Mystical Paths: Silva Florence's Story of Healing and Magic

What happens when a hip injury propels you toward a life of healing and magic in the heart of Italy? Meet Silva Florence, an American expat whose journey from bike tour leader to intuitive healer and witch is nothing short of magical. Silva opens up about her deep-rooted connection with nature, where her earth-based spirituality combines shamanism, Reiki, and tarot reading. We explore her enchanting daily rituals, her childhood fascination with magic, and the unique practice of reading rocks for wisdom. Silva's story is a vivid tapestry of adventure and spirituality, painted with the brushstrokes of her personal experiences and profound connection to the natural world.

Silva’s journey took an unexpected turn with a devastating hip injury that led her to create a podcast aimed at holding space for others' traumas. We dig into the transformative power of shared stories and the healing practices that have shaped her path, such as shamanic journeying, tarot, and meditation. Amidst the challenges of building a healing business, Silva emphasizes the importance of patience and staying true to one's path. Her experiences offer invaluable insights for anyone looking to reconnect with their roots and inner power.

This episode also pays homage to the influences that have shaped Silva's healing journey, from spiritual mentors to the sentient plants she cherishes. Silva shares her advice for new witches, encouraging them to embrace their curiosity and power without fear. We wrap up with a sneak peek into Silva’s upcoming projects, including new podcast content, group healing sessions, and her current favorite oracle deck. Tune in for a mystical conversation that promises to inspire and enchant, leaving listeners eager to explore their own magical paths.

Visit Sylva here: magicmedicineandmayhem.com

Kim: 0:04

Welcome back to your Average Witch, where every Tuesday we talk about witch life, witch stories and sometimes a little witchcraft. Your Average Witch is brought to you by Crepuscular Conjuration. If you want to join our little community and be part of the hive, join us at facebookcom. Slash group slash hivehouse. This week I'm talking to Silva, a witch in Italy. We laughed a lot. We talked about asking rocks for answers, a bike tour across the United States and how COVID brought her to her practice. Now let's get to the stories. Silva, hello, welcome to the show.

Sylva: 0:45

Hello, I'm happy, happy to be here, I'm happy to have you here.

Kim: 0:50

Can you please introduce yourself and let everybody know who you are and what you do and where they can find you I would be so happy to.

Sylva: 0:59

So I'm silva florence. I am an expat American living in Italy and I work as an energetic healer, an intuitive healer, and I'm specialized in shamanism and Reiki, and I am also, as you know, a witch, a tarot reader as well, and I have a podcast called Magic Medicine and Mayhem. You can find me well, you can find the podcast pretty much anywhere podcasts live and on Instagram. I'm at Silva underscore Florence and at Magic Medicine and Mayhem, and the website is wwwsilvaflorencecom and wwwmagicmedicineandmayhemcom. And I'm also on LinkedIn. I'm like everywhere, I guess.

Kim: 1:46

Damn.

Sylva: 1:47

Yeah, yeah, you cannot escape me.

Kim: 1:56

Be sure to check the show notes so you can find those links below. Can you please tell me what it means when you call yourself a witch? Can?

Sylva: 2:05

you please tell me what it means when you call yourself a witch. So you know, it kind of depends on I am a witch, but it kind of depends on who I'm talking to, because it is kind of a loaded word, sometimes comes with a lot of history. But to me, being a witch basically means someone who's aware that there's magic in everything and everyone. And since I'm a very shamanic-based, earth-based human, I also find that my witchiness stems a lot from nature. My witchiness stems a lot from nature and I think a lot of people say that they are inspired by nature, but I'm sure we'll get into it at some point. I grew up in it. I cannot live without it. I need daily contact with it and that, to me, is a big part of being a witch. For me is being plugged into the earth.

Kim: 3:08

I'm going to be nosy. Just because I'm a nosy person, do it. Why are you in Italy? How'd you end up in Italy?

Sylva: 3:15

Ah, okay. So in 2009, I started working as a bike tour leader in the province of Emilia-Romagna. So I was living near Bologna and I ended up in this smaller town called Faenza and I came back every year for the high season and traveled around and I just kind of fell in love with it. So at a certain point AKA 2018, I decided let's see what happens if I come here and I study and I try to live here, and six and a half years later, I'm still here.

Kim: 3:49

so so it wasn't a I moved here with my military husband situation.

Sylva: 3:55

This is a new thing no no, it's just like let's see what happens. It's just me.

Kim: 4:01

It was very difficult that's how I ended up places yeah mine are always my husband or I got deployed or stationed wherever so good for you for not letting the military run your life all right, I'm so proud of myself.

