The Joy of Tarot, by Fernie

Praise for The Joy of Tarot

“This is the perfect book if you’re looking to explore and connect with mysticism and yourself.

Fernie presents a beautiful and unique look at tarot. Through their guidance, we can cultivate a better understanding of ourselves and the cards.”

—Lisa Stardust, astrologer and author “A warm, witty, and deeply empowering guide for the modern seeker. The Joy of Tarot strips away the intimidation, inviting readers of all backgrounds to claim the cards as their own. It is rare to find a teacher who offers this much expert wisdom while making you feel like you’re learning from a best friend.”

—Elliot Adam, bestselling author of Fearless Tarot and Tarot in Love “A modern guide for anyone who has been searching for the perfect tarot fit but hasn’t found it. With Fernie as your trusted teacher, you may be well on your way to becoming someone’s favorite fortune teller, too.”

—Theresa Reed “The Tarot Lady,” author of The Cards You’re Dealt: How to Deal When Life Gets Real “If you want to fall in love with tarot and with yourself as a reader, put yourself in Fernie’s capable and fabulous hands. Between these pages style and substance mingle, creating an alchemical matrix that will transform your readings.”

—Barbara Moore, author of Steampunk Tarot and The Art of Tarot Spreads “A hands-on guide bursting with love and wisdom, The Joy of Tarot is a true gem among tarot books. Fernie beautifully and thoughtfully breaks down the complexities of tarot, offering practical tips, tools, and insights. A must-read for anyone looking to expand and deepen their tarot practice.”

—Stephanie Buscema, artist of Silver Acorn Tarot “Fernie fully makes you fall in love with them through their writing and storytelling. Their transparency about their journey creates a feeling of safety for the reader as they dive into a world that can be quite daunting.”

—Anthony Lightz, psychic medium “Fernie writes with such beautiful personality, which only highlights their vast and profound knowledge of tarot and fortune-telling. This book is full of charm and wit, while giving the reader an in-depth dive into how to start, maintain, and grow their tarot journey.”

—Adam Dalton Blake, designer and illustrator; creator of The Star and the Stud Tarot Deck

“Fernie teaches tarot the way your favorite tía would, overflowing with chisme and soul and the kind of loving regañada you need when you would have known the answer but weren’t listening properly. This book is a beautifully balanced combination of memoir and manual.”

—Mario Elias, artist and author of Beloved Disciples “Fernie’s warm and inclusive energy radiates throughout this book, which feels more like a cozy chat over tea than a study session.”

—Renee Watt, astrologer and co-creator of the Elvira Tarot “A great introduction to tarot delivered like a reunion with an old friend, full of the author’s personality and playful love for their craft.”

—Thomas Witholt, author of the Seaborn Kipper and founder of Hermit’s Mirror “A skillful balance of education and mysticism for those seeking to begin or enhance their tarot practice. Detailed guides, quiz reviews, and guidance for journaling ensures readers will be able to successfully retain the information.”

—Gume Laurel III, author of the International Latino Book Award Winner The Brujos of Borderland High

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The Joy of Tarot: Reading the Cards with Daring and Delight Copyright © 2026 by Fernie. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd., except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.

first edition

First Printing, 2026 Book design by Rebecca Zins Cover design by Shira Atakpu Tarot Original 1909 Deck © 2021 with art created by Pamela Colman Smith and Arthur Edward Waite. Used with permission of Lo Scarabeo.

Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data Name: Fernie, author.

Title: The joy of tarot : reading the cards with daring and delight / Fernie.

Description: 1. | Woodbury, Minnesota : Llewellyn, [2026] | Summary: “A joyous and empowering method for tarot readers of all levels for interpreting tarot cards, exploring creative spreads, and gaining a fresh perspective”—Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2026024063 (print) | LCCN 2026024064 (ebook) | ISBN 9780738782959 trade paperback | ISBN 9780738782959 ebook Subjects: LCSH: Tarot Classification: LCC BF1879.T2 F485 2026 (print) | LCC BF1879.T2 (ebook) LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2026024063 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2026024064 Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. does not participate in, endorse, or have any authority or responsibility concerning private business transactions between our authors and the public.

All mail addressed to the author is forwarded but the publisher cannot, unless specifically instructed by the author, give out an address or phone number.

Any internet references contained in this work are current at publication time, but the publisher cannot guarantee that a specific location will continue to be maintained. Please refer to the publisher’s website for links to authors’ websites and other sources.

Llewellyn Publications A Division of Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd. 2143 Wooddale Drive Woodbury, MN 55125-2989 www.llewellyn.com Printed in the United States of America GPSR Representation: UPI-2M PLUS d.o.o., Medulićeva 20, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia matt.parsons@upi2mbooks.hr

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his book is dedicated to all those who feel unloved, unheard, marginalized, and forgotten—to everyone who needs someone to show them grace and compassion. May this book bring you delight, may it help you be daring, may it sprinkle a little bit of glitter and fairy dust, and may it be a place you can call home. You are safe here, and I will take care of you. ¡Los quiero mucho, mis amores!

