Melanin Magic: A Young Mystics Guide to African Spirituality

Welcome to Forest Magic School, where young mystics learn the basics of African spiritualty through astrology, plant magic, cowrie divination, breathwork, and the magic within melanin!

There’s a portal you can enter that will you help you remember your magic. Join Yawa and Kossi as a forest scholar and begin your journey to discovering what African spirituality is all about. With the help of these almost-twins, their classmates, and their professors, you will learn about your magically melanated skin and how to harness the power within you to become more connected to your ancestors and to the universe.

Forest Magic School teaches you how to connect with your ori through breathing and presence, to celebrate the four elements, and to become connected to mystical spirits, or Òrìṣàs. Learn to calculate your birth chart, to use plant magic for healing and personal growth, and feel empowered through proverbs, mantras, and symbols while celebrating what makes you special and a part of the cosmos. Through a beautifully woven narrative and with easy-to-digest prompts and thought questions throughout, this is the guide for any juvenile mystic seeking deeper knowledge about their heritage and the principles of African spirituality.

Dossé-Via Trenou is a West African astrologer who has been studying the field since she was ten years old. She has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers via her platform @ScorpioMystique and on the app, KnowTheZodiac. She graduated with her Master’s degree in English Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She is a professional model, actor, and creator of Magic & Melanin, a travel agency providing immersive experiences for humans of African descent to know, explore, and invest in the Motherland. She is the author of Signs & Skymates, and this is her first book for young readers.

Catmouse James is a cartoonist and illustrator based in Madagascar with experience in graphic design. When she isn’t working, she likes petting her dogs Pluton and Bowie, traveling, discovering hidden gems in animation, and reading.