the self-discovery tools that changed my life

the spiritual modalities and ancient wisdom that transformed my relationship with myself

if you’ve been around here for a while, you probably know how endlessly fascinated i am by understanding myself, others, the universe and why we’re really here.

why two people can experience the exact same event and walk away with completely different perspectives. why some people or places feel like home the moment you meet them, while others never quite do. why certain seasons of life feel expansive, while others seem determined to unravel us. why synchronicities appear at just the right moment, almost as if life is trying to get our attention.

if i’m being completely honest, a part of my curiosity has absolutely been about wanting to know the future. i’ve always found the unknown both magical and deeply uncomfortable, and there’s a part of me that has often wished someone could simply tell me how everything was going to unfold.

but over time i’ve realized that what i was really searching for wasn’t certainty, i was seeking understanding. more specifically, understanding myself. because the more i've understood myself, the more i realize just how complicated and simple life is all at the same time. we spend so much of our lives searching for answers outside of ourselves, only to discover that the greatest journey has always been learning how to come home to who we are.

my journey into the esoteric world actually started long before i knew what any of these things meant.

when i was younger, i always felt deeply connected to something greater. i was fascinated by the stereotypical tarot reader tucked away above a storefront, complete with the a neon sign and the creaky flight of stairs leading to some random womans living room. i loved the mystery of it all. the idea that someone could tell you about your future, your relationships, your purpose, or how many children you might have one day. at the time, i had no idea whether any of it was true, but i think some part of my soul felt compelled to understand what else might exist beyond what we could see with our eyes.

years later, during what many people would call a "spiritual awakening"or what i just think of as a remembering. that curiosity came rushing back, only this time a thousand times stronger.

i started really questioning everything. my identity, my purpose, my health, my relationship with life, and what it even meant to be here. and with that came the endless signs. books about angels, astrology, intuition popping up all over my feed. random emails with workshops and retreats all about energy healing and intuition.

for the first time, i wasn’t just interested in spirituality, i wanted to understand it. i went down every rabbit hole imaginable. i booked intuitive reading after intuitive reading. read thousands of spiritual books. memorized tarot cards, oracle cards, studied astrology and human design charts. learned about numerology, astrocartography, intuitive development, energy healing, mediumship, and more.

for a while, i genuinely thought i was searching for the thing. i assumed i would eventually find one modality, become an expert, and start giving readings to other people.

but somewhere along the way i realized that i’m really not someone who stays in one lane for very long. i don’t like to feel pigeon holed or trapped because i want to learn and experience it all. because each one offers a different lens through which to understand ourselves from different angles.

none of them have all the answers, but together, they’ve helped me ask better questions. they’ve become mirrors, not because they tell me who i am, but because they invite me to explore parts of myself i may never have considered otherwise.

so i thought it would be fun to share the modalities that have had the biggest impact on my own journey in case you’re feeling curious too. like a little guide i wish i had when i first started exploring this world

astrology

what it is

astrology is the study of how the planets and stars were positioned at the exact moment you were born and how those placements may reflect different parts of your personality, strengths, challenges, relationships, and the themes you'll encounter throughout your life. think of it less as predicting your future and more as a map that helps you better understand yourself.

how it changed me

astrology helped me stop viewing parts of myself as flaws and start seeing them as tendencies, strengths, and patterns I could work with. instead of asking, “what’s wrong with me?” I started asking, “how am I naturally wired?”. it also completely changed the way i think about timing. rather than believing i was behind or that life wasn't unfolding the way it was "supposed" to, i began seeing different seasons as invitations. some seasons are meant for expansion, others for rest, reflection, healing, or letting go.

where to begin

• The Only Astrology Book You’ll Ever Need by Joanna Martine Woolfolk

human design

what it is

if astrology is a map of who you are, i like to think of human design as a guide for how you’re designed to move through life. it explores things like how you make decisions, how you use your energy, how you best interact with others, and what happens when you’re living in alignment versus forcing yourself to be someone you’re not.

it combines ideas from several ancient wisdom traditions, including astrology, the i ching, kabbalah, and the chakra system, into one framework based on your birth date, time, and location.

how it changed me

human design gave me permission to stop trying to operate like everyone else. It reminded me that alignment often comes from honoring your own way of making decisions rather than forcing yourself into someone else’s.

where to begin

• Understanding Human Design by Karen Curry Parker

astrocartography

what it is

astrocartography is essentially astrology for where you live. using your birth chart, it creates a map of the world that shows which places may naturally support different parts of your life whether that’s love, career, creativity, healing, adventure, or personal growth.

if you’ve ever wondered why one city instantly felt like home while another completely drained you, this is the modality that tries to answer that question.

how it changed me

as someone who has lived nomadically for the last decade, this one fascinated me. It became less about finding a “perfect city” and more about understanding why certain places seemed to bring different parts of me to life.

where to begin

• The Psychology of AstroCartoGraphy by Jim Lewis and Kenneth Irving

tarot & oracle cards

what they are

think of tarot and oracle cards as conversation starters with yourself.

you ask a question, pull a card, and use the imagery and symbolism to reflect on what’s happening in your life. some people use them to seek guidance, some for journaling, and others simply as a way to connect more deeply with their intuition.

while many people associate tarot with predicting the future, i’ve found its greatest gift is helping me better understand the present.

how they changed me

tarot taught me to trust my own intuition more than the cards themselves. the most valuable part was never the answer, it was the conversation the cards sparked within me.

where to begin

• The Big Book of Tarot by Joan Bunning

numerology

what it is

numerology is the belief that numbers carry symbolic meaning and can offer insight into different parts of your personality, life path, strengths, and the lessons you’re here to learn.

using your birth date and the letters in your name, different numbers are calculated to reveal themes that may show up throughout your life. think of it as another lens for understanding yourself similar to astrology, but through the language of numbers instead of planets.

how it changed me

this one really reminded me that patterns can be meaningful, not because they dictate our lives, but because they invite reflection on recurring themes.

where to begin

• The Complete Book of Numerology by David A. Phillips

intuitive readings

what they are

an intuitive reading is a session with someone who uses their intuition to offer insight, guidance, or perspective on different areas of your life. every reader works a little differently, but many combine intuitive impressions with tools like tarot, astrology, mediumship, or energy work.

some people seek intuitive readings for clarity during a big life transition, while others simply enjoy them as another way to reflect on themselves and their path.

how they changed me

the best readers never made me dependent on them. they consistently brought me back to myself. that’s how I learned to distinguish a helpful guide from someone claiming certainty about my life.

the greatest lesson all of these modalities have taught me isn’t that someone else knows me better than i know myself. it’s actually the opposite.

while i’ve had some incredibly profound readings over the years, i’ve also had plenty that completely missed the mark or attempted to convince me of a future that didn’t feel true to me. and strangely enough, i’m grateful for those too.

because they taught me that the goal was never to outsource my intuition to someone else. it was to strengthen my own.

these tools were never meant to replace my inner knowing. they were meant to deepen my relationship with it. the best readers i’ve ever worked with didn’t tell me who i was or what my future would be. they simply reflected something back to me that i already knew, helping me trust my own intuition a little more than i did before.

and most importantly, they’ve reminded me that self-discovery isn’t about finding one magical tool that explains everything. it’s about staying open, curious and continuing to come home to yourself, one layer at a time.

hugs always,

nat