Spellbound

HOW TO BE A
MODERN WITCHAn Interview
with
Author Gabriela Herstik
by Jessica Golich
Shining a light in the dark and pouring
forth her heart into her life-work, loving,
multifaceted human being, Gabriela
Herstik, has tuned into her intuition and
ignited her mission to spread awareness
of consciousness beyond the physical.
On the edge of the release of her new book,
Craft: How To Be A Modern Witch, I caught
up with the sorceress to discuss her first
experiences with witchcraft, tuning into her
spiritual darkness, her rich ancestral history
and so much more.
Congrats on the upcoming release
of Craft: How To Be A Modern Witch.
What are some of the most potent
discoveries that you have learned
about yourself in the process
of writing the book?
That’s a good question. I was able to see
how big and important this has been within
my life for such a long time. I really do
recognize that I am writing about
things that are unconventional.
I did a lot of research
and recognized that
I was writing
about stuff that hadn’t really been involved
in my practice for awhile because as you
know, your practice evolves along with you.
I learned how deep my practice has been.
I learned how important my spiritual path
has been and how important it has been
for shaping who I am. There really is such
a need for goddesses, spiritual paths,
religion, etc and these are things that are
not necessarily going away any time soon.
Back when I started writing about this stuff
about four or five years ago, it was right
at the height of the fashion/witchy trend
so people really liked looking like a witch,
but there weren’t many people who were
actually familiar with the practice of it. Ever
since then, it has exploded yet now, people
are into the practice. It has made me see
that this is exactly what I am supposed to be
doing. I learned so much about myself and
my own relationship to true witchcraft
throughout the process of writing this book.
It has been very reaffirming of my passions.
I perceive that witchcraft has become
a selfless practice for you. Ultimately,
as you continue to gain ground and
tune into your intuition, you are
serving to aid in others lives through
the medium.
Exactly. Something that I love about
myself is that I very much know
who I am.
I am unapologetic about it. I think that
as you recognize that about yourself, it gives
other people the permission to do the same.
It inspires others to do the same — it goes
hand in hand! If human beings are living
their truth, it reminds others that it is okay
to do so as well. It is okay to do things that
are unconventional, or even go against
societal norms, and a lot of witchy things
do. It’s good to connect to yourself.
Yeah, absolutely. It is so powerful
to embody and embrace exactly
who you presently are. Tell us about
some of your first experiences with
witchcraft and connections beyond
the physical plane.
I am actually really ethnically Jewish.
My father is a rabbi and I grew up with
a mother who was always very spiritual.
For instance, her first memories with me
are breathing with the crystal pyramid
when I was two-years-old. I was always
a very Aquarian, crystal child. I have always
been very interested in consciousness, life
and death and I would also talk to my father
about God, religion and more, but my path
with witchcraft specifically started when
I was around twelve-years-old.
I was gifted a fairy
oracle deck.
136 | SPELLBOUND | Summer 2022
Gabriela Herstik
and her novel.
Photos courtesy of
evolveandascend.com