Crystal Aura Gaze

2016: The beginning

In 2016, I opened this blog and named it Lotus Laura. Little did I know how much this would impact me and how many doors it would open.

I started writing about my “little adventures” in life — my final semester of college, my vacations with friends, my time with family, and so forth. It was a place of creative freedom and capturing memories.

Blogging was something I’d been doing since middle school, from Xanga to Google Blogspot, and now I’d found a new home where my writing could settle on WordPress. And with college finishing up, and no more projects or long essays due, I’d have more energy to write what I wanted. I was also trying to get away from social media, so this was a place where I could more freely record my life.

I didn’t know at the time, but I was at a vital period in life. I was on the threshold of true adulthood. Twenty-one years old, going on twenty-two, I only had one foot in the real world. I had goals and dreams but I didn’t know how much there was to still discover about myself.

At first, it was just little tidbits about my life. And then in March 2017, I wrote my first album review. This would open up the opportunity to write about more than just personal updates. It allowed me to dive deeper into art.

In April 2017, I wrote a deeply personal post about my anxiety. It was the first time that I could be really honest and vulnerable about my mental health on a public scale. This is what makes blogging different from your typical social media profile, like Facebook or Instagram. It’s not about showing off, it’s about being transparent.

2017-2018: Creative flow

Throughout the summer, I wrote more music reviews and film reviews. In October 2017, I did my first “30 day challenge” in which I answer personal questions every day. This encouraged me to write more — daily. And it furthered my self-reflection. I also did some recipes and DIYs. So, my blog became a place of exploration.

In September 2018, I did my first little “photoshoot.” This was also the time of pink and purple hair. It was followed by two more self-photoshoots that fall. So, I would dress up and go into the woods with my phone or camera. And then I would find anywhere I could place the camera, in a tree, on a rock, on the ground. It was a highly creative process.

Late 2018, was really when my creativity fully unleashed. Not only that, but I was confident enough to share my imagination with the world and feel proud of it. Years prior, I never would’ve been so brave to just put so much creative energy out there, raw and unfiltered.

2019: Poems & short stories

I published poems on my blog (and eventually made another blog just for poems.) I shared my first short story called “Demons & Destiny” in December 2018. And in February 2019, came “Conquest of the Mystifying Mermaid,” which was very special to me. And then came “Forbidden Knowledge” in April 2019.

I’d been writing stories since I was a kid, but this is the first time that I was sharing them publicly. And that makes the story that much more real. It brings the plots and the characters to life — something that goes beyond your own head. It also makes you feel so vulnerable and exposed, inviting the world to peak inside of your brain. Fiction is more intimate than reality — I stand by that!

Late 2019: Domain ownership

In August 2019, I made a post called “Top 25 Darkest and Saddest Lana Del Rey songs.” Little did I know, this would blow up and become viral. It became my top viewed post for several years to come — by a long shot. It brought so many more viewers to my website. I couldn’t believe how popular one single article could become.

It wasn’t until September 2019 when I bought my own domain. I went from lotuslaura94.Wordpress.com —> to Lotuslaura.com. Now, my blog was fully mine. It wasn’t just a blog anymore, it was my website. (It was my baby!)

Over this time, I wrote a lot of philosophical posts. I was trying to figure out my own beliefs, rules, and perception. This is something that I continue to do now, but back then, I was dealing with so much confusion. I really struggled with finding a true identity. There were certain people in my life who made me truly question the path I was on.

2020: Massive expansion

2020… what a year!!! Not only was there a pandemic, quarantine, the world shutting down… I also split from my boyfriend after seven years together and moved into my own apartment, living by myself for the first time. Just me and my cat (which then became my two cats… and my guinea pigs.)

This gave me so much time to write. I was writing every day. I was evolving two of my stories — the Captain & the Mermaid and Forbidden Knowledge. And then I realized, I should write a book! So, I did it — I wrote a novel! And then I wrote another novel!

I had so much alone time on my hands, that I was writing all of the time. If I wasn’t blogging, then I was working on my first novel – and then my second novel. My viewership was blowing up, and by the time 2020 ended, I had gained a massive amount of readers.

Astrology, palmistry, & tarot…

I also took classes on astrology and palmistry. Wait… back up… 2016 was also the year that I first started learning tarot. As my blog grew over the years, I was also learning more tarot. Okay, fast-forward back to 2020… now I’m also researching numerology, runes, hieroglyphics, crystals, and all kinds of divination. I’m learning so much more about mythology too. “Ancient history Fangirls” is my newest podcast obsession.

