Talent for Its Own Sake

Friends playing music together at home.

I often think about the importance of talent in the days before recorded media, broadcast, and the rise of factory production and big-box retailers.

Everyone’s clothes were handmade, usually by a family member. As a child in the 1970s, many of my clothes were made by family members. I never learned those skills, so I was unable to carry those talents to future generations in my family.

Before the film and recording industry, traveling professional entertainers existed, but most people entertained each other at home with their own talents, such as making music and telling stories. In a way, social media livestreaming has created a new era where people who aren’t celebrities are once again entertaining one another.

Before the network of factory farmers and national grocery chains, many people grew their own food. Gardening wasn’t considered a talent or a hobby; it was a matter of survival. I assume that, within communities, those who were best at gardening, or sewing, or baking, traded their talents with others.

Now, those who have a talent for creative performance strive to ‘make it’ in an unforgiving industry. Their monetary success and notoriety are often the metric by which their talent is judged.

Those who enjoy textile and fiber arts, gardening, and food production are often encouraged to turn their passion into a business. Somehow, if they are not making money with their talent, we don’t see their abilities, or we feel like their talents are being wasted.

I’ve also noticed that those who would like to turn their talents into a business sometimes fail to recognize their full potential. Often, when something comes naturally and easily to us, it is hard to remember that other people do not possess the same skills. Whether or not we want to monetize our talent, it is important to acknowledge our special skills, interests, and talents.

I am a huge fan of pop music and sci-fi television, and I love shopping for clothes and eating at restaurants. To me, modern convenience is delightful. Yet, I think it is important to acknowledge that we are all talented and creative in some way. Our creativity may not be as necessary for our survival as it once was, and it may not always be the primary means of earning a living. As much as we appreciate the talent and creativity of those who create our music, clothing, entertainment, and food, it is also good to recognize the talent within ourselves and those around us.

There is joy in creating, and there is joy in sharing with one another. Sometimes, a hobby can be much more rewarding than a side hustle. There are open mics, community theaters, and crafting groups pretty much everywhere.

I am often amazed that talented people are truly a dime a dozen. The attorney is also an accomplished pianist. The doctor is taking dance lessons. Many of us have interests and talents we want to develop, but we worry that we aren’t talented enough to deserve such an investment. I believe that in this modern era, it is essential for us to celebrate talent for its own sake and to recognize the joy and connection that nurturing our talents can bring us. Whether we are good at something may not be as important as whether it is good for us to do. And, of course, we more we do it, the better at it we become!

The StaarCon 5 Imagining of Pixie Arcana. Art and composition by Stacey Williams-Ng, backgrounds by Animix.

The StaarCorner

We have a new addition to the November AfterGlow schedule, and it’s tomorrow!

On Thursday, November 20, at 7 pm ET, join Kimberly Scheurer for another Spirit Circle: Modern-day Séance. Kim’s events have been very popular, and with good reason. At each of her events, each participant receives a message from spirit.

Then, on Sunday, November 23rd at 7 pm ET, join me, Christiana Gaudet, for Winter Tarot. We will discuss all the ways we can use tarot to make our holidays memorable. We will discuss Thanksgiving, New Year, Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule, and any other holiday you might be celebrating.

The StaarCon 5 AfterGlow ends on January 26. Please ensure you watch all the available presentations and plan to join us for the entire AfterGlow experience until the end. Then, get ready for our next great online offering, StaarCast!

Michelle Barrie at StaarCon 2022.

StaarCast News

Bugs, features, and fixes this week.

We are testing the settings and features of the new StaarCast website. The site relies on a bespoke plugin designed to provide a unique user experience, custom-built to StaarCon specifications. The development of this plugin is a key part of the new site.

Beta testers will soon receive an invitation to test the new user experience. Please be patient as the development team is working hard to prepare the site.

Christiana Gaudet and Kimberly Scheurer at Staarcon 5.
Cardsy B. at StaarCon 5.

Tarot cards on a table with candles.

Tarot for Talents

Tarot is great at helping us discover our hidden talents and at encouraging us to use and share our skills and interests. There are some tarot cards that can speak of specific sorts of creativity, or about creativity generally.

For me, Pages can be writers. The Three of Cups can speak of music and dance. The Seven and Nine of Pentacles can speak of gardening.

It is easy and fun to shuffle the deck and ask to see a card about a talent you did not know you had, or a talent you need to develop or bring to the forefront of your life.

Very often, I find that the messages from the cards encourage people to see, use, and share their talents. This can be extraordinarily helpful to people in both personal and professional ways.

Holiday Prep with Tarot Members-Only Livestream on YouTube - Wednesday, November 19 @ 7 pm.