Sylva: 4:19

I love you. Yep, yep I only have myself to. I only have myself to blame for this. That's awesome wild ride.

Kim: 4:29

Yeah, totally, thank you do you have any family background with witchcraft? I love how you just like I don't know why, why this is happening this morning, but here we are before you were saying you were caffeinated, so this is caffeinated kim guys watch out.

Sylva: 4:57

Oh my god, uh, oh my goddess. Uh, I almost forgot the question, but no, I I don't to my knowledge, have any witchy humans in my ancestry, actually.

Kim: 5:11

Were you witchy as a kid.

Sylva: 5:15

I have always been obsessed with everything magical, like mermaids, fairies, witches, like fantasy novels. I like devoured them, so I feel like I was always drawn to kind of the unseen, the mysterious, the magical, like I probably dressed up as a witch so many times. Unicorn is still my favorite animal, so I feel like it was always in me. It just had to take form.

Kim: 5:47

You had to learn the words.

Sylva: 5:49

Exactly.

Kim: 5:50

Yeah, me too. Yeah you too. Can you introduce us to your practice? Do you have any daily or consistent things that you do, rituals or whatever you call them?

Sylva: 6:04

So, as I mentioned before, since I am really connected to the earth, I think one of the things I do daily is I go outside. I am a huge cyclist, so I love to ride my bike, I hike, I take walks. I just need that daily contact with nature and like being away from a screen, because it's very inspiring and very rejuvenating. I do have an altar as well, that I don't know if I do anything completely consistent with it, but I do whenever there's a change of seasons or if there's a particular holiday or I like the number 11. So sometimes, on the 11th of every month, I just do something, yeah.

Kim: 6:51

Silva holidays.

Sylva: 6:53

Yeah, why not create your own holidays, right? So maybe I'll do like a manifestation spell, or I'll do a tarot reading, or I also learned how to read rocks, so maybe I'll go find a rock and I'll see if I can read some wisdom from that rock.

Kim: 7:13

What does that mean?

Sylva: 7:14

Rock reading. Yeah, so it's a shamanic practice of sorts where I mean, I don't know this. I don't actually know. I probably should know where this tradition exactly comes from, but shamans in general use what they find. So obviously, rocks are everywhere and if you are patient and curious and open-minded, you can find answers almost anywhere. And so they would study a rock, they would study the sides of the rock and look for symbols with a question in mind, and they would observe the symbols and interpret them and use them to make decisions about the tribe or about certain seasons, etc. So I have a rock that I use usually, that I found in the river near me, that has lots of really cool like the way that it feels in my hand and has lots of scratches and stuff all over it, so I can find all sorts of interesting symbols and stuff in it when I meditate on it for a while.

Kim: 8:29

That's cool. Thanks, I might try that.

Sylva: 8:33

Do it.

Kim: 8:41

There's something else I was going to say, but it's gone. Oh well, Bye.

Sylva: 8:44

Ciao, there's something else I was gonna say, but it's gone. Oh well, bye, ciao. Ah, this is awesome, damn that caffeine man.

Kim: 8:54

That ruined me. It made me great. Okay, how has witchcraft, how would you say witchcraft has changed your life?

Sylva: 9:08

kim cannot stop laughing. This is amazing. You have a lot of fun editing this one. Um, I can't wait. Yeah, this is also why I don't do video. No, without video, this would be so much less fun.

Kim: 9:25

Oh my god, because it would just be silent and I'd be doing all this.

Sylva: 9:30

I could now see you fanning yourself and sucking down water and stuff. So thank you for this. Um, how has witchcraft changed my life? Uh, so, you know, I picture probably like some very traditional witches out there just being like what the hell? But I blended so many different um practices and kind of made something that makes sense to me, and so I feel like, though, like since I started owning the fact that I am also a witch, it made me into like a lot of women who are witches, are strong women who kind of know who they are and they don't need the competition aspect, because why do we need to compete with each other? Like we're all doing something unique and magical and wonderful and we should be supporting and elevating each other for that instead of trying to compete. So I think it was, you know, I found like really strong women who are willing to be in this with me, and I started to be like this witch thing is freaking cool, you know, and just like who doesn't want a life that's full of magic?

Kim: 11:11

What would you say is the biggest motivator in your practice and has it changed since you first started?

Sylva: 11:18

So I would say that my biggest motivator is healing myself and others, because my practice is very intertwined now with my work, and so what I want to do is to reconnect people with their roots, and by their roots I mean their ancestry, I mean their power, I mean their ability to heal themselves, their ability to think in different ways, their ability to see magic in every day.