Contents The Tarot Spreads and Where to Find Them • x Foreword by Theresa Reed • xiii Introduction • 1 Chapter 1: Peering into the World of Tarot • 13 Chapter 2: The Cards • 23 The Major Arcana, 25 The Wands, 71 The Cups, 101 The Swords, 131 The Pentacles, 161 Chapter 3: Give Me a Spread • 191 Chapter 4: Quiz Yourself • 267 Chapter 5: You Better Werk-Book (Plus Some Journal Prompts for Your Nerves) • 295 A Conclusion and an Invitation: ¡Adios, Mis Amores! ¡Los Quiero Mucho! • 317 Acknowledgments • 319

The Tarot Spreads and Where to Find Them One-Card Spreads Card of the Day, 195 Fortune, 198 One-Card Answer, 200

Two-Card Spreads This or That, 202 Do or Don’t, 204 The Vs. Spread 206

Three-Card Spreads The Fernie Special 208 Past/Present/Future, 211 Situation/Action/Outcome, 214 Reflection, 216

Four-Card Spreads Should I Stay/Should I Go, 220 Choice One/Choice Two, 223

Five-Card Spreads Radiating Light, 226 Past/Present/Future/Obstacles/Outcome, 230 Growth Through Action, 233 Leadership Coaching, 237 Five Elements Scrying, 241

Six-Card Spread Mini Cross, 246

Ten-Card Spread The Celtic Cross, 252

Twelve-Card Spread Happy Birthday! 259 x

FOREWORD There is a theory that Geminis are always in search of their missing twin. Perhaps that explains why we seem fickle to the rest of the world. It’s true we have a hard time settling down. Why commit to one person when there are so many interesting fish in the proverbial sea? On some level, the worry that something or someone better could be “out there” might be the fuel that keeps the quest active, even when a decision has been made. Maddening!

Like a typical Gemini, I have that restless spirit. In my wild youth, I had many romantic adventures and a trail of broken hearts in my wake. One of my exes called me “frighteningly independent,” while another accused me of taking off when the going gets tough. Both statements are true. However, these weren’t the only reasons why I bailed without so much as a glance backward in the rearview mirror.

I needed a true intellectual connection, a meeting of like minds, and all the space just in case my wandering heart needed to breathe (or roam). My first husband was a fellow Gemini, but somewhere along the way, he missed the free spirit memo. Instead, he needed certainty, something I’ve never been good at giving. I broke his tender heart into a million shards.

While part of me felt awful about it, the Gemini side was already fixated on the future.

A few years later, my cosmic twin arrived in the form of a lanky Virgo death metal musician, a much better fit. We bonded over music, art, and long conversations. Most importantly, our mercurial natures were aligned, with enough space between us so we could fully exhale.

It’s been over thirty years—proof to myself that I can commit when it’s right.

This need to connect like two perfect little puzzle pieces isn’t relegated solely to romantic partners. Other relationships come and go, sometimes due to life, other times a lack of genuine intellectual rapport or shared wit. Geminis need mental stimulation, and if it’s not there, the partnership will not last. No offense.

My longest friendships have always been with fellow smart-mouths who enjoy a snarky joke and don’t take life too seriously. And when it comes to peers, the same rules apply.

Many years ago, I had a tarot reading from someone who wasn’t a professional. It knocked my socks all the way off. For one, he was mind-blowingly accurate, down to the finest detail. xiii

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Like me, he was interested in the divination aspect of tarot. The introspection thing has a place, but my heart belonged to fortune-telling, not the self-discovery part.

Because this was life before cell phones, I lost contact with him. Ever since, I’ve been searching for a tarot twin, someone who reads like me and that guy. Tall order? Yes. But lo and behold, my quest was finally answered when I met my new favorite fortune teller, Fernie.

We bumped into each other on social media (so modern!) and something clicked immediately. Although the glittery, colorful caftan and megawatt smile certainly caught my eye, that wasn’t it; it was Fernie’s reading style. Instead of shying away from the F word, he embraced fortune-telling. I needed a reading from him, so I jumped at the chance when he offered to read for my birthday.

He cut to the chase, got right down to divination, and gave me a twelve-month forecast that resonated. I referred back to that reading throughout the year, amazed as the predictions unfolded. Best of all, his advice kept me grounded.

During our session, I also learned he was a fellow Gemini. Kismet! Fernie is the yang to my yin, the cookie to my cutter, the missing part to my fortune-telling–loving heart.

You now hold in your hands The Joy of Tarot: Reading the Cards with Daring and Delight, a beautiful book based on his decades of divination wisdom, lovingly explained so you can begin reading tarot with confidence and a side of dazzle. This book isn’t just the same old “here’s the traditional meaning” tarot book. Instead, you get various ways to interpret each card, which helps you determine your own style.

After all, that’s the one thing we Geminis want more than anything: While we desire a twin, we never want a carbon copy. We prefer individuality. While that may sound like a contradiction, that’s another true Gemini trait: the ability to find common ground without conforming.

The Joy of Tarot is a modern guide for anyone who has been searching for the perfect tarot fit but hasn’t found it. With Fernie as your trusted teacher, you may be well on your way to becoming someone’s favorite fortune teller, too.

Theresa Reed, author of The Cards You’re Dealt: How to Deal When Life Gets Real—A Tarot Guidebook

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Introduction Picture it: McAllen, Texas; June 28, 2019. A tall, ravishing creature is setting up a booth in a convention center, the orange background slightly clashing with their purple Jigglypuff T-shirt. Their sister, Paloma, is meticulously placing small gems on a shelf; the purple-clad deity is prancing around, covering a long folding table with a secondhand vintage black velvet curtain repurposed as a tablecloth and decorating it with various mystic-looking knickknacks they found at the same thrift store.

Fernie, as the deity is called, finalizes the scene by placing a few tarot decks, some crystals, and a pricing chart inspired by Sailor Moon’s magical attacks in carefully curated fashion around the booth. With everything done, they hug their sister, smiling a bright, broad smile, and squeal, “We did it!” Paloma hugs them back, rolls her eyes, and retorts with a “What’s this we?” before pushing them away with a smile and a snicker.

