Tomorrow, we will celebrate Thanksgiving in the United States. I am fascinated that so many countries and cultures have holidays like Thanksgiving. All over the world, annual holidays celebrate the harvest and encourage gratitude. Many holidays are celebrated by gathering friends and family and eating traditional foods.

Growing up, my family would pray together before eating dinner. Like many families, we called it “saying grace” or “asking the blessing.” An exceptional meal like Thanksgiving calls for a special prayer. As a child, I felt honored when asked to say grace for our Thanksgiving feast.

Upon reflection, I realize that praying before meals taught me valuable spiritual lessons that have stayed with me.

I love the word ‘grace’. Grace can speak of elegance and goodwill. Grace can also mean forgiveness, understanding, and favor. In Christianity, grace is a favor we receive that we don’t deserve.

I think of grace as kindness without question and favor without measure. So, for me, the expression “saying grace” can describe a kind of magic. When we speak kind words, we create space for healing and energy for new possibilities.

I have a more complicated relationship with the word ‘blessing’ when it is used in a certain way. People sometimes use this word to suggest that they have curried favor with a higher power. This is problematic because it excuses us from the burden of compassion when those around us do not receive the blessings we do.

 Asking for a blessing on our food, our homes, and each other is a beautiful practice. When we ask for a blessing on our food, we are making the connection between body, mind, and spirit. When we bless a home, we add spiritual power and protection to those within it.

I remember something my father used to say when asking for a blessing on a meal. He would ask God to help us be grateful for the blessings we receive. My young brain did not know what to do with this, but now I think this is brilliant.

Whatever your belief or tradition is for prayer, magic, or manifestation, what could be better to manifest than gratitude? What amazing things do we make possible when our primary focus is gratitude? What could be a more incredible blessing than finding the good around us and being grateful for it?

The StaarCorner

Tarot conferences often feature fun and meaningful entertainment in the evenings. Last year, we enjoyed Tarot Improv with Mitchell Osborn on Friday and Your Saturday Psychic Sampler Live with me on Saturday.

For StaarCon 2024, you can participate in our first-ever Bardic Circle on Saturday evening. Christine Leiser will be your host. Bring a public domain or original song, story, poem, dance, or skit, and share your talents, thoughts, and magic with us! This is already shaping up to be a fun evening, as Amy Forman will belly dance for us and Dionne C. Monsanto will lead us in an African song!

December Celebrations with Tarot

Around the world, December includes numerous celebrations. You'll likely celebrate a religious or secular holiday in the upcoming month. Why not add tarot to your celebrations?

You can create a tarot spread based on aspects of the holiday. For example, if you wanted to create a tarot spread about Thanksgiving, you might make up a spread with positions for each of the traditional foods and then figure out what each of those positions will mean. The card that falls in the ‘Turkey’ position might represent the most important thing going on right now, while the ‘Pie’ position might represent the thing in your life that is most fun.

Or, you could choose to have your positions be about holiday themes, like gratitude, family, and traditions.

You can also use tarot cards to decorate for the holidays. You can use tarot images to make place cards. You can decorate a tree with tarot images. You can make candles with tarot images on them. You can create an advent calendar with tarot images, crystals, runes, or other symbols.

Holy times and fun gatherings can all be meaningful when we include our sacred symbols and tools in interesting ways.

The Week in Review

I will be live on my YouTube channel this week on Friday around noon ET for Your Friday Weekly Wrap-up and on Saturday around 12:30 pm ET for Your Saturday Psychic Sampler. Please join me!
I found this article from a tarot blog hop in 2016. It’s called “At the Intersection of Tarot and Food.” While I wrote it for the autumn equinox, the themes work well for Thanksgiving! And the article contains a picture of the tarot icons crafted in bread!

From Around the Web

Daily Tarot Girl Kate has these great tarot writing prompts. I cannot wait to try them. Maybe you will try them too?

I love it when tarot influences fashion. This happens more than you might think. Here is a Swedish jeweler who is making designer pieces inspired by tarot.

Here is a website dedicated to “The Gentle Art of Blessing.” The goal is to bring peace and healing to the world. Sign me up!

Creation and Divination

A fun, creative exercise for this time of year is to make a tarot cornucopia of blessings.

Here is how to do that.

Go through your tarot deck face up, looking at each card. When you find a card that represents something in your life for which you are grateful, pull it out of the deck and put it in a pile. When you find a card that represents something you do not yet have in your life but want, pull it from the deck and put it in another pile.

When you finish going through the deck, you should have two small piles of cards you have chosen. One pile is blessings that now exist in your life. The other pile is blessings that you would like to receive.

If you have a cornucopia basket or another harvest-themed basket, you can use that. Otherwise, you can arrange the cards on a table or platter.

Take the pile of cards that represent the blessings you now have. One by one, take each card and speak aloud the name of the blessing and your gratitude for it. For example, you might have the Page of Cups to represent your daughter. Say, “This card represents my daughter. I am very grateful for her”. Then, place the card in the basket or on the platter or table.

When you have finished your pile of existing blessings, move on to the pile of future blessings. Take each card and speak aloud what it represents and why this will be a blessing for you. Then, speak your gratitude as if you have already received it. Place these cards in the same basket or platter.

Once you have spoken about each card and placed them together, sit for a moment with this group of cards in gratitude for these present and future blessings.

Upcoming Events

Card and Craft Academy

Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!

Christiana’s Candle Magick
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Practical Tarot Techniques
Psychic Tarot
Personal Tarot: Reading for Yourself
Sharing Wisdom: Reading for Others
The Meaning and Magic of Tarot Reversals
Journey Through the Major Arcana
Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana: Numbers, Elements and Truth
Tarot Beyond the Veil
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends
Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships
Clarity in Every Tarot Card
Tarot Flow Workshop
Making Magick with Tarot
Fearless Wisdom Tarot Workshop
Tarot Keywords and Interpretations Workshop
Tarot Spreads Tools and Techniques Workshop
Tarot for Magic and Mediumship
Tarot Communication for Clarity and Depth
Weaving the Tarot Reading Story
The Elemental Major Arcana
Minor Arcana Numbers, Elements, and Truth
Personal Healing with Tarot
Create and Interpret Custom Tarot Spreads
What the Court Cards Want You to Know
How Spirit Speaks Through Tarot

Catch up on your missed Zoom webinars and more!

cardandcraftacademy.com

About Christiana Gaudet

Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.

Christiana Gaudet

3559 SW Corporate Parkway
Palm City, Florida 34990-8152

Email cgaudet@cardandcraft.com
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com

YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon

Private telephone, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom and in person readings and instruction are available by appointment.

Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida.

Zoom parties and group instruction available almost everywhere!

Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232 x102
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Schedule online at cardandcraft.10to8.com.

Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 6 Issue 47
November 22, 2023