Sylva: 12:00

So I picture myself every once in a while as a bridge. So I picture myself every once in a while as a bridge, like a bridge between humans and nature, a bridge between humans and their inner nature, humans and their healing and like those things that are blocking us from getting from point A to point B. So, honestly, like my biggest motivator is trying to go as deep as possible so that I can take people that deep, and I do that by shamanic journeying and tarot and spell work and spending a lot of time in nature and a lot of time in silence in nature, and in the past I would say that it was more. I was doing it because I was super interested in it and I was super curious about it, and I always just been drawn to all of this stuff like a freaking moth to a flame, but I think it was becoming a healer. That really changed the focus and made it more less about me.

Kim: 13:13

Let's say how long have you been practicing?

Sylva: 13:23

How long have you been practicing? Not very long, honestly, Like I got my Reiki level two certification last May and then I started officially like my business in August last August but I've had the podcast for like three years and I've been doing this stuff for people for years without calling it what I call it now, which is healing and shamanic work.

Kim: 13:53

So would you say that your motivation is different now, or has it been such a short period of time that it's still there what it was when you started out?

Sylva: 14:13

I think that it's always trending towards more wanting to help the community and wanting, I mean, it came from that anyways. Actually, because when I started the podcast in 2022 in January, basically what happened is I had broke my hip on a bike ride. Yeah, it was crazy. Oh my God. Yeah, that's a big ass bone. Uh-huh, that's a foundation that broke right. And so it broke my foundations, too.

Sylva: 14:42

I couldn't do anything that I used to do. I couldn't go outside, I couldn't even like walk. So I was like I'll create a podcast, sure, let's do that. And, like, I started interviewing people who had been through other traumas and adversity and holding space for them, and I started to see, like, as I was interviewing them, as I was holding space for them, they would say this is so healing, this has been so healing, you know. And I was like, wow, like this is powerful.

Sylva: 15:14

And it was that that then got me really interested in learning more about how to heal people on different levels, and I started studying Barbara Brennan, who was an American energetic healer who passed away not long ago, learning her techniques. Reiki, shamanism has been in my life forever. So, just going deeper, I taught myself how to read tarot during the pandemic, and I think it's just been like a series of events that is always leading me more in the direction of helping people and serving the community and being of service. So I think it actually has changed a lot in the last year, just because I finally like steered the boat directly in that direction and then it was like I started moving at freaking light speed.

Kim: 16:08

It's been really that's cool to think about. My brain jumped to bike but if you're like on a gravel part and you're still headed in the same direction, but once you get on to the actual hardball you go way faster.

Sylva: 16:25

Yeah, route you're supposed to be, instead of over there in the ditch exactly, and I've been like oh a ditch, oh that trail, oh, let's get on that train. I mean I've done everything. So it's a very different feeling now, like being on the right path.

Kim: 16:42

Well, welcome to your path. That's awesome, thank you. Thank you. What would you say is your biggest struggle with your practice?

Sylva: 16:53

Oh, biggest struggle with your practice. Oh, biggest struggle with my practice. Um, I want to say a little bit of consistency, but that's like freaking what everybody says, because that's like all of our problems. Oh my god, it's so hard and you know I'm getting better. What? What I would really like to do, and what I did a while ago, was I was meditating every day, not for forever, just like for 15 minutes or something.

Kim: 17:23

That's forever for work. So I feel like I get into that meditative like mode, like bomb, but I get it. Yeah, I have envy for that. It took 15 minutes. It's like that's my entire life.

Sylva: 17:43

It used to be too for me, like a long time ago, you know, but I've been doing this for so, like the meditative stuff, for so long, really, like I've always loved to meditate and to journey shamanically and also just making, like it's weird, like my practice and my job are so intertwined at this point that I almost want to say, like consistent money, because that's what? If I don't make consistent money, then I can't keep healing people is the truth. So it's just as an entrepreneur. But I also know that it's early in the game and I'm still in the building, like phase, and so I'm just having an enormous, enormous amount of patience, and I know that I'm going in the right direction. And so, amount of patience, and I know that I'm going in the right direction. And so, yeah, oh, come live in Italy. Dude, like you will become patient, whether you want to or not. You will drink amazing wine, but you will be tested.

Kim: 18:59

Yeah, would you say that you have imposter syndrome.

