Characters such as Wanda Maximoff, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Ursula from The Little Mermaid have one thing in common ‒ they are all witches who demonstrate manipulative powers with bad intentions. While media representations of witches have often skewed towards the dark side, there are actually modern-day witches with pure hearts living among us.
One of them is Bambi, a 30-year-old Singaporean witch who helps others with her spiritual abilities such as casting spells and breaking hexes. Below, we spoke to her about her journey as a full-time witch, and how she has dealt with negative comments and stereotypes.
Just like how some of us wind up with jobs that are unrelated to our degrees, Bambi was a Political Science major from NUS, who initially planned to become an accountant. Her interest in witchcraft only developed when she was 25 years old, thanks to a friend who introduced her to tarot card reading after hearing about her experiences with the supernatural.
“I grew up being highly sensitive to seeing spirits at times, and having lots of dreams that I would journal,” Bambi shared. “These dreams would often manifest in real life coincidentally.”
Coincidence or not, it turned out that the females in her maternal family possessed similar abilities, and she was not alone in her supernatural journey.
Before her first encounter, Bambi hadn’t known about the skills her family possessed, and she consulted her mother about such supernatural happenings. Thankfully, her mother assured her what spiritual experiences were all about when she told her about them.
“I began to delve further because I’ve always been a curious person,” Bambi explained. “I studied books, and read up the works and rituals of traditional witchcraft practices.”
That interest transitioned to a business – over time, Bambi started a Carousell account, offering tarot card reading services as a side hustle.
Within two months of starting her tarot card reading service on Carousell, Bambi was shocked to learn that she made around $10,000. It turned out that her customers enjoyed the services, and began spreading the word to their friends.
Encouraged by her success, Bambi decided to shift her tarot card reading services to Etsy, an online marketplace, where she earned more than 1,000 5-star reviews from customers around the world. Additionally, she also expanded her services to spell casting and the sale of products such as candles and oils.
“I ended up quitting my day job as a GP and English tutor because I was overwhelmed by the number of orders,” Bambi recalled. “However, I was later banned from Etsy for sending out my customers’ orders late because I fell sick and had to be hospitalised.”
Fortunately, the closure of her Etsy store turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it meant Bambi could fulfil another dream – a physical store. She was able to open her first physical shop The Love Witch at Sim Lim Square, thanks to the lowered rental prices during the peak of the pandemic period.
Since the switch from being an educator to a full-time witch was never in Bambi’s plan, her friends and family were initially sceptical about her profession, yet they were also very keen to understand more.
“Most of them grew up with limited knowledge of witchcraft so I understood where they were coming from,” Bambi said. “They were curious to learn more about things that are considered outside the norm.”
“I love educating people about witchcraft,” Bambi elaborated. “It is not a scam, but rather a ritualistic and manifestation process through which people can engage and appreciate spiritual practices from different cultures around the world.”
Opening a shop is a huge milestone for most people, and it was no different for Bambi. Despite receiving a “positive sign from the divines through tarot card reading” to establish her physical shop, she lacked confidence in her new journey as a business owner.
“I tend to always expect the worst out of everything,” Bambi elaborated.
Her concerns were understandable, considering how she was new to running a business with employees. Just like any budding entrepreneur, it took her some time to establish a safe space between her employees and customers, and fully grasp e-commerce platforms to facilitate online sales.
Bambi also expanded her list of services to include casting spells, breaking hexes, and even teaching witchcraft through a 5-week crash course.
“My most expensive service is a $30,000 eternal curse spell,” Bambi spilled, “But I have yet to cast it on anyone.”
As a strong believer in karma, Bambi emphasises that she doesn’t want her customers to view witchcraft as a means to irrationally seek “revenge” on others. There were even instances when she had to reject customers, and explain to them her take on the various situations from an emotionally mature and intellectual standpoint.
“I had one customer who wanted to curse a woman to death for being a “third party” in her relationship,” Bambi recalled. “But after listening to her story and doing my own research, I concluded that her request seemed to stem from insecurity and jealousy. Instead of targeting the woman, she should have confronted her boyfriend.”