The Week in Review

Members of my YouTube channel are welcome to join me tonight, Wednesday, November 19, at 7 pm. This month’s members-only session focuses on holiday preparation. We will talk about ways to incorporate tarot into your festivities, and we will do readings about your upcoming holiday season!

On Monday, November 24, members of my YouTube channel are invited to join me as I record the TarotScopes for December, and offer readings to members at the end.

From Around the Web

Are you in the market for a new tarot deck, for yourself or as a gift? Frank Kwiatkowski has a great article on how to choose a tarot deck.

The extraordinarily talented Benebell Wen has written an insightful piece on how some people discuss her work by minimizing her scholarship and her Chinese origins.

A tarot deck can be created in any art style. Check out Arum Lee’s Mellow Schema Tarot to see a new, unusual, and evocative deck.

A tarot reader prepares for a client.

Communities

I am pleased and proud to be part of the international tarot and divination community. I believe that everyone with an interest in tarot, divination, mysticism, and magic is part of that community as well, whether or not they understand just how massive our numbers are and how many resources are available to them.

One of the reasons I am so happy to be part of this community is that we are, collectively, enormously talented. One of the most obvious ways that talent is demonstrated is in the art that creates our card decks. People like Lisa Hunt, Ciro Marchetti, Stacey Williams-Ng, and many others create the tens of thousands of divination decks with which we work.

Yet, there is a difficult problem within our community. Right now, most popular modern tarot decks are being pirated by large internet discount houses such as Temu and Shein. You can get a deck that looks sort of like a legitimate deck for a much lesser price. Yet, the cost of this piracy is quite a lot, collectively.

Sadly, the practice of buying, selling, and using counterfeit decks is very widespread. At any mystical market or psychic fair, there is a very good chance that you will see vendors with pirated decks on their tables. I have even seen them in some metaphysical shops and heard that Amazon will sometimes deliver a knock-off rather than the genuine article.

Why is it bad to buy and use pirated decks? First, most of our artists are not famous or wealthy individuals. They put a considerable amount of effort into creating a deck. When we purchase a pirated version of their deck, they receive no profits from the sale. I know a few deck designers who are turning their talents away from divinatory card decks for this reason. If we want great new decks in the future, we need to treat the artists in our community with respect.

Secondly, the pirated decks are never exactly the same as the originals. They may be smaller, poorly printed, or on bad cardstock. When artists create a deck, they choose everything with intention. All of the artists’ choices that make the deck what it is are removed from the pirated decks, leaving only a poor rendering of the basic images.

Finally, tarot reading is an energetic process. When we work with decks that owe their existence to thievery, we are participating in an energy that is counter to what we want and need to create a connection with spirit and perform valuable divination.

I have met many members of our community who appear to be comfortable participating in the buying, selling, and use of counterfeit decks. I implore each community member to consider the damage they are doing to us all by dishonoring our artists and creators and engaging in piracy.

There are also those who have purchased pirated decks unwittingly. When we encounter someone with a counterfeit, we need to educate without shaming, as many people are genuinely unaware that they are doing something wrong.

It can be hard to know which deck is genuine and which is counterfeit. There is no general rule to protect yourself, except for the following best practices.

Always try to buy from the publisher or artist. If you do this, you will never regret it.

When there is a deck on your wish list, research it on the publisher’s website. What is its size? What sort of box does it come in? If you encounter a cheap version of the deck you want, make sure it matches the deck on the publisher’s website. If it does not, it is likely a counterfeit.

Ask the merchant where they order their decks from. If it is Shein, Wish, Temu, or any other discount platform, you can be assured that the decks are not authentic.

What should you do with pirated decks already in your collection? If you already own them, you might as well use them. Just refrain from buying any more!

Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.

Upcoming Events

Weekly Livestream Events

Monday 9:30 am: Your 3-Card Weekly Reading

Friday Noon: Your Friday Weekly Wrap-up

Saturday 12:30 pm: Saturday Psychic Sampler

Sunday 9:30 am: Tarot Topics Newsletter Recap

Watch on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook, or Instagram! (internet willing!) Schedule subject to change without notice.

Christiana Gaudet speaking at TarotCon, 2015.

About Christiana Gaudet

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

Christiana Gaudet

770 SE Indian Street Suite 10
Stuart, Florida 34997-5604

Locations in Port Saint Lucie, West Palm Beach, and Stuart, Florida!

Email cgaudet@cardandcraft.com
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
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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 are available almost everywhere!

Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
For business or agent inquiries, call 772-301-0232
For appointments, call or text 561-655-1160

Schedule Appointments, Mentoring Sessions, or Purchase Gift Certificates Online!

Schedule your private reading or mentorship session, or purchase gift certificates at https://christiana-gaudet.as.me.
Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 8 Issue 47
November 19, 2025

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