littlebit about your Reiki journey, if
(20:30):
you don't mind.
Speaker 2 (20:31):
No, of course.
A few years ago I started my Rethe Reiki courses, also in a
(20:59):
way to, I guess, honor my otherancestry.
I have a very big ancestry mixin me.
I have Mexican but I also haveJapanese, and so I wanted to
honor that because as part of myancestry work I was hearing my
(21:21):
Japanese culture coming insaying okay, check this out, see
what you can learn and how toincorporate us into it.
So I was like, okay, let mestart here with Reiki.
So I took some courses online.
I met my Reiki master, sebastian, and he basically gave me the
(21:41):
full rundown on it.
He my first two attunements andthen basically I wouldn't say,
left me to my own devices, butbasically it was a lot of
learning to heal myself.
It was like a 40-day journey ofhealing, balancing and learning
to attune.
(22:01):
So it was a grand journey let'sjust say that Very spiritually
healing, and it definitelyshowed me different methods of
how to incorporate Reiki with mylymphias, my two cultures
together, and how to weave ittogether and to use it, and to
(22:26):
which I now use.
Now where I work at SkyApothecary, I incorporate both
Reiki andymphias together toestablish balance, clear away
the chakras, heal the spirit.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
That is so beautiful.
I love that.
Yeah, that's amazing.
So it's like there's healing onboth sides of your culture and
I love that you are a product ofthat and you're honoring both
cultures with your practice.
I think not everybody'scomfortable with ancestry work
(23:01):
but for me I'm Italian and forme, really diving into Italian
folk remedies and Italian folkmagic has been so healing.
You know, it's like if you can,I think, if, if you're
listening, if you haveopportunity to learn your
ancestry, and just you don'thave to go.
You know, some people are likea real mixed, mixed up kind of
(23:22):
bag.
You don't have to go for all ofit.
But if there's one that you'relike Irish I really want to know
more about Irish folk remedyand Irish folklore it can be
really healing.
And then, like you said, theancestors show up as guides,
right, so your grandma is aguide.
But then your Japaneseancestors were like, hey, what
about us?
Right?
Yes, I love that.
(23:42):
I find too that a lot ofpeople's grandmothers are guides
.
Like nine times out of 10, whenI give someone Reiki, a
grandmother shows up and it'syes, they really love to watch
us, right?
I would like to continue onkind of your story and it's kind
of backtracking, I think.
But I would like to know moreabout the tea ceremony, because
(24:06):
that is really cool.
I think I don't think a lot ofpeople outside of kind of the
cultures get to learn teaceremony.
It's kind of special.
I feel that you were taughtsince tea ceremony, so I'd love
to know a little bit about thattoo.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
The Chinese tea ceremony.
Okay, so the Chinese teaceremony usually consists of the
type of tools.
There is a tray I wish I couldremember the name of it right
now, but it's difficult to saybut there is a tray that's
really.
It almost looks like a twolevel and it has slates to it
(24:44):
where the water, the teas, candrain down into and usually that
begins that ceremony.
Like you, you bring it out, youshowcase it.
You know, usually the moreintricate the better.
It symbolizes your rank in away, because as far as Chinese
tea connoisseurs go, it is allabout how let me choose the
(25:11):
right words how beautiful andlet's say, I don't want to say
privilege, but it's basicallyhow ornate it is, you know, and
or sometimes it basically showsyou a lot of where you stand
(25:32):
like.
It can be simple, or it can bevery ornate, and so you start
there and then you usually havethese lovely tea cups oh, they
probably still storage, I havesome, they have.
They're basically with a trivetand a nice round bowl to it
with a lid to it, and there'susually about as many as you
(25:54):
need of who is attending andwhoever is the brewer and slash
the server.
It's basically very respectful.
You brew it in one cup and thenthe way that you serve it it's
supposed to.
The lid is supposed to remainon top and you serve it so
(26:16):
skillfully, so exact, that not adrip falls.
It's.
It's supposed to be.
I want to say them all veryshowy, but it is, in a way, it's
supposed to represent.
Every move that you make issupposed to represent respect
very smooth, very harmonious, um, very much like the, the
(26:38):
japanese tea ceremony, the greentea ceremony, where you serve
each bowl to each personrepresenting and then, with
respect, you pass it to each oneand then, interestingly, as
people, as each of the peopleattending are sipping your tea.
If they like your tea and theywant to show respect back to you
(27:02):
after what you have presentedto them, they loudly sip your
tea.
I thought that was sointeresting when he said that to
me when I first took a sip oftea, and I did it very quietly,
he was just like you don't likemy tea, I'm like, I'm sorry what
(27:23):
?
