Meet Sanyu Estelle

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sanyu Estelle.

Thanks for sharing your story with us Sanyu. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
At the age of six, I recall thinking “Earth is weird.” Where that comparison of my young mind came from I still haven’t quite figured out, but it’s definitely the foundation of how I ended up becoming “The Word Witch.” I have always had a vivid dreaming life and have kept a dream journal since Kindergarten. Due to this, I’ve been an open-minded person who has taken the concept of “reality” with a grain of salt and a willingness to suspend my disbelief. I was raised Episcopalian in a great community—shout out to Church of the Advent—by parents who were more communal than religious. I was not deterred from reading horoscopes, or fantasy, or knowing about aliens.

Instead, I was read folk tales from my earliest memory; immersed in African, Afro-Caribbean, African-American and British culture from food, to dancing, to music, to politics; and exposed to Edgar Cayce and Joan Grant right alongside Martin Luther King Jr., Maya Angelou, Bill Withers, Nina Simone and Jesus. I appreciate(d) my upbringing, but it never stopped my spiritual curiosity at the bible. I loved the sermon more than any other part of church service, yet the philosophical foundation stopped short of answering my deeper questions. I grew up with Jewish friends and Muslim friends and Atheist friends and Buddhist friends and Agnostic friends, but I didn’t feel particularly drawn to any of those faith systems either.

Rather, over the course of growing up in the sprawling diversified landscape of Los Angeles (with long stints in New York and the Netherlands), I developed a more personalized faith and belief system fostered both by cultures of olde and from my personal experiences—waking and sleeping. My life has brought me into contact with masters, animal guides, spirit guides, medicine people, priests and priestess (religious and otherwise), shamans, witches, tricksters, other dimensional entities. You name it, I’ve probably had at least an adjacent experience to it. Now I work as a soothsayer, claircognizant writer and artist. I read tarot and oracle cards, I channel and I use words to construct in-depth spiritual/philosophical/esoteric conversations.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It continues to be a journey of unlearning the primary ideals and beliefs of the current invention of humxnity. I constantly must remind myself that we are all born of a mother, butt naked and ignorant and everybody alive and who has ever lived has only grasped in the dark and stumbled into the unknown as best they can. From this the constant lesson is to be true to myself, to be true to my relationship with Existence and to cultivate my life in the most authentic and transparent way that I can. Regardless of others ideas or beliefs, regardless of what is believed of humxnity in its current iteration and regardless of how people may choose to receive me as a result of my necessary decision making.

The most challenging thing I do in my life is own everything that I’ve experienced and done when or as it comes up. Especially when it’s difficult. I have agreed not to marry any particular idea of myself with my beliefs of who I can be. Even when I do, I will eventually default to suspending my disbelief when my existence is clearly not functioning smoothly or in a way I prefer to experience. This is why I’m great at reading others. I have to constantly unlearn what I thought I was knowing in order to do my work. I do this to myself for myself. I have to keep don’t-know mind when working with spirit because everything has been relatively “strange.” When everything is strange you begin to have to differentiate along the spectrum from out-there strange, through regular-strange and all the way to socially constructed anxiety. I am reading for strangers almost 90% of the time, for instance. I am not psychic. I don’t know anything before it’s relevant.

Being claircognizant means I know what I need to know, when I need to know it, about who I need to know it about and for as long as it’s necessary for me to get across the message. Often, once I have said what I am receiving from spirit or the unknown realms, I will forget what I told people. I learned to record readings because of this. My extrasensory abilities have taken getting used to and I constantly practice relying upon the doing of my work. The only way I get better at tarot is by reading tarot. The only way I remain adept at channeling is by channeling. Every time I do this work I am reminded about how it works, which is rarely in an intellectual or linear way. So my greatest challenge is constantly getting out of my own way; defeating my negative ego when it seeks to assume all knowledge in an infinitely unknowable Existence; and remaining in a state where I don’t need everything to make sense to my memory-mind in order for me to trust in communicating with it.

We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I am a soothsayer (truth-teller), a card reader, a channel and a claircognizant writer. I often use “taoist” and “alchemist” interchangeably as I come from a spiritualist taoist practice and the Tao instructs on transmuting the self. This is the precious matter that alchemists so desired: Mastery of one’s existence. It is a practice of self-discipline and I am constantly working and developing myself through following Tao and practicing Ifa. What I do as a reader, fundamentally, is provide a very transparent and clear mirror to my clients about what they’re doing. Through my various abilities I help individuals acknowledge what is going on in their life both through “tarotpy” and with my unique understanding of words through etymology and channeling. What words do you use and how do you use them? Do their meanings really embody what you think they do? And, if not, can you really build an entire philosophy upon concepts you don’t really grasp the function of? Thoughts become things. You live inside your belief systems. You should definitely make yourself aware of how you live out your allegiances. “I don’t give you the reading you want; I give you the reading you need.” To want is to be in a constant state of not-having and I prefer that my clients learn how to have what they need. Better to have your needs fulfilled than your wants. How can you need more than you need?? Don’t worry, you can’t.

As a reader, a witch (the etymology of this word means “to be strong”), a spiritual practitioner, etc., my goal is to put myself out of a job. If I’m good at my job you should stop needing me because the point is that you become well. If I’m great at my job I can show you how to do what I do in your own way, and you can pass my teachings on to others in a way that will sustain them also. What I show people is how to need to be themselves. I do no harm by not nurturing or facilitating dependency. Instead, I assist people in remembering that it’s perfectly fine for them to be alive. I teach people their existence is the point, not the problem. I help people laugh at themselves and become more excited about facing their challenges. I let my life change and my clients reflect back to me that same capability. I am available for individual readings, partner (romantic, business, platonic) readings, accountability work, events, private group readings, publication, film, residencies, lectures, workshops and practically anything else that is in alignment.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
My dad played records in the evening (Bill Withers, Nina Simone, Chopin, Nat King Cole) and my mom read me bedtime stories before bed. The first folktale I remember having a profound affect on me was Anansi the Spider. Once my mom read me that story I wanted to learn to read for myself so I could read on my own time. So she helped me by letting me read and correcting me. In Kindergarten, there was a period of time during the day that was designated for painting and I asked my teacher, Ms. Neal if I could read and write instead. She let me spend that hour creating my own stories and that helped foster my love of how words help construct meaning. I’ve been in love with words ever since.

Pricing:

• Ancestral Altars and Research Guidance from $15
• Tarot Readings from $40
• Soothsaying Guidance from $50
• Workshops from $65
• Group Readings and Events from $75
• Accountability Work from $100
• Complimentary Monthly Full Moon Readings at the Freehand DTLA from $0

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sanyuestelle.com
• Email: sanyu@sanyuestelle.com

Image Credit:
Matt Polizzi

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