Excerpt from The Making of Yolanda la Bruja by Lorraine Avila, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"After clearing the energy, I start off with a little prayer," I look at Victory. "It can be anything you want, and to whomever or whatever you believe in." I close my eyes again. "Thank you Bruja Diosas, Guardian Angels, Goddesses, Gods, good- hearted Ancestors, Unknowns, Universe, and all that is wiser and greater than humans, for another day of life in this body and for the messages you will deliver." I begin to shuffe the deck. these cards have been in the Alvarez family since the Europeans started settling in Ayiti, and it sends chills up my spine to think of the voyage they have taken through space and time to be in this stuffy, small, paint- chipping girls bathroom. At first, the momentum of my hands is timid, but then my shuffe is quick, almost hasty, as if the Bruja Diosas have been trying to communicate with me all morning.

"Let me know, Bruja Diosas, let me know."

I flap open my eyes to see the Tower fall out.

"Ooooh!" Victory reacts. I playfully roll my eyes at her.

the Tower is just that — a large tower on top of a mountain that doesn't seem that stable. It is in flames, and two people have dove out of its windows to meet their death. there is lightning and flames. "When Mamá pulls this out for clients, it almost always points to a sudden redirection 'cause of surprising or new information," I say.

What will I learn today? I shuffle again, deciding today will be a three- card pull. "May the reality of what is to come be revealed for the highest good of all involved, Bruja Diosas."

the Devil jumps out.

Hmmm, well that's not good. the Devil is a hairy creature with horns and a five- point star at its head. this card hardly ever comes out for me, and although I know no card is "bad," my stomach knots up because — thanks to Hollywood and the Church — the image of anything related to the Devil gives me the creeps. the man and woman shackled together under neath the creature look like they are OK being submissive; the woman dangles a vine of grapes and the man holds fire. I take a deep breath. "Mamá Teté"— I clear my throat —"once told me, this card can be interpreted by highlighting unhealthy attachments people might have to the material world that do not serve our highest good."

"Well I hope it's just that. the Devil, however way we put it, scares the hell out of me, no pun intended, girl," Victory says. Her eyes are wide as she stares at the card.

the shackles stand out to me, and I won der if the cards are trying to communicate that I am some sort of prisoner. But to what? I shuffle again. Please Bruja Diosas, come through and be straight up —

the Death card spills onto the inside of my leg.

"Oh shit, girl, these cards just don't look too good," Victory says.

"OK, Ms. Obvious!" I snap quickly. I look at her apologetically and turn to focus on the card.

the Death card is that of a skeleton in full armor sitting on top of a white horse. It holds a black flag. the flag has a waning white flower.

"Hmmmm, well, death can mean a lot of things: rebirth, new beginnings, and actual death, but what I am feeling is this flower." I take a deep breath. "We fall, but we rise again," I say, smiling nervously. "When it's upside-down like this, it means a change must happen, but we might be trying to avoid it leading to chaos," I say. Bruja Diosas, speak to me. I am sorry I was in such a rush this morning that I did not have time to reach out, but right now, I need to know —

Your ideas about your role in the world must change. Your don cannot always keep you safe in this physical realm.

the words ring gently inside of me like a so" bell.

"Alright, so I'm walking from this reading feeling like there is some sort of change that needs to take place due to the Death card. this is connected to someone or something toxic I might be attached to. And there's about to be a huge shift — for multiple folks," I say.

Excerpted from The Making of Yolanda la Bruja by Avila Avila. Copyright © 2023 by Avila Avila. Excerpted by permission of Levine Querido. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.