When I was a child, being told to do my work meant completing homework or household tasks.

As an adult, I learned that ‘doing our work’ can be an expression that describes deep spiritual work, personal growth, emotional healing, accountability, and self-reflection. Recent trends in popular psychology and spirituality have encouraged all of us to understand trauma, acknowledge our shadow, and learn about attachment theory.

While mental health resources remain in very short supply, we are removing the stigma associated with mental health issues and their treatment. Yet, we who are focused on personal healing must navigate a few interesting dichotomies.

When I first became a professional tarot reader, one of the most important ethical considerations I learned was that a good professional reader will refer clients to the appropriate professionals. I still teach and practice this. Yet, I notice a subtle shift in my practice and the practices of those around me.

These days, when I am working with someone whom I believe would benefit from psychotherapy or psychiatry, I make the referral as usual. However, some caveats have come from experience. Promising a client will have access to the right medical professional at the right time feels like gaslighting. Doctors are in demand, medicines can have devastating side effects, and finding the right therapist can be daunting. Beyond that, the financial cost can be prohibitive.

This means that my referrals include strategies for getting and managing help in a broken system.

At the same time, modern psychology and alternative spirituality have offered us a lot of tools that laypeople can use for self-care. These include journals for shadow work, books that teach us to have boundaries and self-reflection, and video content and classes that help us understand relationships with self and others. These tools will be unhelpful and perhaps harmful to those who have severe mental illness.  For those of us who want to be happier, kinder, and better at conducting our lives, these tools can significantly help us as we do our work.

We can use tarot to help us with our work. As a professional reader, I notice that some people want a reading to tell them what might happen. This can undoubtedly be a helpful pursuit, albeit limited. Others want to work with me and the cards to find solutions, answers, and strategies. They want to use tarot reading to help them do their work.

The only downside I see to a social culture where we all do our work and want others to do their work is that it is hard to know when the work is done. We are always healing. The healing journey is like peeling an onion. It happens in layers, and it can make us cry. We always need to acknowledge the journey and the work. Yet, sometimes, we need to stop working and start playing. Sometimes, we need to celebrate how far we have come and how much better we are than we were.

So often, part of our work is learning that we are enough and that we are okay. Yet, another part of the work is being able to be self-reflective, accountable, and willing to grow. There can be moments when those two aspects rub up against each other in a way that makes us feel that we will never be healed enough. When that happens, it is time to find the balance between work and play. Our personal growth and well-being are improved when we do our work. We are also improved when we allow ourselves to relax, enjoy, and have fun, and celebrate the journey.

The StaarCorner

I first met Mark Horn at Omega Institute when I was there to present at the Masters of Tarot Conference. I already owned his book, Tarot & The Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation. I remain in awe of Mark for writing this fantastic book and for who he is.

As soon as I met him, I knew I wanted him to present at StaarCon. I was so happy that he joined us for StaarCon 2023.

I am thrilled to announce that, at StaarCon 2024, Mark will present “Kabbalistic Tarot: The Five Worlds Reading”.

 In the Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah, it is taught that the universe was created in 5 stages, or worlds. And that because Creation is an ongoing event, not only do we always have access to these different worlds—it’s our responsibility to participate in this ongoing Creation. These different worlds correspond to the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and the teaching that everyone's soul has five levels—and of course, they also correspond to tarot’s four suits of the Minor Arcana plus the Major Arcana.

 In this class, students will learn the Kabbalistic teachings on the five worlds and how these teachings can be used with this tarot spread for fast yet in-depth divination. This spread is designed to answer a question on multiple levels, from an action’s impact in the physical world to all the way up to how it affects your connection to the Divine.

I cannot wait to learn this simple-yet-deep tarot technique.

Get your tickets for StaarCon now!

The Work and Play of Healing and Growth

So many tarot spreads designed for self-reflection and personal growth have positions describing something to release or something to stop doing. These spread positions, or tarot questions, can give us great insight.

Yet, I question the assumption that there must always be something we need to release or something we need to stop doing. At some moments, it is healthy to feel fine enough and pleased with how far we have come.

This is a tarot spread for healing and growth that I have designed to help us find our balance in the life-long journey that healing is.

Arrange the cards in any pattern that feels right.

Let Card One show you something about your healing journey so far.

Let Card Two show you something you are working on or need to work on soon.

Let Card Three discuss a personal, professional, or creative goal you feel ready to pursue.

Let Card Four discuss current self-care practices and needs.

Let Card Five discuss your current ability to cultivate fun and joy.

Let Card Six discuss your current availability for personal growth and healing work.

The Week in Review

Have you seen your TarotScopes for November yet? I used Ciro Marchetti’s brand-new Voice and Vision Tarot to read three cards for each of the twelve signs.

Tomorrow, Thursday, join us for a free class on YouTube about the mundane meanings of Major Arcana cards. The class goes live at 7 pm ET.

I hope that all members of my YouTube channel will join us on Sunday at 5 pm ET for a Members-only livestream.

From Around the Web

I was thrilled to find this article about the Hermit card on the Joseph Campbell Foundation website.

As we in the United States prepare for Thanksgiving, here is a tarot spread for aligning with gratitude from Emerald Lotus.

The Hermit’s Mirror has a wise article and tarot spread about shadow work.

Creation and Divination

Creativity is an integral part of who we are as humans. We often think of creative people only as our artists and musicians because we forget that creativity expresses itself in many forms.

Discovering and exploring our creative nature is part of our work of personal growth and healing.

Tarot offers many opportunities for creativity, above and beyond the storytelling aspect of a good tarot reading. A tarot image can inspire a song, a dance, a poem, or a story. We can create tarot images with collage, digital art, or photography if we don’t have the skill to draw. We can cut up old tarot decks and place the tarot characters in new scenarios.

A great way to stretch our tarot divination skills and our creativity is to find stories within groups of tarot cards. This simple exercise can help you do that. Draw two or three cards and list all the meanings, stories, and possibilities you could find within this small set of cards. Then, consider how many of these things might be pertinent to you!

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 45
November 8, 2023