Paloma takes a look at everything and then hands Fernie a long white sign. Fernie takes it, incredulity and excitement and joy and love and all sorts of other glittery emotions filling them to the brim, and holds it up; Paloma senses the moment and captures it with her phone.

That sign read Golden Mirror Fortunes, and that day was the birth of your favorite fortune teller.

That fortune-telling deity with the bright smile is now writing to you, my dear reader, to help you find the joy of tarot, to help you find your intuition and voice, and to help you make your world—and hopefully the world at large—a more daring and delightful place. It’s a tall order for a book but one that I think we can tackle together, corazón.

First things first, mis amores—allow me to introduce myself ! My name is Fernando Javier Cosmas Olivarez Salinas Jr., but please call me Fernie. I grew up in a small town on the southern border of Texas, where magic mingled with the mundane and where I could feel the spirits of the world alive in every breeze, whisper of leaves, and glorious sunset.

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May 2019: your favorite for tune teller is born!

Fernie, fabulous in 2025!

INTRODUCTION

According to some of the small-town stories of where I grew up, I came to magic through heritage, though I don’t think it necessary or the only way to do so. There are some apocryphal rumors that my great-grandfather and his son, my great-uncle, were both curanderos, or folk healers, and that people would come to them with their problems, seeking advice or herbs or spells to help them along in their lives. I never really knew them, and the veracity of their existence is vigorously debated amongst my family, but all of us knew that our family was slightly more intuitive and in touch with the spirits than others.

I remember the day my own intuition began to shine its light. I was sitting outside on my grandma’s driveway with my mom and two of her sisters in the middle of a south Texas summer, with a big citronella candle burning in the middle of us. As I was only about five, I wasn’t super interested in the chisme they were sharing about our neighbors and the various slights they’d inflicted upon each other, so in my boredom I began to stare at the flame and let my mind wander. Their voices began to fade, and I remember my mom saying, “Mijito, don’t stare too hard or you’ll get lost,” but my grandma dismissed her warning and encouraged me to continue.

I didn’t get lost in some void, thankfully, but something did shift. Even though I was still just a young child, my family began to trust my intuition implicitly. They knew I was touched by enchantment and wanted me to help guide them. From then on, my grandma and her daughters would reach out to me when they had strange dreams, asking me to interpret them, or teach me about teas and herbs and their various uses. Even after all these years, I still make sure to always have a box of manzanilla tea in my cupboard, for there’s no better cure for what ails someone than a warm cup of chamomile tea and some gentle platica, which is the loving conversation witches are known to use to great effect.

From there, it was actually quite a short journey to becoming a fortune teller. Those childhood experiences with magic helped me see that my calling in life was to help make the world a better place through this gift—and to have a little fun along the way, too. I remember listening to my friends’ dreams over breakfast in high school or telling them to take peppermint tea to help a nervous stomach before the big game. My mom would tell me all about the different properties of the herbs, flowers, and trees around our neighborhood, saying which one was good for headaches or menstrual cramps or bothersome people. In college, game nights led me to using playing cards to help classmates answer the questions that I still get today: Does he like me? What job should I take? Am I on the right path? A friend and I would take walks around the park, looking for signs in the air to note when a test might go well or a crush might make themselves known. This gift continued to give me great joy, and I reveled in the ability to provide guidance and cheer to the people I loved most. It seemed more a little thing 3

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I could do for others rather than something special and grand, and I was content to keep it that way. However, as with most things, necessity proved to be the chispa I needed to spur me to greater action.

After twenty years of being an amateur fortune teller, I finally purchased my first tarot deck. I’d always been afraid of getting one, thinking that somehow the purchase of something so occult was a line that shouldn’t be crossed, yet as soon as I opened the deck, the world around me seemed to just click more firmly into place. The pictures entranced me, whispering secrets into my soul and tickling my mind with beautiful mysteries ready to be solved. The deck was giant-sized, letting the pictures whisper all the more loudly; these cards are now the same ones I use every morning for my Card of the Day ritual. This deck has been with me through so much—cheating boyfriends, career woes and changes, celebrating milestones, supporting my friends—that by now I’m sure it’s achieved relic status, yet it persists in being used and reused, a testament to the enduring powers of tarot.

One of the things that also helped Golden Mirror Fortunes be born was my other career as an educator—first as a teacher, and then eventually as a school principal. I got to see the vast expanse of the human experience firsthand, either child-sized or writ large for adults, and saw just how much wisdom people could glean if they just understood their lives better. Being an educator and fortune teller aren’t so different; in both careers I listen, figure out what people need, and then give it to them in the way they can understand best. I’m grateful for my experiences as a teacher and principal because I think it made me a great fortune teller, and I think being a fortune teller made me a much better educator.

Around the same time I got my first deck (and while I was still a teacher), I was in the middle of a relationship with my first-ever boyfriend. We broke up after a few years; the love fizzled out, as is often the case in early relationships. The dissolution of our relationship was devastating, both emotionally but especially monetarily: I’d made some poor financial decisions during our relationship and now the consequences had come to call.

In thinking about what I could do, my options were limited. I was an assistant principal at the time, and the thought of working at a coffee shop or a retail store and seeing my students or their parents didn’t sit well with me. I looked to my trusty tarot cards and started shuffling while thinking, “How can I support myself financially during this time?” and the realization dawned on me before the first card was even laid down. Ay, Fernie, I thought, you could be a fortune teller!

