Meet Jenny Calabro | Witch, Oracle & Reiki Master Teacher

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jenny Calabro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jenny, do you have a favorite quote or affirmation?
“Just for today.” This is actually the first Reiki Gokai (precept) composed by Usui-sensei as a core part of Reiki teachings. As simple as it may seem, when I first learned this it resonated deeply with me. It is something I try to reflect on daily becoming almost an affirmation in my personal day-to-day life. How it was taught to me is that when we say “just for today” we bring ourselves back to the present, the here and now, reminding ourselves what is within our power within this moment. It reminds us to not only be mindfully present but it is also a reminder to be present without anger or fear of the “what if’s”. It may be ironic for me to say, as someone whose business offerings revolve around different forms of divination, but I often tell my clients that I am not fortune telling or predicting the future. We are focusing on heart centered guidance needed in the present moment to better navigate the path ahead. Ruminating on the what if’s, worrying about possibilities that had not even happened yet, was once a struggle for me. When I first learned the Reiki Gokai I had just been forced to step away from my previous 6 year long career and was preparing to undergo my first major surgery for my invisible chronic illness, Endometriosis. I was in a state of constant worry about all the possible scenarios while being uncertain of my future. So being able to tell myself “just for today” helped ground me back into myself, back into what was within my personal power in the present moment. It was as if by saying these words, I had called back my personal power & energy.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My small business, Fantasma Witch, provides heart centered trauma informed guidance to others through my creative intuitive perspective via tarot, palmistry, dream interpretation & Reiki. While I am a Reiki Master Teacher, my preferred title for the majority of the services I offer would be “Witch” or “Oracle”. Unlike what most folks believe, I am not a “fortune teller” and I do not predict the future as our fate is truly within our own hands. Instead I provide heart centered, trauma informed guidance with the use of divination tools such as tarot. How I like to describe it to folks is that I am an interpreter, I simply provide the guidance that the universe (or whatever you want to call it) has for you. Consider it like asking a loved, one who knows you really well, for guidance; they will tell you what you need to hear but not always what you want to hear. Previously, I had worked in animation as a character designer starting in 2016. Shortly after I graduated college and started working in the animation industry, I began having mysterious health complications. It was not until 2021 that I was finally diagnosed with Endometriosis as the root of my chronic pain/ illness. I was told that my body simply could no longer endure the strain that being an artist in the animation industry demanded of me and as such was forced to step away from my dream career as a visual storyteller. But despite the grief of no longer being an artist, I still had my small side business of being a tarot reader, so I decided to dive deeper into it. Much like my art, I had been intuitively practicing different forms of divination (such as tarot and dream interpretation) since I was a child. Also similarly to my passion for art was my passion for divination and all things “witchy”. Around the same time I began working in animation I also started offering readings to people outside of my small circle of friends, trading readings for lunch or coffee slowly building into having a small clientele. My deep understanding & education of visual storytelling along with my artistic intuition, allowed me to provide a unique deeper insight into my practice as a reader. Because of my forced leave from animation, due to my invisible disability, I started to dive deeper into building up my services as a witch into a small business. My journey has been a long and exhausting one but I am proud of how far I have come on my healing journey which has led me to start getting serious about my small business. Despite the grief and uncertainty that my invisible disability had caused, I learned that I am so much more than just my title as an artist & I am more than just my chronic illness. I still have so much to give and seeing folks light up or even have an emotional release from a session has been the affirmation that I needed to reassure me that I am more than capable. I am proud to raise awareness about Endometriosis through the work I do as well as through my art. I am proud to be a witch who can provide peace of mind & guidance for others so that they may better navigate times of uncertainty.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
It may be cliche as a witch to say this but I adore Halloween and as such this means that I love Burbank aka Halloween Town! Burbank has so many wonderful antique shops along with oddity stores, halloween shops, and even witchcraft supply shops! The Mystic Museum is fantastic for fans of horror, Halloween, oddities & witchcraft- I even give weekly readings there! For cafe lovers with a taste for pleasing aesthetics as well as an inclusive welcoming space, The Palm is a must (my personal fave is the Endless Summer). For my fellow book nerds I would have to stop by Alexandria II for all my witchy books & Vromans for a wide assortment of books (both located in Pasadena). I could literally spend ALL day at these two book shops alone! For a fun evening bar night I always enjoyed going to Tony’s Darts Away in Burbank for tasty beer and vegan food (for those of us with health restricted diets). And for a delicious hearty meal, Summer Buffalo offers some of the tastiest Thai food in a small cozy location!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First & foremost my husband Cole Harrington who has supported me through my artistic career into my new current small business. He has been there to assist me in navigating my disabilities and the grieving that came with it. He has always supported me, encouraging me to be who I have always been at heart on my journey towards reclaiming the title of “witch”. My teachers/ mentors Lindsay Mack & Toby Ameson. Lindsay Mack, who helped me to go from the person who intuitively used tarot since the age of 12 to becoming a professional heart centered, trauma informed soul tarot reader. And Toby Ameson who taught me Reiki but more importantly taught me that even folks like myself who struggle with anxiety, PTSD, & chronic illness/ pain can do this beautiful healing work without fear.

Website: https://fantasmawitch.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fantasmawitch/

Other: Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@fantasmawitch