The ineffable Queen of Chaos

Today I want, nay, need to beam some love to the marvellous Kelly-Ann Maddox. If you have never heard of Kelly-Ann, you’re in for a treat! Stop reading this now and pop over to her YouTube channel. I suspect I’ll be losing you to her magnificent repertoire of videos on diverse topics including self-love, witchcraft, tarot, chaos magick, personal growth, mental health and many more…. Hopefully you’ll come back and finish reading this blog… eventually! 😉

As a scientist, honouring and giving recognition for another’s intellectual property is incredibly important to me, so I want to clarify the ways in which I have been influenced by Kelly-Ann.

Have you ever thought you came up with a novel idea or invented something, only to discover someone else not only has a similar idea, but theirs is perhaps more developed, well-researched and nuanced? This has happened to me time-and-time-again with Kelly-Ann over the years. In truth, I’d discovered a cosmic soul sister on the interwebs.

It is not that the similarities between my craft and Kelly-Ann’s are indicative of borrowing or repurposing of her wisdom, because that is simply not true. However there certainly have been some areas where she has had an amazingly positive influence on my journey.

I embraced tarot and witchcraft in my teens, learned about Jungian shadow work through my bachelors degree in psychology, and chaos magick I discovered though the works of Peter J. Carroll and Phil Hine. Thus, I was already a tarot reader, shadow worker and chaos practitioner when I discovered Kelly-Ann, indeed that’s why I discovered her – I’d been skimming the web for resources to grow my path and I stumbled upon her channel, which was chock-a-block full of wisdom on topics that were right up my witchy alley.

To see another chaote, living her calling with openness and authenticity has been truly inspiring for me. This is one of the major ways that Kelly-Ann has influenced my growth: after a veritable lifetime of feeling self-conscious about my craft, she helped me leap out of the broomcloset with joyful abandon. In addition, her amazing resources have helped me embrace a journey of self-love, pulled me out of some dark places, helped me manage my self-harm and mental health and most importantly made me realise that I am not alone.

It is a truly wonderful thing to discover that you’re not alone in your ideas, spiritual practise and craft!

“Cardslinger”

Kelly-Ann coined the term “cardslinger.” The word is becoming a staple in the tarot world (especially on Instagram) and I have found it creeping into my own vernacular. At first I tried to avoid using the term – it felt “wrong” to me as I’ve seen so many others take this word and claim it, passing it off as their own creation, and I didn’t want to be complicit.

I don’t know how Kelly-Ann feels about people using the word without giving her credit (I’m sure she’s far more gracious than I), but I know how I would feel: a little bit annoyed at the least and outright enraged at worst.

Out of respect for Kelly-Ann, I try to keep my use of the word to a minimum. However, I have been finding myself using it more frequently. As such I wish to express, loud and clear, that I do not claim to have any ownership of the word “cardslinger.” It is yet another wonderful product of the glorious Kelly-Ann Maddox. Plain and simple.

I think utilisation of the word “cardslinger” is only going to increase, in no small part due to how it perfectly captures how tarot readers feel about their vocation, all the while conjuring up a humorous image of you pulling a deck of cards out of a holster and firing out “cosmic answers.”

Hilarious. Badass. Fucking cool.

A heartfelt recommendation

I have made use of many of Kelly-Ann’s services – her spiritual counselling / mentorship, her online courses, tarot reading, e-zines and her paid and free video resources. I can wholeheartedly recommend her as a counsellor, mentor and tarot reader. I am even comfortable recommending the services of hers that I am yet to make use of, because I just know they’ll be excellent. If you are looking for someone who offers any of these services, check out her website. I’m sure there’ll be something there for you!

Kelly-Ann has a wealth of wisdom, is a shining star of hope and healing, and a sheer esoteric, intellectual powerhouse – and I suspect her influence on the witchy world is only just beginning!

Thank you, darling Kelly-Ann, for all you do – you are an absolute blessing to this world! (Psssst… I can’t wait for your book, babe!)