In Ashland, Kentucky, a small business is offering something rare in rural Appalachia: a space for holistic spiritual healing. Spiritual So Simple, founded by Sydney Stewart, offers intuitive readings, energy work, as well as specialty products. As a professional psychic medium and paranormal consultant, Sydney is making metaphysical support more accessible in a region where it hasn’t always been easy to find.
Sydney grew up not far from Ashland, “just in the hillside,” as she puts it. She spent much of her time with her grandfather, who was a card-carrying member of the Cherokee tribe, walking between the physical and spiritual worlds and talking with trees. He taught her ancient knowledge, like the spirit of the river, natural medicine, and the unseen energies that shape our lives.
“I’ve been psychic my whole life,” Sydney says. “And the way I grew up, it wasn’t discouraged.”
That early encouragement helped shape a lifelong mission to help others navigate hard times, grief and spirituality. Today, Sydney is a certified spiritual healing practitioner, a mindfulness coach, a speaker, a writer, among many other accolades. At her shop in the heart of downtown Ashland, which opened about a year ago, she provides a range of services like one-on-one or group psychic and past life readings, aura portraits, chakra balancing, tarot readings, and more.
“I’ve always felt the drive to help people and as a psychic medium, I receive the message I am supposed to give them in the moment and pass it along to them.”
As we talked, she described several powerful cases where she helped people reach closure and find ways of healing from things like miscarriages or other deaths of loved ones.
Word has quickly spread and Spiritual So Simple has become a destination with customers driving for hours to book with her or just check out the shop. Many clients are repeat customers, particularly for her psychic portrait art. For example, with her aura portraits, Sydney sketches the person and then spends several hours painting the aura that surrounds them, reading their energy with the colors revealing their energetic patterns, gifts, and blockages. She also provides a written interpretation to go along with the portrait. This extends beyond what most aura photographers offer, which are typically just generalized lists of colors and what they mean.
Sydney’s work reaches well outside Ashland. She collaborates with other paranormal investigation teams, like Bearfort Paranormal, to work on cases in places like New Jersey, Ireland, all the way to Australia. The goal of this work is to bring peace to people, whether it’s clearing homes of restless spirits or guiding souls into the afterlife. If people have questions about a spirit in their home that is negatively impacting them, Sydney offers consultations at no charge, because, as she says, “everyone should feel safe in their own space.”
The shop operates with this kind of care and integrity, which is something Sydney takes seriously in a region with deep religious roots. “I’m very inclusive and very careful about what we allow in the store. We honor where people are coming from, including members of traditional churches.”
That care extends into community partnerships. Sydney works with Pathways, a behavioral health organization that supports survivors of situations like domestic violence, and those in addiction recovery, which often refers people to her for holistic healing services and spiritual guidance.
“You used to have to ‘just know somebody’ to find this kind of help. I’m glad I have tools like my website, podcasts, and events to reach more people.”
The Mountain Association is proud to have supported Sydney with flexible financing and a project to work on her marketing strategy. She is currently focused on planning for her second annual Psychic Fair & Metaphysical Market of Appalachia, a Fall event focused on “granny magic,” handmade goods, and cultural traditions.
Looking ahead, Sydney is also writing a book on what she believes are the nine layers of the aura, extending beyond the seven layers commonly recognized.
Check out what she has to offer here: https://www.spiritualsosimple.com/
“Mountain Association has been a gamechanger and massive support network for my business.”
Sydney Stewart