And he's like if you like mytea and you like the way that I
served you respectfully, then,with respect, you slurp it
loudly, showing that you alsoenjoy and you appreciate the
moment, the experience the teain general.
So it's like, okay, wonderful,and it's not even an afterwards
(27:44):
moving forward.
You usually have yourdiscussions, because it's
oftentimes during meetings.
You know business arrangements,you know promises, things like
that, that you're having a teaceremony over and when it that
when the discussions are done,you don't actually have to sit
there and finish to see if youwant to move on or you want to
(28:06):
finish or you want to tryanother tea.
You basically pour over the teathrough the tray that has the
slates to it and it is kind oflike it is done, um, also paying
respect, thank you, it's done,it's, it's good to move on and
things like that.
So it, it was really beautiful.
(28:28):
I'm if he, oh, if he heard medescribing all this, he probably
would whack me because Iprobably did a very poor job in
explaining.
But yes, it is, chinese teaceremony is all about respect in
(28:49):
general, basically, and showingand not necessarily an equal
balance between each other.
But I guess it is.
Yes, yeah, I would say thatwhere you come together in an
equal playing ground and discuss, come together, things like
(29:11):
that well.
Speaker 1 (29:14):
The way you described it reminds me of how, when
witches come together, they'lllight a candle, right.
It's very similar.
It's like a case and then, whenyou're done, you pour the tea
out and it returns to like theearth, basically.
So that made sense to me.
Like you, I think you explainedit well.
As an outsider, I couldenvision what you were talking
about.
So don't don't worry, I wouldlove to know too.
(29:37):
You're also an herbalist.
You wear, like many, many hatsthey're all tea related hats but
I would love to know a littlebit about that journey and how
that kind of connects back totea.
Speaker 2 (29:49):
Of course.
So my herbalist journey was inthe very beginning.
It was definitely self-taught.
You know it was because Istarted in the metaphysical shop
and then I worked my way overto the holistic shop slash tea
room.
She it was.
It was two people that workedat that shop.
She was a acupuncturist,holistic healer, and then there
(30:15):
was the tea master.
They both worked together.
They owned the shop and when Iworked there I was fascinated by
all of the Chinese herbs and Iwanted to learn from that and it
.
That basically started theself-taught herbalist journey
(30:37):
there where I would sit down andI would learn as much as I can
about holistic remedies.
(31:05):
26 or 27,.
I had a family member that wentthrough a health issue and it
affected me deeply because Iwanted to help her and I was
trying to think of so many waysthat I could have helped her
when it came to remedies, herbsand things like that.
But I held myself back and Iwouldn't say I regret it, but it
definitely it pushed me where.
(31:28):
I wanted to learn more.
I went into a holistic schooland I took that and that's what
(31:58):
basically Led me more tosolidify Becoming an herbalist.
I'm still doing a traditionalnaturopathy doctor, traditional
name property courses found alittle longer, but, yes, that's
what's guided me on that journey.
Speaker 1 (32:18):
Well, thank you for sharing that.
I find a lot of witches at onepoint find themselves herbal
curious, right, because it'slike they're in all the things
they're in the incense, they'rein the simmer pots, are in you
know a lot of things we use, andso having limited knowledge of
that sometimes feels like itholds you back a little bit.
(32:41):
So I think it makes sense for alot of witches to study
herbalism, even if, like yousaid, first is on your own, just
, you know, getting curious andlearning.
Okay, so we have like a goodbackground on the healing, the
tea, the herbs.
In your latest book you alsotalk about crystals and let me
tell you I was so excitedbecause my crystal book comes
(33:01):
out this year too.
So I think of us as likecrystal sisters and crystals
coming out.
So I'd love to know about whencrystals entered the scene and
like a little bit about that too.
Speaker 2 (33:15):
Okay, so funny enough .
Okay, I worked at ametaphysical store.
There was crystals everywhere,there was herbs everywhere, but
what was really mostly callingme it was the herbs.
Sure crystals, I loved it.
They were pretty.
I loved to connect to them whenI needed to, you know, but they
never really like drew me in sostrongly as herbs did.
(33:37):
So I let the herbs guide me andshow me the way.
When I moved from California toAlabama a couple of years ago, I
met a wonderful group, circleof witches that were all crystal
fanatics.
They loved crystals, theyabsolutely loved crystals, and
(34:03):
so whenever we gathered, Ibrought the tea, they brought
the crystals and it just kind ofyou know what, like their love
and fascination inspired me andI was like you know what, let me
check these crystals out alittle bit more.
