In Conversation with Alexis

1. What was your first awakening toward witchcraft, and how has your path evolved since then?

@motherlyandheavenlywitch on TikTok

@alexisgildoree on Instagram

I didn't really believe in it 100% but I knew that, like stones or crystals have meanings in them. So I was with my maid [back in the Philippines] and we did like a love spell on –honestly I'm pretty sure at that time, I didn't really have a crush, so it was just like a love spell on anyone. It's kind of like that ‘Practical Magic’ where she's just like, ‘I want to get this person but it will never happen’. So that's what I did. 

And then after that, I've just been so, I think, drawn towards gods and goddesses. There is this book that’s like a children's novel where they talk about like gods and goddesses, but I was so incredibly drawn to Aphrodite. 

And after that, I've just been like a closet witch, because back in the Philippines, my family and I were Christian [I moved here a year ago] and ever since then, I've just been like trying to find more confidence, and courage, and opening myself up to witchcraft. And I guess my first actual, open like, “coming out of the closet” rude awakening was when my ex snitched on me to my mom that I read tarot and that I practice witchcraft, even though she already knows about it. 

So I guess, like ever since then, I've just been so much more confident about sharing my journey, sharing like, what I like to do with my spells, and even now that I have moved to my own apartment, making friends is for me, like my form of caring for them and loving them is doing spells for them. For example, my nail tech –she's my neighbor, and like she gave me business cards that I'll bless and it's just kind of like my form of, you know, saying thank you for being my friend and just helping her too.

2. That's so sweet. And I feel like my story is pretty similar. Was there a defining moment when you realized magic or manifestation was real for you; or have you always held an unwavering belief in your own power? You did say that at first you didn't really believe in it, but did that love spell show you that magic is real?

It's not exactly that spell, but it's kind of my belief in something that's greater–because back when I was Christian, most of my friends had gifts when it comes to I guess, like in witchcraft, you call it Claires, like Clairvoyance, but people would call it like spiritual gifts. So I've always believed that there is like a higher realm of whether it's like a higher being or if it's our higher selves. 

I think my most defining moment was when I moved here [USA] from the Philippines, and it's something that I do not ever take for granted, because, I think, because I went through that, it feels like a seed that I've planted in myself, and then it just kept growing the more that I put my belief in it. And you know, I use that analogy a lot, but moving from the Philippines to America with, you know, like, no money; I left my job that paid me well, but I didn't feel 100% you know, fulfilled; emotionally and mentally. 

I moved here with the intention of getting, like an artist visa, and even then, so many people were like, projecting their own shit onto me, which I completely understand, because people do have anxieties, and it's like my first time traveling on my own, But I think that solidified my belief in myself, and then now my belief in my craft, in doing spells for other people. And I think that now being able to manifest something as big as that [moving to the US] is kind of like my peak! then everything else that I want to manifest is like, okay, I'll manifest this; I'll work on it, and it's all going to work out in my favor. 

And you know, like some people will say that it's like delulu, or like people will say it's spiritual psychosis; but I think that when people come to understand that the only person who's stopping them from getting what they want is themselves. It doesn't sound delusional at all, especially when, for example, I put all my hard work in supporting myself first and defending myself. It just feels like it's the Justice card, yeah, where it's like, of course, I deserve this because I worked for it and I fought for myself. 

3. what inspired you to take this leap of faith, you know, moving to America, and leaving your home country, and just taking a sleep of faith, especially with like spirituality, and just embracing the craft what –I don't know if you call yourself a witch or a practitioner, but just embracing it knowing, that in the past, you've been scrutinized for it.

I think ever since I was young, I've always wanted to live here in America. And it's, I don't know if it's because of what we call it in the Philippines, like crab mentality, where it's like, because we were colonized by the Americans, it's like we want everything about America, but because my parents and I have been traveling here, because we do have family here; I think that ever since I was young, I was like, I need to move here. And I've made so many plans, like I was supposed to move here for college, but then it didn't work out. And I think that when I moved here, it just felt clear that it was my craving of independence and me being able to find that courage to actually live my life independently. 

Because in the Philippines, there's a lot of it's like being held in a cage. And I can say that my parents have done that to me, where I felt like I was stuck in a cage, and the only time that I felt free was when I moved here–even with what you mentioned, about being scrutinized. Like, for example, when I moved here, people were always projecting their anxieties and telling my mom that I rebelled against them because it's a cultural thing not to leave your parents. And I guess, I don't really know if that's a narcissistic trait, but I feel like I deserve to also live my life the way I wanted to; even if I go through all of these struggles. 

