Today we’d like to introduce you to Stefanie Johnson.
Hi Stefanie, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Where Elevated Whispers Began:
Elevated Whispers did not begin as a business plan. It began as a spiritual return to self. After years of caring for my father through his decline and death, I found myself in a raw and tender place. I was grieving, exhausted, and trying to understand who I was after so much loss.
Tarot had always been a place of comfort and truth for me. In 2018, I began a practice I call The Year of Tarot, where I read month by month for the year ahead. That practice became more than a reading. It became a spiritual rebuilding. Through tarot, intuition, and energy work, I began reconnecting with the deepest parts of myself. My intuitive and psychic awareness became stronger, and I started to understand that the world we are taught to trust is often built on illusion, structure, and limitation.
The energy realm became the place that felt most true. I realized that guidance is always present if we are willing to listen. At one point, I made a promise to myself and to my guides: If you open a door, I will walk through it.
The Door to Astoria
In August 2021, we visited Astoria and remembered that 15 years earlier, we had once been drawn to living here. Then our son said something simple and powerful: “Well, why can’t we?” That question became a doorway.
Within 60 days, we sold our home in Milwaukie and made an offer on a house in Astoria. That move felt guided. It was not something we forced. It was something that opened. Astoria has always felt like a place where the veil is thinner. The fog, the river, the old buildings, the history, and the energy of the town all carry a kind of magic.
From Tarot Table to Boutique
Before I knew it, I was reading tarot at the farmer’s market. Then came the Practical Magic event, which opened another door into community, creativity, and public magic. Along the way, I met wonderful people who supported and encouraged my energy work.
At first, I imagined maybe someday I would have a store after I retired from my full-time work. But the spiritual world does not follow timelines the way the practical world does. When the energy moves, it moves. The next thing we knew, we were negotiating space for what would become Elevated Whispers Boutique & Tarot Readings.
Elevated Whispers has become more than a shop. It has become a place of renewal for our family. My spouse, who I lovingly call our Chief Enchantment Officer, began his own process of reconnecting to himself within these walls. Just as tarot helped me rebuild in 2018, the store has become a space where he is opening to new possibilities, new creativity, and a deeper connection to the energy realm. Our son joins us on Sundays and brings so much love and support to what we are building. This is not just a business. It is a family stepping into magic together.
The name Elevated Whispers reflects how guidance often comes to us. It is not always loud. It does not always arrive as a dramatic sign. Sometimes the most powerful truth comes softly, through a whisper, a feeling, a symbol, a dream, a card, or a moment we cannot explain.
Our work is about helping people hear those whispers and trust them.
Elevated Whispers is designed to feel like stepping into a witch’s home. It is immersive, layered, symbolic, and filled with pieces that carry story and energy. Everything in the store has been chosen because it feels spiritually connected in some way. Some items are obviously mystical, like tarot decks, oracle cards, candles, charms, ritual tools, and spell work items. Others may not seem spiritual at first glance, but they still carry energy, memory, meaning, and magic.
Tarot is real to me in the same way sacred texts are real to others. For some people, guidance comes through prayer, scripture, meditation, nature, dreams, or signs. For me, tarot is one of the languages spirit speaks. The cards are a mirror. They reflect what we already know deep inside but may not yet have words for. Tarot does not take power away from people. It gives power back by helping them access their higher self and energic beings that guide our path.
The mission of Elevated Whispers is to help people reconnect with their internal power. Witchery, to me, is not about darkness. It is about remembering the power we were taught to fear. It is about reclaiming intuition, honoring energy, listening to the unseen, and trusting the magic that lives within us. We are not here to tell people what to believe. We are here to create a space where people can explore what feels meaningful, mystical, healing, and true to them.
Astoria is not just where Elevated Whispers is located. Astoria is part of the spell. This town holds mystery, history, creativity, and a beautiful sense of possibility. The fog, the water, the old houses, the films, the stories, and the people all create a place where magic feels natural. Elevated Whispers belongs here because Astoria already feels enchanted.
We hope people feel welcomed, whether they are lifelong seekers or simply curious. We hope they feel seen, not judged. We hope they leave feeling lighter, clearer, and more connected to themselves. We hope they remember that magic does not have to be separate from everyday life. It can live in a tarot card, a candle, a movie, a memory, a piece of jewelry, a conversation, or a quiet moment of knowing.
Elevated Whispers came from grief, intuition, courage, and a willingness to walk through the doors spirit opened. It became a boutique, a tarot parlor, a family journey, and a community space.
