All Things Tarot
A young woman lights a candle and prepares to do a tarot reading.
This newsletter is Volume 7, Issue 8. I cannot see the numbers 7 and 8 together without thinking of the seventy-eight cards of tarot.
I have been writing a formal version of the Tarot Topics Weekly Newsletter for seven years and an informal version for many years more. Yet, until now, tarot itself has never been the topic of the weekly newsletter.
Just before the pandemic struck, many of us in the online tarot community noticed that tarot was having a moment of popularity and public interest, unlike anything we had seen before. The months of shutdowns and uncertainty led to even more people discovering tarot.
Over my thirty-year career as a full-time tarot professional, I have seen years when tarot and divination were very trendy and other times when they were less popular. No matter the societal trends, there were always plenty of clients at my table and plenty of students in my classes.
The current upward-trending popularity of tarot does not seem to have slowed even as life returned to some semblance of normalcy.
I was a professional tarot reader long before the advent of social media and viral videos. Yet, the good and bad things I see among tarot enthusiasts and professionals remain the same. Now, it is all just on a bigger scale.
I have always believed that there are three types of professional readers. Some are out-and-out scammers. Today, those scammers create cloned social media accounts, pretending to be well-known and trusted professionals. The ancient trick of scaring a client into giving large amounts of money to remove a curse still happens as well. Be careful, both online and in person, when choosing a reader.
The second type of reader is truly well-intentioned but not very talented. Perhaps they need to study and practice more, or perhaps their love of tarot is greater than their understanding.
The third type is what I have always aspired to be and what I try to help my students become. That third type is the tarot reader, who is knowledgeable, talented, trustworthy, ethical, and sincere.
Each person coming to tarot and divination has an opportunity to develop new skills, new friends, and new ways of managing life. They also have an equal possibility of getting scammed or falling down a rabbit hole of bad practices and harmful beliefs.
Those of us who love tarot, teach tarot, write about tarot, and spend time with tarot students are responsible for developing and teaching healthy tarot practices. We must be aware of the scammers. We also must be mindful of the harm caused by misinformation spread by well-intentioned people.
How can tarot reading cause harm?
There are a few ways. Psychic addiction happens when clients don’t want to look at the root cause of their difficulties and seek simple answers that align with their desires. Some professional readers call attention to the problem and find solutions; others work to encourage the problem by feeding the addiction.
Social media is full of collective readings that some viewers mistake for personal tarot readings. The social media influencers who perform these readings often perpetuate that confusion.
Tarot can help us find real truth and information. Tarot is a tool we can use for our healing. We can also use tarot to prop up our false beliefs and support spiritual bypassing rather than spiritual enlightenment.
Like any tool, what we get from tarot depends on how we use it. The more we study, learn, and are thoughtful about our practices, the more tarot helps us in our lives.
The StaarCon 2024 AfterGlow. Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.
The StaarCorner
Join Brenda Elizabeth in the Charmed by Lady Lenormand lounge tonight at 8:30 pm ET for Yoga Nidra for Third Eye Development.
On Saturday, February 24, at 6:30 pm ET, join Arwen in the Seek Joy with Arwen lounge for a watch party. At StaarCon 2024, Arwen’s session, Cocktails with Arwen, was about tarot for writers. If you are a writer and love tarot, do not miss this!
On Sunday, February 25, join Benebell Wen in the Bell Chimes In lounge for her Office Hours.
Look for new lounges and new lounge sessions coming soon, as well as information about StaarCon 5!
Opening ceremony at StaarCon 2024.
Closeup of a person using a book to do a tarot reading.
Is Tarot Hard to Learn?
“I would love to learn tarot, but it is so hard!”
A new client said this to me at the beginning of her session. I could already see that she was thoughtful and insightful; tarot would benefit her. She said she owned a couple of decks but couldn’t tell me their names.
When she told me definitively that tarot is hard to learn, I couldn’t help but react.