I looked for the best telephone psychic networks, interviewed with one or two, and then got hired within a couple of weeks. This foray into professional reading taught me a lot about how to treat people with sensitivity, how to manage my time and my clients’ time, and how to 4

INTRODUCTION

be empathetic to people’s plights when I had no other connection to them other than them calling me in their hour of need. I loved knowing that there were clients that would wait until my hours were posted to set up some time to chat with me, such as the lady who really just wanted someone to reassure her that her life wasn’t in total shambles or the guy who would only spend two minutes, rushing through his question so he could get some mystical advice on which financial decision was best. It was nice and fulfilling, and I felt good using my talents helping these people.

A few years into being a telephone psychic, I found myself entrenched in another notgreat relationship. While the previous one had been characterized by love but poor finances, this one had a decidedly different tone. While there was still love, the passion that we felt for each other quickly turned into abuse, with me as the victim; the fire in his heart turned destructive, isolating, and ultimately very toxic and harmful. When I finally was able to break free of this awful relationship, I was unmoored and adrift in a stormy sea.

Thankfully, in the twilight of our relationship, I had started an Instagram account for my tarot practice and named it Golden Mirror Fortunes. The name was born from its disparate parts: Golden, as my favorite color is gold, because what can be better than gold? Mirror because not only am I vain, but also because I envisioned myself as being a reflection of the world and using fortune-telling to help people see themselves and their paths. And Fortunes because I wanted to help people with all sorts of fortunes—from tarot to astrology to herbs to anything else people might need to make their lives more fortunate.

Much like the proverbial phoenix, your favorite fortune teller was born from the fiery funeral pyre of a disastrous relationship. The pain of the end of this relationship, coupled with the lessons learned from the first relationship, helped me see that I could take what I’d been through and forge it into wisdom that could strengthen other people. It made me realize how fortunate I was to no longer be in those situations, and then to want to help others find their own good fortune.

That same June in 2019 brings us all the way back to our time at the Pride celebration market, where the Jigglypuff T-shirt and gym shorts helped us kick off what has been one of the greatest joys in my life. Golden Mirror Fortunes and naming myself your favorite fortune teller (which hopefully I’m starting to earn!) are the sum total of my entire life, from the balmy evenings staring into candles to psychic phone calls to being a school principal helping students and families do better to listening carefully to clients crying about all the ways that life can be tough to celebrating with these same clients when life gets better—as it so often does.

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Golden Mirror Fortunes was born of my ancestors, my friends, my experiences, my exes, my family, all of it. My fortune-telling practice celebrates queerness, honors the beauty of life, and strives to help make the community we live in even better. To do this, I celebrate and listen to the trailblazers who helped make this path possible. It is through the icons who have preceded me that I am able to stand before you and know who I am because they helped me see myself in ways I didn’t think I ever would.

I remember the first time I slipped into a custom couture caftan, made by a local seamstress, and luxuriated in how absolutely beautiful I felt. I felt like I was stepping into the robes of my idol Walter Mercado and could hear his immortal words “Con mucho, mucho amor” echo in my mind. Putting on my first pair of heels and flicking open a huge fan made me feel like RuPaul, towering over the world like some goddess of love and beauty. I could hear her telling me “Good luck, and don’t fuck it up!” every time I’d step into a market or a television studio or when I was writing an article for one of those impossibly fabulous magazines. The glitter on my face and covering my body, the exuberant dancing and performing, and the love of life was born of admiration for the disco divas of the past, especially Diana Ross and Donna Summer. These ladies helped me recognize that I am powerful in my otherness and that coming out as the Boss gave me the strength to be “hot stuff ” and reminded me to “work hard for the money.”

We have little enough of pride and joy in queerness in our society, and if I can don a caftan, some jewelry, and some glitter and celebrate that queerness even more loudly, I shall. I’ll call myself a fortune teller because what I’m doing goes beyond just pulling cards or looking at the stars or brewing a potion—it goes to the heart of witchcraft, meaning that it is at once being both wise and helpful. Being a fortune teller means that I am sitting in front of you, with you, beside you, by you, in order to help make your fortune better by whatever means necessary. It means that I’m going to tell you the hard truths (but with a bit of honey and flowers because that’s just me). It means I’m going to point you in the right direction. It also means that I’m going to treat what we’re doing with reverence but also with a little bit of unseriousness because really, life isn’t always so serious.

Who I am today has been created by all my experiences, yes, but is also an amalgamation of these gorgeous predecessors who blazed a path so that I may follow in my own sequined gown. With that kind of history, I know that my ability to tell fortunes meant that I’d been called to help others who were in tight spots, even sometimes just by being undeniably visible so that others may see themselves reflected back. I call myself your favorite fortune teller not because I believe that I already am, but to remind myself that I have to earn it—that I should

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always strive to be someone you can turn to, both to honor your story and guide you to better fortune. What could be more golden than that?

Being a fortune teller, to me, means that I’m always going to be learning. I recognize that there are a million ways to read the seventyeight cards of the tarot and that the stars have secrets we don’t even have the language to decode. I understand that the world around us is filled with wonders and that I need to be open and ready to listen and learn from them.

Being a fortune teller means that in order to improve your fortune, I have to be ready to accept that I can and will be wrong and that together we can figure out what’s right.

I do want you to know that being a fortune teller has saved my life, both figuratively and actually quite literally; reading tarot has gotten me out of some very dark times. Being a fortune teller has also given me the joy of helping others, whether it’s in giving them solace when times are tough, the regañada they need when they’re misbehaving, or the advice that might make life a little bit better (if they listen). Fortune-telling has also helped me recognize the power in my queerness and in my magic. It has helped me understand my history and my ancestors and the people I stand with now a little bit better. It has also inspired me to be more daring and even more delightful in my approach to life.

