Fernando Salinas — or Fernie as he likes to be called — is on a mission to spread magic in the Rio Grande Valley.

“I grew up in Rio Grande City, and magic just lived everywhere that I looked,” Fernie said. “And my great-grandfather was a curandero there, and his son — my great uncle — was also a curandero. So I kind of grew up knowing magic was all around me."

Doing readings, learning about herbs and more, became the norm for Fernie and his family.

“Then when I was older, I got into tarot and astrology, and I began reading for my friends,” Fernie said.

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All that eventually lead to Golden Mirror Fortunes, an experience Fernie launched in 2019 during RGV Pride’s annual celebration.

“We had a line like wrapped around the convention center, people loved it and I loved it,” Fernie said. “To help others overcome the pain they were experiencing, to do this in a space that was celebrating queerness, and to just really bring love and light.”

Fernie says that love and light is something he's mindful of spreading, especially back when he was a school principal.

“And while I wasn't wearing sequins walking down the halls, I did make sure that my queerness permeated in everything I did because I wanted every single student of mine to know that it was OK to be whoever they were,” Fernie said. “Straight, gay, whatever it was they knew they had inside them. I wanted them to know there was going to be someone there who would advocate for them, that was going to fight for them, that was going to be there for them."

Fernie is now showing that support to everyone. 

Fernie Salinas of Golden Mirror Fortunes: Made In The 956

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