About The Word Witch

Charlie Claire Burgess

Hi! I'm Charlie (they/them), and I'm a queer and non-binary tarot reader, teacher, artist, writer, and witch. I'm the creator of Fifth Spirit Tarot, a queer and inclusive deck for a world beyond binaries, author of the Fifth Spirit Tarot Guide, and host of The Word Witch podcast. I teach tarot classes at Portland Community College and at other places in Portland, Oregon, and I offer tarot consultations with sliding-scale options for BIPOC and transgender folks (readings are currently closed). I'm currently at work on two new decks--one tarot and one oracle--and a book about reading tarot from a radical, queer, deconstructive, creative approach for revolutionizing your own life. The best places to follow along are on Instagram @the.word.witch or by joining me on Patreon.

My passion is evolving the tarot for a world beyond binaries, work that germinated in my zines and on my podcast, took form in Fifth Spirit Tarot, and is continuing in new projects currently in creation. I believe in making the transformative tool of tarot accessible to as many people as possible, and my work specifically centers queer, trans, non-binary, and other LGBTQIA+ folks. In all of my offerings, I seek to provide trauma-informed spiritual tools and resources for the modern age that foster personal empowerment and healing for the individual and the collective.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, I've made my home on Cowlitz and Clackamas traditional lands in Portland, Oregon, with my Pisces partner and a jungle of houseplants. I'm an Aquarius sun, Gemini moon, and Scorpio rising, which should tell you everything else you need to know.