What I learned From a High Magick Priestess

Dear Legend,

a few months ago, a priestess conducted a ritual for me.

You read that right. For 60 minutes, she practiced high magick and “removed blocks” from all over my body. We didn’t speak, we didn’t do a zoom call.

Me? I sat quietly and just let my thoughts wander. After 60 minutes, she wrote a full report of every block she removed and a word/ message that was sent to her (this word left me speechless and made me change my plans for 2025).

Before I share with you what she sent, let me give you some context.

I got connected to Sonal Bhaskaran through a mutual friend. After speaking with her, I learned that she is a Director at UBS (a bank), and she is a practicing priestess with a coaching business on the side. She studied neuroscience and is very much a logical thinker, but then there is this spiritual side… I was absolutely intrigued and so I had a session with her and then interviewed her on my podcast.

I had so many questions:

• What is high magick?

• How did she train for it?

• When did she find out about her unique talents?

• How does she reconcile her logical, scientific side with her spiritual experience?

I don’t know about you, but I’m a skeptic when it comes to people claiming to have some sort of supernatural powers. However, I also recognize that we don’t have all the answers and science can’t always explain everything that is going on.

So here we are.

We don’t choose our gifts, we can only choose to use them (or neglect them)

Sonal suffered a traumatic childhood. We didn’t talk explicitly about what happened, but there was violence at home and she was taking care of her disabled aunt from the age of 8. That’s when she started hearing voices. Then from the age of 28 onwards, she had flashbacks and was diagnosed with severe and complex PTSD.

Sonal tried all kinds of therapy to get them to go away and finally found Reiki, a hands-on therapy that focuses on balancing and clearing energy pathways using touch. That seemed to work and she learned more about that and eventually got into High Magick, which she explained as a highly structured way to use spiritual forces to heal.

She felt torn though. “I never wanted this to happen” (watch a short IG clip)

On one hand she wanted to use her gifts, but on the other she didn’t want to be seen as this “woo woo” healer. Her breakthrough? Stop caring about what other people thought and surrender to her talents.

It’s only in the recent couple of years that she leaned in fully to her gifts (she’s been avoiding them since the age of eight) and she’s never felt so alive. She’s also helped hundreds of people through her work, not to mention a healthy income stream on the side.

What is a gift that you’ve been avoiding to use?

Results can come from logical or illogical methods

One of my key beliefs as a practitioner of brand and influence work, is that as long as we see results, it doesn’t matter whether the method is logical or illogical. In fact, if we rely solely on logical methods, we are missing at least half of the equation (humans are innately irrational afterall!)

The word that came to Sonal for me was this: Secluded

“I was given this word and it pointed to a deep sense of emotional isolation, where grievances or frustrations may have been internalized rather than expressed or resolved…” Sonal Bhaskaran

*Gulp*

This struck me like a lightning bolt. It was a truth I was avoiding for a long time. For almost three years, I worked as a solopreneur, toiling away in my basement. That isolation has been eating at me slowly and I instantly recognized it. So I made it a point in 2025 to attend 2 conferences and speak more in my local community.

I don’t believe in archangels or spiritual guardians and I don’t understand how Sonal does what she does (she doesn’t either), but this word helped me to be more aware of myself and connected my subconscious.

(To see the whole report, click HERE)

Is there something you’ve been feeling but avoiding?

How to actually determine your core values

Benjamin Franklin tracked his virtues (values) weekly. He had 13 of them and everytime he didn’t live according to them, he noted it down. Why?

We become our most brilliant and feel the most happy when we’ve living in accordance with our values (but I don’t think we need to have 13 of them.)

Most people tout this truth, but not many teach how to actually figure out your values.

Sonal had a different take, which I think works really well.

Instead of picking values from a list, ask yourself these questions:

• What are three moments in your life did you feel the most proud? (or disappointed?)

• What words/ values come to mind in those moments? (or values compromised?)

• Why does it matter?

• How am I living them without anyone doing anything?

e.g.

• I felt really proud maintaining a sense of lightness and joy in the toughest of times (in the military digging a trench.)

• Resilience

• It means progress. Everytime I overcome a tough situation is a step I’m taking towards legendary.

• Take the toughest moments daily and reframe it into something positive.

I truly believe that you become more powerful and unlock your legendary when you lean into your gifts and live your values daily. It’s this reason that legends perform amazing feats, through a series of MUSTs, not SHOULDs.

(If you want to hear the entire conversation with Sonal, where we dive deeper into her story and how to find alignment in yourself, listen to the podcast episode on Apple, Spotify or on the web.)

Before I let you go, here is one more thing!

This week, for our #PSYCH! lesson:

🧠 The Paradox of Choice

We think more options = more freedom. But actually? Too many choices overwhelm the brain, delay decisions, and often lead to no decision at all.

This is the Paradox of Choice.

Why does this happen?

The prefrontal cortex (your decision-making HQ) gets bogged down when faced with too many variables. That overload causes anxiety and hesitation.

The result? Decision fatigue, second-guessing, and analysis paralysis.

A study using Jam showed a 10x conversion when there were less options

In this study, shoppers at a grocery store were:

• Offered 24 jam flavors: 60% stopped, but only 3% bought

• Offered 6 jam flavors: fewer stopped, but 30% bought

That’s 10x more sales!

Here’s how you can leverage this effect:

• Limit options to 2–3 clear types

• Highlight a “most popular” or “recommended” option

• Use filters or quizzes to guide decision-making

Because when people don’t know what to choose, they often choose nothing.

See you next Sunday.

Make your mark, live your legend 🤘🏽,

Howie Chan

Creator of Legend Letters

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