So that is what I guess, like, pushed me. And I guess the fact that I am able to make friends, even when I'm back in the Philippines. It's like, okay, if I can make friends, even if I'm in the Philippines, like anywhere in America, or in the UK or, you know, Australia–then when I move here, I can probably do the same– you know, be able to, I guess, make a living, or make my life very stable here in America.

4. I definitely don't think it's narcissistic to want to live your own life. You talked about how as a kid you would read books about Gods, and you felt very connected to Aphrodite. Are there any deities, ancestors, or other spiritual beings who guide you in your practice, and if so, how do you work with them?

So I first worked with Aphrodite, and then after that, I just started working with my ancestors, because I am adopted. So I feel like I've always wanted to learn more about, you know, my real family and even like my ancestors. So it's been I feel like, you know, when people are saying, like, oh, this lady, or my ancestors have been calling to me, even, you know, like when I wasn't fully focused on them, and now it just became more obvious that I should so now I work with my ancestors, and I work with both sides of my ancestors because, because I also. Did, like a reading on, like, Who is it? Who's helping me? 

And most recently, I've been working with Archangel Michael. And Archangel Michael, for me is like my I call on to him for protection as well as truth and clarity, because I'm a Gemini, and I also have ADHD, so it's like, I cannot, for the life of me, just focus on like, one thing, even though I try. And I also did a very, very big offering by getting tattoos–On my right, I have this protector tattoo for Archangel Michael, and then I also got like a sword with butterfly wings. And I would call this tattoo, like the truth and transformation tattoo, because it's like every time I find the truth about my life, I get that tower moment. 

At the same time I was called to work with Hecate and Archangel Michael for grief and loss, because I was suppressing something that happened in my life, and I felt like that was when my body was like, ‘girl, you can't do this –like you can't suppress it anymore, because it's taking a toll on me’. The other goddesses that I work with are Lilith Bridget and Cersei Bridget. Bridget called on me the same time my ancestors did, because I was seeking healing, and my ancestors helped me a lot with my finances, too, and being able to, you know, like, embrace who I am. Because when I was talking to our maid back in the Philippines (because we are very close, and she did raise me when I was young), she was telling me, like, I wonder if your ancestors were witches. And I just became even more like, Oh, I wonder if they are, because I don't even know my original family. So that just made me more motivated to work with my ancestors

Omg, I love Archangel Michael, actually I’m wearing a protection bracelet with him on it.

I also started working with St Expedite. I just started working with him last night, but it's pretty nice. I just don't have enough space right now for more altars, but that's my goal.

5. Oh, actually, do you keep them all, on the same altar, or some of them on the same altar, or do you just, like, spread them out?

Oh, okay, so I have, like the shelf behind me, that's where I have, like, all of my tools for spells. And then I have my altars. They just have like a designated space. It's kind of like a booth, is what I would call it. And so I have, like a designated space for each of them. I have asked some of them if they wanted an altar, or if it's necessary for me to, you know, make them one. And I think the only ones that I got a yes from are like Aphrodite, Hecate, Lilith, and my ancestors. But other than that, they're just like, it's okay you don't have to make us an altar.

6. I think that leads me to a question I’ve had in my head. What spiritual tool have you used the longest? And which is your favorite?

My longest, I guess, is crystals, because that's what I started with. And then now my favorite tool, obviously, are herbs, because, like, you can put them in anything. And so, like, I put it in my teas, or I obviously put it in spells. My favorite one, as of right now, though, is Jasmine flowers. 

Mainly because, like, my big three are Gemini Sun, Libra Moon and Pisces Rising. So I'm just all about, like, I want that romance, and like, devotion. Ooh and honeysuckle, but I ran out of honeysuckle because they're also like, not in season, so now I have to buy more. But those are my two favorite ones. I did start with roses and that was my longest one, but then I was like, I need to shift it with honeysuckle and Jasmine. But yeah, those are my favorite.

7. What is your favorite way to cleanse your energy and space? And how do you stay grounded and maintain strong spiritual hygiene?