That aside, Bambi mentioned that her most popular services include tarot card readings and luck products. The latter even received many positive reviews on her website, with testimonials of how they have enabled her customers to become more fortunate in their lives.
Soon enough, her business took off “way better than [she] ever had expected”, and skyrocketed when she went viral thanks to interviews from several media publishers like MustShareNews.
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Thanks to the exposure to the public, Bambi catapulted her services to attract even more customers, eventually expanding her business to a 12-people team, and even opening a second outlet at Tanjong Pagar. To that, she shares that she’s “eternally grateful to the universe”.
However, no premonition would have prepared Bambi for what was next: copycat businesses.
“A lot of people came out of nowhere and called themselves “witches”, possibly because they thought that it was an “easier” way to work,” Bambi shared.
Rather than simply following the trend, Bambi advised aspiring witches to reflect on whether they have the dedication to commit to their spiritual missions. She emphasised the importance of meditation, constant self-reflection, and maintaining humility in their practice.
“Having a pure intention towards others is very important,” Bambi said. “If you only focus on the money, you will fall really quickly.”
Being at the top of her game, Bambi acknowledges the existence of competitors who try to undermine her. During our chat, she even laments that she’s “very sure that they have tried to curse [her]”, but she finds them futile because she believes that “the more good you do, the better protected you are”.
“What I sense more is evil eye energy, possibly from competitors or haters, and I protect myself with an evil eye necklace,” Bambi explained.
In contrast to the glitz and glamour of being a high-profile witch, Bambi also highlighted the hard work that takes place behind closed doors. This includes regularly cleansing her space, conducting weekly rituals to ward away evil energy, and dealing with unpleasant and negative comments online.
With an online presence of more than 52,000 followers on Instagram, Bambi has come to terms that it’s inevitable to receive mean comments from strangers she has never met before. Rather than giving attention to the haters, she doesn’t let what people say bother her, and laughs at their ignorance of witchcraft.
“These people often overlook the values I clearly express,” Bambi explained. “Most of them are close-minded people with limited cultural knowledge.”
She also finds it disrespectful when people dismiss her ritualistic practices as a scam because these practices are similar to those found in other cultures and beliefs.
“Those who label witchcraft practices a scam are often a reflection of themselves, and lack knowledge about other cultures,” Bambi elaborated.
Addressing another stereotype, Bambi revealed that people often expect immediate results from witchcraft, leading to the misconception of a high turnover rate. However, Bambi clarified that “witchcraft is just like other prayers in a religious place” ‒ it takes time for the desired outcome to happen.
“Witchcraft should be performed with respect and the intention of aligning with the moon phase and seeking the help of the universe or deities,” Bambi mentioned. As someone whose knowledge spanned broomsticks, cauldrons and black cats, to say I was intrigued by Bambi’s craft throughout our discussion was an understatement.
An unconventional career path like Bambi’s may raise the eyebrows of others. But if you’ve always been interested in joining the witching community, Bambi advises having a humble attitude and always having the intention to learn. It should never be the case where people dabble in witchcraft just because they perceive it as a lucrative business opportunity.
“A good spiritualist will always be a lifelong learner, and never claim that they’re superior to others,” Bambi highlights.
Currently, Bambi has an apprentice who assists her at her store by offering tarot card reading services to regular customers. While Bambi is content with her achievements, she plans to venture more into the artistic aspect of witchcraft rather than solely focusing on the business itself in the future.
“I find greater happiness and fulfilment in doing witchcraft as an art of expression, incorporating elements of fashion as well,” Bambi said.
With that in mind, Bambi plans to go wherever the universe takes her, and aims to spread positive awareness about the witchcraft and tarot movement not just in Singapore, but also globally.
Despite the negative connotation still attached to the term “witchcraft” in today’s conservative society, it remains as an unfamiliar topic among many Singaporeans. Bambi hopes to change this perception and enlighten others about her practice, eliminating the misconception that witchcraft is a scam.
If Bambi’s journey as a witch has piqued your interest in witchcraft, visit her online shop The Love Witch to learn more about her services and offers. Who knows, I might just consult her in the future if I need a lil’ higher power.
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