Sylva: 19:02

Do I feel like I have imposter syndrome, doesn't everyone at some point? Yes, of course, sometimes, yes, um, also because I am pretty new in the game. You, you could say new in the healer realm, new in the I'm a witch realm, and so you see a lot of people obviously that are like much further along than you are and it can be like discouraging and you can think like well, should I be doing like more like that person? Or you know, maybe I should be on YouTube, like maybe I'm not really doing this right, but it's kind of pointless to do that, because you just gotta you just gotta try something. You just gotta start keep going forward and use those moments of imposter syndrome to check in with yourself and say, well, maybe would I like to do something more like that. Is it because it's coming from a place of like that's curious, or is it coming from a place of like I'm just totally digging on myself? This isn't helping. So maybe it's just a moment to check in when you feel like an imposter syndrome thing.

Kim: 20:15

Who am I really?

Sylva: 20:17

Exactly, am I Silva Florence.

Kim: 20:30

You know Well, let's move away from that. What brings you the most joy in your practice?

Sylva: 20:35

Oh, so many things.

Sylva: 20:37

Just that I can do this for work, that this can actually be a job, that I can thankfully combine a lot of the talents that I have.

Sylva: 20:52

Like, I studied journalism I don't know if I mentioned that so, like, storytelling and being curious about people has always been something near and dear to my heart, and I do a lot of also creating, like custom guided meditations and spells and all sorts of things. So I get to be really, really creative, which is amazing. And when I see people positively impacted, though, that is the biggest, most amazing thing. And when I, I find that I don't really need so much validation anymore no-transcript, but then it's happened so so many times that that actually does mean something to the person that I'm working with, and so it doesn't really matter so much if I'm right or not. It just matters that I trust myself enough to be like a channel for that information and a vessel for what needs to come through, and that when they hear it and it's impactful and it's helpful and it's healing or it just reminds them that there's more to life than just the daily grind, that is like the biggest reward ever. That's cool. I feel very fortunate.

Kim: 22:45

That's so nice. What is something you did early on in your practice that you don't do anymore? And why don't you do it anymore? We don't know one another. By the way, all of this giggling is not because we're good buds, we just vibe like this, I guess.

Sylva: 23:09

We vibe, we're vibing. I don't know. It's just a thing that's happening on the airwaves.

Kim: 23:18

I'm going to have to do a disclaimer at the beginning, Like sorry for all the laughing.

Sylva: 23:22

We actually didn't know each other before this, but we're having fun, which is so cool. I mean, honestly, it probably goes back to that first thing where I needed more validation than I do now. I needed, like external people to tell me do this or do that. And it's not that I don't need guidance or that I don't get inspiration from other people. I honestly do feel like every experience that I have and every person that comes across my path is in some way a teacher, but I don't. I feel like my intuition is is strong enough and I've learned to listen to it at this point, and I don't necessarily even need to know that I'm right. Like that's not the point. The point is just being able to help people. What is your favorite tool? My favorite tool? Oh man, I'm like looking around at all of my stuff.

Kim: 24:34

I mean, can I say, can I say my podcast? Yeah, cause it doesn't have to be a physical thing. There are all kinds of tools that aren't physical objects.

Sylva: 24:41

Do I have to pick just one tool?

Kim: 24:45

Top three.

Sylva: 24:47

Oh, if you must, oh, snap. So one of them is definitely my podcast, because it's just this thing that started like because I broke my hip and now is like my voice in the world and a source of magic, medicine and mayhem. And another is probably, honestly, this strong intuition that I have, because without it I wouldn't be able to do anything. And the third one the third one, I think it's my bicycle. Yeah, because that freaking bicycle, I mean and I actually have like five of them.

Sylva: 25:40

I have a problem, but it's been like such a catalyst for change. Like I rode my bicycle across the United States before I moved here on my own, which was just like when a lot of magical things started happening too and I had the time and the space to like start noticing them. Like the bicycle has been for me, just like it's been. It keeps me healthy, for one thing which is really important also to be a healer is to also take as good care of myself as I do of other people. So that bike has been very, very important in that I don't have a car here, so it's also often my mode of transportation, it's my inspiration, because it gets me out the door, maybe when I don't feel like I want to do freaking anything and it's a freaking amazing source of adventure.

Kim: 26:40

Did you do a blog or are you going to write a book about the trip across the US?

Sylva: 26:45

I wrote every day while I was writing across the states, and I have transformed it into a book. But then I decided to move to Italy, become an English as a second language teacher, break my hips, start a podcast, learn Italian, become a healer. So it's always there. It's always there and I think at some point it's going to have to come out and be read this is an official request from outside your body. Oh, tingly Okay. Message received.

Kim: 27:32

Okay, good, okay. I have a friend who did that across the US. She rode her bike across the US too. I think it might have been. I don't think it was a fixie. He wouldn't have done that on a fixie. That would be hard. That's a terrible idea, right that?

Sylva: 27:49

would be really hard.