When I think of fortune-telling, I think of the outcast, the person on the sidelines who observes, the long and storied history of queer people who were just outside of the bonfire’s light but who stood by to help. Called many things by many cultures, these were the shamans, wise ones, and medicine people, the people who were meant to see beyond the mundane and into the divine. As a queer person who was both born into and then made their way into a magical tradition, I’d like to think that I am standing with these people, especially the many non-binary and gender-agnostic folx for whom this mantle was one of pride and joy.

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I will always strive to be your favorite fortune teller because I want to make sure that I am working so hard and so diligently to earn that title. I know it isn’t easily given, and I don’t think I’d want it if it were. I want to earn it. With patience, discipline, and the ability to embrace rather than force, I know I shall become your favorite fortune teller, and I hope you’ll become mine, too. Remember, mi amor, that you can be whatever you want. Fortune-telling is just a way to help you figure that out.

This book was conceived as a sort of textbook and instructional for folx who are interested in deepening their tarot study. Whether you’re new to tarot or an old hand at spreads, I want for you to feel like you are learning something new and have the tools to really dig deep into the mystical and magical world of tarot. This means that this book is practical, insightful, and also very real. We have sample readings, quizzes, and some ideas to get you started on a journal and a workbook—all to give you whatever it is you might need wherever you are on your journey.

Shape this book into the thing that you need most, corazón; it’s meant to be yours!

Before we make our way deeper into the book, I want to help orient you to what is contained within this gorgeous little treasure chest you have in your hands. We’ve started with some introductions to me, your favorite fortune teller, and in a bit we’ll talk a bit about the history and structure of tarot. From there we’ll explore each tarot card, providing you with the loving guidance and knowledge you’ll need along the way on your tarot journey. Next, you’ll find yourself immersed in some tarot card spreads (ways to arrange the cards) to help you read for yourself and others. Then there are some training quizzes (along with answer keys) to help you build some tarot muscles. Finally, we end with some ideas for you to take and make into your own personal workbooks and journals. As a former schoolteacher and principal, I couldn’t very well write a book without giving you some homework, now could I? I promise, though, that there shall be no harsh grading and only a few regañadas thrown in—you’re getting off much more easily than any of my students ever did! Just like the Fool in the major arcana, I want to encourage you to take your journey as it comes and let it begin and end and continue as your heart and spirit dictate. Tarot will be here for you when you’re ready; I certainly will be here too, mi amor.

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With this book, mi amor, you are being sprinkled with glitter, showered with love, and bathed in radiant light. You are going to experience the joy of tarot along with me, and we’re going to be daring and full of delight together. We will reflect on all of the things that make tarot such a powerful tool for selfhealing, helping the world be a better place, and giving guidance to those who may be lost.

I am so excited to be here with you, corazón!

Fortune-Telling, Fate, and Predicting the Future When I read tarot, I am trying to see my clients’ future and help them along the path toward the outcomes they are desiring; that means sometimes also seeing the past and how it has led to the present or looking into the present moment to ascertain which paths may issue forth from certain choices they make or sometimes just seeing the patterns that have popped up over time and how they are currently being expressed.

I hold very closely to my heart The Wheel of Time series’ most famous aphorism: “The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills.” This means, basically, that things are going to sometimes happen in the way they are meant to happen, which is great for fortune-telling because I can see those patterns as they happen or before they do and give guidance to folx as to how to set themselves on the path they need to go on. This also means that there are things that just are, and no amount of fortune-telling or magic or wishing can change it.

I also firmly believe that we are creatures of free will, and therefore, if we do not like the outcome, we should look for ways to change the path. Maybe you won’t get that promotion at your current job . . . but is there another job out there for you? Maybe this crush just isn’t going to call you . . . so let’s see what you can do to find a new beau!

I don’t believe in spiritual bypassing or toxic positivity; sometimes things might suck, and that’s okay—my job is to help gird your loins for those troubling times. As your favorite fortune teller, I shall of course put some glitter and sparkle and maybe even a little sugar onto the message, but I’m not going to lie to you, nor should you lie to yourself or others. Knowing 9

INTRODUCTION

that things might be awful gives us the chance to prepare and maybe change the outcomes; don’t try to make a shortcut through what you need to go through.

Reading the tarot gives us a slant toward optimism, however, and teaches us lessons that will ultimately help us be our best selves; don’t give in to fatalism and think that things are going to always be one way or another. Celebrate, have fun, love and laugh and cherish, take care of those around you; I want for you to desire to be daring and delighted. Ultimately, though, I know that fate and our free will weave an intricate pattern that no one can truly see all the way through. The tarot helps us see as much into that pattern as we can and then figure out how best to live within it and change what can be and accept what can’t.

My job as your favorite fortune teller is to make sure that you’re taken care of, corazón. Your job is to live your best life with daring and delight.

Ways of Reading There are many paths to find the joy of tarot, and there are many ways to use this book.

Maybe you desire to be a professional fortune teller like me, and so together we’ll stand, helping others find their grand fates and getting paid to do so. Or maybe you’ll be a daring and delightful amateur tarot reader, reading cards for those around you, or even just be that friend who happens to know tarot and takes the cards out every now and then when someone needs advice. You might even have picked up this book on a whim and really aren’t sure what you’re going to do—feel free to disregard what I’m saying here and head straight into the learning.

You can choose to use this book and these teachings however you like, mi amor. I promise it’ll be okay.

For me, reading the cards—either as a professional or an amateur—is something that should be treated with reverence, dignity, and respect. People come to us in their hours of need, when they’re at their most vulnerable, and give us access to their insecurities, doubts, and worries. These people, these darling humans, need for us as their readers to shower them with love and grace. Even if we can’t quite find the ability to love the person in front of us, the tradition and the history of tarot implore us to honor the cards if nothing else.