Wait, back up again to 2016. Did you know that I also started a blog called “Crystal Aura” — which was separate from my Lotus Laura main blog. I didn’t use Crystal Aura often, but I did use it to write about crystals, astrology, and all that woo-woo stuff.

Why did I keep these two blogs separate? Because I was embarrassed — that’s why. I was ashamed of my love for the mystical and occult. I understand that people (especially women) who like these things are labeled as crazy. And I had been called “crazy” plenty of times before — for reasons unrelated to that — and it’s a horrible feeling.

But I was on this journey of learning how to embrace my crazy. I was crazy for dying my hair pink — and then purple, blue, orange, any color you could think of. I was crazy for taking solo photo shoots in the woods. I was crazy for posting poems, short stories, and unfiltered ramblings online. I was crazy for following my imagination instead of trying to suppress it.

So, believe it or not, despite the most ridiculous and silly posts I’ve made on this blog — I was most embarrassed about writing about the mystical. It took all those years before I felt like I could be more open and public about it.

2020-2021: Embracing the mystical

In 2020, I opened a YouTube channel to post tarot reading videos. In 2021, I opened an Etsy shop to sell psychic readings. Also this year, I wrote horoscopes and psychic forecasts — but on my separate Crystal Aura blog.

I was surprised to find that people were incredibly accepting and super fascinated when I embraced the mystical. I was expecting more judgment and belittlement. Instead, they were eager to know about their own fates – “read my palm! Do my tarot reading! Tell me my horoscope!”

In 2021, I decided to make a personal business out of it. With my Youtube channel and Etsy shop, I was already halfway there. I took my original “Crystal Aura” blog and created a new blog called Crystal Aura Prophesy. This would be my business name.

And by 2022, I thought – why keep these two blogs separate? I decided to combine Lotus Laura with Crystal Aura (now Crystal Aura Gaze). It wasn’t a part of myself that I needed to hide anymore.

Connecting with other bloggers

As my blog gained more viewership, I began connecting more with other bloggers. I was nominated for several “Blogger Awards” in which you answer survey questions about yourself and then tag other bloggers. It was a really fun way to get to know each other and network with one another.

Vikas Karmani reached out to me about being featured in his new book, “Out of the Blue” – along with other bloggers. The book is a compilation of short excerpts from many different bloggers. I was incredibly honored to be a part of this book!

Such a fun part of the blogging journey has been connecting with other like-minded writers. Even if we write about completely different subjects, we all bond over our shared passion for writing!

2022: Primeval Pixie

By the year 2022, my blog had turned into something so entirely different than what it began with. What started as more of a personal space turned into a place of research, articles, and education. I was writing about so many different topics – spirituality, philosophy, cats, health, mythology, astrology, and so forth. It no longer felt like “Lotus Laura” because it wasn’t all about me.

I came up with the name “Primeval Pixie” because it captured the theme of my blog. A lot of my writing was about ancient wisdom and magical ideas, like a time-traveling fairy.

So, at this point, I’ve self-published two novels — which wouldn’t have happened without this blog. And soon, I’d start working on my third.

Family history research

My family research has been one of the most significant moments in my blogging journey. I was becoming more interested in learning about where I came from – and preserving this information for future generations.

In January 2022, I put together this piece about my the family history of my dad’s side. I was able to trace my ancestors as far back as 1790, with photographs and newspaper articles. I wrote out a timeline of the generations that took us to present day.

When I published the article on Kellogg family history, I had absolutely no idea how many people it would reach — how many Kellogg’s it would reach! Through this article, I have met so many distant cousins, aunts, uncles, many whom I’d never met before or knew about — to connect with. It’s really the coolest feeling when a stranger reaches out to you and says that they’re a part of your bloodline! It revamps the power of family ties.

I had no idea how many people (Kellogg’s, specifically!) that this would impact. It was really powerful to see how many relatives are just as curious and excited about our shared ancestry. This has been one of the best parts of my blogging journey.

I also did research into my mom’s side of the family with my “Lutz/Shaeffer” article.

Late 2022: Crystal Aura Gaze

In late 2022, I officially changed my blog name to Crystal Aura Gaze. As much as I still love the name “Primeval Pixie,” it just made more sense to keep everything under one name, which was my business name that would now also be my blog name. Simplifying it, this would keep everything under one name. (But I also still use “Lotus Laura” as my blogger name.)

Also at this time, I opened a Medium blog. Through Medium, I was actually able to earn money from writing. My monthly horoscopes can earn me a few hundred dollars a month. This was a really exciting point in my blogging journey — getting paid to blog!

