How Young We Are
A young child dressed for Independence Day celebrations crouches to examine a garden path.
Today is the first day of July, in the lead-up to a very special Independence Day in the United States, as we celebrate our nation’s Semiquincentennial anniversary. I am old enough to remember the Bicentennial as a teen. I remember feeling hopeful and enjoying the celebratory atmosphere.
To many of us, this year’s important milestone feels different. I think, as a nation, as a planet, and as individuals, many of us are feeling a sense of reckoning. Many of us are taking time to look within and decide who we are and who we want to be. That is hard enough for a person, let alone for a nation, or a planet.
I take comfort in remembering that, as nations go, 250 years means we are very young, as compared to many others on the globe. I think of this personally, as well. As I think about what it is to be an older person (How the heck did this happen?), a particular Bob Dylan song comes to mind.
In “My Back Pages,” Dylan reflects on how time made him question the unwavering beliefs of his youth. The line he repeats throughout the song is “Ah, but I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.”
As a young person, I scoffed at this concept. How could time make us younger? I think I had to grow older to understand that the wisdom of age can humble us and teach us how much we do not know.
From that place of humility and questioning, we can begin to open our minds and open communication. Whether as individuals or as groups, the more we understand how young we are at any age, the more open we are to communication, healing, and positive change.
Pixie Arcana for StaarCon 6 by Pamela Steele.
The StaarCorner
This week, I want to focus on the guest experience for our in-person attendees at the DoubleTree Hotel and Executive Meeting Center. While the hotel is close to the airport and train station in West Palm Beach, they do not offer shuttle service. It is easy and inexpensive to use Uber, Lyft, or a taxi to take you to the hotel. When you arrive, of course, remember to ask for their free signature warm chocolate chip cookies!
The hotel offers a shuttle to local restaurants and shopping at no charge. Just arrange your trip with the concierge. This year, we have the best price ever for our room block. And these guest rooms are wonderful!
Each room has a pool-view balcony and a pull-out couch. Unlike most airport hotels, each room is equipped with a microwave and refrigerator. While you are at the conference, you will feel like you are being pampered on a tropical vacation!
The Executive Meeting Center has some great features, too, including fun places to meet and study, indoors and outdoors.
As you may remember, the DoubleTree in Palm Beach Gardens was where we first met in person in 2022. We are excited to be back and to welcome you back. Make your plans to join us now!
The DoubleTree Guestroom's pool view.
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!
StaarCon 2022 attendees hanging out in the conference center.
StaarCon presenter Michelle Barrie performing Sound Bath Meditation at StaarCon 2023.
Virtual Presenter Spotlight: Michelle Barrie
The Little 36-Card Deck That Tells It Like It Is
Today we’re turning the spotlight on Michelle Barrie, one of the Live Track presenters for StaarCon 6 and StaarCon 6 Virtual. Michelle is a meditation facilitator, Reiki Master and Teacher, sound healer, professional hypnotist, spiritual counselor, and cartomancer based in Lake Worth, Florida. She describes herself as a personal spiritual concierge, and once you see the range of what she does, the title fits.
Michelle has spent her life chasing a passion for spiritual exploration and holistic healing, and she has picked up an impressive toolkit along the way. She is a Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant who also works as a vibrational therapist and cartomantic medium, which is a lovely way of saying she reads cards and connects with spirit at the same time. Her mission is pretty simple. She wants to help people build a real, deep connection with their Angels and Spirit Guides so they can heal and live their best life.
Peace, Love, and Lenormand
If Michelle has a signature, it is the Lenormand. The Petit Lenormand is a 36-card European fortune-telling deck that has been quietly winning fans in the United States over the last few decades, and Michelle is one of the people responsible for that. She teaches Lenormand and other divination and psychic development workshops both around the Lake Worth area and online, and she signs off her notes with “Peace, Love & Lenormand,” which tells you everything about how much she loves this system.
Lenormand is known for being blunt in the best way. Where tarot invites reflection and nuance, Lenormand tends to describe people, situations, and timing with surprising specificity. It can sketch a personality, point to a line of work, or flag what is coming, and it does all of that with a small, friendly deck.
What is she bringing to StaarCon 6?
On Sunday, October 4th at 2:00 pm on the Live Track, Michelle is presenting Introduction to Lenormand. It is exactly what it sounds like, and it is a great fit for anyone who has been curious about the deck but never quite knew where to start. Michelle will walk you through the Lenormand and share its secrets, taking you on a journey through the cards so you leave with a real sense of how the system works.