You know, we, whenever wegathered, we talked about it, we
talked about tea, we talkedabout herbs, we talked about
(34:24):
crystals and more and more itstarted to fascinate me and the
crystals started to talk to meand before I knew it, I started
buying crystals.
Before it was like constantlytea and herbs and and all that
was driving my husband crazy.
Speaker 1 (34:39):
Now it's crystals which are more expensive.
I just have to say crystals.
Speaker 2 (34:50):
I'm like, oh my gosh, you're so pretty, you're 30
dollars, okay, come home.
But no, and I started learningabout them more and I started
taking courses to become acrystal healer.
Because why not, you know?
I'm like, okay, I'm already ahealer, I need to know all ways
(35:11):
that I can holistically,spiritually heal.
And so I started taking courseson crystal healing.
Taking courses on crystalhealing and I had, like in my
first book, a Tea Witch'sGrimoire, I have crystals in
that book, but I wouldn't callthem as a standby, but they were
(35:35):
there to help infuse your teaand herbs.
But when I met this group andwe started coming together, like
I said, with the crystals,crystals with the tea and as I
was studying crystal healing,when it got down to the course
on using crystal grids yeah,geometric patterns it was like
(35:59):
for people a tea which iscrystal brews.
Speaker 1 (36:02):
There are so many grids in here.
Like you cover a lot of gridsand it's beautifully illustrated
.
So if someone is brand new tocrystal grids, I feel like this
is a really great book.
If you've been doing it a while, it's also great book because
you take it to the next levelwith tea Right.
So I just wanted to interjectreal quick to tell people that
was the thing I was mostimpressed with, because in our
(36:23):
coven a lot of new witches andsomething they've all been
wanting to learn is grids.
And then I'm like oh well, hereit is.
I mean, it's like laid out,it's like so, and I've used some
of your grids and I find themto be very powerful.
So I just wanted to interjectthat real quick.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm very happy to hear thatyou've tried them and it and
they worked out great for you.
Yes, when I discovered crystalgrids and using them, it was
like a whole new epiphany hit me.
It was just like back in myearly 20s when using tea in my
(37:04):
craft hit me and I knew.
Then I was like, ok, I need toexplore this more, I need to
follow that guidance and Istarted incorporating crystal
grids.
I started when I was making themand practicing with them.
I was like you know what willbe beautiful, a teacup, let's
put it right there.
And I just I fell in love withit.
(37:27):
And then when I incorporated itinto my practice and I tried it
and I tasted it, I tasted theenergy and it was just
electrifying.
And then I started bringing itto the gatherings.
I was like everybody, let's trythis, let's tell me what you
feel, what you think.
And everybody was just all justwow with that, you know.
(37:50):
So I started diving deeper.
I started making more recipes,I started exploring and
experimenting with crystal grids.
So every time there was agathering, I brought something
new.
I brought a new grid ofcrystals tea and it was just, it
was fabulous, and that's reallywhat motivated and inspired and
(38:13):
put all into the tea which iscrystal grids.
Yeah, yeah, the Tea Witch'sCrystal Grits, yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:19):
Yeah, if you wouldn't mind sharing a little bit about
the books, I just have to saythey're beautiful and I love
that they have a ribbon bookmark.
I am amazed by the amount ofdetail, because there are
recipes for like everything.
You mean every kind of moon,every kind of Sabbath, and then
(38:41):
now we have in the second bookall these crystal grids.
I feel like everybody needsboth.
You just can't have one of them.
And they really are new.
And I have to say that, assomeone who has been a witch for
a long time and has read a lotof books on witchcraft, I got so
excited.
I was like this is new to me,like this is I.
(39:01):
I love tea.
I always say if I could haveany fictional best friend, it'd
be Uncle Iroh from Avatar.
Like I love, because I and wewould hang out in the Jasmine
Dragon together in my, in myhead.
But yes.
I never.
I never put them together, andso I'm like this person is a
genius.
That's what I was thinking whenI got the book.
So if you wouldn't mind sharingjust a little bit about the
(39:24):
books and how they're helpfulfor any witch's practice, Of
course.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
Well, honestly, I try to make it very broad for any
witch, no matter what way youpractice, that it can be as a
guide for them, however theywish to incorporate it.
You know, if you're not a hugetea fan, then you incorporate
crystals.
You can do that with any spellor ritual or gathering.
(39:55):
A tea witch's grimoire wasdefinitely more focused on using
herbal recipes, teas and such.
It was honestly a tea, which isgrimoire, was my original baby,
like I've told people.
