Dani Sage

Can you start by telling us a little about yourself?
I'm Dani Sage, modern mystic, tarot and Human Design Chart reader, crystal enthusiast, and the owner of the Good Vibes Hive, a metaphysical boutique in Columbus, Ohio.

What does being spiritual mean for you?
Being spiritual to me means understanding that everything around me (seen and unseen), is made up of the same energetic frequencies as me, and treating those things with the compassion, empathy and care that I want to be treated with. It also means going through life with a curious outlook, seeing everything as an opportunity for growth and transformation, and caring for my community.

What are some ways you incorporate magic into your everyday life?
I try to incorporate magic into every little thing I do! When working with magic it's important to have an intention (ex: I want more abundance in my life) and I try to weave whatever intention I'm working on throughout my day. Every morning I start by thinking of three things I'm grateful for before I even get out of bed. As I brush my teeth I repeat in my head "I speak with the clarity and confidence that moves me closer to my goals". When I make my coffee I stir it and "program" it with my intention for the day. Every time I spend money during the day I say "Every dollar I spend comes back to me with friends!". Those are all super easy things I know I can do every day with little effort. Then of course I have my magical tools like picking out a crystal to put into my pocket for the day that aligns with my intention, and pulling tarot cards.

How do you reclaim your energy? How do you prioritize self care?
Self care is a big priority for me. Since I work so closely one on one with people, it's important that I'm always refilling my cup. Baths are a huge self care practice for me. Once a week I fill my bath up with water and a LOT of epsom salts, like ocean water salty levels of epsom salts. Magnesium is an important element within our bodies for our nervous system, and muscles. When we do any kind of psychic or metaphysical work we burn up lots of magnesium. There's also a study by the Cleveland Clinic that epsom salt baths help stabilize mood and relieve stress, anxiety and depression. I elevate this practice even more by adding essential oils, lighting incense and candles, and putting on a high vibe playlist while I soak for an hour. This weekly practice is non-negotiable.

What does it mean to explore our spiritually in an ethical and socially conscious way?
Not all spiritual practices and tools are for everyone to use. White sage for example, is an important ceremonial plant for rituals in many Indigenous cultures and is a "closed practice" (meaning if it isn't part of your culture, it's not meant for you, and using it would be cultural appropriation). Not only that, white sage is being over-harvested, and poached to the point of being endangered, oftentimes by individuals whose labor is being exploited. If the tools and rituals you are using are harming, exploiting, or appropriating another human, or the environment, I find it hard to believe they're going to bring any kind of positivity into your life, no matter what your intentions were. In the age of the internet it's so easy to make sure your practices are ethical with a quick Google search!

What would be a good starting place for beginners looking to dive into their inner, magical selves?
Just start exploring whatever you're feeling called to! There are so many tools and practices under the umbrella of magic! Astrology, Human Design, crystals, the moon, plant magic, tarot, spellwork, etc. If you find yourself drawn to crystals, start there! Find yourself some trusted, diverse voices to follow on social media, or listen to their podcasts. Buy or check out books on the subject. But let yourself be a beginner! There's a lot of info out there and it can be overwhelming if you start out thinking you're going to be an expert on all magical things as soon as you start!

Can you explain the Human Design chart? What insight can someone expect to gain from having theirs done?
Human Design is essentially a “user guide” on how to work with your unique energetic blueprint. The system is a combination of old and new modalities like Astrology and chakras, with quantum mechanics. This combination of modalities and science creates a self-awareness tool that teaches us how we're designed to utilize our energy, interact with the world around us.

Your personal Human Design chart (calculated using your birth date, time, and location) gives you specific information on your gifts, energy, motivations, wisdom, vulnerabilities & more. Your chart teaches you how you are uniquely designed to utilize your energy, interact with the world, and work with your inner guidance system. It provides you with the practical tools to live in alignment.

Learning and applying the principles of your unique chart can help you let go of conditioning and patterns that are not serving you, and allow more ease, flow and trust into your life. If you love meaning-making systems like myers-briggs, and enneagram, but also can’t pass up checking your horoscope app every day, Human Design might be for you!

What do you think are some of the biggest misconceptions or myths you continue to hear about the mystical world?
There are so many! One I hear a lot is that you can't buy your own tarot deck, it has to be gifted to you. I'm not sure where this came from but it's not true! There are a lot of kind of "gate-keeping" rules out there that feel really disempowering, or designed to keep people confused. On the other side you have people who think any sort of metaphysical tools or practices are dangerous and demonic.

What is something you’ve learned throughout the years that you think everyone should learn at some point?
Everyone is intuitive. I think people think it's either a gift you have or you don't, but really it's like a muscle everyone has, that you just need to connect with and train.

On the reverse, what is something that you have had to unlearn? Is it something society imposes on us or something you had always told yourself?
That logic is more important than intuition. I think society puts so much weight on measurable or concrete concepts and intuition gets mocked and disregarded. It's important to have a balance of both, but so often we just completely ignore our intuition because "I have a bad feeling about this" isn't good enough reasoning in society.

What are your goals for the future? What are you looking forward to?
Right now I'm just enjoying where I am! I recently moved the Good Vibes Hive into a larger space and that's been so great. It has opened up more opportunities to have events to connect with and support my community, and I'm just excited to see where that goes!

What message would you get on a custom Ryan Porter piece?
"You are the magic!"