fatima dauntess

Raised in a challenging foster care environment, I spent much of my early life feeling like a hand in a high-stakes poker game - dealt randomly, played forcefully, and often without regard for my own will. My foster mother, unaware of her spade-conscious and spade-unconscious tendencies, played a significant role in shaping my perspective on life, teaching me lessons in survival and resilience. Yet, the scars of my past also prompted me to seek understanding and healing, leading me to a deck of playing cards and the profound wisdom they held guiding me to develop my own emotional intelligence.

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This deck wasn't for playing games, but rather for understanding life's complex dynamics. I discovered the dual self theory and realized that we are all dealt a certain hand in life, but how we play our cards is entirely up to us. Under the mentorship of Robert Lee Camp, the author of Love Cards and Cards of your Destiny, I began my journey towards self-discovery and transformation graduating the Order of the Magi as a counselor  in 2010 and becoming the 1st African American female Grand Master spring of 2021. My experiences ultimately inspired me to write "Old Enough to Drink", a memoir of my experiences, as well as a self-help guide for anyone feeling lost in life's shuffle. It is my firm belief that even when the game seems tough, every hand dealt has the potential for a winning play - it all depends on how well you know your cards, and ultimately, yourself.