I have other practitioner friends who have helped me with, you know, elevating my spiritual hygiene, but now that I've moved to my own space, I think the best way for me to do like cleansing is through incense, and then, because I like being a visual Like, I'm a visual person. So whenever I vacuum, I consider that I just keep thinking like, Okay, I'm vacuuming like every nasty energy out of this place. I do my cleansing & protecting, but I always do cleansing, vanishing, protecting, and then grounding, and then I usually do this, like, probably, like at night, because it is what I'm the most comfortable with. And also it's after I do spells. So it also helps me just, you know, clean up everything. 

But for me, the best way to ground myself as of right now, –and I was just talking about this to my friend–, is eating fries. And I don't know what it is; like, when you think about it, obviously, potatoes are from the earth. So obviously that's a grounding. 

Like, no, I get it 

but it's just like, every single time I need to ground myself, I'm just like, I'm craving curly fries, or, like, the waffle fries from Chick fil A. 

And then I also consider dancing to be my grounding, because most of my placements in my chart are either water or air. So I literally need that. I need the earth. And I think I dance like every morning or like after spells, or if my head is just too overwhelmed with so many ideas, I just listen to music, and I just dance

8. I mean, I think the potato that's actually really smart, like kitchen witchcraft, because I didn't even think about that. Like the potatoes coming from the soil, the earth, it's gonna ground you and fries are the best comfort food ever. But you mentioned that you mostly have water and air in your chart. Are those specifically elements you feel especially connected to, and do they shape or influence your craft in any way? I mean, you were explaining how you dance and how you can feel the absence of Earth is prevalent in your chart, so you need an external Earth element to ground you. But are there any that influence your craft?

I think for me, I need to put up more, you know, like wards, like protection in my apartment, because I feel that water placement so intensely whenever I do spells, like, for example, if I'm doing like the ‘silver spring spell’ or like the ‘bewitched Body and Soul spell’, which is for commitment, I just feel so like–sometimes I cry out of nowhere, and I know for a reason that that's my water placement. It's so intense. I'm like, ‘Girl, Is this mine or no, what in the world is happening?’; Or, like, even when I'm doing like hexes, I feel that like, Oh my gosh. Like, whoa. Like, I get like a short circuit or something. So I think for me, now that I have, you know, I'm starting to do more reading. With, like, my spells, so that I can improve, and also because, like, I have more, I guess, projects in person that deal with, like Tarot reading. 

I think for me, I feel more aligned right now to do more jars, like communal water jars, because I have mostly water placements. Lately I have been more in touch with the air, which is for me, I like to vape while doing my spells, but it's also a great thing, because I think most of my friends are either water or air signs. Rarely do I have like earth sign friends and also fire. 

So, you know, with all of my spells and the names of each of my spells, the reason why they're called that is because I just love to either write or just think a lot, so I know that, that's the air placement, and then I just need to use the water placement. But yeah, right now I feel more aligned with the astrology part of it, and then mix it in with my spells, because I feel so much more comfortable with doing it that way instead of something else.

9. Okay, so I'm pretty sure your best seller spell is Silver Springs. Correct me if I'm wrong, but how do you come up with the names of your spells, and how do you, like, integrate it with, all the herbs, the candle colors, etc.

So, because I have mostly water placements, I feel so much more because I just love fiction, like the Silver Springs one, obviously, it's like, what at this point? like, everybody knows it went platinum in my bedroom, I guess, like I would listen to it sometimes once, and then I have the same thing with Stassi for moonlight and sage, where she gets like dreams, like spells, and I would get that exact same thing where, like, before I go to sleep, as I'm like, entering like sleep state, It just starts, like bursting, like all of the herbs and then, sometimes whenever I'm watching, for example, right now, I'm watching, like, Vanilla Mace, and then she says something like, ‘Damiana’. Like, okay, that's a sign. Let me take that. 

But I also do ask my cards about it. And I ask, ‘what do you think about this spell? Like, are you actually telling me to do this spell?’, and then with the colors and everything else, I just keep thinking, okay, so what is it in the lyrics that is important to this certain spell, or like this spell? And it's a lot about, you know, like, Silver Springs feel like, whenever you see that specific video of Stevie [Nicks] and [Lindsey] Buckingham –he is just so, like, focused on her; so she's the star. So that's one part of the spell, and then there's another part where it's just, like the thinking, and then there's another one, where it's the heart, so that's the progression of how I think of the title, the herbs, the candles, and then everything else. 

10. Yeah that makes sense. Like, utilizing all of your senses and your knowledge. How long has your journey with witchcraft been? 