Kim: 27:51

Couldn't have been. There's no way. Anyway, yeah, he rode all the way across. Awesome, stayed in random dishes or people's yards. Did you do that?

Sylva: 28:04

Mm-hmm, yeah, that's so cool Stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, had my tent.

Kim: 28:11

How do you pull yourself out of a magical slump?

Sylva: 28:18

Is it weird to say that I don't find myself in one very often, honestly.

Kim: 28:23

Well, it is to me. Yeah, it might not be to other people, because I am very slumpy.

Sylva: 28:29

Hey there, slumpy. Hey. I might now make a shirt that says hey, there's Slumpy, a mug, a mug.

Kim: 28:52

Oh my God, a mug. Oh no, that's amazing. I'm doing that. Oh, please do, I'm going to design it today, Please do.

Sylva: 28:59

Silva said hey, there's Slumpy. This is amazing. I cast quotes oh God, Merch.

Kim: 29:16

Merch alert oh shit Okay.

Sylva: 29:19

Magical slumps. That's where we were at. So I don't know that I get in them very often because I am constantly learning and studying Like studying is a huge part of my really important to be always studying and building on your knowledge. So I feel like, since I'm always studying and I'm always looking, I'm always being so curious. I'm just finding inspiration like all over the place that like maybe inspires me to pull a tarot card or inspires me to go talk to a tree or go inspires me to do a little bit of candle magic, because maybe I discover something else that someone else did. So I would say, if you are in a magical slump, go be curious about what other people are doing. Curious about what other people are doing and like skip over the imposter syndrome part and just go to the curiosity and see like Ooh, I want to do that, and that'll make you go to do something in that moment, cause you will just forget that you're in a slump because you'll be so excited to go try something new.

Kim: 30:41

So your advice is officially be nosier.

Sylva: 30:44

Good for them, good for you yeah, go nose around, uh-huh.

Kim: 30:52

Start a podcast. Get people to come on your show and just tell you stuff when you ask them.

Sylva: 30:57

Exactly, Exactly. Just ask for advice that works so well doesn't it.

Kim: 31:03

Then everyone will want to talk to you.

Sylva: 31:06

Yep. And then you're like I'm so popular.

Kim: 31:15

With that accent.

Sylva: 31:19

I don't know where it came from either.

Kim: 31:20

It came from California.

Sylva: 31:22

Maybe I was born there many years ago yeah, but I literally lived like the first three years of my life there.

Kim: 31:32

Subliminal memory.

Sylva: 31:34

California-ing-ing yeah.

Kim: 31:42

What's something you wish was discussed more in the witch community networking you know, nobody's ever said that before. That's such a good answer, right networking.

Sylva: 31:57

Oh my gosh, like we should be like joining forces, bump, bumping, broomsticks.

Kim: 32:02

Whatever?

Sylva: 32:05

We should be joining forces.

Kim: 32:07

That sounds like scissoring, but witchy, witchy, scissoring Caffeine, oh my god.

Sylva: 32:26

That could be a t-shirt too. I'm just bump pumping broomsticks, no, but really, though, like, honestly, you know, when I reach out to other witchy folks on various platforms and I introduce myself, and I'm reaching out to people that I resonate with and I literally do want to, like, see their posts in my feed and whatnot, or maybe I think they would be someone cool to collaborate with, you know, people are so excited, so, like, how could we create more of those environments or opportunities or moments where we can connect with each other and network?

Kim: 33:12

I like that a lot. What a good answer, thank you, cool, I can't wait, because every week in my group plus I just started discords, I'm going to ask it there too. Every week, I say this is what the this week's guest wants to talk about, so let's talk about it. Cool, I can't wait for this one.

Sylva: 33:34

Oh, you're going to have to send me an email afterwards and let me know if people said, or something or something.

Kim: 33:47

Think of the three biggest influences on your practice, whether it's a book, or an actual human person, or a non-human person, or just some other being or a thought, a dream you had once. Thank them for what they've done for your practice. Please, please, thank each one.

Sylva: 34:06

After every question she laughs. I have no control because I can see you, I know, I know, I know. So the first person is this woman whose name is Amaria and she lives in Sumac, washington, and she is an incredibly spiritual being. She's like based in Jesus Christ, but she is like connected on levels. Wow, she's just one of the most like, wise and connected human beings that I've ever met in my life and she has been a huge part of my growth as a healer and a shaman. Like I've been working with her for I don't even know how long. First we were working on my healing and now we're like working together. It's really amazing. So thank you, amaria.