However, despite the money, Medium can never replace this blog. I do not have ownership over my Medium the same way I do over this website. I also have to be extra cautious about copyright laws on Medium. It’s just not the same on a creative level — there’s more rules and structures. So, this main blog will always be my home — even though it pays nothing.

2023-2024: Slowdown…?

So far, my blogging journey had been full of so much expansion and so many changes, but in 2023 – I felt a slowdown (this is also the start of my Saturn Return, ha!)

As previously mentioned, I gained a massive spike in readers/viewers in the year 2020. But after 2022, the growth stopped and flattened. And then in 2024, my viewers went down – by almost half!

• The pandemic was over. Everything was opening up and people were going out again.
• I got back together with my longterm boyfriend – less alone-time for me to write.
• I got a new job that was a little more demanding and time-consuming.
• I was experiencing some burnout from Medium, as I was writing for money. The success was overwhelming.
• I started taking on new hobbies outside of blogging, like crochet.
• I was focusing on cooking/baking – learning new recipes and expanding my diet.

But despite all of this, I was still using this blog fairly regularly. So, I’m not totally sure why it felt like such a slowdown.

2025: Closing my book-writing chapter

In early 2025, I self-published my fourth and probably final book – the sequel to “The Captain & the Mermaid.” Book writing is something that never would’ve happened without this blog. I made a post this year about it, which you can read here.

• July 2021: The Captain & the Mermaid
• March 2022: Forbidden Knowledge
• July 2023: Devotion to Jupiter
• February 2025: The Captain & the Mermaid (sequel)

I also recorded audiobooks for The Captain & the Mermaid – Book 1 and Book 2.

I’m so proud of my books and my stories. They were necessary for my personal growth. But you know in your heart when it’s time to say goodbye to a certain venture in your life. Never say never, but I do not see another book happening in the near future. Fortunately, I have so many other creative projects in my life to focus on!

And one more thing – my books will never go away! I will still keep them up, passively promote, and run occasional sales. I will still share my experience and tips with self-publishing.

2026: 10 Years of Lotus Laura!

Although book-writing has come to an end, I do not plan on quitting blogging any time soon. My brain is full of so many ideas for many more posts to come. The next several years will continue to get more busy, and I may not always have enough time, but I will never run out of things to write about.

Here is a look at my blog views from 2017 through the first half of 2026. (I didn’t include 2016, since I opened it late in the year.)

As you can see, the spike from 2019 to 2020 was HUGE! I still remember how it felt to see my viewers grow so much. When I opened this blog, it was mainly just for family and a handful of internet strangers. I never imagined such a wide outreach.

One time, my friend told me that she was goggling Lana Del Rey lyrics – and one of the first results was my blog article. She clicked on the website and then realized that it was me! How crazy!

You can see in 2022, views started going down again. In 2023, they stayed about the same. And then in 2024, it went downward. That was a little defeating to see. But ultimately, it didn’t dissuade my passion for writing.

In 2025, views go up again – and now I’m only halfway through 2026, and my views are shooting up again. At this rate, there is a chance that it might even beat my 2021 views. (I’m not obsessed with views or popularity, I promise! It’s just interesting to see!)

Gratitude & personal growth

Through this blogging journey, my confidence has grown. I never thought that I was that great of a writer, but people have told me how much they love my writing and how impressed they are. Friends, family, and total strangers have given me so much encouragement over the years.

I’ve also grown confident in my affinity for the mystical. I used to think that people would call me crazy for getting into astrology, tarot, palmistry, etc… but they have been extremely supportive. Now, I am super proud of my divination studies, skills, and gifts.

When I wrote my novels, it helped me see life from different perspectives, and helped me better understand who I am. I learned that my imagination is a gift – not something to hide or be ashamed of. Imagination makes the world a more colorful place.

As I wrote about spiritual topics and learned about mythology, it helped deepen my spiritual path. I have always been a spiritual person, but I initially felt so lost in 2016, and now I know exactly where I am going. My belief system is much more solid (but still open-minded.)

I’m grateful for all of the people I have connected with during my blogging journey. Some of them close family – some of them distant relatives – some of them relatives who I didn’t even know about! I’m grateful for friends and family who subscribed to my blog, who bought my books, who told me that they read my posts, and so forth.

THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me through this journey.

More to come…

There will be many more years of Lotus Laura to come. Even though my official blog title is “Crystal Aura Gaze,” my author name will always be “Lotus Laura” – and that was what I started with.

I will be writing more “10 Years of Lotus Laura” with reflections over my blog from the past ten years. This is a big milestone!