Magick Monday: Kate Johnson of Likely Tale
Each Monday, I’ll be shining a spotlight on some of my favorite Magick Makers from the community. I am so excited to continue this new series with one of my absolute faves. Kate is an artist, author, deck creator, and all-around magickal creature. Take a peek below for our Q&A sesh and get to know her a little better. Be sure to connect with her as well. Our magick is always stronger together.
Tell us a little about yourself.
I was born in Virginia, but it was a short stay. We moved to Atlantic Canada when I was a wee tot, and I’ve lived here most of my life. My background is pretty varied, from running a busy restaurant kitchen to growth manager at a start-up to content marketing - I like to go where the exciting challenges are. What I’m most passionate about sits outside those things, though. Art and music are my number one passions; their power to connect, heal, and transmute things at all levels has never felt more important to me.
What are your sun/moon/rising signs?
Libra/Pisces/Sagittarius
If you follow a specific spiritual path, what path do you follow?
If you put house, hedge, and green witchery in a pot and stirred them under the moon before hopping into the bath -- you’d be following my practice. It’s very much my own weird little mix, but it works for me. The priority is bringing the magic into the most mundane moments of my everyday life.
What’s your first memory of practicing magic?
My mother was always a little witchy - there were tarot cards, runes, and books on magick in the house. I think I was around 8 or 9 when I started “pretending” to read fortunes...but even earlier than that, I was using lupin petals to sprinkle love and magic everywhere and communing with child-like spirits in the farm fields. In the most practical sense, though, it was only a couple of years ago where I returned to the practice more intentionally.
How do you define magic?
When we strip everything away, it is setting and acting upon intentions and surrendering to the will of the universe.
How did you become interested in working with herbs?
I have multiple chronic health conditions, and about a decade ago, while learning to manage my pain, I became very interested and aware of the impact of diet. Allergic to anti-inflammatory drugs (like Ibuprofin) I started looking to supplement my diet naturally with plants with those properties. They were literal magic where none could be found - and then I realized that traditional folk magic was really on to something.
How did the idea for the Likely Herbarium come to be?
Honestly, I don’t know. I started drawing the plants as a form of study and to unwind at the end of the day -- and then the whole thing just possessed me. Next thing you know, I’d finished the book.
What was your process for creating the Likely Herbarium?
As I was drawing and sharing the plants on Instagram, folks were requesting their favorites. For each plant, I’d go research and study, taking notes along the way. As the completed list grew longer, I looked for plants and ingredients that might spark curiosity or provide an opportunity to think about what else we can add to our practices.
What did you learn during the process of publishing your book?
So much! My favorite highlight would have to be: When two varieties of a plant were indigenous to wildly different areas of the world, they were still often used very similarly-- two isolated groups coming to the same conclusions. It really hammered home the idea of the deep-seated, intuitive connection that we can all tap into.
Who or what inspires you? How do they inspire you?
Anyone and everyone who is willing to show up and be seen. Living a transparent and authentic life is one of the most courageous and rewarding things we can do with our time here. Seeing anyone lean into this fills my cup completely.
What impact do you want to have on this world?
I want to create modern divination tools and systems to help others transform their reality and turn their purpose into gold, so they can connect with different layers of their existence and their individuality.
What makes you feel the most aligned?
Carving out regular time for a cup of tea and a bath. It creates a meditative space where I can let the world wash away and I can come back to center and back into my body.
What’s a daily ritual that you practice?
My first cup of coffee and morning tarot check-in! Starting the day with a space to see what I’m feeling and what’s around me, sets me up to carry intention throughout my day.
Is what you’re doing now, what you always wanted to do?
I have a day job that is challenging and interesting, and I love that! But, my heart wants to grow Likely Tale be a sustainable business. To share meaningful art and experiences with people who want to connect with their inner and outer worlds is the dream.
What advice would you give to someone looking to self-publish a book?
Start where you are. Write the book. Create the thing. You don’t need to have it all figured out first. Figure it out as you go—one step at a time.
There’s never been more resources for figuring it out - trust yourself.
Are there any new, exciting projects, products, or content that you’d like to share? Maybe something like a tarot or oracle deck???
You’ll have to follow me or get on the email list to see the reveal - but a tarot deck is coming!
Last year, I created an oracle deck that complements the Herbarium but realized that the project needed to be all three in order to work. Both decks use the magic of plants, nature, and sigils while elevating the correspondences and patterns.