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INTRODUCTION

This book is designed to help you find the joy of tarot, regardless of whether reading cards is going to be your next business venture or just a fun way to spend a Saturday night with your friends. If you’ll allow this book to do so, you’ll find the secrets of your own heart and how to heal the secrets of others’ hearts. As I’ve gotten older and older, I realize that I can be both the Empress and the High Priestess, your mother and your guide, so I’ve written this book to help everyone find ways to listen to their intuition a little more closely, and my heart goes out to you at every stage of your tarot journey. I’ve loved making this my life’s work, and I hope you find the joy of tarot in your life as well, mi amor.

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1 Peering into the World of Tarot When I first got into fortune-telling, I thought it was going to be like what I had seen in the movies: dark rooms and whispered secrets and perhaps a pretty turban on my head. In fact, however, tarot has a long history that is quite different from that supposed reality. Scholars are pretty clear that tarot arose from playing-card games, but there is still some debate as to how it began to be used as a divination tool. I’ll share with you what I’ve learned over the years studying the history of tarot and encourage you to continue down the rabbit hole of tarot’s history as you deem best!

Scholars mostly agree that tarot cards first appeared around the 1400s and are derived from a game called tarocchi or trionfi that was played originally in Italy and eventually traveled to most of Europe. These decks usually contained the suits and court cards we still use today (wands, cups, pentacles, and swords; pages, knights, queens, and kings) but were used to play card games rather than for divination.

Tarot cards began to be used as divination tools around the mid-1700s. Whether they consulted the soothsayers throwing bones or the oracles reading smoke, people have always wanted to know what’s going to happen next, and tarot cards proved to be a nice way of doing so in their parlors, no bones about it. The popular Rider-Waite-Smith tarot was first published in 1909 and is the deck with the illustrations most of us are familiar with. There are two other decks that also have a long history and are still used as the basis for a lot of modern decks: the Thoth deck, written and designed by Aleister Crowley and illustrated by Lady Frieda Harris, and the Marseilles deck, an old French deck that usually forgoes illustrations for the numbered cards and leaves them for the court and trump cards.

Regardless of the deck you’re using, all tarot decks have a few things in common. The names might change depending on the deck, and sometimes the image might look dramatically different, but we can generally read cards in the same way because of this shared structure. Let’s explore the language of tarot and these common aspects, mis amores!

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Tarot Basics Tarot decks are generally made up of seventy-eight cards, divided up into twenty-two major arcana and fifty-six minor arcana cards.

The major arcana, or “big secrets,” depicts archetypal and mythical ideas, and is meant to help us see the big patterns in our lives. These cards can help us see where fate might be leading us while also reminding us of how our lives are constantly being shaped by our choices.

The major arcana whispers to us about who we are as a person and what lessons we might need to learn in order to become our best selves.

The minor arcana, or “little secrets,” is divided into four suits, these being traditionally named wands, cups, swords, and pentacles. Each suit is further broken down into fourteen cards, with numbered cards of ace through ten and four court cards named page, knight, queen, and king. Each suit of the minor arcana whispers to us about a different aspect of our lives and describes to us what everyday happenings might be affecting our lives.

The four suits and their corresponding attributes are: Wands: These cards are associated with the fire element and help us see our

passions, motivations, drive, and sometimes our sexual nature. They help us see both how we might light the bonfire of ambition and what might make us burn out.

Cups: Holding the element of water, these cards align themselves with our

emotions, especially love but also our intuition and our dreams. They provide us with insight into how our hearts might be feeling and how we might heal ourselves and others as well as give us the ability to see our fantasies more clearly.

Swords: The ruler of the air element, these cards describe to us our thoughts,

how we communicate, and also let us see the conflict and distress in our lives.

They speak honestly about what we might need in order to overcome life’s obstacles while also not shying away from showing us pain, defeat, and anxiety.

These cards remind us that our intellect is our greatest weapon in the face of adversity.

Pentacles: Grounded in the earth element, these cards show us the mundane

world in all of its beauty and the magic that our daily rituals and routines can have. They rule our work lives, the money and resources we have, our physical bodies and well-being, and also the ways that we can use our day-to-day lives to increase prosperity and abundance.

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Now allow me to introduce you to the tarot court: Pages: A youthful, often exuberant card, these cards depict the energy of

the suit in its nascent form. They often denote a message might be coming or indicate there’s something to learn from the suit’s element that we haven’t begun mastering. With their playful energy, we are reminded that not everything need be so serious­—we can and should enjoy life.

Knights: These brave cards take the element of their suit out into the world,

encouraging us to take action. They will often describe both the way forward and the obstacles that might keep us from victory, providing us with a clear path if we listen to their advice. They also highlight for us the need to beware impulsivity and stay focused on our objectives.

Queens: Nurturing and insightful, these cards allow us to see how the suit’s

element can be used to help ourselves and others. These cards often ask us to provide the comfort, care, and love that is needed to make us feel safe and cared for. Filled with inner strength, the queens ask us to embrace the power of the suit’s element in our lives.

Kings: The leader of their element, these cards ask us to envision how we can

take the suit’s element out into the world and be a shining example of it at its best. When these cards show up, we need to step up our game and take action in wise, measured ways. The power of our own authority and the responsibility that comes with mastery and strength is emphasized when we take on the king’s crown.

Choosing a Tarot Deck Now that you’re familiar with the history and generalities of the deck, it’s time to go find one!

