A Soothsayer, Word Witch, and Musical Recording Artist walk into a room...
And they're all the same person. Sanyu Estelle gives us a letter of inspiration to be all that we are, and can be-whatever way that is.
One of my favorite pieces from the Q3 edition of the Notion Mag was this letter to the reader from a colleague of mine: Sanyu Estelle. Sanyu has influenced a mountain of moments for me of critical thought, deeper learning, and a generally whole otherworldly point of view. Sanyu is so many things, and could not do a lot of the massively evolutionary work, if she didn’t embrace all that she is-which is pretty hard to do in this very public day and age of identity.
Enjoy this piece, and check out Sanyu’s work on IG, her readings, in person work, and latest single release “Phony Shit”.
Thank you for being here,
Kieu
Hello Reader,
I’m a Soothsayer (truth teller) and a Claircognizant (clear knowing) card reader that is also known as “The Word Witch” because of my deep love for etymology (word origins) and philology (word culture). My name is Sanyu Estelle.
I also identify as (in no particular order):
A Quantum Witch: someone who trusts in Existence and the Multiverse and who believes in shifting myself to shift my reality
A Daoist: I follow the Dao, I am true to the self I am, I learn from various Asian teachers when I take up new practices or studies in the Daoist tradition or when I purchase materials
A Practitioner of Ifa: The indigenous spiritual practice of the Yoruba people of what we now call Nigeria (also called Isese)
I am a “1st Generationish” Californian. My mother is from Belize and my father is from Uganda. But my mother’s Great Grandmother Virginia's family escaped from Virginia in the 1800s and she was born in Nassau, The Bahamas in 1838; just in time for the abolition of enslavement within British Colonies. My Great Great Grandmother Virginia was Black Seminole and African (From Angola, Nigeria, Cameroon or Togo & Benin). This is why I say I’m “1st Generationish.”
On my father’s side my ancestry is most directly from Uganda, but a DNA test also traces Rwandan, Burundi, Tanzanian and Kenyan ancestry as these clans were largely migratory. As well as small traces of Eritrean, Northern Ethiopian or Somalian ancestry and Maghreb and Egyptian ancestry. Essentially, I am a Pan-African with ancestry from everywhere but Southern Africa. Now, obviously, these tests are not all conclusive because there is only so much DNA and data in the databases and the tests can only test for what’s inside the database.
Some groups have larger, more in depth data sets than others. My ancestry test can tell me I am specifically of Irish descent and from nowhere else in the United Kingdom or Scandinavia regardless of the ancient migratory history between those places. But it can only tell me I have East Slavic ancestry and cannot specify between Ukrainian, Russian, Moldovian, Belarussian, Latvian, Lithuanian or Kazakhstanian heritage.
Then there was/is the genocide of Indigenous peoples of what we now call “The Americas” as well as Blood Quantum. So there is a very low percentage of Indigenous people in ancestry databases. My DNA test traces so called “Amerindian” ancestry from the Andes, the Caribbean, Central America and North America. So I am Pan-Indigenous as well.
I didn’t know most of these things growing up from a historical or intellectual standpoint, but I did learn much of this intuitively and spontaneously. Only when I got curious did I do the research that verified so much of what I had been doing in my life. I have discovered that so much of how we live is inherited, is epigenetic and is influenced by our history and our heritage.
“Beyond” the more esoteric things I identify as or with, I also studied Sociology and Political Science during undergrad and then went on to pursue (but not finish) a Masters in Criminology and Penology in the Netherlands. All these practices, beliefs, experiences and realities have led me to doing the work I do now. I am, admittedly, building my vocation from osmosis. My “job” is being myself. I continue to work very diligently at making being myself a resourceful and resourced everyday reality.
“I create work for myself by learning things about myself, the world and the Universe. Some of that work pays me, some of that work stunts me.”
Where “myself” is an intersection of varying, dynamic personalities that I playfully call “Multiple Personality Order.” I am not conflicted about the multidimensionality of me. I am not of the opinion that a so-called “linear” or “straightedge” personality is something I should feel I need to have. Complexity is healthy. It breeds diversity. Diversity then creates a spectrum of realities that can be engaged with from a variety of perspectives. If that is true of the outer world, it can be true of my inner world. What made me is in me on a cellular level.
I create work for myself by learning things about myself, the world and the Universe. Some of that work pays me, some of that work stunts me. It is a choose your own adventure and trial by error type of lifestyle that I want. I construct practices, theories and understandings from my experiences. Then I offer these things to the world for all those who are interested in learning, collaborating, etc. Sometimes these creations bring me into further economic means, sometimes they bring me new friends and other times they lead me nowhere at all.
I simply worry less and less about this being my more regular reality. How can I be off my path when I am my path? How can I be unwelcome in the Universe when I was not only created by it but am maintained by it every moment of my existence? If I am in my rightful place, which is myself, then I am exactly where and when I need to be to do everything I am meant to do. I simply continue to discover who I am becoming through osmosis. I let each version of me–the me of the present–define for themselves who I/we are. Once they’ve had their moment, they promptly pass it on to the next version of myself who comes after them.
As a Daoist, a Quantum Witch and a practitioner of Ifa, I want to live and practice in a way that is in sustainable alignment with the Universe, the Earth and all things that I encounter or engage with. This isn’t a much respected occupation of our modern world as of now, but every single person contributes to the definition and potential of humanity. All I can do is exhibit my beliefs through my character. I am the only person I have complete autonomy over. So I am who I am responsible for.
“I can only lead by example. I can only decide what I think is best for me and live from that perspective to the best of my ability.”
I can only lead by example. I can only decide what I think is best for me and live from that perspective to the best of my ability. I can only change the world I am perceiving by changing myself. If I don’t change myself, how can I know the world from a different perspective? I often tell my clients, “don’t fake it til you make it, just act the way you need to feel.” If I need more rest I need to act in ways that support more rest. If I need more love I need to act in ways that support me feeling and being more loved.
I am the compass of my identity. I am always incorporating the directions I think are best for me given the circumstances I am aware of. When I veer off in the “wrong direction,” which is to say when I find myself going towards something I no longer prefer, I simply choose differently and change my direction. I choose based on my emotions, my experiences and my understanding. Then I take action from the cohesion of these different types of intelligences working through me as the person I am choosing to become.
So much of my work today incorporates all of what I am in some way or another. I am not able to compartmentalize myself in the ways we are conditioned to since birth. I live at the intersection of far too many realities, histories and possibilities to confine myself to any sort of compartment. I’m always changing shape because I am always changing. I don’t view this as a bad thing so much as an inevitable reality. I think of myself as all of the me’s I decide to be over the course of my incarnation. We all have a say, but it’s important that we’re all communicating!
“I live at the intersection of far too many realities, histories and possibilities to confine myself to any sort of compartment.”
One of the biggest challenges of embarking on an esoteric vocation is that you have to learn through your practice. And your practice is defined by how you identify and what you do. So if you limit your identity, your practice, your location or your beliefs you limit the potential of your vocation to work for you. When in doubt about your spiritual or magic/k/al abilities, it really comes down to who you are to you! So being truthful with yourself and in your life will always improve the nature of your work. It will change a lot, like you will. That is perfectly aligned and natural.
Bibbity, Bobbity, Boo!
Sanyu Estelle