At its heart, Elevated Whispers is about this truth: If you believe in the magic, it is real. And if you listen closely, the whispers will guide you home to yourself.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Surprisingly, the road to Elevated Whispers has been rather easy, but not because it was without fear. It has been filled with anxious moments, self-doubt, and more than a few “What am I doing?” conversations with myself.
At one point, I was signing my name on a lease before I had fully defined what kind of store it would be or what products would fill the shelves. I am fairly certain I would have failed any Business Ownership 101 class. I did not always have answers to the basic, practical questions people naturally ask when opening a business.
But I have learned that sometimes the answers have not arrived because they have not been shown yet.
This journey has been less about forcing a plan and more about following the path as it appeared. Each time a door opened, I had to decide whether I had the courage to walk through it. And every time I did, the right people, resources, direction, and opportunities seemed to appear exactly when they were needed.
From my first public tarot readings, to pitching the pink tent at the farmers market, to opening the doors of Elevated Whispers Boutique & Tarot Readings, it has all unfolded naturally. Even when I did not understand how the pieces were connected, the roads eventually met.
So, no, it has not always been smooth in the traditional sense. There has been uncertainty, vulnerability, and trust required at every step. But spiritually, it has felt guided. The struggle has been learning to release the need to know everything in advance and trust that the next piece of the path would reveal itself when it was time.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Elevated Whispers Boutique & Tarot Readings is a spiritual boutique, tarot reading space, and magical gathering place. We offer tarot, oracle, and rune readings, intuitive guidance, ritual tools, candles, charms, decks, books, vintage treasures, and items that help people reconnect with their own sense of magic and meaning.
At the heart of my work is energy. I specialize in intuitive and energy work, using tarot as one of the languages spirit speaks through. To me, tarot is not about predicting doom or taking away someone’s free will. It is a mirror. It helps people hear what their soul already knows. My readings are meant to be empowering, reflective, and grounding. I want people to leave feeling more connected to themselves, not dependent on me.
What makes Elevated Whispers different is that it was not created from a traditional business model. It evolved through healing, grief, intuition, and spiritual connection. Every part of the store has meaning. Everything we bring in is selected because it carries energy, story, beauty, usefulness, or a feeling of connection. Some of it is traditionally witchy, and some of it is rooted in nostalgia, film, folklore, or the magic of everyday life.
In my other life, I have a full-time career in state service, focused on administering essential and critical services that help keep Oregonians healthy and safe. Before Elevated Whispers, I probably would have said I was most proud of my career in social services and the work I have done there. That work still matters deeply to me.
My spouse also brought a very different life path into this journey. His career was in selling and servicing industrial batteries for forklifts and heavy equipment, which is about as practical and grounded as it gets. And yet, within the walls of Elevated Whispers, he has also begun reconnecting with his own creativity, spirit, and sense of possibility.
What I am most proud of now is living an authentic life. I am proud that we had the courage to follow the doors that opened, even when we did not fully understand where they were leading. I am proud that our son is part of this journey with us, and that this has become a place of renewal for our family.
What sets us apart is that Elevated Whispers is not just a shop. It is an experience. It is part boutique, part tarot parlor, part witch’s home, part love letter to Astoria, and part invitation for people to trust their own inner knowing. We are not here to tell people what to believe. We are here to create a space where people can explore, feel seen, and remember that magic is real when they are willing to recognize it.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My advice for finding mentors or networking is to pay attention to the people who make you feel expanded, not smaller.
For me, the most meaningful connections have not come from formal networking. They have come from following the energy of the path I was already on. When I began reading tarot publicly, showing up at markets, participating in community events, and saying yes to opportunities that felt aligned, the right people seemed to appear.
I have been very fortunate to meet people who opened doors, shared wisdom, offered encouragement, and helped me see possibilities I may not have recognized on my own. Some of those people were business owners, artists, event organizers, healers, or simply community members who believed in what we were creating.
What has worked well for me is being genuine and willing to be vulnerable. You have to be willing to not have all the answers. You have to listen, receive what is meant for you, and allow guidance to come from unexpected places.
I do not think networking has to feel transactional. It can simply be relationship-building. Show up with curiosity. Listen. Support other people’s work. Say thank you. Follow through. Be willing to learn. Be willing to ask questions, even when you feel like you should already know the answer.
I also believe mentorship does not always come from one official mentor. Sometimes guidance comes through many people, each offering one piece of the map. One person may help you with business. Another may help you trust your creativity. Another may help you understand your community. Another may simply remind you that you are capable.
In the end, you can receive wonderful guidance, but if you do not trust yourself or if you are not willing to accept some risk, nothing new can truly manifest. The guidance may open the door, but you still have to be the one willing to walk through it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ElevatedWhispers.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elevatedwhispers/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ElevatedWhispers
