Valeria Ruelas: On Teaching Tarot, Brujeria, and Witchcraft
Author Valeria Ruelas discusses the process of writing her new book, The Mexican Witch Lifestyle.
Valeria Ruelas is the author of the book The Mexican Witch Lifestyle and she is a bruja, tarot reader, and magical esthetician. She is an expert in spells and making spell work oils, sprays, and candles. Find her on Twitter and Instagram.
In this post, Valeria discusses the process of writing her new book, The Mexican Witch Lifestyle, her hope for readers, and more!
Name: Valeria Ruelas
Book title: The Mexican Witch Lifestyle: Brujeria Spells, Tarot, and Crystal Magic
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Release date: November 22, 2022
Genre/category: Brujeria, Witchcraft, Tarot, Magic
Previous titles: Cosmopolitan Love Potions
Elevator pitch for the book: Valeria Ruelas’ the Mexican witch’s unique guide and reference book on how to cast spells and learn the tarot. She shares this beautiful healing magic and her secret ways for all to use respectfully.
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What prompted you to write this book?
There is a lack of information out there from brujas/brujx who identify more with a non-Catholic or Eurocentric practice of brujeria, and I wanted to share all my personal secrets in the book to practicing without that!
I also wanted to help people understand that magic is real and not something to be feared by telling my real stories with this practice! In my mind, this is the perfect book for those who love spells and tarot who want to learn quickly and clearly. I’m quite proud of how unique this book is!
How long did it take to go from idea to publication? And did the idea change during the process?
This process took about two years. It was always conceptualized as a spell book with my personal stories intertwined, and I always wanted to speak from a feminist LGBTQ+ viewpoint to create a loud voice in the witchy community for those who have these and other marginalized identities and to explain the tarot cards in terms of diversity not Eurocentrism.
Were there any surprises or learning moments in the publishing process for this title?
What I found most difficult was following the outline from the beginning. I was just always bursting with creative ideas and analysis! Luckily my publisher Veronica Alvarado understood when I had to change major things or add extra content.
Additionally, I had to do a lot of research for this book, that was challenging as I cited and translated many sources from across the Americas.
What do you hope readers will get out of your book?
I hope people will understand that there is nothing harmful or scary or demonic about being a bruja/brujo/brujx. I hope to lift stigmas from the word bruja/brujo/brujx, from Santa Muerte, and from tarot cards.
I hope that this book becomes important as a reference in this subject and points people towards the brujeria work of afro indigenous descended Mexicans and that people stop stealing magic from other cultures and start to respect discussions about race and privilege in our communities of brujeria.
If you could share one piece of advice with other writers, what would it be?
Be blunt.
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
