Kaile Teramoto (@kaileteramoto) is an artist and researcher based in Northern California. Her work focuses on decomposition and the human experience, drawing from ecology, depth psychology, and spiritual history. She often explores these ideas through the fictional character, Worm Girl.
#114: Kaile Teramoto
Leo/Virgo/Virgo
Northern California
What does health, or being healthy, mean to you?
I think of health in terms of the body, mind, and spirit — clear, open, and aware of each other, creating viable channels of communication. This isn’t always the case, however, as health is never linear.
My mind likes to think it is the leader, often “handling” outcomes, plans, and execution in an analytical and logical way. It projects the assumption that the body and spirit will be better off under the psychological care of always being ten steps ahead.
This has often left my body feeling like it is on an island, all alone, while my spirit dances off into the wind like a child that has gone off to play in the field.
For me to remain aware of all parts, I like to imagine them all dancing around the fire in sync with union and laughter. This past year, somatic therapy has also helped excavate an energetic passageway from mind to heart. They are finally working together to find some common ground.
How would you describe your current lifestyle?
My current lifestyle feels like the symbolic gesture of the Fool, the first card in the tarot. The card pictures a young traveler stepping off a cliff into the open sky with a tiny pack, a white rose, and a barking dog (my dog, Barter), symbolizing pure innocence, limitless potential, and a major leap of faith. I have been traveling a lot, suitcase and carry-on in hand, with an open heart.
I have my “tools” with me — for example, a subconscious repair meditation and Epsom salt packs to cleanse my energy in times of need, a couple of black vintage tops and skirts from TheRealReal, a hag stone, a copy of The Alchemist with important notes from my friend inside, a Cocteau Twins “Twinlights” CD, and a rosewood wand.
The re-evaluation of tools began when I came to the forest, its feral nature teaching me great wisdom as a predecessor does to his apprentice. I learned that the less physical matter I have, the more I am able to leap into the unknown. And the more of an inner world I cultivate, the more abundant I feel.
Money is a tool, it helps fuel societal worlds and systems. A rose quartz wand and linen sheets are also tools, but they help fuel inner worlds instead.
How do you start and end your days?
I begin my day by shutting off my alarm, usually around 7 am PST. Recently, my friend and I have been FaceTiming at 7:30 am to do a 30-minute abundance meditation. After, I like to do skincare, brush my teeth, and lymphatic drainage movements. I usually use a foam roller as well for spinal mobility.
Next is a walk around the neighborhood, forest, dirt road (wherever I am at the time), usually a couple of blocks to two miles. I love to spot the hummingbirds I see along the way, touch plants, say hi to the trees, and see what all the action is about in the natural world. Next is a glass of water with SunFiber, my GI Synergy pills (I am recovering from SIBO) and a cup of coffee. I usually don’t have breakfast (omelets, scrambled eggs with cottage cheese and jam on toast) until around 12 pm. On days where I have deadlines, I skip all of the above, stretch for five minutes, and get straight to work.
I try to never skip my nighttime routine. I have a glass of water if it is not too late; I use my red light therapy mask, read a book… more skincare (cleanser, toner, Medicube skin modalities with collagen serums), and a moisturizer. My favorite right now is Crème Elastine from Biologique-Recherche. Very pricey, but worth every penny. I’ll roll out my back again if it feels tight and try to do some heart opener poses (backbend, cobra, camel). Can’t forget my sleep mask and a weighted pillow I hold so I can sleep on my back.
The more of an inner world I cultivate, the more abundant I feel.
Can you recall a moment when you became more aware of your health, or your relationship to it changed?
Yes! When I had SIBO, diagnosed December of last year. It was the grand finale of my gut health memorandum (2024-2026), which rallied all bodily functions together to remind us what nourishment truly meant. The SOS call, aka SIBO, came from years of internal stress, one-sided meals (having a higher percentage of fiber and carbs rather than protein), lack of internal rest, and body dysmorphia. This was not an overnight process, but rather slow and justifiable. If I could display a long-winded timeline or visual vignettes of my external and internal state during this time, you would see that they both matched — chaos and disarray, shouting sequentially for rest and reason.
My functional health practitioner Bess, an angel from above, advised me to treat my digestive system as if I were a baby again: simple, nourishing, cooked, warm foods that would allow it to rest easily and re-situate until healed. And how would one treat a baby while they were going through a hard time? With love, patience, and care. So I adopted this relationship with myself.
And it worked. Along with GI Synergy pills, Sunfiber, somatic therapy, and TCM diet.
Do you have a spiritual practice?
Yes! Rituals are usually dependent on moon cycles. I gravitate towards the natural world (trees, fire, water) to help move energy. I made my first altar when I was in the forest and this practice felt very aligned. Spirituality feels most potent at night for me.
What’s your relationship to self-healing?
I think of the words grueling and rewarding. Self-healing is a tension point. I think it is similar to the tension we experience with life on earth — the free self (choices, decision, spirit) and the constrained self (societal norm, laws, rules, regulations). I acknowledge that without tension I would not know the full feeling of humanness.
Do you work with any practitioners, texts, or modalities on a regular basis?
I currently work with my somatic therapist and a reiki practitioner. Last session, I felt my body deepen into a meditative rest state that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I came out of meditation realizing my mind was interpreting rest as something completely different than what the body was experiencing (essentially a premature rest state). I felt saddened and excited all at once. I cried and laughed for unlocking new subconscious territory.
I use my gua sha, wooden massage tool, and dermastamp every day, as well as my Medicube Mini Booster and Ultra Tune. The skin modality fixations stem from a Fraxel laser treatment gone bad. I may have to reel this in at some point, but for now I am appreciative of the results: a stronger skin barrier.
When do you feel the most nourished?
I feel the most nourished when I am drinking homemade bone broth or when I sit at the base of my favorite oak tree, bark touching skin, reading my favorite book aloud. The tree feels grandmotherly, my inner world feels fantastical, and I have arrived at a liminal threshold where the worm girl morphism occurs and spirit guides are present.
Also, my dream state (having most of my placements in the 12th house). It is safe to play out different nodes of reality, and remember that we can enter into different levels of dimensions by simply closing our eyes…
How do you reset?
I call upon my bachan, my spirit guide. There is this visualization I have where we are laying at the entrance an alcove, waves lulling in a gentle rhythm. I turn to look at her and my world resets.
Do you have a favorite meal?
Vegetables from my dad’s garden, Japanese breakfast, and anything from S&S when I am home. A healthy portion of protein, carbs, and fiber when I am in Long Beach, and Indian food when I am having a date night with my boyfriend.
What advice would you give your younger self?
The more you surrender to the unknown, the more you will find yourself in people, places, things that are interconnected with your soul. Also, read The Alchemist when you turn 11.
What advice would you give to the person reading this?
Return often to the reality of nature and live your life in peace. This is from the book Sowing Seeds by Masanobu Fukuoka.
What would you like to see or create more of in the world?
I would like to see a public education system that expands a person's creativity and sense of possibility rather than narrowing it. Education should not be linear, but rather follow the attention of psychological evolution, curiosity, experimentation, and the soul. It would be nice to also learn about Dragon Lines and Mary Magdalene if one so chooses.
