Safrianna Lughna shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Good morning Safrianna, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Over the last three years, I’ve recognized and accepted my soul’s calling—to step boldly into my identity as an author above all else.
It feels very tender and confusing to be so voraciously and unrelentingly hungry to write for a living. To allow it to fuel and sustain me? That feels almost impossible. But that’s exactly what I’m choosing now—to step fully into the pursuit of my craft, fear and all.
For over thirty years, I tried to play the idealized role of the good girl who did what I was told. That meant doing well in school, going to college, and getting a “real” job. I’ve had several of those—English Teacher, Trauma Therapist, and CEO of my own start up business. But there was no sense of genuine fulfillment, even as I bought my first home, went on gorgeous destination vacations, and had all the “stuff” I thought I needed.
Despite reaching what people told me over the years “success” looks like, I was dissatisfied.
No matter how I tried to fit myself into the molds offered to me by coaches, teachers, and well-meaning family members, I have never been able to step away from the dream of being a full-time author. Yet, I still had this hollow spot inside my heart because of the stories I was told by those authority figures. They convinced me being a writer was not a viable occupation and that it was better as a hobby, reiterating almost “no one makes it” as an author. With these messages reinforced over twenty-plus years, pursuing my dream felt out of reach.
The reality though? I am already an author, and I write almost daily. My biggest hurdle is my visibility! I reflected recently on my Substack that I’ve barely promoted the four books I’ve already published. I have no problem blogging about my relationship with writing and sharing it with the world (such a writerly thing to do). But I’ve always been too scared to really share my long-form work, to promote it and tell people they can buy it.
I feel that all shifting now. I’m being drawn to my writing in a way I’ve never felt before—being called forward powerfully by Spirit again and again. My ancestors, my guide team, my friends, and my chosen family are all cheering me on. “Write!” they say, and I’m finally listening.
Penning poetry, stories, essays, and articles is standing in the power of it being who I am and sharing my stories with the world is my dream. Writing gives me the most radical self-aligned joy. It is the work that lights me up—the activity my soul wants to do for myself first, above all else. Sharing my words in a bigger way? That’s what I’m called to do now.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Absolutely! In case we haven’t met, I’m Safrianna Lughna, the Queer-Spirit Guide—a licensed trauma therapist turned transformational mentor, international bestselling author, and Druidic priestess. My business is 50% counseling and guidance services, and 50% creative endeavors including music, meditation, podcasts, and, of course, books!
In my early thirties, I opened my own company. In my mid-thirties, I finally started publishing my own work. After contributing to several anthologies, I released a novel about pregnancy loss called Bumble Bees & White Balloons, and two poetry memoirs: Daddy’s Girl and A Woman’s Work—two halves of the same whole, masculine and feminine counterparts. Read together or apart, they share my journey through trauma and generational healing.
After co-founding Living LUNA, I was very focused on our brand identity and attaching as much of myself and my offers to the brand as possible—everything except my writing, which I kept under my name. Over time, though, I realized that even though Living LUNA is my company, it isn’t me. My brand still exists today as my publishing company and business entity, but I myself—and everything I do in the world—is ultimately my brand.
Standing in my power is the most important thing I can do these days. I’ve realized that I can’t stand fully in my power if I keep these two halves of myself separate or keep my voice small. I survived extreme childhood trauma, then escaped into domestic violence as an adult. As I mentioned, I became an English teacher, teaching middle schoolers critical thinking and self-expression through writing. When I realized I wanted to help them even more, I enrolled in graduate school to become a licensed clinical counselor. I later left teaching to become a trauma therapist full time where I specialized in helping fellow survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking. And I did this all while slowly unraveling the blockages around my own voice so I could express my story in the world.
Today, I still serve clients as a therapist. I also see clients all over the world as a coach or guide, using my signature S.E.A.S.O.N.S. framework to help them navigate the ebbs and flows of life. I still teach as well. I’m currently about a third of the way through the live recording of The Elements of Success, a series offering pragmatic self-care and life skills alongside elemental magic. It’s a show for spiritual entrepreneurs, queer leaders, and the burnt-out but magical. I also host The Shadow Side with Safrianna podcast which releases every other week.
Most excitingly, I’m launching The Wind Sings Sorrow—the first book in my Ter’Ahn’s Chosen speculative fiction series—onto more platforms while beginning the second novel.
What makes my work unique is that I bridge the clinical and the mystical. I understand trauma from both professional training and lived experience, and I refuse to separate the spiritual from the physical. My mission centers on helping people reclaim the parts of themselves they were told to hide—their sensitivity, their intensity, their magic—and transform those into their greatest assets. My books carry the same medicine as my guidance work—showing people that their wounds can become wisdom, their shadows can become strength, and their story can be their greatest gift.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
Before I moved away from upstate New York and ended up in a traumatizing grooming situation, I was a wild child.
I collected rocks, pressed flowers, and imagined myself on grand journeys in space. I had a beautiful relationship with unseen helpers—my guardian angels and guides. I was a very weird and alien little kid.
I spent as much time outside as possible laying on the ground or cuddling with my big maple tree—in snow, rain, and sun. I even wanted to be outside in the storms, though my parents usually wouldn’t let me. I made flower crowns and talked to the plants. I had only a few close friends, but I never felt alone because I knew I was beautifully connected with the planet and all living beings.
I lived to express myself. Once I started reading and writing, I fell in love with the power and magic of words.
Then I was told I needed to be so many things—the hardworking good girl, above all. Someone who contributed value to society. It became very obvious, very quickly, that only certain life paths were acceptable in the eyes of my “superiors.” Writing stories wasn’t one of them.
It’s taken decades to reclaim that childhood part of myself—the little Druid girl who lives mostly outside playing with plants and painting pictures in my head. I am finally embracing my bright-spirited self who loves to share words, tell stories, make people laugh, and move them to tears.
