Take It as It Comes
This morning I woke up with an old Doors song in my head. This can be a form of divination, like an internal musical oracle or the Universe singing to me. I had not been listening to this song or even that band. Yet, as I made my tea this morning, I started singing.
Take it as it comes, specialize in having fun.
Laughing, I told myself that this was my life philosophy. An interesting internal dialogue ensued.
I don’t specialize in having fun, I specialize in tarot. But tarot is super fun for me.
So, what about that first line, take it as it comes? Does that philosophy align with divination at all? It does, and very well.
Many diviners (me included) make future predictions. It is good to be prepared for what may come. At the same time, most of us are smart enough to know that we cannot always see what lies ahead.
When I was little, I would badger my mother with questions about what might happen next. Looking back, I can see this was the curiosity of a budding diviner. Sometimes my mother would say, “We’ll cross that bridge when we get there.”
To this day, I take this as sound wisdom. Sometimes as we look to the future, there are too many variables. Divination can help us see the options and prepare for the possibilities. Rather than clutter ourselves with contingency plans, it works better to wait to make decisions.
This requires us to trust ourselves to respond appropriately as things arise.
The foreknowledge we gather through divination will always hold us in good stead when needed.
My conclusion to all this sounds counterintuitive, but to me, it makes sense.
When we use divination to understand the road ahead, we have a much easier time taking whatever comes, even when we can’t always see what is coming. Divination can help us know the metaphoric bridge when we come to it and can tell us what we need to know at the right moment to take the next step.
That we are diviners does not necessarily mean we worry about the future. That we are diviners does not necessarily mean we believe we know the future.
Divination helps us in the present, every day. Divination helps us process the past and understand the present. Of course, this leads us to a better future.
The StaarCorner
We are happy to welcome a brand-new presenter to StaarCon who will present on an exciting and interesting topic.
Brightheart, a heathen community leader, reads tarot and runes. At StaarCon 2024, Brightheart will present a Journey through the Nine Realms, introducing us to Norse mythology and Runes.
StaarCon tickets are available now. You can join us in person, online, or both. All tickets include the new extended 365-day AfterGlow on Accelevents.
Prediction or Contemplation?
Not every tarot reader chooses to make active predictions. It is possible to perform a reading that is much more contemplative than it is predictive.
If you are using a tarot spread with predictive positions, such as ‘Final Outcome’ or ‘Future,’ you can interpret these as something to keep in mind going forward or what you can set as a goal for the future.
Whether your reading is primarily predictive or contemplative depends on the questions you ask. For example, ‘Will I get the job?’ is a predictive question. ‘What can I know about the job I applied for?’ is a more contemplative question.
When you practice divination, you must have a personal philosophy about future prediction. That is, do you believe it is possible to predict the future? Do you think it is wise or helpful to predict the future? Do you feel the future is always predictable or only sometimes predictable?
I think that sometimes future predictions can be fun. I also feel that future predictions can help us lean into something we want or avoid something we don’t.
Yet, prognostication has consequences. We need to consider our ethics, our boundaries, and our beliefs. This is why it is so important to contemplate these questions.
Mary K. Greer says a smart thing about tarot which has become a cornerstone of my approach to tarot. "Tarot helps you meet whatever comes in the best possible way."
What is your philosophy about prediction in divination?
The Week in Review
I was honored that information from my YouTube tarot class, Time and Tarot, was included in Episode 78 of Card Slingers Coast to Coast podcast.
Tomorrow, Thursday, June 15, at 7 pm ET, join us for another free tarot class on YouTube, How Tarot Cards Work Together.
From Around the Web
Kimberly Essex keeps a tarot blog that I enjoy. Check out this recent post, a tarot spread based on the Two of Cups.
You know how much I love tarot poetry. Here is a free downloadable chapbook of poetry inspired by tarot and divination from Mona Mehas.
It’s Pride Month. Tarot is inextricably connected to the LBGTQ+ community. This article from hyperallergic.com is part of a Pride Month series. It features Brazilian artist Pêdra Costa, who is crafting an art installation inspired by the Major Arcana.
Creation and Divination
The practice of divination often comes to us very naturally as children. We pull petals from daisies, bounce seeds on our hands, and twist apple stems, all to predict romance and our future family.
Those of us who grow up to be diviners, either as a personal or professional practice, must each develop our philosophies, methods, and protocols of divination. While we have many things in common, I believe each person’s divination practice is unique.
Many new practitioners have a strong desire to practice specific divination traditions because they want to ensure they are doing things correctly. They want to yield the best results and feel respectful of the tools and traditions.
This is good, but beginning readers often become frustrated with cumbersome commitments to unnecessary protocols. This is because they forget that divination is supposed to be fun. Tarot cards started as a game. Approaching the cards with a playful mindset can open us to great intuition and insight.
The more spontaneous, playful, creative, and experimental we are with divination, the better our results and the more we will learn.
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!
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 24
June 14, 2023