First off, I want to discuss the notion, completely misguided, that one must be gifted their first tarot deck in order to be a tarot reader. This is very much false; as I’ve already mentioned, I bought my very own first tarot deck, and most of the readers I know also went out and made fate happen by getting their own decks, too.

We live in an age where you can buy almost anything at any time, and while I know that there are definitely some negative consequences of this “always on” culture, it does have its benefits when trying to find your first tarot deck. When buying your first deck, I recommend a few things: 15

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Consider the Classics The Rider-Waite-Smith is the most widely used deck, with lots of information on it and interpretations of the cards readily available to you. I also find the images on the classic deck really easy to interpret, if at times a little heteronormative and non-diverse. There are many options for decks that mitigate those shortcomings while maintaining the basis of the images, so find something that works for you!

Purchase One You’re Comfortable with Getting Dirty and Being Heavily Used I remember spending an exorbitant amount of money on a deck I absolutely had to have, and while its beauty is exceptional, I rarely use it because I’m so scared of ruining it. Save those gorgeous decks for when you already have your workhorse deck figured out.

Find a Deck You Love, But Don’t Let the Perfect Deck Be the Enemy of a Perfectly Good Deck If you’re ready to buy a deck, get one that you feel comfortable with and just take a leap of faith. If you end up finding one you love even more, now you have two decks! Yay! When I’m in the mood for a new deck, I love perusing my local bookstore and witchy shops to get my hands on it and feel its weight, size, and the quality of the cardstock, but if those options are unavailable to you, order online. The best deck you can buy is the one you’re going to have in your hands, so don’t feel like there has to be some super special moment to get it.

I can’t wait to see what decks make it to your collection!

Setting the Scene for a Reading So, you have your brain full of elements and secrets and kings and queens, you’ve bought your very first deck, and now you want to get to reading the cards! When we are reading tarot for ourselves or others, it’s important to create a space that feels special and allows us to access the care and guidance that the cards provide. This doesn’t have to be grandiose or difficult to create; while a gorgeous room that is curated for your readings would be delightful, sometimes all the space for reading we have is our kitchen table or a little corner of our bed. The following guidelines can be stretched to fit whatever your real-life situation is and should be taken as advice and not hard-and-fast rules.

First, find a space where you can spread out, even if just a little bit. You want your body to be comfortable so your mind, spirit, and intuition can do their things in a reading, and being cramped or confined might not do it for you. You also need to have space to lay your cards

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out in a spread (or a special arrangement of the cards), so make sure you have a little room for the reading, too.

Next, take some time to ground yourself. This might look like lighting a candle or some incense, or maybe just sitting quietly for a few breaths. I find box breathing to be especially helpful when I’m feeling like I need to gather my thoughts quickly: Breathe in for a count of four, hold for four, breathe out for a count of four, and then hold again for a count of four.

Repeat as many times as you need until you feel calm and centered.

Finally, give yourself time. Rushing a reading only results in rushed results, and while there are definitely times when we need a quick jolt of advice, the best readings are always the ones where we give the cards the time and space they need to make their meaning known to us.

All of that being said, I’ve done readings in the rain with a howling gale at an ill-timed outdoor market, at a busy restaurant when a friend started crying because her situationship was sucking, and in every room in my house when I’ve felt my intuition knocking on my psychic door and I couldn’t figure out why. There aren’t any hard-and-fast rules about reading, but following the advice above can help make your readings feel that much more special.

Asking Tarot a Question The scene is set, your knowledge is harnessed, and you have your deck in hand. Time to ask questions! You are probably quite accustomed to asking questions in your everyday life— What’s for dinner? Why is the car in front of me not moving? How will I find a job that pays well and is easy to do? and so on and so forth. Asking tarot a question is only slightly different, and you should approach it with the same curiosity that you have in other aspects of your existence. However, I do find that the best way to get a clear, helpful response from your tarot cards is by framing your question using the tips below.

Have Something in Mind A general reading can be helpful when you really are just looking to see what’s going on, but it’s much more powerful when you have at least a loose topic that you feel like exploring.

Whether it’s one of the classics (like love or work) or something more specific (an interview or an upcoming test), giving your readings a little nudge in the right direction can be much more satisfying than not.

Ask Something Open-Ended Tarot is not really well-suited for giving yes or no answers; while the cards are often interpreted as being in the affirmative or negative, the nuance of the card gets lost when trying to 17

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shoehorn it into such a confining space. Starting your questions with “how” or “why” will allow for the cards to give you great advice beyond whether something will happen or not.

Frame Your Questions As Asking for Advice Rather Than a Concrete Answer Tarot can be used for predicting the future and is a great tool for figuring things out, but the problem with the future is that it’s always changing as we make decisions and move around.

Try asking “How can I get . . . ” if you’re looking to see how you can master your own fate.

Don’t Be Nosy Third-party readings (or reading about someone who isn’t asking the question) are neither helpful nor ethical. It’s really hard to see into someone’s mind, especially without them there to consent to it. Your life is interesting enough without poking around in someone else’s.

Sometimes It Might Not Be a Question At All Talk to your cards like you might a trusted counselor or advisor. They’ll surprise you with what they share with you if you let your intuition guide you!

Let’s look at some questions and they can be improved: Questions: What’s going on with my life?

Will I leave my job?

Is my relationship with my mom doomed?

What does my client think about my work?

Am I healthy?

Better Questions: How can I help make my love life a little more exciting?

Why have I felt stuck at work lately?

What would be the best way to improve my relationship with my mom?

How can I improve the work I’m doing with this client?

Help me come up with a plan to reach my fitness goals.

