Inspirational Women In Hollywood: How Rachel Stavis Is Helping To Shake Up The Entertainment Industry

An Interview With Guernslye Honoré

You will absolutely be drained, especially in the beginning. Working on people is very hard, and the more malignant the attachment, the more difficult. One of my most challenging exorcisms was a politician, and it took three days! The recovery from that was over a week.

As a part of our series about Inspirational Women In Hollywood, I had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Rachel Stavis.

Rachel (R.H.) Stavis is a renowned, non-denominational exorcist who is on a mission to create global change by eradicating darkness from one person or place at a time. She has dedicated her life to educating the masses on how to connect with Spirit, and how to safeguard our souls from the entities that attach to us. Known as Hollywood’s best kept secret — serving rock icons, Oscar winners, and many more — she cleanses the darkness that consumes even the most elite. Her best-selling memoir, “Sister of Darkness: The Chronicles of a Modern Exorcist” (HarperCollins), examines how she became who she is, and how she helps the infected and tortured souls through exorcism. She explores how pain and trauma open us to attachment from forces that not only drain our energy but can even destroy our humanity. “Sister of Darkness” is currently being adapted for a scripted series with renowned director, actress, and producer Pamela Adlon (“Better Things”, “King of the Hill”, “Californication”) attached to co-write and executive produce. Belletrist co-founders, Emma Roberts (“American Horror Story”) and Karah Preiss (“Tell Me Lies”) are also signed on as executive producers.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?

I was born in Los Angeles but grew up in South Florida. I spoke often of seeing entities, even as a small child, but my mother was a difficult woman who did not give me safety in my gifts. I was told to make sure no one knew, and I did exactly that until I was an adult.

I don’t think my childhood was particularly special or different from many others, honestly. But I did have grandparents who were very gentle and loving, and I credit them the most for helping me learn what love was and what it was like to feel safe and cared for.

Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?

I don’t think I ever intended to do this work. Since it was considered shameful to have the abilities I had, I kept them very close. I went to school, I became a writer, and I didn’t speak of it ever. I became very good at suppressing my sight, unless something was very malignant or pushy.

Life is stressful, though, and one week I had one stressor too many. After a fender bender, I could no longer block anything out. In fact, it really blew wide open! I now saw entities everywhere. At that point in my life, I had a choice to make, and the only good one was to open myself up further, rather than try to shut it all down again.

After that moment, I started to work with Spirit more closely, learning and doing the work. Now, over a decade later, here we are!

Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

I’m not sure I could narrow it down to one! I’ve worked on people, places, and objects as well. So it’s all over the map, really.

I think some of my most interesting cases involve Tricksters. These are entities that will reveal themselves to their hosts as something the host feels is safe. They will look a certain way to the person who they attach to, even though that’s not how they look at all!

For example, I’ve had maybe five people come in and tell me that they have Archangel Michael with them at ALL times. Just following them around. So I asked them: And how is your life right now?

Immediately they proceed to talk about how everything is terrible, nothing is working, they feel blocked, have a string of “bad luck” etc. So my response was, “If you have Archangel Michael with you, your life would not be this way. It’s not Archangel Michael, and it needs to be removed”. Often times they’re very reluctant to rid themselves of it, but if they allow that to happen, they see steady improvement.

It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

When working on people I often light candles in a specific way — something I learned from Spirit. When I first started, I would place them on plates on the floor. I move around a lot during a cleansing, and in my first exorcisms, I learned quickly that candles on the floor equal immediate fires! And yes, I set quite a few of them before I picked up those plates for good. Now I have them in hanging lanterns, safely away from the floor.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

Well, what I do is VERY different than most people in Hollywood, so I can’t pinpoint one particular person, but I can say Spirit — what I call High Beings, angels, guides, etc — have been those who have helped me the most. They’ve been my teachers and my biggest advocates. I know that’s not what you’re used to, but it’s the truth for me for sure!

You have been blessed with great success in a career path that can be challenging. Do you have any words of advice for others who may want to embark on this career path, but seem daunted by the prospect of failure?

I believe everyone has their own unique gifts when it comes to any career path. It took me years to find what mine truly were, and I’m glad I did. I didn’t follow someone else’s idea of what I should do, be, or even call myself. I didn’t pattern myself after someone else. I suppose what I’m saying is, be who you are. Figure out what your calling is. Go where that flows, and accept your uniqueness.

Every industry iterates and seeks improvement. What changes would you like to see in the industry going forward?

I wish more people would believe that energy, Spirit, and many other “unseen” things in the world exist. I truly believe if they did, they would be inherently happier, more connected, and more at peace. They wouldn’t feel so deeply alone in many ways, and in turn, they would be kinder and more empathetic to others. This spiritual work is truly healing, and anyone can access it. But they have to believe they can first.

You have such impressive work. What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? Where do you see yourself heading from here?

