For Mystic McKenzie, becoming a professional tarot card reader was a journey of self-discovery and spiritual exploration. Growing up in a religious Southern family shaped her early experiences. Later, finding the freedom to explore her identity in Australia helped her embrace every part of herself and become the reader she is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Early signs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
McKenzie grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, surrounded by a big, loud Southern family whose love and encouragement helped shape her. Religion was also an important part of her upbringing. “We did grow up a little bit religious, maybe a little bit more than a little bit religious,” she said, describing her family’s faith with a touch of humor. “They are some of the most loving and encouraging people.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When McKenzie was 14, her mother passed away, leaving behind a lasting influence. “She was the brightest light in the room, just captivating. She was a professional ballerina,” McKenzie recalled. Her mother’s confidence and presence also shaped the way McKenzie learned to express herself. “She gave me a lot of permission as a child to be the biggest version of myself,” she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When she was young, McKenzie would look in the mirror, trying to gaze into the eyes of her future self. “And it wasn’t until about six years ago that I started to essentially do it back, now as an adult, communicating with young me,” she said. “For me, that was probably my earliest experience of feeling more aware of the thin veil and thread between the past, the present, and the future.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Finding space to grow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After completing yoga teacher training in Costa Rica, McKenzie felt ready to explore new sides of herself. “I wanted to be all the versions of myself that maybe I wasn’t allowed to be growing up.” She moved to Australia, where being far from home offered the freedom to change and grow without worrying about others’ expectations. “It was that safe space of distance that gave me the ability to deepen into a lot of parts of myself.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Around that time, McKenzie also began exploring tarot. Once she arrived in Australia, she used some Christmas money to buy her first deck. “…I went straight to the crystal shop and bought this big, beautiful, The Wild Unknown tarot deck,” she recalled. She started by reading for herself before offering readings to her Instagram followers. Quickly, it became a regular part of her life. “I really just practiced it for about two years while being there,” she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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A family connection<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
After McKenzie became a professional tarot reader, her mother’s best friend from high school reached out to schedule a reading. During their conversation, McKenzie asked whether she’d ever had a tarot reading before. Her mother’s friend said, “…once, with your mother.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The revelation surprised her, given her mother’s religious upbringing. “Apparently, my mom would secretly have her tarot cards read by a neighbor with a regular playing deck of cards,” McKenzie explained. She had often wondered what sparked her own interest in tarot, making the discovery especially meaningful. She said, “…it just validated me so much to hear that it was her secret interest, so my mom is here with us now, and she’s here with me on this entire tarot journey.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For McKenzie, success is less about meeting traditional milestones and more about building a life where she can be fully herself. Expanding on this, she said, “Success to me is being able to live within my means and my terms and my authenticity. Where I get to be me every day, and I feel celebrated, valued, and respected for being who I am.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n