Everything that you see, all therecipes in that book was our
(40:21):
mind.
They come straight from my owngrimoire, from all the years
that I've practiced tea recipesand tea ritual and the trials
and errors that went into it tosee if it worked out or it did
not work out.
And such A tea which is crystalbrews is very much the same as
well.
It still has my tea recipes, mypersonal ones, as well as the
(40:44):
crystals and the grids that Ihad experimented and practiced
with with others or with myself.
So, whether you are a tea witchor any other witch and you have
an inspiration, an inkling toexperiment with herbs, herbs or
(41:10):
crystals, but also really injust finding yourself, finding
and trusting in your intuition,finding your path, your craft
and what feels right to you.
(41:32):
I also definitely wanted thesebooks to not be difficult, to
not be something that you haveto wait to do with all these
tools and things like that, butsomething that you can
incorporate into your daily life, your daily mundane tasks,
(41:52):
whether you are at home oryou're on the go.
You can use any recipe, anyintention, any crystal.
Speaker 1 (42:15):
So that's what I was really hoping that it would be
more of as a guide to helpingothers find their own personal
joys and inspirations.
Yeah, I think it's veryapproachable.
No-transcript.
Speaker 2 (42:50):
Well, I always say pretty much to anyone who asks
to really just trust in yourselfand trust, trust in your
intuition.
Your intuition is your ultimateguide and it will tell you what
it is that you need every day.
Every day, you wake up and yougo and you say what do I need
today?
And especially if it comes toherbs, allow your intuition and
(43:13):
allow the herbs to talk to you.
I know that sounds like alittle foreign, maybe, to some,
but having that connection toyour tools, to your herbs, to
your crystals, letting them talkto you, is a sure way of
guiding you towards what youneed that day.
Like, for example, if, if Iwake up and I need some balance
(43:37):
and clarity and I walk into myapothecary and I see all the
herbs, if peppermint isscreaming out at me, whether it
is the color of it or the scentof it, or just a pull and draw,
trust it, grab it, don'tquestion it, don't be like wait,
but isn't peppermint forprotection or expelling
(44:01):
negativity, well, maybe that issomething that you actually need
.
Maybe you need to expel thenegativity that is blocking the
clarity in your mind.
You know, just trust it.
Don't overthink about thecorrespondences, about the
mixture or what have you.
If it's something your energy,your soul needs, trust that.
And then, when it comes totools, whether you have a teapot
(44:27):
or a teabag, don't make itcomplicated for yourself either.
You know your craft is your own.
If you can only afford a te bagat the tea aisle, then get that
too.
Get it, use it, incorporate it.
That string that's attached tothe tea bag is a cord that can
(44:48):
be knotted.
That can be knotted with yourintentions, or can be tied
around a cinnamon stick.
Be creative.
Or you could even draw a sigilon the tag of it.
Incorporate it.
Or even use it as a pendulum,hanging it over your teacup and
(45:09):
asking your, your tea brewquestions like is this going to
be a good day and see whichdirection it goes?
Or even use it as thatintention, like to draw away
negativity, counterclockwise it.
You know it.
Be creative with your craft,trust in it, and surely every
(45:31):
day you'll get closer to findingwho you are on this path.
Speaker 1 (45:38):
That is beautiful and , I feel, very attainable for
anyone and no matter their teaexperience level, no matter
where they live.
Just using a teabag settingsome intention.
I love all the little ideas yougave right now.
I greatly appreciate you givingus your time, your energy on
this chat and sharing yourjourney with us as becoming a
(46:01):
tea witch.
So thank you so much for yourtime.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
I greatly appreciate it.
Thank you for having me here.
Speaker 1 (46:09):
Well, witches.
Thank you for listening to theconversation.
I hope you walk away with a newkind of insight and love into
the power of tea.
I really do think at some pointall of us kind of on our witchy
path, go to this, this witchyherbal quest, right, and, like
Susanna said, it can just startwith curiosity and intuition and
(46:31):
getting to know what's at yourgrocery store, so it doesn't
have to be a difficult path.
Her books are A Tea Witch'sGrimoire and A Tea Witch's
Crystal Brews.
You can find her at the TeaWitch's Grimoire and A Tea
Witch's Crystal Bruise.
You can find her at the TeaWitch blog.
So that's her Instagram and herTikTok handle.
It's the underscore tea,underscore witch underscore blog
.
She also has a website, the TeaWitch's blog, which has really
(46:53):
beautiful posts.
So definitely check those out.
And thanks again for watchingor listening, wherever you are
tuning in from.
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