Sylva: 35:03

And second, probably who has been a huge influence on my practice? Probably Barbara Brennan, who I mentioned before, because her reading her books and studying them has been really eye-opening in terms of becoming aware of the different layers of the human energetic body. Like we have all these different layers and I've learned how to also work with them a little bit and sense them. Maybe comes to me and I am doing Reiki on them and I sense in a certain level that there's something to fix. Then I can ask for guidance. So it's not me doing it, but this is things that I wasn't aware of before. She used to be like a NASA physicist, and then she got really interested in the human energetic field, as she calls it, and so she did all sorts of crazy research. The book's called Hands of Light is the first one. It's pretty incredible, like anybody that's an energetic healer may have or definitely should pick it up.

Kim: 36:18

I want more serious research done on energy fields in the human body. Well, these books are amazing, that's what. I want Ah, yeah, so we are less the butt of scientific jokes. Yeah, because we know it's there. We totally know it's there, it's got to figure out how to measure it.

Sylva: 36:42

Physics explains it Hello there, we totally know it's there. Physics explains it. Physics explains it, hello. Physics is literally why reiki works and why we can be influencing each other by one side of the room to another, etc. Like you need an open mind and you need to get past all of this logic that we've been living with for many, many, many hundreds of years. Yep, um, yep, um. The third. Did I say the third one? No, I didn't. This is going to come as no surprise to anyone at this point, but it's the earth and I mean literal, like trees that are in my backyard or animals that that cross my path when I need an answer and they help me find it. Like I have a very, very deep and intimate connection with with nature, and I like love to go out in camp by myself in the woods, like for a couple of days at a time, and just really plug into that, like I physically need it as well. It's my teacher and my source of rejuvenation. I want to do that, do it.

Kim: 37:59

Nature is totally there for every person really far to get to a place where I won't die just because it's hot maybe pick a different season.

Sylva: 38:09

I mean, maybe not everybody has access to nature or can like go out because it's balls hot. But you can even really sit down next to a plant too, and because I read something recently that plants are actually able to tell when there's someone next to them, and they can. They can see colors as well, you know. So they're very, they're much more sentient than you imagine, than we imagine. So I mean you can even. You can even sit next to a plant in your house and just like meditate with it and be quiet next to it. It takes practice, but you can. You can get in touch with nature on on levels like other humans, but not the creepy ones, like the nice, helpful ones, not like the meat touching kind.

Kim: 39:21

Good, because gross yeah totally, Totally no.

Sylva: 39:25

I mean mean like like shamans knew this stuff. Shamans all over the world know that plants are very wise teachers do you have any advice for new witches?

Sylva: 39:44

don't be so worried about doing things right, just do them. New witches, don't be so worried about doing things right, just do them. Do them, follow your curiosity and see where it leads you, and don't listen to anybody that tells you that you can't do something because you're not doing it right, cause that is bullshit. Yeah, and remember that you have so, so much more power than you believe, and you may have given it away, but you can always get it back.

Kim: 40:20

So now that you've talked to me and heard the parts that I usually cut out, you see what it's like to be on this show. It's awesome. Who do you think I should have on? Who would you like to hear answer these questions?

Sylva: 40:43

I don't Like. Are you familiar with Rob Bresni, mr horoscopes? I don't really think. Not sure that he would call himself a witch, but he kind of is one for sure and he would be amazing oh my god, he would be amazing to be interviewed I think it even occurred to me but that, yeah, yeah, Maybe when I'm like fuck it, I can do whatever I want.

Kim: 41:08

I'm a grownup and I have the internet. Then I'll just do it. Well, what's the worst he could do? Say no, who cares? Exactly that's how I get myself wound up to invite people to be on the show.

Sylva: 41:20

I mean yeah, how do you know if you don't ask right Exactly? I mean yeah, how do you know if you don't ask right Exactly?

Kim: 41:30

The biggest risk is no risk at all. That hurts my brain to think about. I don't like that. That's all right, you don't have to like it. The way language works, it bothers me.

Sylva: 41:47

This is amazing.

Kim: 41:50

Was there anything else you wanted to talk about? Anything, I didn't ask Anything. You just wanted to bring up Any questions for me. Anything cool happening with you?

Sylva: 41:59

So, kim, thank you for asking. So, kim, thank you for asking. I am going to be going on a hiatus because I'm going back to the United States for a visit for the first time in three years with my husband, who has never seen the United States.

Kim: 42:15

So it's going to be amazeballs, are you taking him to Olive?

Sylva: 42:19

Garden. Oh my God, he would probably just kill me. You don't know the discussions I've had with Italians who just are like spaghetti and meatballs in the same plate and I'm like yes, it's delicious, they're like no no.

