Are You Solution-Oriented or Problem-Oriented?

Concept illustration of a woman solving her problems with meditation.

I have noticed something about human behavior, in myself and in others. It seems that some of us focus on problems, while others focus on solutions. To me, this does not feel like a hard-wired personality trait. Rather, it seems like a learned behavior that we can unlearn and change when needed.

Here is what I see. Solution-oriented people can identify a problem and immediately begin looking for a way to solve it. They don’t let a problem keep them from envisioning their success. They are willing to try multiple solutions until they find the one that works. Solution-oriented people are tenacious because they believe an answer exists; they only need to find it.

Problem-oriented people are sensitive to disappointment and can be easily deterred. Problem-oriented people are careful. They remember past upsets and are anxious to avoid further ones.

It’s not bad to be careful, and it seems wise to be aware of potential pitfalls and avoid them. Yet, problem-oriented people are often their own worst enemies. One heavy traffic incident might mean never being able to visit that particular city again. One bad date might mean deleting the dating app. In an effort to stay safe and unbothered, they substantially limit their opportunities and believe that one bad experience is emblematic of everything available to them.

Yet, being a solution-oriented person can have its own dangers. Sometimes it is easy to think you can make something work when really the best answer is to walk away. While being solution-oriented does offer greater potential and access to good things in life, the reality is that problem-solving is always nuanced and always needs to be carefully managed.

We need to know if the cost of the solution is worth it. We need to know if the solution is real or simply a band-aid. We need to know if our effort is worth the energy we will spend.

One negative experience should not shut us down to better possibilities in the future. We need to trust our own ability to assess a situation and solve a problem.

I think most of us do best when we orient ourselves to focus on solutions rather than being deterred by potential problems or memories of past disappointments. A few things enable us to do this.

We must be able to understand the past and heal from trauma. We must not let past trauma dictate our choices and goals. We must have a clear understanding of our resources, abilities, and goals to decide where to direct our problem-solving energy.

Maybe the most important thing is this. We must trust ourselves to be smart, creative, and flexible, and we must nurture those qualities within ourselves.

Pixie Arcana for StaarCon 6 by Pamela Steele.

The StaarCorner

This week, I am happy to announce two returning StaarCon presenters, one who comes to us from the United Kingdom, and one who is a beloved local teacher and reader.

Ben Tomlin will be flying in from his home in England. Ben is a generational tarot reader who learned from his Nan. You may know him as Libradoestarot on social media.

At StaarCon 6, Ben will teach an interactive workshop titled "From Questions to Clarity: Turning Curiosity into Meaningful Tarot Dialogue." Join him, and learn ways to reframe questions and open up conversations with the cards.

Michelle Barrie has been involved with StaarCon since the very beginning. She is a meditation facilitator, Reiki master/teacher, sound healer & vibrational therapist, cartomancer, and licensed physical therapy assistant based in Lake Worth, Florida.

I am delighted that at StaarCon 6, she will be teaching an introduction to the Lenormand cards. Lenormand is a deck of European fortune-telling cards that has gained popularity in the United States over the past two decades. Many tarotists find Lenormand both challenging and refreshing to learn, as it speaks more literally than tarot. Whether you are a Lenormand reader or a curious beginner, Michelle will offer you valuable guidance on your journey.

StaarCon Presenter Michelle Barrie.

StaarCon Presenter Ben Tomlin.

Tickets to attend StaarCon 6 in person in Palm Beach Gardens are now available, along with guest rooms at the DoubleTree at a favorable rate. Get your tickets and book your rooms now! We look forward to seeing you in October!

Veteran StaarCon presenter Brenda Elizabeth at StaarCon 2022.

Virtual Presenter Spotlight: Brenda Elizabeth

Cards, Charms, and the Quiet Power of Intuition

Today we're turning the spotlight on one of our Virtual Track presenters for StaarCon 6 and StaarCon 6 Virtual: Brenda Elizabeth, the reader, teacher, and deck creator behind Lady Lenormand.

Brenda Elizabeth is a Tarot and Lenormand reader and teacher, a Lenormand deck creator, a Yoga Nidra meditation instructor, a certified Hypnotist, and a CPA. She teaches a wide variety of spiritual subjects, and she believes we are all blessed with intuitive ability. Her mission is simple: help others develop the gifts they already carry.

Brenda's path into divination is woven through her family. Her mother was a doctor and a medical intuitive who could diagnose patients within minutes, often without touching them, after other specialists had run round after round of tests with no answers. Watching that work shaped Brenda's understanding of how knowledge and intuition can come together in service of healing.

She had been studying, reading, and teaching Tarot for many years when she discovered Lenormand at the NWTS conference in 2019, and she has been obsessed ever since. During the pandemic she created her first Lenormand deck, and she has since published four more decks along with two divination charm sets. Her decks are designed to be simple and easy to read, so the images and words can speak directly to the reader's subconscious.

