I might be happier living as a witch.
That's it, I'll become a witch.
It was relatively recently that I thought that.
Suddenly, as if struck by lightning, I was convinced that this was the way to live.
I have never been good with groups or organizations.
Even now, past thirty, that hasn't changed; it's not that I dislike working, but having to act according to company policies or a boss's instructions feels incredibly stifling and unbearable.
Because of that, I have continued to strongly desire to be on my own when it comes to labor.
Around the time I turned thirty, I thought about making that a reality and began preparing to achieve it.
Since I've loved beauty, such as cosmetics and skincare, since I was a teenager, I first studied cosmetics, passed the certification exam, and acquired enough knowledge to suggest products to others.
Also, as someone who has always loved writing, I decided to live as a blog writer who could share beauty knowledge.
However, I gradually became unable to maintain my motivation.
It started when I realized that correct knowledge doesn't apply to everyone.
If someone read my writing because they were in trouble, but I couldn't definitively save them, then there was no point in sharing it.
In that case, there was no reason it had to be me.
Information aimed at the masses can be found in abundance if you look a little.
I didn't want to be the 'excess' among that.
I cleanly gave up on the path of a beauty writer and roughly listed out what I want to try doing now.
Making my own cosmetics like lotions and serums
Learning about blending aromas, fragrances, and oils, and medical aromatherapy
Acquiring knowledge of herbs to blend herbal teas and sachets
Improving my understanding and accuracy of tarot and astrology
Deepening my knowledge of psychology
Learning about power stones and minerals
When I objectively looked at the person I wanted to become based on this, I thought, 'That's a witch.'
I thought for a moment about what a grown woman with a child was thinking, but I looked up how to become a witch half-jokingly.
Then, I found out that witches existed, I just hadn't known.
Witches living as modern witches were right there.
Exactly the kind of things I just listed.
They make it their job or hobby and live as witches.
Seeing that world, I thought, 'This is it.'
Witches intensely dislike being put into boxes and resist molds, pressure, and control.
They look at the world from a bird's-eye view, live freely without judging others, and each live their own way.
They are people who value being themselves.
It was the world I was seeking.
Until now, I have lived thinking of myself as a social misfit.
From the perspective of modern Japan, I would be a social misfit either way, but the existence of witches made me feel that such a way of life might be okay.
The more I researched witches, the more truly fascinating things I found written.
It's just that many people feel a sense of ominousness because of the literal meaning of the Japanese word 'majutsu' (magic), but it's not the kind of magic one imagines; originally, 'witch' referred to people with extremely rich knowledge of the human body, medicinal herbs, celestial bodies, etc., and they are people who have high spirituality and are not swayed by others.
Everything stimulated my sensibilities.
It matched what I have always thought about the world to a frightening degree.
I deeply empathized with the circumstances of the witches of that time.
I strongly felt that I, too, want to become a witch.
The story of when I awakened as a witch.
Thanks to learning about the existence of witches that day, I am now able to live as a modern witch, and my heart, which was always exhausted, has become so much lighter.
My feelings remain unchanged, and I will continue to live as a modern witch.
As a healer who can soothe many hearts.
In tune with the Age of Air, as a companion to help you walk forward on your own two feet with confidence.
I am steadily making preparations.
So that I can welcome the time when I can be close to your hearts as soon as possible.
Ashiru Otomizu