This week the Grey Street Blog is full of mysticism and magic by the hand of Cuca Silva: tarot, reiki and witchcraft. Let's discover her.

Eli, we want to get to know you better! Where do you come from? What is your zodiac sign? Which tarot card represents you? I'm Argentinian. From Buenos Aires to be more precise. I have sun in Taurus, moon in Virgo and ascendant in Leo. Regarding the tarot card, that changes according to the process I'm going through. But in general I have a very Justice feats Hermit energy. It must be because of all the earth I have in my natal chart.

2. What is witchcraft for you? For me, witchcraft is everyday life. The mate I make myself in the morning, sweeping the house, what I think when I look at someone. Everything is a magical act as it emanates a certain energy linked to an intention that in turn has an impact on reality. It happens that most of these things we do automatically or doing many other things at the same time, without awareness of their potential. A danger. When we sweep, for example, we think we are only removing dust and lint but we could also be sweeping away the bad energy of the place. Even our own, if we do it with presence and intention. We understand the mundane and the magical as separate and they are the same reality.

3. Would you recommend a movie, a book and a song? A book: Caliban and the witch, to understand how witchcraft is also political. A movie: Abracadabra, because I'm nostalgic for the 90s. A song: Rezo por vos, by Charla Garcia and Luis Alberto Spinetta.

4. Reiki is also part of your universe, could you tell us more about it?

Reiki is a more ethereal practice than tarot. It requires faith and commitment because it does not rely on the tangible. The method I practice, which is Usui, is basically the laying on of hands. We channel the universal energy available to everyone, the prana, to unblock certain issues associated with the chakras and cleanse the body. I like to approach it as a treatment. For this reason it requires commitment and effort. It goes hand in hand with a healthier philosophy of life than the one we generally have in the West. From that place it challenges habits that we have deeply rooted. For example, it is of little use to have a reiki session and then smoke a cigarette on the way out. It is like taking a bath and then going for a run on Montjuic.

Clear the rooms. Tidy and clean the house. Discarding what I accumulate in moments of doubt gives me a lot of peace and a sense of lightness that I find difficult to achieve in these times. Letting go of what I don't need or even don't want but retain "just in case" for me is a ritual of cleansing and abundance. It is to say "I get it. I have everything I really need. Thank you." After I do that I light a white candle and a black candle and I smell with sage and lavender. When I'm done I usually sprinkle some flower water. And that's it.

6. What advice would you give to someone who wants to get started in the world of tarot?

First, give yourself time to understand what you are looking for with the tool. Not everyone who studies tarot has to become a tarot reader. The deck is a medium for an infinite number of possibilities. Second, he should explore. He should not stick to a deck, a book, or a teacher. Let her try contradictory, different views, to build her own ideas. And third, let him read the tarot. This cannot be learned only by taking classes. Theory is not enough. A lot of practice is needed. To know tarot, you have to read it.

7. What are your favorite crystals and your spirit animal?

I'm not much of the crystal team. The subject of extractivism generates a certain internal conflict in me. So I don't know. I'm not saying it's wrong to have or work with crystals. They are beautiful and very noble. But there is something that doesn't close my mind. That said, I have a selenite for the protection of the house that was given to me and I love it so much that I brought it from Argentina.

I don't know my power animal. Maybe I don't even have one. But one of my reiki master guides is a black cat with white paws. A few years after I channeled him, my first cat child came into my life. Milo, Moon's eye, which is just a black cat with white paws and white chest. I don't know. It's believe it or bust it.

Thank you Cuca Silva for so much wisdom and good energy