“Is it?” I asked her. The implication was obvious. I challenged her to explain why she thought tarot was hard to learn. Her answer quickly told me that everything she knew about tarot came from social media. She was filled with misunderstanding. She had no idea that tarot teachers, classes, conferences, and meetups existed. (Clearly, the intelligent and well-intentioned tarot teachers on social media, like me, could be doing a better job).
Is it hard to learn tarot? That depends on who you are and what you do. I compare learning tarot to meeting seventy-eight new friends. It will take a while to get to know them all, and further information about them will always emerge, but you can start having fun with them immediately.
When you begin with tarot, you might be confused by the vast array of divination decks available. You may wonder what differentiates tarot from other divination card decks. You will also discover several tarot traditions, each with its stylistic differences. There are countless decks available for purchase. If you want to learn more about choosing a beginner deck, here is an early video from my YouTube channel.
Once you have your tarot deck, I recommend keeping it in a special pouch. You might spend as much on your tarot bag as on your deck. If you sleep with your cards in their pouch under your pillow for a few nights, your cards will start to enter your dreams. This is a way for new readers to bond with their decks.
I often tell my tarot students that I cannot teach anyone to read tarot. I can only create a condition where you can discover how the cards speak to you. That is one of the most important things for new tarotists to understand. Tarot has structure, history, and classic interpretations that we must learn. Yet, in operation, tarot speaks to us in unique ways.
There are many tarot books, websites, and social media accounts to help you learn tarot. Find the teachers, authors, and influencers that feel most authentic to you. You don’t have to memorize the cards to start reading them casually for your friends and family. Feel free to do a tarot spread that you find in a book or on a website and use books (or Google) to look up the card meanings. In time, you will learn the cards and discover how they weave together to tell a story.
I believe that tarot is not hard to learn because we can start learning as soon as we play with the cards. We never stop being tarot students and always learn new ways to work with tarot. The cards will continually reveal new secrets to us.
Closeup of hands laying out a tarot spread.
The Week in Review
Did you catch my tarot classes on YouTube Live last Thursday and yesterday? Watch the replays!
Did you know that we have over one hundred members on my YouTube channel? Members get fun extra perks, like the members-only livestream on February 29. You can become a member, end your membership anytime, and remain a subscriber.
From Around the Web
Learntarot.com is a full tarot book and course by Joan Bunning, available online for free!
There is a new horror movie coming out this spring entitled Tarot. Watch the movie trailer and read this article about it from People magazine.
A huge problem in the tarot community is tarot piracy. It’s something we don’t talk about enough. I was happy to see this statement on tarot author Barbara Moore’s home page.
Tarot cards with a candle on an altar.
Making Magic
Tarot began as a deck of playing cards and is still played as a game today. Tarot has become a book of spiritual wisdom in picture form. Tarot is a tool for introspection, divination, and inspiration. Your tarot deck is also a set of seventy-eight magical tools.
As with tarot divination, you can also learn tarot magic by reading books, visiting websites, or studying with your favorite teachers.
Also, like learning tarot divination, you will ultimately find the best practices for you. A book may give you a detailed and specific spell. In time, you will learn to create the spells that work for you.
I learned an easy way to discuss tarot magic versus tarot divination from Madam Pamita. When divining with tarot, we pull cards while the cards are face down. When we perform tarot magic, we look through the cards face up and choose them based on their image or our understanding of their energy.
Tarot magic boils down to a simple concept. Each tarot card carries energy and can be activated for a specific purpose. If there is something you want to attract into your life or banish from your life, find the tarot card or cards that match that energy.
If you are attracting something, you might want to carry a card image with you. You might also place a card or cards in a special place in your home, such as an altar.
If you are banishing something, place that card face down, or print out the image and destroy it.
You can easily add tarot to any magical practice or create new ways of working with energy using tarot.
February 29 @ 7pm Leap Year Party!
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!
Christiana Gaudet teaching tarot in Madison, Connecticut, circa 2018.
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.
New! Schedule Appointments Online at acuity:scheduling!
Schedule online at https://christiana-gaudet.as.me.
Agent inquiries are welcome.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 7 Issue 8
February 21, 2024
Christiana Gaudet Your Tarot Fairy Godmother banner.