Sylva: 42:51

I do sometimes watch that girl who's taken her Italian husband like all over the place eating a cracker barrel and things on youtube. God, do that. I have to. I think have to take him, just so he can be horrified and I can laugh. Yeah, so after that is when dot dot dot.

Sylva: 43:01

After that is when I will be launching like the full on podcast, because up until now I've been rebranding and revamping and now in September I'll come back and then in mid September, october it's going to be balls to the wall. Four podcasts a week, or four podcasts, not a week, not a week a month. Four podcasts a month, oh, I scared myself. Four, four podcasts a month, yeah, four podcasts a month. Free newsletter which everyone should sign up for so that you can be in the loop on the paid newsletter which will be coming out in like November, with tons of guided meditations, reflections that are based on what I'm talking about that month.

Sylva: 43:55

What else am I going to put in there? I can't even remember, but it's going to be amazing, really great marketing. I'm also going to be having group healing sessions every month that are pay as you go and come as you are. So sometimes they're shamanic based, sometimes they're Reiki based. Sometimes they're guided meditations, rituals. It depends on kind of the flavor of the season and the moment. That's cool. Yeah, they're a lot of fun because it's people from all over the world that come to those things. It depends on kind of the flavor of the season and the moment. That's cool. Yeah, they're a lot of fun because it's people from all over the world that come to those things. So I've got a lot coming up.

Kim: 44:32

This fall Awesome, and they can check that out at.

Sylva: 44:38

Probably the best is either on Instagram is either on Instagram so the links that I said before, like at Silva, florence at Silva underscore, florence, at Magic Medicine and Mayhem on Instagram or on my website, which is wwwsilvaflorencecom, and sign up for the newsletter, the free Crescent Moon letter, which comes out every Crescent Moon.

Kim: 45:01

Ooh, going with the seasons so the last thing, the last two things I ask of my guests are number one please recommend something. It doesn't have to be witchcraft related, or metaphysical or magical at all, just whatever you would recommend to your friends that you found this week.

Sylva: 45:25

Something that I found like a product.

Kim: 45:28

Yeah, or whatever song smell whatever.

Sylva: 45:31

Smell. It's amazing, oh I. So what I really wanted to say was that I recommend. What I would recommend is like putting yourself into contact with people who are different than you and practicing listening and tolerance and acceptance, because that's what this world needs very, very much Kindness. It's not easy to do, but this world really needs it.

Sylva: 46:08

I don't want to do that until after the election oh, we just have to come back together and realize that we really all just do want the same things. Just, some people are terrible at at being accepting other people. And other than that, I would say this seasons of the witch oracle deck that I'm freaking obsessed with. This is the Halloween one, the Samwayne one, but the Beltane one is the one that I've been using every day Because it has the most amazing energy, like super summer energy. Cool, yeah, I love it. It's by Rockpool.

Sylva: 47:12

The last thing is please tell me a story. Oh, tell you a story, kim. For some reason it comes like the story from when I was riding my bike across the states. Come to mind. Yeah, it was like a really magical experience. It was one of the ones that got me really thinking like about going down this road some more, because I was in New Mexico and I was by the Gila River outside of Silver City Gila River outside of Silver City, which is a really, really cool funky little town that's in the middle of nowhere.

Sylva: 47:54

Yes, it is in the middle of totally nowhere. And I was trying to get to the Gila River and I was like, on this, I had like left the road and there was some sort of a trail, but I couldn't find it and I was just wandering around and I was like well, screw it, I guess I'm not going to see the river. And then overhead there was a hawk that started like I didn't see it before, maybe it wasn't there before, I don't know but it started calling out to me or started calling out, and I just kind of looked at it or whatever, and kept wandering around like an idiot and like then I heard it calling from this tree that was to my left and I was like huh, that's kind of weird. But at this point, honestly, I'd had already several run-ins with hawks and so I was like maybe I should listen to it.

Sylva: 48:40

So I started to go towards the left, towards this hawk, and almost when I got to the tree, it flew to another tree and I followed it to that tree and it flew to another tree and I followed it to that tree and it like waited for me on the top of this, like sandy berm, and I will walk towards it. And it flew over the river. Yay, it led me to the river. It led me to the river. That's cool, it was super cool. And then after that, I had like moments where I took a wrong turn and I would hear a hawk overhead and I would not even look at my map. I just knew that I had taken a wrong turn and I would turn around.

Sylva: 49:26

I was like my protectors and I've started working with Hawks like ever since then. I love that. So cool, so amazing.

