Nestled in the serene paradise of San Diego, Reverend Doctor Natalie Vail, DAOM, L.Ac, Dipl OM, is not just a healer; she’s a bridge between ancient wisdom and modern spiritual practices. With over three decades of experience, Natalie has mastered a unique fusion of modalities including Acupuncture, Reiki Energy Healing, Celtic Shamanism, and Traditional Chinese Medicine, making her one of the most sought-after spiritual healers in the world today. As an ordained spiritual minister and high priestess, her healing approach transcends religious boundaries, offering a holistic, compassionate touch to every soul she encounters. In this intimate Mystic Mag‘s interview, we explore the sacred practices and personal philosophy that have shaped her remarkable journey of healing and transformation.
Your expertise spans a fascinating range of modalities, from acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine to Celtic shamanism and Reiki energy healing. How did your journey as a healer evolve to include such a diverse array of practices?
I have an eclectic background because I started early in life. I grew up in a very liberal and progressive California household—everything you might imagine that stereotype to be. My mom was my first teacher. She was a registered nurse, a healing touch practitioner, and also a psychic and medium. Growing up in that household, my family recognized at an early age that I was different—that I had some extra gifts, as you might call them. They encouraged me and helped me develop my talents and skills.
I started by learning energy work, and my family was involved in the spiritualist religion. As a result, I grew up surrounded by psychics, mediums, séances, and all kinds of interesting, mystical experiences. It was all very normal to me—just a part of my life. I took classes as a child to develop my psychic intuition and energy healing abilities. From there, I always knew I wanted to be a healer.
After graduating with my undergraduate degree, I felt it was time to fully embrace my calling. I knew it was my destiny and my truth. After doing extensive research, I serendipitously discovered Chinese medicine. I knew I wanted to be a healer and a doctor, but I was drawn to holistic medicine and alternative forms of healing. I wanted to help people on all levels—body, mind, and spirit. Acupuncture became a perfect way for me to combine my natural healing abilities, my psychic mediumship training, and the science of Chinese medicine, including herbs. Chinese medicine, I found, is inherently very shamanic in nature.
After completing my studies in acupuncture and Chinese medicine, I became an ordained minister in the spiritualist religion. I felt called to step into leadership within the spiritual community—not just as a healer, but as someone who could hold ceremonies and rituals. Around the same time, I also began studying Feng Shui. Everything came together at a very rapid pace. From 2008 onward, I was on a continuous journey of learning and studying, following wherever spirit led me. It felt like picking up breadcrumbs on a winding path, each step leading to the next.
I’ve always been a seeker, fascinated by holistic, alternative, spiritual, and paranormal experiences. This curiosity has led to an eclectic mix of practices and teachings that I’ve woven into a cohesive whole. Over the years, I’ve traveled the world, seeking out sacred sites and learning from various indigenous traditions. I’ve participated in ceremonies in Mexico, including traditional Temazcal rituals. I’ve experienced Peruvian ayahuasca ceremonies and psilocybin journeys under the stars in Joshua Tree, connecting with the land and the cosmos.
In Ireland and England, I immersed myself in Celtic traditions. One of my Feng Shui teachers was Irish, which led me to study with her and connect with local Druid and Celtic shamans and priestesses. Around 2015, I became deeply involved in priestess work, visiting sacred sites annually and developing a profound connection to the land and its energies.
This journey has been a whirlwind, to say the least. I would describe my life as a shamanic journey, filled with incredible ups and downs, confrontations with fear, my ego, insecurities, doubts, childhood traumas, karmic wounds, and profound spiritual reckonings. It hasn’t been easy, and I wouldn’t have chosen all of it, but I feel deeply grateful for where it has brought me. Every challenge and experience has been necessary for my growth and transformation.
Even now, as I write this, my black cat—a familiar figure in my life—has joined me, reminding me of the magic and mystery that continue to shape my path. I embrace this journey with gratitude, knowing that every step has brought me closer to who I am meant to be.
As an ordained spiritual minister and high priestess, what role does spirituality play in your approach to patient care?
I enjoy facilitating group work because I believe we are all yearning for a sense of belonging. In this modern world, we’re missing the feeling of community. It’s incredible that we can connect like this—here we are, having a conversation while you’re in Serbia. That’s amazing, and I’m so touched by how technology allows us to meet and communicate so randomly through the Internet. That part of modern life fascinates me. It’s incredible, and I’m deeply grateful for our ability to connect in this way.
However, despite this technological connectivity, I feel we’re still missing the deeper sense of connection, belonging, and community that so many of us crave. That’s why I love using my experience as an ordained Spiritualist minister and my work as a priestess to bring people together. These roles are very similar—almost identical, really—and both allow me to facilitate meaningful ceremonies and rituals.
In my priestess work, I focus on rituals tied to the Celtic sabbats, the eight seasonal festivals, like Samhain for Halloween, the Winter Solstice, and the Fall Equinox. These gatherings are opportunities to bring people together, create rituals, and hold space for reflection and connection. I aim to provide a sacred and open environment where people can share their experiences, connect with the energy of the seasons, and explore what’s coming up for them.
Just yesterday, I gave a sermon at a Spiritualist church. I consider myself a bit of a freelance minister, as I speak at several different churches in the San Diego area. Since we’re approaching American Thanksgiving, I focused my talk on gratitude. It was a spiritual lecture or Dharma talk, where I also guided attendees through a sound healing session inspired by the four elements. Together, we explored gratitude and engaged in gratitude exercises.
For me, it’s all about bringing people together and reminding them that they are not alone. There are like-minded individuals out there, and finding each other is more important than ever, especially here in the U.S. after our recent election. It’s vital for people to know that there are good, compassionate individuals in the world and that we are not alone in our journey.
What type of services do you offer?