Beyond StaarCon, Brenda has been a featured Tarot and Lenormand presenter at the Witch City Tarot Gathering in Salem, Massachusetts. She also hosts free and low-cost intuitive development classes and free Yoga Nidra third eye meditation classes virtually throughout the year.

What She's Bringing to StaarCon 6 and StaarCon 6 Virtual

At StaarCon 6, Brenda is presenting on the Live Track on Saturday - livestreamed on staarcast.com for virtual attendees. Her session:

A Tarot Journey into Oz

Go beyond the rainbow and explore this classic fairy tale using Tarot. This immersive workshop is perfect for those looking to blend creative storytelling with traditional tarot wisdom. Bring your favorite deck and your imagination for a truly enchanting experience.

Whether you are joining in person in South Florida or tuning in virtually through staarcast.com, expect a session that blends storytelling, intuition, and Tarot wisdom into one enchanting experience.

Where to find Brenda between now and October

Brenda hosts free and low-cost intuitive development classes, along with free Yoga Nidra meditation classes, virtually throughout the year. To keep up with her decks, charms, workshops, and class schedule, visit ladylenormand.com or find every link in one place at linktr.ee/ladylenormand.

About Brenda

Brenda Elizabeth is a Tarot and Lenormand reader, teacher, and deck creator with a practice that bridges the analytical and the intuitive. A CPA, Yoga Nidra meditation instructor, and certified Hypnotist, she has taught Tarot for many years and has been devoted to Lenormand since discovering it at the NWTS conference in 2019. She is the creator of five Lenormand decks and two divination charm sets through Lady Lenormand, a proud sponsor of StaarCon 6, each designed to be simple and visually direct so the cards can speak straight to the reader's subconscious. Shaped early by her mother, a doctor and medical intuitive, Brenda's work centers on the conviction that intuition is a gift we all carry. Her style is warm, grounded, and practical, creating space where students at any level leave with skills they can use right away and a renewed trust in their own inner knowing. Her intention is straightforward: help others develop the intuitive abilities they already have, and put them to work in everyday life.

Veteran StaarCon presenter Brenda Elizabeth.

Presentation: A Tarot Journey into Oz
Date: October 3, 2026
Room opens: 11:15 AM EDT
Session begins: 11:30 AM EDT
Duration: 45 minutes

A woman reading her cards under a desk lamp in a dimly lit room.

Find Solutions with Tarot

Tarot offers us amazing opportunities for brainstorming, creative inspiration, and problem-solving.

There are many problem-solving tarot spreads that are available to you online and in books. For me, though, the best problem-solving tarot technique involves dialoging with the cards.

A dialogue with the cards lets us ask follow-up questions based on the answers we get, making it a dynamic conversation. When we dialogue with the cards, we can take our primary question and break it into many questions. We can allow the cards we receive to voice important questions we might not otherwise think to ask. In a dialogue, we can pull as many cards as we need to answer the question, or take as long as we need to contemplate a single card.

This is a way to take the time we need to puzzle out our problems. Tarot can offer concrete solutions, highlight potential pitfalls, and help us understand our own fears and desires.

Monday, May 25 @ 7 pm - Elemental Majors Live Tarot Webinar.

The Week in Review

TarotScopes for June are now recorded and ready for members on YouTube. They will be ready for everyone on June 1.

Join us on Memorial Day evening, Monday, May 25, at 7 pm, for a free tarot webinar, multistreamed on YouTube (Portrait), YouTube (Landscape), Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch. We will be exploring the elemental associations of the Major Arcana.

On Tuesday, May 26, at 7 pm, Members of my YouTube channel are welcome to join us for a members-only livestream. This month, we are focusing on how to give great readings when the cards that come up don’t give the answers we hoped for.

From Around the Web

From PBS, here is a really interesting article on the intersection between tarot reading and AI.

A new tarot deck based on the printing industry has been developed as a student project at Rochester Institute of Technology.

StaarCon 2023 and 2024 presenter T. Susan Chang has an article on the Llewellyn website about solving problems with tarot.

Tarot cards with a focus on the King of Swords.

Tarot Wisdom For the Week

While Temperance is probably my favorite card to discuss creative and balanced problem-solving, there are many cards in the deck that can ask us to trust our ability to understand and solve a problem.

This week, let’s focus on the King of Swords. While the Kings can refer to specific adults, they can also serve as a directive for us. Kings tell us to stand in our power, to take the lead, and to trust our abilities. Swords, being related to the element of Air, tell us to use our powers of mind.

When we consider the King of Swords in this way, we can see this card encouraging us to take the lead and trust ourselves to identify and solve problems, using our intelligence, communication skills, and integrity.

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 after the May Cards and Conversation Meetup, with Lisa and Marcus.

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 classeswww.cardandcraftacademy.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.
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Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 9 Issue 20
May 20, 2026

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