- Rhonda Roberts, 49, from Adelaide, SA left her job to follow her dreams
- Soon after she opened up a school for witches
- She loves sharing her talents with others
Here she shares her story in her own words.
Sneaking up behind my dad, Arthur, then 32, I tried to pluck a hair from his head.
‘Ouch!’ he cried, spinning around. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Nothing,’ I replied innocently.
Aged eight, I was fascinated by witchcraft and magic.
While other girls my age played with dolls, I was out collecting feathers, shiny stones and herbs, convinced I could make potions like Madam Mim, the witch in the Disney movie, The Sword in the Stone.
Dad had a bad cold, and I’d decided to heal him with a spell using one of his hairs.
I hadn’t managed to grab it, but I performed the spell anyway, writing a little wish asking for his recovery, then throwing it into the fireplace.
To my delight, Dad was better the next day!
I also loved to ‘heal’ plants.
Using my pocket money, I’d buy half-dead ones from the supermarket and wave my hands over them, sending them positive energy.
‘That’s fantastic, Rhonda,’ my mum, Hilary, would say when they sprang back to life.
‘I often had premonitions.’
Once, our beloved cat Splodge went missing.
Two weeks later, I dreamed he was outside the front door.
Sure enough, when I woke up, there he was – cold, hungry and meowing to be let in.
After that, I often had premonitions.
As a teenager, I devoured every book I could find at the library on witchcraft and spells.
So when I later discovered that my great-great-grandmother Anne had been a well-known healer and white witch on the Isle of Man, near the UK, I wasn’t surprised.
Magic ran in my blood!
After school, though, life took a very different turn.
I began working in finance, and made my way up to bank manager.
‘I quietly practised magic on the side.’
Still, I quietly practised magic on the side.
If a friend was sick, they’d ask me to hold my hands above them to send healing energy.
It always seemed to help.
At 36, I moved from the UK to Australia with my daughter, Louise, then 16.
Keen to explore my spiritual side, I took a reiki course, and everything clicked into place.
As I channelled energy through my hands, I realised that’s what I’d been doing all my life.
So I set up a reiki business as a sideline and, after 25 years in banking, I decided it was time for a change.
In 2022, I left the corporate world behind to launch my healing company, Witch of the Woods Wellness.
Two years later, I opened the Adelaide Witch School from my home in the Adelaide Hills.
I converted part of my house into a classroom and healing room, where I now run workshops for up to six people.
I teach everything from a Witchcraft Foundation Course to Herbal Magic, Psychic Development and Chakra Healing.
My students love making their own charm bags and spell jars to take home.
My approach to witchcraft is that it’s about connecting with nature, understanding energy, and using herbs and intention to create change.
But I always remind students that magic must go hand-in-hand with real-world action.
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‘If you want a new job, I’ll help you with a spell, but you still need to apply for positions!’ I tell them.
Over the years, I’ve seen some amazing results.
‘I made my daughter pregnant!’
When my daughter Louise, then 24, and her partner Nick had been trying to fall pregnant without luck, I performed energy healing on her abdomen.
‘I made my daughter pregnant!’ I joke now, because soon after, she conceived.
Her son, Oliver, is now three, and her daughter, Calytrix is one.
Another time, I’d planned a workshop, but the day before I realised not one person had booked.
So I sat quietly, visualising a room full of eager faces.
By the end of the day, every spot was taken.
Many people come to me for help with business or money worries, when they’re trying to manifest their dream home – or when they’re trying to find their soulmate.
But I never do love spells as I believe in free will.
Once, while doing an energy reading, I sensed a shadow around a client’s head.
It turned out she had a brain tumour.
She later told me my insight encouraged her to see a doctor sooner than she would have otherwise.
It felt good to know how I’d played a part in prolonging her life, especially as often witches are stereotyped in books and films as evil characters.
‘I have a small black cauldron, a wand and a broomstick.’
At home, I surround myself with magical tools.
I have a small black cauldron for burning herbs, a wand I made from a tree branch to direct energy, and a broomstick called Esmerelda by my front door for protection – rather than for riding!
When I do spells to help people improve their finances, I place herbs around a candle, write an intention stating what the client is wishing for, and channel that energy into the universe.
During workshops, I wear a purple-hooded gown to add to the atmosphere.
For those seeking love, I recommend carrying a rose quartz crystal in your bag – or tucking one near your heart, in your bra!
READ MORE: I’m a witch – and I cast a spell on my ex!
When I decided I was ready to find love, I wrote a list of qualities I wanted.
Tall, dark and handsome, must be into motorbikes like me, spiritual, and with a lot of life experience, I jotted down in my notebook.
Soon after, I was matched online with Matt, a painter.
Matt was tall, dark and handsome and turned up for our first date in leathers, as he was a motorbiker too!
He was also spiritual and had a lot of life experience – we clicked straight away.
Now 50, he couldn’t be more supportive and loves what I do.
Today, my life couldn’t be more different from my old one behind a bank desk.
Friends who knew me as a banker sometimes joke about my ‘woo-woo’ business, but I don’t mind.
I’m grateful every day that I followed my heart – because life really is magical now!
