I’m Giselle, founder and creative force behind Leafless Ashes.

My relationship with occultism began when I was eleven, and beneath everything I do has always lived an almost obsessive curiosity about existence itself, why we are here, how we experience the world, what gives life meaning, what changes us, and what death asks us to confront.

That fascination eventually led me to philosophy, particularly existentialism and phenomenology, where I became deeply interested in consciousness, perception, identity, freedom, mortality, and the strange experience of simply being alive.

I wanted to understand the why behind things.

Why humans search for meaning.
Why we create rituals.
Why certain experiences transform us.
Why we become attached to particular versions of ourselves.
Why some moments divide our lives into a before and an after.

So I studied philosophy because those questions never left me (they still haven’t). I’m now preparing to begin my PhD in Philosophy, continuing a path of study that has shaped the way I see almost everything.

Leafless Ashes grew from the intersection of those worlds: philosophy, occultism, symbolism, ritual, botanical knowledge, art, and the human fascination with transformation all meet here.

Much of Leafless Ashes passes through my hands in some form, from formulation and ritualization to visual direction and the stories surrounding what we create.

And somewhere very close to all of this is my husband Erick, my other half, who is always there when I need an extra hand. He helps me carry everything at markets, takes payments when things get busy, and supports me with supply chain and logistics whenever I need it. He’s also the person bringing me tea and coffee after I’ve disappeared into work for hours, or giving me a massage after a long day (somehow, he always knows when I need help before I ask).

I’m especially fascinated by the spaces in between: certainty and doubt, who we have been and who we are becoming, what we choose to carry and what we eventually leave behind.

I still question everything. I still disappear into obscure philosophical and occult rabbit holes and return with something new to explore.

Leafless Ashes continues to evolve with that curiosity.

So do I.

Welcome to Leafless Ashes.

Giselle