About

© 2019, Amanda Yates Garcia, photo by Sarah Soquel Morhaim

If you’ve always secretly felt like the world is full of magic, and that you are too, you’re right. In my work, I focus on helping you access the magic that already moves through you, awakening your capacity to thrive.

I’m a hereditary witch in the West Coast tradition of Reclaiming. My mother taught me to read tarot when I was 11. I’ve been reading tarot and practicing magic for decades, and have been re-enchanting the world with divination, trance healing work, public art-witchery and private ceremonies as the Oracle of Los Angeles since 2010.

(Fun Fact: I think of “Oracle of Los Angeles” as my band name).

Since that time, I’ve seen thousands of clients and led nearly 100 public workshops and ceremonies. My work has been featured on the front page of the LA Times, in the New York Times, the London Times, the SF Chronicle, on CNN, FOX, Glamour UK, GOOP, as well as interviews in literary journals like The Believer and Triangle House (scroll down to see the whole shebang).

In addition to training in breath work (with David Elliot), energy healing (with Tenzin Lama Sherpa) and shamanic practices (with Amanda Folger), and many other teachers, I have a background in somatic work (BFA in Dance from University College of London) and narrative theory (MFA in writing / critical theory / and film from Cal Arts).

I’ve lectured on witchcraft at UCLA, Cal State Pomona, UC Irvine, the Hammer Museum, the Getty Museum, MOCA, and many other cultural institutions.

In 2019 I published my first book, Initiated: Memoir of a Witch, with Grand Central / Hachette. Since then it’s been translated into six languages.

I also host the popular podcast Between the Worlds, which many of our listeners think of as a graduate program in tarot and magic (without the debt!), and also co-hosted another podcast called Strange Magic (which you can listen to on the same channel).

I have to admit that though I’ve been practicing witchcraft a long time, I didn’t come to this work easily.

I grew up frustrated and angry at the way power operated in the world, with no idea how to change it. As a young adult, I tried to escape into the world of the arts, where I hoped I would find the enchanted world I longed for. Eventually, I learned that there’s just as must injustice and greed in the art world as there is anywhere else. I realized there was nowhere to run.

It was at that point, right about when I hit my Saturn return, that I decided that if I wanted to live in an enchanted world, that I would just have to create myself — and that’s when the Oracle of Los Angeles was born.

Since that time I’ve come to understand that there are many others who are and have been doing this work for thousands of years. By “this work”, I mean recognizing and honoring the sacred in the world and within ourselves, and strengthening the relationships that hold us together.

Magic is both the art of changing consciousness at will, and the practice of honoring and engaging with the consciousness of the animate universe.

If you’re longing for magic, meaning, connection, beauty, and intimacy with the life force, you’re not alone. You have a community that needs and values what you have to offer the world. Each of us has something essential to contribute.

In my private sessions, we focus on empowering you in the present moment and connecting you with your own innate wisdom, intuition and magic. Together, we create clarity and a sense of direction. You’ll leave our work together with tools to help you show up fully in your life as you work through and honor your transitions.

If you’re interested in working with me, or in finding out more about my practice, you can:

Book a session with me
Read my FAQs (below)
Listen to my podcast Between the Worlds
Read my book Initiated: Memoir of a Witch
Follow me on Instagram or Facebook
Or subscribe to my Substack (newsletter).

I do this work because I believe that life on this planet is sacred, and I want as many loving, creative, egalitarian folks as possible to cultivate their power so that we can re-enchant the world together.

If you’re ready to get started, get in touch!

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes meets Women Who Run With The Wolves in this haunting, mystical memoir about finding meaning, beauty, and power through a life in witchcraft.

Descending into the underworlds of poverty, sex work, and misogyny, Initiated describes Amanda’s journey to return to her body, harness her power, and create the magical world she longed for through witchcraft. Hailed by crows, seduced by magicians, and haunted by ancestors broken beneath the wheels of patriarchy, Amanda’s quest for self-discovery and empowerment is a deep exploration of a modern witch’s trials. Declaring oneself a witch and practicing magic has everything to do with claiming authority and power for oneself, of taking back our planet in the name of Love. Initiated is both memoir and manifesto calling the magical people of the world to take up their wands: stand up, be brave, describe the world they want, then create it like a witch.

How do I join your coven? Can I support your work via subscription?

What kinds of 1 on 1 services do you provide?

What should I do to prepare for our session together?

What kinds of questions can I ask during our divination session?

Are your spells guaranteed to work? Are your divinations guaranteed to be correct? Will you heal me?

Will you tell me if I am going to die or get sick or if something bad will happen to me? Can you help me win a law suit?

You are booked many months in advance, if I email you can I get a special appointment? Do you have a waiting list?

I am your friend, can I get a special appointment or a discount? Can you answer a quick question for me over text message or DM?

I feel a special connection with you. Can we go out on a date or be friends?

Why should I have to pay someone to do ‘spiritual’ work? If anyone can be a witch, why do I have to pay for it?

In an ideal world, I’d do my work on the basis of a gift economy. I’d know that if I needed something that required some skill or talent you have, you’d have my back. We’d work together in collaboration. There’d be no land ownership. Grand social projects would get done through big fiesta-style work parties. I’m an idealist like that. I’m a peace loving anarchist like that. But, alas, that is not the world we live in. The work I do takes time and skill. I perform A LOT of emotional and spiritual labor. That work deserves to be paid. In addition to the time I spend with you, which is my most valuable possession, I also do a lot of prep work for my sessions. I buy supplies, I take classes on an ongoing basis, I study constantly. While anyone can be a witch, there are degrees of expertise. I have spent years thinking about, researching and developing about the processes we will use in our work together, and I have overheads just like anyone else. I have to maintain the space that I work in. I have to pay rent, answer client emails, host my website, etc., just like anyone else. You wouldn’t expect a masseuse or a therapist or a hair dresser to work for free (let alone an investment banker or a lawyer, etc.), so why should fair exchange be different for a witch? As I see it, we are exchanging various forms of energy, and I think that’s fair. However, I know that many people can’t afford my services. If you would like to work with me but can’t afford it, please listen to my podcast, subscribe to my newsletter, buy my book, or follow me on social media – I give low cost or free advice on all of these platforms. I am currently developing ways to offer certain services as online workshops, etc., which might be more affordable for some. But yes, this work is expensive because it’s valuable, it takes time, thought, imagination, preparation and skill. Artists and witches should be paid for their work. Until capitalism collapses, CEOs, politicians and engineers are not the only people who should be able to make a living.

Where can I find out more about your podcast?

How can I buy your book?

I can’t afford your services, what should I do?

This work is for your entertainment and enjoyment. Results are not guaranteed. Accuracy is not guaranteed. Oracle of Los Angeles does not take responsibility for any that events that take place after our working together. The results you achieve from this work are up to you, and I take no responsibility for them. Working with the Oracle of Los Angeles cannot take the place of working with a licensed medical or psychological professional, or a financial or legal advisor. If you are experiencing a medical or psychological emergency, please call 9-11 or contact https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.