Not giving up on that wise inner child means I now get to live this beautiful life of whimsy, joy, and creative expression. That wild child is entirely free to express!
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Yes. Multiple times, in different ways.
As a child in unfortunately all too common traumatic situations—being abused and manipulated by a man I refer to as the Reaper—I found myself in very dark places, routinely questioning if I had any worth or if there was a point in living. Between ages nine and sixteen, I attempted suicide three times and failed each time.
As an adult, I battled with the traumatized parts of me for years, rejecting every facet of my childhood self. When trying to be creative, it brought with it the complexities of the Reaper’s grooming. When trying to be confident, I recalled how my no was never respected. When trying to find the sliver of self-esteem I’d buried, I found myself ruminating on why such awful things happened to me.
Unfortunately, until I was almost thirty, I continued riding the spiral of generational trauma and domestic violence for years after I escaped the Reaper.
There were multiple times I wanted to give up on my dream of writing, which in and of itself would have been another type of death. Through college, I was told my writing was too flowery, too long, not good enough, etc. Prior to that, only the Reaper was extremely supportive of my writing—yet terrible in every other way. To accept his words of affirmation in the sea of abuse around my writing felt disgusting. I often wondered if I could still pursue my dream, worried it was forever tainted.
One of my longest-term adult partners—who I call the Love Bomber—continued similar patterns, being both supportive and demeaning. Even as I attempted to use my voice, I was critiqued and further abused—physically, emotionally, financially—by someone who made me feel worthless about my dream. The Love Bomber told me I couldn’t be an author without him and that only with his help would I be successful.
It wasn’t until I realized my shadows weren’t my enemies that I finally learned to love all of me—even that suicidal part, recognizing her as a protector who just wanted me safe. To reclaim those childhood creative parts, I had to liberate myself from the belief I’d always be a victim.
So yes, I almost gave up—both physically and creatively. They were two sides of the same wound. Reclaiming that dream has been one of the most powerful acts of self-love and healing I’ve ever done. I had to walk through the greatest obstacles to rediscover something in the fire—my authentic self.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
We are all one being, and we are all capable of unconditional love.
I truly believe we’re all made of the same things, and that the truest magic in the universe is that conscious power of unconditional love—knowing there is no difference between us, we are one, and yet we are uniquely individual at the same time.
I see our whole planet as one great body, and each of us as a cell contributing to the whole in a beautiful overlay.
I believe we can simply love our neighbor for existing, without needing more. That is unconditional love. No pre-requisites and no expiration. I do it every day. We are mirrors of one another.
I also believe that unconditional love means knowing when someone is harmful and loving them at a distance when harmony cannot be reached. My definition is a hard point for many people, but it’s something I continue to teach, because my mission here is to see harmony in the world. That requires both holding people accountable and recognizing our interconnection.
When I encounter someone whose actions bring me anger, I look underneath that. For example, I often find myself driving and seeing yard signs or flags that remind me of the Reaper and how he draped himself in patriotism and religion as if to hide the monster underneath. In those moments, I acknowledge my own pain—often deep sadness about the illusion of our separation as humans—and recognize that I’m also participating in separation through my reactions. Then I consciously send love before detaching.
I continue to fight for a world where unconditional love doesn’t mean being passive or enabling abuse, but actively participating in co-creating a better way for all. If more of us bring our power of unconditional love online, perhaps we will find ourselves in a world with less division and violence. That is my greatest dream.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I love this question because it captures the essence of my evolution.
I have always given everything my best, even without praise. I’ve always done my best to learn, to contribute, to take on more of the load in group projects or around my household—usually without recognition.
In the past, I thought of this as a badge of honor: “Look how good you are at showing up for everyone.” I was deep in codependency and people-pleasing, giving 150% to cover for under functioning peers and burning out hard, while some part of me longed for acknowledgement.
Here’s where the shift happened, and it’s directly related to stepping fully into my author self: For the first time, I know I can choose something and give it my best even if no one ever praised me for it, because my books are mine to write. They are my legacy.
Even if no one expressed that they loved or were impacted by my work, I would show up fully—because it’s my soul calling.
There’s no codependency in it. No martyrdom. No ego trip. It’s from the soul, fully aligned with my heart’s calling.
Throughout my years as a teacher, therapist, and guide—and through reclaiming my wild Druid-self—I’ve learned believing in myself is the most powerful thing I can do, not just for me, but for everyone my work might touch. If I don’t believe in myself, how can others believe in me?
The more we step into doing what is truly ours to do—our calling, what lights us up—the more we see that what we’re doing genuinely matters. When we lead with joy and allow ourselves to be fully who we are, our light impacts someone. Our words move a soul. Our existence changes a life. That’s the greatest gift, and it happens when we’re simply doing what is ours.
When we’re people-pleasing and making ourselves small, being who we’re told to be instead of who we are, we don’t create that ripple effect of empowered, compassionate love. We lead with obligation. We shrink and burn out, seeking connection and praise that rings hollow because it’s not rooted in truth.
So I invite you: Give your best only to what is actually yours to do, and leave the rest.
Stop waiting for permission. Stop dimming your light to make others comfortable. Your wild, authentic self—the one you’ve been afraid to fully claim—is exactly what the world needs.
For me, that means writing books and supporting incredible people without cowering in fear or holding my voice back to please those who think there is only one way to live. What does it mean for you?
Your legacy is built in the moments you defy convention and choose yourself, again and again, until choosing yourself becomes your medicine for others.
Be brave enough to believe in yourself. Everything else will follow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Safrianna.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/queer.spirit.guide/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/safrianna/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/safi.lughna
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LivingLUNA
- Other: https://Safrianna.Substack.com (Primary Platform)
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