I like to approach my work as a blend of body, mind, and spirit, with spirit always at the center. When it comes to the body, I offer a range of treatments including acupuncture, cupping therapy, moxibustion, herbalism, a touch of massage, and the use of essential oils. I also incorporate hands-on Reiki treatments, shamanic journeying, or sound healing with crystal bowls, Koshi chimes, or tuning forks—whatever the client needs at the moment.
On the other hand, I provide what I think of as more mind-focused work, which often includes spiritual counseling or psychic readings. Many people come to me seeking clarity or guidance about their lives. They might want to understand why something happened, where they are headed, or how they can move forward. For this, I use tools like tarot cards, numerology, or simply tapping into spirit. Sometimes I connect with their spirit guides or communicate with loved ones who have passed on. I also explore past lives and the Akashic records when needed.
One of my favorite tools is the pendulum. It’s simple yet effective, offering quick answers—yes, no, maybe—that can be surprisingly profound. It’s a fast and straightforward way to provide clarity, which is sometimes exactly what a person needs.
Ultimately, my goal is to determine whether the issue at hand is somatic—something stored in the body that needs release—or more mental, residing in the mind. Trauma is often said to be “trapped in the tissues,” and I believe the body holds onto these experiences in profound ways. In those cases, my focus is on helping the body release what it’s holding. For more cerebral or intellectual challenges, we work on untangling mental energy, gaining insight, and wrapping the mind around what’s going on.
Spacial clearings and Feng Shui consulting are unique aspects of your practice. How do you see the energy of a person’s environment impacting their overall well-being?
When isn’t it relevant? Oh my goodness! I often like to tell people that our outer environment is a direct reflection of our inner environment. It’s very much a microcosm-macrocosm type of influence. That mirror can give us incredible insights into what’s happening within someone.
I absolutely love people, and I love going into their homes. You can learn so much. For example, I might talk to a patient for years. This has happened many times: I’ll have someone as a patient for three to five years, and they’ll complain about the same issue the whole time. We’ve treated it with acupuncture, herbs, readings—you name it. But then, I eventually go to their house for some reason, and suddenly, it all clicks.
I’ll walk in and think, Oh my God, this is why you have this problem! For example, someone might have chronic digestive issues, and then I see their kitchen is a mess—disorganized, with expired food everywhere. Or someone complains about insomnia, and then I visit their bedroom. Their space is packed with distractions: an elliptical machine, a Peloton, a TV, photos of their kids, dog toys, and so much more. No wonder they can’t sleep!
Our home is our house, just as our body houses our soul. Living in a balanced space creates harmony in our lives. It helps calm our nervous system, makes us feel safe, and brings us into alignment. This is very much root chakra work—it’s about safety, security, and foundation. It’s foundational, like Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: if you don’t feel safe in your space, it’s hard to focus on anything else.
That’s how I see Feng Shui and space clearing.
Every day, we go out into the world and bring things home with us—not just groceries, but also the energy of wherever we’ve been. Whether it’s the grocery store, the road we drove on, or the people we interacted with, we’re constantly accumulating both physical and invisible clutter. Keeping the energy fresh and flowing is essential. That means avoiding physical clutter, but also addressing lingering, unprocessed emotions and negative energies.
In my experience, most people who feel they need a clearing don’t actually have a ghost problem. In all my years of doing this work, real hauntings account for maybe 20% of the cases I’ve encountered. The other 80% is usually negative emotions, trapped energy, or unresolved issues lingering in the space.
This is something we can do for ourselves, but it’s not always easy to keep the energy moving and fresh on our own. That’s why it can help to have someone else come in and clear the space for you. It’s all about creating a supportive environment where you can feel safe, balanced, and at ease.
Many people seek healing but also want to take an active role in their wellness. What tools or practices do you encourage your patients to use in their daily lives?
I always start with the basics when helping people. The first priority is sleep. Are you getting enough sleep? Sleep is so important—if we’re not sleeping, we’re unhappy, irritable, and unable to function properly.
Next is hydration. Are you drinking enough water? We need to drink half our body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 200 pounds, that’s 100 ounces of water daily. It might seem like a lot, but hydration is essential. Our bodies are about 70% water, so staying hydrated helps flush out toxins, slows down aging, and keeps us functioning at our best.
Exercise is another huge factor. This is one of those things I can’t do for you. I can’t make you sleep, drink water, or exercise. These are things you have to do for yourself. Exercise doesn’t need to be strenuous. It doesn’t have to be CrossFit, marathon running, or anything extreme. Even a 20-minute walk around your neighborhood each day is enough to get your circulation moving, release endorphins, and keep your body active.
As we age, keeping our bodies circulating—whether that’s energy, blood flow, or lymphatic movement—is so important. Plus, getting outside, if weather permits, allows you to soak up some sunshine and vitamin D, which is crucial for both mental and physical health. Many of us spend way too much time indoors, and vitamin D is essential for maintaining balance and vitality.
Lastly, I emphasize nutrition. People need to understand that food is fuel, and food is medicine. Think of your body as a car that only runs on premium fuel. If you put in cheap gas, it won’t run cleanly or efficiently. That’s the same for your body.
You don’t have to eat all organic, but limiting processed foods, excess sugar, and refined carbs is important. Focus on eating whole foods when you can—foods that are as close to their natural state as possible. This approach not only supports your physical health but also contributes to your spiritual well-being.
Speaking of spiritual hygiene, I always recommend practices like meditation and prayer. Meditation is about listening, while prayer is about asking. When you pray, you’re asking for clarity, guidance, direction, support, or inspiration. When you meditate, you’re getting quiet and still, creating space to connect with divine source energy or your own intuition.
Taking the time to receive that inner voice—whether it’s your higher self or something greater—is an essential part of maintaining balance and harmony in life.