Kim: 49:41

Well, thank you for being on the show and for sharing stories and laughing with me. Oh my God. So much laughing, so much fun, thank you, so everybody, be sure to click the links and show notes, go follow, subscribe all of that and I will see you on the internet. Okay, bye, bye, silva Silva, yeah, still here. Welcome to Hive House. Hello.

Sylva: 50:13

I'm in a hive.

Kim: 50:16

Okay, say when.

Sylva: 50:19

Oh, there's cards when.

Kim: 50:26

What type of music playlists do you have? I don't understand that question, but and it's only the second time it's ever come up- what, what type of music playlist do I have?

Sylva: 50:38

Yes, like what's what's playing right now? I don't know, sure.

Kim: 50:43

Right now, I don't know Sure.

Sylva: 50:44

Right now.

Kim: 50:46

Religion's really weird, anyway, yeah.

Sylva: 50:50

Amen, hey, see what I did with that.

Kim: 50:57

Thanks, dad. To hear more of the members only episode, head over to crepuscularconjurationcom. The monthly magic tier will give you access to the monthly magic Marco Polo group, the private Facebook group and access to the written monthly spells. There's also Crepuscular Conjurations giving you bonus podcast episodes, coloring pages, guided meditations, spell crafting videos, printable downloads and a lot more. The free Witchy Wonderment level will give you a little sample of everything I just mentioned. You can also visit my shop, clever Kim's Curios, to get spell boxes, one at a time or by monthly subscription, intentional handcrafted jewelry that I make especially for witches and handmade altar tools. You can even listen to the full your Average Witch podcast library, including show notes and transcripts. Check it out at crepuscularconjurationcom.

Kim: 51:52

Thanks for listening to this episode of your Average Witch. You can find us all around the internet on Instagram, at your Average Witch Podcast, facebookcom, slash groups, slash hivehouse, at wwwyouraveragewitchcom and at your favorite podcast service. If you'd like to recommend someone for the podcast, like to be on it yourself, or if you'd like to advertise on the podcast, send an email to youraveragewitchpodcast at gmailcom. Thanks for listening, listening and I'll see you next Tuesday. Do they have like siesta, right?

Sylva: 52:29

Yeah, yeah, they do. But it's basically like that, two or three hours out of the day that you're like, wow, I finally have time to run my errands, but then, like, all the shops are closed.

Kim: 52:41

Psych. I lived in Germany for like four years and it was similar.

Sylva: 52:48

Really, did they have a siesta there too? Nope.

Kim: 52:54

They don't call it that, but you can't go to that. There's no place to go.

Sylva: 52:59

Like for a certain amount of hours it closes at four.

Kim: 53:02

That's it. Oh, at least where I was, I was in Bavaria, which is not a city. Well, I mean, you have cities. I wasn't in one, I was in a cow pasture.

Sylva: 53:15

Oh, move over.

Kim: 53:21

This interview is over this interview is over.

Sylva: 53:28

Is this more ridiculous than usual?

Kim: 53:34

only a little bit.

Sylva: 53:35

See, most of this gets cut out oh, this happens not to this extent, but this happens every interview I'm so sorry you're to have so much editing to do.

Kim: 53:46

This is just my life, editing myself, being a dumbass.

Sylva: 53:49

It's kind of fun though, isn't it To someone else it is. Yeah right.

Kim: 53:53

This is why I don't need to leave the house. I just socialize here and then stay away from other humans Word who have actual meat that I could touch Gross.

Sylva: 54:05

This is what. What? We've gone 22 minutes and you're already talking about touching people's meat. Oh no, yes minutes and you're already talking about touching people's meat.

Kim: 54:31

Oh god, please don't cut all of this out. This might be. You know how sometimes people put like outtakes at the very end. This might be.

Sylva: 54:39

Yeah, we're Uh-huh. Yes, I vote, yes, I vote yes. Oh God, oh my God, okay.

Kim: 54:48

Where are we? I don't know. Do you feel like you finished that thought? I can't remember what my thought was, your struggle and we talked about money and then meat came up.

Sylva: 55:03

Oh, money and meat, yeah, two of my. Oh, money and meat, yeah, two of my favorite things Money and meat. You know what?

Kim: 55:12

else could a girl want Shit? Oh my God, I'm so hot now.

Sylva: 55:16

I feel my heart, my heart is hot. That's what she said. I mean, that's what she said with the whole meat conversation oh no honestly touching other people's meat. That's what she said, but yes, I feel like I finished my thought.

Kim: 55:46

Think Now when I come in, it's going to sound like I was interviewing a completely different. That was on a totally different interview, because our voices are different.

Sylva: 55:55

I know It'll be fine, it'll be great.

Kim: 56:02

Everything will work out. Would you say that you have imposter syndrome? No,