Magical woman in a circle of fall leaves.
Mercury and Venus will station direct this week, Saturn and Neptune will do the same in December, and Uranus will station direct in February. Since the end of October, five planets have been retrograde.
What is planetary retrograde? Truly, it's an optical illusion. No planet ever moves backward. Retrograde happens when Earth passes a planet, or a planet passes Earth. This creates an apparent backward motion that people interpret as a time when the planet's themes turn inward, slow down, or call for review. The notation for retrograde is Rx. Tarotists also use this notation to refer to card reversals. This is a good clue for tarot readers about how we understand reversed cards.
We are all used to hearing warnings about planetary retrogrades. In Mercury Rx, we should avoid signing contracts and watch for miscommunication and tech issues. In Venus retrograde, we want to avoid the salon. Saturn's retrograde brings a review of long-term goals. Neptune brings clarity in retrograde, while Uranus encourages personal awakening. Clearly, not all retrogrades are said to bring unwelcome energies, just as not all tarot reversals are negative.
In astrology and certain magic practices, auspicious timing matters. We look to cycles of the moon and planets to find the best time to launch a business, get married, or sign a contract. We look at the numerology of specific dates, such as today, which bears the auspicious number of 11/11. Yet we cannot always enjoy the privilege of planning around what the heavenly bodies are doing in their orbits, or what the number is on the calendar.
Imagine asking a judge to move a court date, or a doctor to delay a life-saving surgery, to wait for a more auspicious time. Mercury is in retrograde nine weeks each year. It is impossible to run a full-time business and avoid business activities during planetary retrogrades. What happens if you absolutely need to get your hair done during a Venus retrograde, or need to hold a big event during Mercury Rx?
I often think some people use astrology to create fear and limitation, rather than to stay informed and be proactive. I see the same thing with tarot. If the timing or the cards are not auspicious, and we still need to do the thing, we can use what we know about the timing to our benefit.
Knowledge is always power. If we know that something may be more difficult, we can plan ahead and mitigate that, using means mundane or magical. We can check and double-check, knowing that misunderstandings are more likely. We can anticipate the problems we are likely to encounter. The expression is "Forewarned is forearmed." It's not "Go back to bed." That said, as we head into the holidays, I am delighted to be done with Mercury and Venus retrograde this week!
And, since today is indeed 11/11, may the power to manifest your desires and truly know yourself and your purpose be yours!
Pamela Chen presenting at StaarCon 6.
The StaarCorner
We are excited to be building a brand-new platform for our community. Of course, that can come with frustrations and delays, but the rewards will be significant.
Right now, if you have a StaarCon 6 ticket or an annual membership on StaarCast, you can watch some amazing presentations. Recorded in the Livestream Room at StaarCon 6, you can see Tarot Shadow Work with Beth Conklin, Healing Through the Tree of Life with Joseph Farrar, and Astrology 101 with Karen Winkel, along with many others. Aerik Arkadian's Rune workshop, Mitchell Osborn's Numerology workshop, and all the Livestream Room presentation recordings are true treasures.
Our headliners, Pamela Chen and Karen Rontowski, are especially worth noting. We had so much fun in person, and I think the energy and information are preserved on the recording.
We also have interviews, two panel discussions, and sessions from our classroom presenters and our virtual presenters.
Log in to StaarCast now and see everything we have curated for you. Check the calendar for upcoming live events.
If you are having any trouble logging in to StaarCast, please let us know! If you would like to present on StaarCast for the StaarCon 6 AfterGlow, we are happy to schedule a practice session to make sure everything goes smoothly.
It is interesting to have completed our sixth conference. Yet we are working with and building a brand-new online platform. In one way, we have history, confidence, and established traditions. In another way, we are all just learning and growing together.
Speaking of which, we will be announcing StaarCon 7 very shortly! Stay tuned!
Karen Rontowski presenting at StaarCon 6.
A woman contemplates the cards.
Tarot Prescriptions
I think I first heard the concept of tarot prescriptions from T. Susan Chang at StaarCon. The idea is that if we receive cards in divination that we don't like or want, we can focus on other cards to change that energy.
Likewise, if we need to mitigate certain situations, we can choose tarot cards to help us do that. I find linguistic delight in the fact that we denote retrogrades and reversals with the same Rx notation that, in medicine, also means 'prescription'.
Working with tarot is not just about seeing what was, what is, and what will be. Each tarot card carries an energy. We can use those cards to increase or reduce the energies around us.
We do this when we meditate with a card, carry a card with us, focus on a card, or intentionally ask that a card's energy be removed from us.
Tarot does not only read the energy around us. Tarot helps us create, adjust, and control the energy around us.
Tuesday, November 17, 7 pm to 8:30 pm: Third Tuesday Tarot: Your Personal Cards
The Week in Review
Please join me tomorrow, Thursday, November 12, at 7 pm for a free livestream tarot class called Ink and Intuition. This continues our conversation about tarot and shadow work as we delve into tarot journaling, and how tarot inspires us to think and write. Join us on YouTube, or join the multistream on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitch.
On Sunday, November 15 at 2 pm, members of my YouTube channel are invited to join me for some readings as I record the TarotScopes for December.
Our monthly in-person all-levels tarot class, Third Tuesday Tarot, happens on November 17 at 7 pm. This month, you will learn about the specific cards that represent you! Get your ticket now.
From Around the Web
If you are looking for a great new book for yourself or as a gift, check these out!
Maria Alviz Hernando has published a workbook companion for her book Tarot Tableau Revolution.
Jenna Matlin's The Tarot Book of the Dead, published by Weiser Books, is now available!
Joseph Farrar has published a novel, Sacrament and Shadow. If you love New Orleans, Catholic mysticism and magic, you need this book!
The Seven of Pentacles.
Tarot Wisdom for the Week
Many cards in the deck speak of time and timing. This week, I would like to focus on a card whose meaning has changed over time.
Today, the Seven of Pentacles is seen as a card of hard work, patience, and the need to pace oneself. We are tending our garden. In time, we will be rewarded with a good harvest. This can remind us that auspicious timing may not be as important as the hard work we put in and the patience we have to wait for our reward.
Yet, when Pamela Colman Smith drew the Seven of Pentacles for the Waite deck, she was thinking of the Irish Potato Famine. Modern tarotists do not typically associate a terrible famine with the Seven of Pentacles.
Knowing this card's history adds a layer of meaning for me. Over time, things can really improve, just as the meaning of this card has. Over time, we can forget the painful details of what happened, and find healing.
Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.
Upcoming Events
Christiana with her cards.
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 9 Issue 45
November 11, 2026
Christiana Gaudet Your Tarot Fairy Godmother banner.
Third Tuesday Tarot is an ongoing, beginner-friendly class exploring how tarot speaks to you, with each session standing on its own. This month we discover the cards in the deck that belong to you, based on astrology, numerology, and your own preferences, and how to work with them. $20 class fee; advance registration required.