Jasmin Alejandrez-Prasad, also known as Esoteric Esa, is an intuitive mystic and conscious content creator. She embodies the modern spiritual Latina through her work in numerology, tarot reading, an award-winning podcast, workshops, and more. A conversation with Esoteric Esa can be found below where we discuss her journey, decolonizing our spirituality, dismantling negative misconceptions, and empowerment for women through astrology.
The Journey
How were you lead to the path you are in today as an influential leader in the astro/psychic community?
My journey began when I realized during my spiritual awakening that there weren’t any Latinx leaders in the esoteric world—no one to help us through the stigma of our spirituality and our ancestry. I had always been torn up between living in a home that was largely influenced by Catholicism. Then also, being largely influenced by my grandmother, who was a spiritualist. She was a psyche, tarot reader – a bruja.
It’s kind of living this paradox of wanting to explore that more. I took it upon myself to destigmatize the negative misconceptions of what we call the occult arts. In reality, we are so deeply ingrained in our ancestry. That has led me to this journey of decolonizing my spirituality. That is what I want to help people with. It’s not so much about receiving praise or recognition but more so helping us POC ascend spiritually. It’s deep liberation work we’re all doing now.
Decolonizing
People of color were shamed for practicing astrology or esoteric arts for so long. Now, that it’s mainstream and Caucasian people have led the movement, how have you dealt with this systematic oppression?
It’s interesting that you bring that up and thankful you did. When it comes to astrology and esoteric studies (numerology, divination, and tarot) we always look for the white voice for credibility. Often times, in mainstream media we’re only seeing the white spiritualists. There needs to be more recognition of Black and Brown Spiritual Leaders in media and publishing. They need to be included in discussions that surround our indigenous medicine. I think it has a lot to do with – specifically talking about our community and Latinx – getting comfortable with deconditioning the colonized spirituality through religion. How that agenda was pushed through colonizing our ancestors.
Until we can get comfortable with working past the fear of brujeria and divination. Then, how can we expect anyone else to include us as a leading voice in this conversation? It’s really up to us to start working through those fears. I see that happening a lot in the collective. I’m so excited and enthusiastic to see our community finally taking charge of their spirituality, past their fears, and conditioning. It doesn’t happen overnight but it is this big momentum happening – especially with the millennials. I am so proud of seeing that in the Latinx community.
How can we navigate away from the negative narrative we learn about the esoteric arts such as astrology, numerology and tarot cards to name a few?
We let Hollywood largely influence narratives for all genres and particularly minorities and people of color. Brujeria, astrology, and divination have largely been influenced by the Hollywood narrative. In my humble opinion, all that is created to separate us from spirit, from our own soul work and our spirituality. This work we are doing right now of dismantling the negative misconceptions around divination and astrology and spirituality. Changing that conditioning of “well it’s demonic,” into understanding it’s another aspect of us tapping into our connection with a source – with God. This is such powerful knowledge that has been kept from particularly communities of color (Latinx, Black, and African American communities).
Even with Santería or Hoodoo work because it is a form of systematic oppression. In religion, we are taught to praise a white savior and eliminate color from our spirituality. That is a form of systematic oppression. It’s a form of keeping us away from discovering our inner divinity and reclaiming our power. How do we restrict power from people? We do it by creating confusion and creating false narratives.
I would recommend starting to talk to your elders or doing research. Have that conversation with family. That tía that was into brujeria or tio who was a curandero and ask more. Start asking for their stories. Their stories are our stories, and they’re part of our liberation work. We have to take advantage of the precious time we have left with our elders. Start doing the investigative work ourselves and who better than from the mouth of our own ancestors.
Self-Empowerment Through Astrology
How can astrology help women with self-empowerment and self-mastery?
It can help women so much with understanding our inner-abilities and strengths – particularly through our natal charts. I love to look at astrology and numerology from a form of where my opportunities are. Not necessarily our weaknesses. I don’t like to call it weaknesses, but where are my opportunities? Meaning – where is the karmic work I need to do? Where is the shadow work I need to do? Where are the opportunities on a soul level that I can choose to transcend and work on these soul patterns to help me?
Not only to personally ascend but break generational curses and break our trauma. Astrology and numerology tell us a lot about our karmic energy and soul patterns we’ve incarnated multiple times trying to “pass the test or lesson.” Natal charts are incredibly powerful to look at if we want to identify strengths, innate abilities, and shadow work. Numerology is equally potent. It is an unhidden language.
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