If Only
A woman lost in thought.
“Of all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, ‘it might have been.’” John Greenleaf Whittier was an American poet and a prominent abolitionist advocate during the 1800s. This line comes from his epic poem, “Maud Muller.”
I never knew the text or story of that poem, but I heard this particular stanza from the poem quite regularly as I was growing up. Both my mother and grandmother often quoted it. Although a sad quote, it used to bring them comfort, and comforted me when I was disappointed. The comfort came from the idea that every person has regrets and sometimes wishes things were different. Somehow, universal disappointment makes individual disappointment more bearable. At least, that’s the theory.
So often in life and at the tarot table, we deal with questions about what might have been, if only one small thing had been different. Tarot can help us process and understand the past. Yet, many people cling to a narrative that everything would have been better if only they had done something different in the past. Worse, people often blame others for their past decisions, believing that if that person had made different decisions, everyone would be better off.
We may all have an internal narrative that wishes we had made at least one different decision in the past. However, as we learned from the movie “The Butterfly Effect,” it is possible that the ways things have turned out are the very best they could have been.
We cannot know for sure what would have happened if we or someone else had made a different decision in a pivotal moment. What is absolutely clear is that bemoaning those decisions of the past is rarely helpful.
What happens if we release the narrative of “If only I had done this instead of that” and replace it with something else? What if, instead, we choose to affirm that in every moment of every day, we did the best we knew how to do, given the limitations of the circumstances we faced.
When we experience buyer’s remorse or need to undo a recent decision, it is easier to make a change if our primary energy is not focused on beating ourselves up for a choice we now regret.
We all spend time thinking about what might have happened if only this or that had been different. When we start to believe those stories we tell ourselves, we are left with the consequences of our actions, and very little hope for the future.
When we process our disappointments more positively, we open up new options for a better future.
The StaarCon 5 Imagining of Pixie Arcana. Art and composition by Stacey Williams-Ng, backgrounds by Animix.
The StaarCorner
This week in the Meeting Hall Lounge on Accelevents, StaarCon 5 ticketholders have two great events.
On Wednesday at 7 pm ET, join me as we have some fun with the Major Arcana of tarot. Grab your cards and get ready to learn some things about tarot and about yourself.
On Thursday at 7 pm ET, join Kimberly Schuerer, the Medium That Rocks, for another mediumship session in the lounge.
We still have more than three months of the StaarCon 5 AfterGlow. We anticipate that our new platform will be up and running before the AfterGlow ends. From there, you can expect even more of the great online programming StaarCon has become known for.
I hope to see you in the lounge on Accelevents on Wednesday and Thursday. If you have not logged in yet, please do so before the session you want to join, so you can resolve any issues and ensure a seamless experience.
StaarCon 5 presenters Christiana Gaudet and Mercedes Vasquez.
A woman consults the cards.
How Tarot Sees the Past
While tarot and tarot readers have a reputation as prognosticators for the future, the reality is that we often spend more time processing the past than we do predicting the future. When read in context, any tarot card can speak of the past or of the future. Yet, there are a couple of cards that have the concept of reminiscence, memories, and looking to the past baked into their archetypes and keywords. The two cards I think about in this regard are the Six of Cups and Judgment.
The Six of Cups can be about nostalgia. It can ask us to revisit the past to remember who we are. It can ask us to heal from the past, and it can tell us that we should make a journey, metaphorically or literally, back to our childhood home.
Major Arcana 20, Judgment, is about the Christian concept of the final judgment. Modern tarot has associated this card with the mythological phoenix. Judgment asks us to look to our own past with grace and understanding. It asks us to put closure to the past and find healing so we can rise into a new future.
Many tarot spreads include a position for the past, or the recent past, or the foundation, which can speak to the past. The cards that fall into these positions can help us understand where we have been, what we have learned, and what more healing we might need to embrace.
When we are upset about something that happened in the past, working with tarot can help us process or reprocess that situation, allowing us to gain a new understanding, achieve healing, and find closure.
Majors-Only Readings Members-Only Livestream on YouTube - Sunday, September 28 @ 7 pm.
The Week in Review
Members of my YouTube channel are invited to join our monthly members-only livestream on Sunday, September 28, at 7:00 p.m. ET. And, if you did not get a chance to join us yesterday for the recording of the October TarotScopes, members can view those now. The edited version of the October TarotScopes will be available to everyone on October 1. If you are not yet a member of my YouTube channel, consider joining now!
From Around the Web
I was thrilled to see the recent video of Erika Robinson interviewing Anthony Perrotta on her YouTube channel, "In the Company of Cards."
We can use tarot to look at past lives, just as we can use tarot to look at the past. Here is a tarot spread to process past lives from the Tarot Guru.
Tarot Elements has some interesting thoughts and practices for Retrospective Tarot Reading.
An argument between friends.
Communities
It is painful when a friend, family member, or community member shames you for a past decision or action. The family member who says, “What did you do that for?” when you come for help isn’t helpful. The friend who says, “You should have known better” isn’t acting like a friend.
Our past actions indeed create our reputation. If you are turning over a new leaf and need to change your reputation, word of your transformation will spread as quickly as people notice the change in your behavior. However, if you have always been a person who has acted with integrity and done the best you know how, no one should make you feel ashamed for any past mistakes.
Life is so much easier when we choose communities and friends who give grace and the benefit of the doubt, and when we decide to be that kind of friend to others.
Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.
Upcoming Events
Christiana Gaudet at the Mandel Public Library with a YouTube member, preparing for class.
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
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com
YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon
TikTok @christianagaudettarot
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 39
September 24, 2025
Christiana Gaudet Your Tarot Fairy Godmother banner.
Join us for "Autumn Arcana Class Three: Spread the Word!" on December 16, 7-8:30 pm at W Executive Suites, Stuart, FL. Discover ways to perform a tarot reading.