Today we’d like to introduce you to Alvin Catalan.
Hi Alvin, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
You have to be willing to be a fool in order to be a master. My story is much like everyone else. We are born and raised with people around us. We make choices in life that we feel are best for us and one day our choices lead us in many different directions. Much like the Magician card in the Tarot, we think we have all the tools we need to make the right choices. Our subconscious mind is created by the age of 8 (The High Priestess). We treat ourselves like the kings and queens we are by taking control of our life (the Empress and the Emperor). We learn lessons and find god with the Hierophant. We tap into young love and duality with the Lovers.
We keep going and move on after love fails us with the Chariot. We seek balance in our life with the Justice card and find healing with the Hermit card. Life keeps going and a new chapter begins (the Wheel of Fortune). We build our confidence, find strength like the Strength card, and take moments of silence and reflection with the Hanged Man. Life then brings transformation like the Death card and moments of peace with Temperance. Then along comes some acknowledgment of our toxic ties, commitments, and vows (the Devil) that comes with a Tower moment. From here, we find hope in our dreams and aspirations in life with the Star card, even when life gets confusing like the Moon card. We still find joy and happiness with the Sun card.
Which leaves us with the last card, judgment. What is meant for us can never be missed. It’s fated for life to happen the way it does. As a big follower of astrology, your life is written in the stars and your birth chart is the blueprint for navigating this journey. The only card that matters most is card number 0 (zero), also known as the Fool. To some, it is the first card in the deck, and to others; it is the last card in the deck. Either way, the cycle of life always comes back to the Fool. Are you willing to be a Fool in order to be a Master? Are we really prepared for what life has to offer?
My name is Alvin and I am a self-healer. We are all healers of our own stressors and traumas in life. No one can truly get you out of your dark spaces except for you. Yet we all have guides, angles, and spirits, standing by our side. During my darkest days filled with sex, drugs, and violence, I was guided to bring light into my dark spaces. This is probably the part you were expecting to read, my “dark knight of the soul”. It’s not about the story I tell you, it’s the way I speak about my story from a sense of growth and resilience. Tarot was my therapy and my mental health treatment.
No consistent doctors, no treatment plans, no pills, just me and source, creator, commander, spirit, the universe, Buddha, Temple, Ala, God. However, you would like to name that power. Yet we are all that power. Plant medicine played a part in the tail end of my journey. Thank you, Bufo.
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?
We are told to take the path with the least resistance, which means we choose the easiest way to do something instead of trying to choose the best way. I prefer to take the path that I can not see. My journey was certainly not smooth. I probably created more chaos at first and took a few steps back before it got easy. Set back after a setback, all to please other people, places, and things in my life that I thought brought me joy. Life came with a lot of unpacking.
Once you go down one rabbit hole, another one opens. I was grateful for most of the holes to open all at once. As harsh as that sounds, I can honestly say it was how I was able to wake up and smell the coffee. Most of the obstacles and challenges in my life didn’t come from me, they came from other people and systemic restrictions following along, what is called the collective illusion. “We continually act against our own best interests because our brains misunderstand what others believe. A complicated set of illusions driven by conformity bias distorts how we see the world around us – Todd Rose.”
The biggest challenge in my journey was stripping away the illusion or the old version of me while trying to show up authentic every day and being pushed back into conforming to the rest of the world because of judgment and rejection.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I was guided to spirituality and mental health by way of holistic and spiritual alternatives such as subconscious mind shifting, theta healing, and recovery outside of a 12-step program. Personal growth for others and me is an ongoing passion of mine.
Currently in my final year of graduate school in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (MHC). My studies are always evolving and becoming deeper in nature. I naturally enjoy holding vulnerable space for those who may need a safe place to share their struggles, concerns, and thoughts. I have a passion for substance abuse, cultural counseling, trauma, sex therapy, spiritual counseling, psychedelic-assisted therapy, and working with women, young adults, and LGBTQIA+ communities. Tarot and Astrology readings are where it all started for me.
My experience ranges from working with C-level executives to clients below the poverty level. As a trauma survivor with lived experience, my goal is to provide you with access to care, skills, and resources to live your life’s purpose. I believe that each person must find their own path and with your permission, I can serve as a guide in your journey.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
The 2, very first books I read in my journey were The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle and Spirit Hacking by Shaman Durek. I put together a list of resources for the readers to check out if they feel called to.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Joe Dipenza’s walking meditations and books
Abraham Hicks YouTube Videos
The Myth of Normal from Dr. Gabor Maté
The Untethered Soul by Michael A. Singer
Dopamine Nation from Anna Lembke
Enlightened as Hell: How to be Spiritual and not be a Dick from Dr. Tony Ortega
Spiritual Divorce Technique from Joyce Haddad – Miami
Get a Reiki Session
Acupuncture
Get a Theta Healing session
Attend a Sound Bath or get a sound healing session
Practice Tantra
Find a Breathwork facilitator
Study Psychology
Follow Dr. Andrew Huberman for Science and Health Guidance
Follow BOMISpirit on YouTube for Astrology
Follow Maren Altman on YouTube or IG for Astrology
Follow Phil Good on IG and YouTube
Follow Baba Jolie’s Guided Messages on YouTube
Follow The Quietest Revolution on YouTube by Amber Khan
ShutEye app for understanding your sleep cycle
Night Sky app for planet and star gazing
21 days of Abundance Podcast from Deepak Chopra
The Human Design Podcast
Into the Multiverse Podcast
Self Healers Sound Board Podcast
The Holistic Psychologist on IG and Podcast
Ancient Wisdom Today Podcast with Shaman Durek
Matthias Barker Podcast
Most importantly, see a therapist.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/HypeManAlvin
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/healinghypemanalvin/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alvin-catalan-08774433/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@healinghypemanalvin1943
- Other: https://www.stateofgratitudeusa.com/pages/retreat
