Fortune-telling is both a job and a spiritual practice. Paulina Stevens and Jezmina Von Thiele share the knowledge and personal experiences of being raised to be fortune-tellers. They explore divination methods, tools, and techniques that have been created, adapted, or popularized by the Roma, including card reading, palmistry, dream divination, and tea-leaf and coffee reading. They offer exercises to strengthen your intuition and discover your natural gifts, and explain how divination helps with shadow work, blockages, and self-awareness.

The authors, cohosts of the Romanistan podcast, introduce the history of the Romani people and their infamous relationship to fortune-telling. Secrets of Romani Fortune-Telling features additional resources, enabling readers to further explore Romani culture and spiritual practices.

Jezmina Von Thiele (they/she) is a writer, educator, performer, and fortune-teller in their mixed Sinti Romani tradition. Their poetry, fiction, and nonfiction has been published in Prairie Schooner, The Kenyon Review, Narrative Magazine, and elsewhere under the name Jessica Reidy. Jezmina reads tarot, palms, and tea leaves. They teach classes and workshops on divination, spiritual wellness, and the creative arts. Jezmina is the owner and operator of the online vintage shop Evil Eye Edit.

Paulina Stevens grew up in an insular Romani-American family, destined to leave school, marry young, and become a fortune-teller. By age seventeen, her fate was sealed—until she decided to leave her community and redefine her identity. Paulina is the subject of the podcast Foretold. Hosted by Los Angeles Times reporter Faith Pinho, the podcast follows Paulina as she navigates the consequences of her decision.

Softcover
224 pgs