So I guess, like, because I don't really remember when I started, it's just kind of like an on and off where because now that I'm not Christian. I'm just like, okay, so all of those moments in your life were those you opening yourself up to witchcraft, or did you, like, confuse it with Christianity? And I guess I would say that I have been a witch for six-seven years, give and take, because, like, I have always wanted to be a witch, like, even when I was young, even like Harry Potter, and I know, Christians don't like Harry Potter. My mom was like, Don't watch that instead –and I still watched it. I'm just like, I want to, I'm gonna be a witch, and I'm already a witch, so I guess, yeah, like, that closet part really is me in my own self, and me with my journals being like, I'm a witch, like, I cannot, like, it's something that I cannot grasp because it's so big and the only time that I feel comfortable is in my own bedroom. 

11. What advice would you have for other practitioners to feel confident in their practice?

So I guess, like, because witchcraft is such an individual thing for me, having, you know, my air and my water signs, and also growing up Filipino, it really takes a lot of putting your boundaries up first. Because, I have had so many friends, I have also been interviewing other witches for my artist visa. And I have had, like, so many of like, I've seen so many of their stories where they had to put their boundary up because most of them are sick, or most of them have been going through delays, which is completely understandable considering we have five Retrogrades, literally, right? And you know, like, for people to not understand boundaries is something that think people need to work on. And I am also, like, right now thinking of,. 

So I am also thinking of a bundle where for example, if someone is too anxious, whenever they get a spell from me, or whenever they're at rock bottom, where they're like, ‘I don't know what to do with my life anymore’, especially when it comes to, you know, like partners, significant others, and being broken up with I have like this, –I think you're the first person to hear about this–but it's a bundle where it helps with their healing, feeling motivated to seek medical help

because I always put that at the forefront of every new person that I talk to who's asking me for spells, since I have also gone through that same moment in my life. Where, for example, I got broken up with by my ex early this year, and I went through, like, such a shitty point in my life, and that was also when I started being like, You know what?  I have so much autonomy in my life that it kind of pushed me forward. So, like, I always tell people if you are going through something–spells shouldn't be the only thing that helps, so I'm going to help you. I have this bundle where it has like healing and like motivation and then, like a money spell so that they can have money to be able to pay for their medical help. But I guess, that’s like a boundary for the client. Because if I'm putting that boundary for myself, I think they should also put that for themselves. 

And also people who are telling me, this is the last of my money; and I'm always telling them, don't spend it on me unless it's a money spell –yes, we can do that, but if it's for someone else, put yourself first. They can wait. They will always come back. But especially in this economy, think of yourself first, because finances are hard to get, and everything is so expensive. 

12. Through your content what is the message that you want to come across to your audience

like to care for yourself in the way that you would want your future self to care for you. I have always been a fan of Paramore and Haley Williams, and, you know, like, also with my music –I forgot to mention this, but I have my album, like, re released that was my way of saying, “I don't want to keep being like a victim of my own circumstances and of other people's projections” and so for me, my album was the spell. Now that I'm thinking about it, because of being an Air sign it’s like, let me translate spells through words and music and being able to care for yourself is a lot about like, Knowing that you do deserve the things that you want and like.

I've had so many people message me and be like, No, I probably deserve to be broken up with and stuff like that, or I deserve to be broke right now, and I'm just like, No, you don't though. And I've interviewed so many witches about this too, where their own clients have also told them that, ‘I deserve this and that and no, like, the world is unjust.’ It's unfair, especially in this moment and in this time everybody is going through something. And when everyone is going through so many different things in their own lives, the only person that you are going to have is yourself. And like especially when I manifested, coming from the Philippines to here, I was the one who did that, because as much as my parents wanted to help –they couldn't. So I had to look for people who can help me. I had to, you know, like, ask and be assertive with what I want. So I guess, that's why I call myself “the local no BS witch” is to not sugarcoat stuff right now, and also with the Retrogrades, I feel so much more assertive, and this sad season is just pushing me. And it's just like, Stop putting yourself in a box. It's like comfort, comfort can only take you so far, because especially with my Jupiter in Cancer, and whenever I read my cards about it, they always tell me, open yourself up, because you like being comfortable, and I do. But whenever I open myself up, it's still so uncomfortable, but knowing that I'm doing it for myself and it’ll boomerang back to me and feeling that balance and that reciprocity, makes it easier.

I think, honestly, that's such a real way to look at it. It's like when I think of manifestation, I still have troubles manifesting, but I always go back to like, Okay, I don't want to…think down on myself. So I'm gonna hope that this works.