A Memoir of Madness, Magic, and the Making of Me
by Rilee Astraea
A genre-blurring memoir of ego death, shadow work, and spiritual rebirth—for anyone who’s ever unraveled and wondered if it was the beginning, not the end.
What if everything you believed about yourself—about reality—was never yours to begin with?
What if your suffering was not a punishment, but a rite of passage?
What if your darkest night was not your downfall, but your doorway?
At the height of what the world calls a “psychotic break,” a young woman is catapulted into a spiritual initiation that shatters her identity and severs her from the reality she once trusted. Hospitalized, dismissed, and misunderstood, she is forced to sit in the silence—where the unraveling begins.
Told through raw prose, poetry, and meditative reflection, The Other Side of Awakening is a genre-blurring memoir of ego death, shadow work, and soul remembrance. It follows the journey of a modern mystic as she navigates the terrifying terrain of the mind, communes with the divine, and discovers the quiet power of becoming.
Blending spiritual autobiography with existential philosophy and dreamlike poetics, Rilee Astraea invites you into a reality where madness becomes medicine, illusion becomes insight, and the fall becomes the path to flight.
Because the truth is, you were never broken.
You were only remembering.
“A deeply meditative, emotionally resonant read. It felt like a conversation with my soul—poetic, vulnerable, and wise.”
Rakhi N.
“Reading the first nine chapters felt like stepping into a work of living art. Rilee’s words are not just written—they’re felt. It reminded me of The Untethered Soul.”
Rachel M.
“This book felt like someone finally put words to the chaos inside my head.”
Emily C.
“I’ve read a lot of spiritual memoirs, but none have been this raw, human, and transformative. It’s like reading poetry in the middle of a storm—terrifying and beautiful at the same time.”
Sophia J.
Rilee Astraea is a somatic storyteller and modern mystic transforming personal narratives through poetic books, shadow work, and soul-rooted truth.
Rilee Astraea is a somatic storyteller and modern mystic known for her genre-blurring, poetic nonfiction rooted in identity, psychology, and personal transformation. Writing under the name Mystic in the Matrix, she guides others through personal reinvention using story, shadow work, and soulful expression. A former communications strategist for Fortune 500s, Rilee left systems that rewarded performance over presence after a profound awakening unraveled—and ultimately reassembled—her truth. Her debut memoir, The Other Side of Awakening, is a lyrical exploration of ego death and spiritual rebirth, described as The Book of Disquiet meets The Prophet. Her forthcoming works, Praying for My Starseed and The Art of Anastasis, further her mission of narrative reclamation and conscious self-remembrance. Through her studio, House of Astraea, she and her husband Tim blend story, soul, and sustainability—offering writing, art, and experiences that bring meaning back to the everyday. Rilee’s work is a reminder: you are the story—and you can always write a new one.