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Lastly, when we are fortune-telling, please try to take your doctor, lawyer, or therapist hat off and keep only the fortune teller one on. This means that while you may see something regarding someone’s health or a legal situation, or you may give someone advice, we need to be clear that we are not to be used in lieu of medical, legal, or psychological support. We can be a part of a person’s journey, but we should definitely leave the final word on these topics to the experts.

Misconceptions About Tarot Finally, you might encounter some resistance (either from others or maybe even from yourself ) when you start reading. I’ve been a fortune teller for a while now, and I’ve heard people say some pretty outlandish things when it comes to tarot (well, actually mostly my sister has heard it since she greets clients at markets). Here are the most common misconceptions that we’ve heard, as well as our responses:

Tarot Is Evil My love, there is nothing evil to be found in these gorgeous pieces of cardstock. Nothing this pretty could ever tell you anything ugly! Remember, tarot is a tool, and it is not inherently good or evil. It is up to the two of us to make the world a better place, and the cards can help us do just that!

Tarot Is Going to Make My Life Worse and I’m Scared to Know What It Might Say Just like me, tarot is a gorgeous mirror held up to your own beautiful life. It is only going to reflect back to you what might already be happening, so tarot will definitely not make your life worse. Tarot might show you that something in your life needs some shaking up or that something might not go the way that you want it to. It’s up to you to make the choices that will help eliminate or mitigate the problems the cards are showing you.

Tarot Knows Everything Oh, believe me, corazón, how I wish I could see all that tarot knows! The tarot cards might be able to see everything, but as a reader we are limited by what we have experienced, what we are able to describe, and our own biases. Tarot provides great insight, but a reader is unable to tell you everything about everything.

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I’m Not Psychic/Intuitive/Magical Enough to Read Tarot I firmly believe that we’re all a little bit psychic/intuitive/magical! Tap into that part of you that whispers about the secrets of the universe—or just read this book and have it whisper those secrets to you. Reading tarot is a skill all of us can learn!

You’re Going to Tell Everyone All My Secrets My love, I am here to help you, and I would never divulge any of your secrets to anyone without your consent. Your heart, your confessions, everything you tell me is for my ears only. I’m here to help you, not be a chismosa.

You Can’t Read for Yourself, Charge for Readings, or Be a Good/Spiritual/Religious Person and Read Tarot With a huge smile and perhaps a big hug, I will share that I am a practicing Catholic as well as a fortune teller who regularly sets up at markets and restaurants and witchy stores and regular stores and who does a daily reading for themself every morning, so perhaps I am not the best person to be sharing this with. I’ll also share this with a playful laugh that my spirituality encompasses all sorts of things and I love to use tarot to help myself and others.

Professionalism and Fortune-Telling I love being a fortune teller and having those moments where you know you’re helping your client feel seen, where you’re giving them exactly the answer they’ve been needing to hear, where your clients are able to truly make a better future because you showed them the way.

If you fall in love with tarot as I have, you may also become interested in becoming a professional fortune teller like me! But even if you don’t want to be getting your dollars as a card slinger, corazón, I think there’s a case to be made that we should all approach reading the cards with professionalism.

Fortune-telling isn’t easy, and I won’t pretend that I’ve been amazing at it every single day; there’s definitely been some readings that have gone really poorly and times where the cards seemed to be yelling something that I couldn’t quite hear or translate into the language my client needed. But, as a fortune teller, when you are reading for others, I encourage you to approach the cards and the situation with reverence and dignity. This means showing up as your best self and letting them know you are meant to be taken seriously. Take your role as one of importance and give yourself the respect you deserve, just like any professional would.

Laugh, have fun, but remember that you’re there to provide a service and do it well!

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The following are some of the traits I’d love for you to keep in mind as you read for people, either as a paid professional or otherwise:

Kindness and Compassion You may be telling people things that they don’t want to hear, and sometimes you might not know how to say it. Be kind and compassionate with your clients (and yourself ). While you shouldn’t lie or change what you’re going to say to sound nicer, you might need to find a way to soften the blow of a difficult reading or help people navigate their own emotions around what you’re saying.

Patience Not everyone is ready to hear the message you’re giving them. Be patient and recognize when what you’re saying just isn’t being heard. You may have to move on to something else; make note of what you’ve said and see if you can weave it into other parts of the reading. Sometimes people need some time to process before they can see the path you’re trying to show them.

Discipline Study, learn, and grow. Being a good reader takes practice, so give yourself time to do all of the work needed to hone your craft. Don’t give up if something isn’t easy the first time or after a particularly bad reading; instead, be disciplined, dust yourself off, and pick the deck up again when you’re ready.

Love and Grace Fortune-telling can and should be a gift of love, both to yourself and to others. It might not be easy to love everyone, but when you are giving someone a reading, try your hardest to see the person in front of you as someone who deserves love and your very best reading. Love yourself, too, and give yourself grace as you need it. Love and grace will help your readings resonate more loudly, mi amor.

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Body, Mind & Spirit / Tarot “This is the perfect book if you’re looking to explore and connect with mysticism and yourself. Fernie presents a beautiful and unique look at tarot. Through their guidance, we can cultivate a better understanding of ourselves and the cards.”

—Lisa Stardust, astrologer and author

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“It is rare to find a teacher who offers this much expert wisdom while making you feel like you’re learning from a best friend.”

—Elliot Adam, Adam, bestselling bestselling —Elliot author of of Fearless Tarot author

FERNIE is an education consultant and the sole propri-

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etor of Golden Mirror Fortunes, their tarot and fortune-telling business. They use tarot and magic to help people find their path and ignite their inner glittering flame. Visit them at GoldenMirrorFortunes.com.

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