We are currently working to bring some of my scariest and most challenging stories to the big screen! I’m excited to share these — based on my unpublished journals — because I think it’s important to show how different real exorcisms can be than what we’ve seen so far in media.

I’d love to continue expanding my work, sharing it with others around the world. I’d also love to exorcise some of the world’s darkest places, because cleansing them would change the energy completely, and that (like the bad) has a ripple effect through the planet.

We are very interested in looking at diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in film and television? How can that potentially affect our culture and our youth growing up today?

Everyone should have someone on a screen who looks like they do, has a story and perspective like theirs, and can articulate someone’s struggle in an identifiable way. I’ve always thought it was ridiculous when diverse groups of people are not what we see, because literally why? That’s not normal! It’s not life!

If you can bring everyone from all walks of life, not just on screen, but in writers rooms, behind cameras — literally in all capacities — you absolutely should, because it’s doing everyone a favor. There are stories you can tell, stories I can tell, and many many more that WE NEED. Representation absolutely matters, especially for children.

What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why?

1. You will absolutely be drained, especially in the beginning. Working on people is very hard, and the more malignant the attachment, the more difficult. One of my most challenging exorcisms was a politician, and it took three days! The recovery from that was over a week.
2. Don’t get your hopes up that people will “stay clean”. In the beginning, I would be so hopeful that after I’d done all this work, and everything was gone, that people would continue to rise to the occasion. And then I’d see so many that would simply go right back into the darkness they came from. It was a very hard lesson for me to learn that I can want the best for them, but they have to want it for themselves.
3. On that same note, some people are addicted to their attachment. I will have someone come to me and say, “I really want help! I need it!” and say they’ll do anything and everything to fix their life — but that’s not actually true. What they really want is to be “special”, and be the person that no one can help. This is a strange one for me, because the reality is, attachment and possession is not unique or special at all. I think it’s mainly that they don’t want to do the hard work, and this is an excuse they use not to do it.
4. Sometimes, even in exorcism, there are beautiful moments. Moments when removing old pain and trauma frees someone to live their best life. To conceive. To find love. To beat addictions. To move forward. I have so many moments like this I’ve lost count, but it’s wonderful when it happens.
5. One person can make a difference in the world. I guess I did know this, but it’s been wonderful over the years to see the transformation, one person and one space at a time. It IS true, we can all make a difference, and we should be doing so every day.

Can you share with our readers any self-care routines, practices or treatments that you do to help your body, mind or heart to thrive? Please share a story for each one if you can.

For me, retreating to nature and not looking at phones for a while really helps. I love mineral hot springs for clearing and connecting to the earth again, and I try to do this every few months. Also, burning copal and frankincense sticks or loose resins helps raise your vibration. I also do my 30-Day Connection to Spirit often. The how-to for everyone is on my Instagram and right now we’ve started a whole new month! I love seeing people do this for the first time and be completely shocked by how quickly it works to raise vibration, cleanse the body and spirit space, and even connect with guides and deceased loved ones!

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

“Only from the heart can you touch the sky,” which is a Rumi quote I love. For me, it means that any work you do must be done authentically if you mean to change the world. I live by this, and so every day that I do this work I do it for the sake OF the work, and nothing else. This, to me, is the only way to expel the darkness and bring in the light.

You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?

Honestly, it’s something so simple: every day, do one kind thing for yourself, and one kind thing for someone else — even a stranger. The effect that would have on the world would be enough. Even if you don’t believe in what I do, or energy or vibrations or any of it, the act of doing something good changes those it touches.

Is there a person in the world whom you would love to have lunch with, and why? Maybe we can tag them and see what happens!

Ha! That’s a hard question. I think people who inspire me are those who do really important work when it comes to human rights, equality, and holding space for those in need. One person who does this in a way that, in my opinion, no one else does is V (formerly Eve Ensler). V is a powerhouse whose V-Day movement has spent years working to end violence against women and girls all over the world by working with local activists to create and support programs, build safe houses and communities, and impact legislation. She is a vocal activist who never stops, it’s so admirable to me, and it absolutely does change the world. And lucky for me, I’ve had that lunch!

Are you on social media? How can our readers follow you online?

I am! I’m so happy to be building a community there!

Instagram and TikTok: @rhstavis

This was so informative, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!

About the interviewer: Guernslye Honoré, affectionately known as “Gee-Gee”, is an amalgamation of creativity, vision, and endless enthusiasm. She has elegantly twined the worlds of writing, acting, and digital marketing into an inspiring tapestry of achievement. As the creative genius at the heart of Esma Marketing & Publishing, she leads her team to unprecedented heights with her comprehensive understanding of the industry and her innate flair for innovation. Her boundless passion and sense of purpose radiate from every endeavor she undertakes, turning ideas into reality and creating a realm of infinite possibilities. A true dynamo, Gee-Gee’s name has become synonymous with inspirational leadership and the art of creating success.