If you already read tarot, this is an easy and rewarding system to fold into your practice, and there is no better guide than someone who teaches it for a living.
This will not be Michelle’s first time at StaarCon. She is a beloved returning presenter who has brought us everything from Manifesting the Magician in You at StaarCon 5 to Past Life Regression and a Visit to the Interlife and The Petit Tableau: Expanded Spread at StaarCon 2024. Longtime attendees may also remember her Oracular Intentions Sound Bath Meditation and Lenormand Meet and Greet Workshop from 2023, plus her Mediumship with the Petit Lenormand session back when we first gathered in 2022.
The presentation will also be streamed live on StaarCon 6 Virtual through StaarCast.com, so if you cannot make it to Palm Beach Gardens in person, you can still join Michelle and learn the Lenormand from your own couch.
About Michelle Barrie
Michelle Barrie is a Meditation Facilitator, Reiki Master/Teacher, Sound Healer and Vibrational Therapist, Cartomancer, and Licensed Physical Therapy Assistant based in Lake Worth, FL. She offers workshops, meditations, and sound baths online and at venues throughout Palm Beach County, and she teaches Lenormand and psychic development to students everywhere. You can find her readings, classes, and events at MichelleBarrie.com and follow her on Instagram at @michellebarrie18.
StaarCon presenter Michelle Barrie presenting at StaarCon 2022.
Presentation: Introduction to Lenormand
Date: October 4, 2026
Room opens: 1:45 PM EDT
Session begins: 2 PM EDT
Duration: 45 minutes
A young woman wearing headphones and sitting on a mat on the floor studies tarot.
A Beginner’s Mind
One of my favorite ways to study tarot as a long-term tarot student is also the way that can be the most frustrating. I like to create exercises for myself and others that force us to look at tarot with new eyes, and with a beginner’s mind.
When we study tarot often, or read tarot regularly, it is easy to get into the rut of seeing the cards simply as a shorthand code. We know that this image means these things. Yet, a tarot reading is so much more than the interpretation of images.
When a tarot reading flows, it can feel as if the images come alive to tell the story. But how does this happen?
I think exercises that force us to come to the cards as beginners are really helpful in teaching us to let the cards speak. For example, storytelling exercises can teach a lot. Here is one of my favorites.
Pull four cards in a row. Do not interpret them or think about their classic meanings or keywords at all. Simply look at the images, and, in the order in which you pulled them, use the images to construct a fairy tale story that begins with “Once upon a time.”
You will be surprised at how hard this is to do at first, and, with practice, how eye-and intuition-opening this exercise can be. This is a wonderful group exercise that can have hilarious results in the moment, while offering real skill-building in the long run.
Global Tarot Circle Live on YouTube, Twitch, Facebook & Instagram - Tuesday, July 7th @ 7 pm.
The Week in Review
It’s July First! Get your July TarotScopes on YouTube for everyone, and for members, and, of course, on TikTok.
On Tuesday, July 7, at 7 pm ET, join us for our monthly virtual tarot meetup, Global Tarot Circle, streaming live on YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, and Facebook.
As usual, I will be available for sessions by phone, FaceTime, Zoom, or in person at my Stuart office during the holiday weekend. Call or text 561-655-1160, or book directly on my website!
From Around the Web
In 2021, Interfaith America published a think piece about cultural changes in tarot. It includes comments from StaarCon 2024 headliner Emilie Muniz.
This week, the Goings On Newsletter of the New Yorker is discussing the artistry of tarot to promote a tarot exhibition at the Morgan Library and Museum.
Have you been following Kelsey Pfendler’s solo row from California to Hawaii? It’s my favorite summer feel-good story right now!
Images of the Four Tarot Pages.
Tarot Wisdom For the Week
It is hard to think about the concept of youth in tarot without thinking about the four Pages. In a tarot reading, the Pages can indicate children, household pets, or older people who are learning new things.
The Pages, along with the other Court cards, can also offer predictions and advice. The keywords we can associate with the rank of Page include youth, student, learning, communication, and the internet (think about web pages and digital communication).
The Pages can also speak of new ideas and new activities, inviting us to make a change and consider or do something new. They can ask us to keep an open mind, and remind us that we do not know everything. There is always room to learn.
Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.
Upcoming Events
Christiana and her grandchildren when they were very young.
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 26
July 1, 2026
Christiana Gaudet Your Tarot Fairy Godmother banner.
Join us for "Third Tuesday Tarot" on July 21st, 7-8:30 pm at W Executive Suites, Stuart, Florida. Learn the Suit of Pentacles, what they teach us in life, and how to interpret them in a reading.