Summer Reading
A woman reading at the beach.
There is something about long, sunny summer days and the smell of Coppertone that makes me want to reach for…a book. Or maybe a glossy magazine. I spent so many of my early summers reading on the beach, in the backyard, under a tree, or in a tree. I think anyone who grew up this way will agree. Summer reading is different from the recreational or educational reading we do at other times of the year.
Back in the 1990s in Connecticut, John and I ran a traveling psychic fair. Our featured psychic and I would laugh about certain tarot decks being “winter decks” and others being “summer decks”. Then, I believe we said that the Hanson-Roberts was the quintessential summer deck, and Spiral Tarot was the epitome of the winter deck. This makes me wonder if tarot reading has a special summer quality for me, just as book reading does.
I have always been a summer person, even though my ginger complexion does not get along well with bright sunlight. That’s why we decided to move to Florida. We wanted to spend as much time in the sun as possible.
I find meaning and insight in every season and in every kind of weather. Yet, long, hot days seem to invite me into a liminal space where all things become possible. This makes fiction more fun, and magic more possible.
The best time to work with tarot, or to get a tarot reading, is when you need it most. Yet, there is something about summertime that opens up possibilities, welcomes new concepts, and allows us to stretch in new ways. Perhaps this is why summer reading in all its forms is such a delight.
Pixie Arcana for StaarCon 6 by Pamela Steele.
The StaarCorner
We are very close to filling our roster of in-person speakers. I am excited to welcome back Arwen Lynch-Poe to StaarCon, who will be presenting Saturday morning in the Mindful room.
Arwen has been an important voice in the tarot community for as long as I have been here, and that is a long time.
Arwen Lynch-Poe is the professional joy-seeker. She’s been reading and studying tarot since 1985 and added Lenormand to her practice in 2014. She served as president of the American Tarot Association from 2007 to 2014 and previously owned The Cartomancer magazine.
As an author, she’s created several published decks and books, including Mapping the Hero’s Journey with Tarot: 33 Days to Finish Your Book, the Elle Qui Oracle (with illustrator Mélanie Delon), the Fairy Tale Lenormand (with illustrator Lisa Hunt), the Gentle Creatures Wisdom Deck, and Secrets of the Mystic Grove.
Her teaching work extends into the writing world: she has coached novelists, from unpublished writers to New York Times/USA Today bestselling authors, on using tarot as a storytelling and creative-development tool, particularly for mapping the hero’s journey.
At StaarCon 6, Arwen will lead us in an interactive tarot experience entitled “Let The Cards Do the Talking”. Expect role play, laughter, and learning. Make your plan to join us!
StaarCon 6 Presenter Arwen Lynch-Poe.
Arwen Lynch-Poe and Beth Conklin at StaarCon 2024.
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 Presenter Joseph Farrar.
StaarCon Presenter Joseph Farrar.
Virtual Presenter Spotlight: Joseph Farrar
Healing Through the Tree of Life, One Sephirah at a Time
This week’s Virtual Presenter Spotlight turns to Joseph Farrar, an intuitive tarot reader, astrologer, reiki practitioner, and ceremonial magician with almost 30 years of experience. Joseph first began learning and reading tarot while living in his adopted hometown of New Orleans, and his background as an educator makes him equally comfortable teaching a room full of students or working one on one with a client. He currently provides personal readings throughout Southern Florida and continues to expand his availability to bring his healing work to more people.
What is he bringing to StaarCon 6?
On Sunday, October 4th at 3:15 pm, on the Live Track, Joseph presents Healing Through the Tree of Life – Using the Sephiroth and Pathways for Energy Healing. This session is especially suited to practitioners with any level of Reiki training, and it explores the connection between the Tree of Life and energy healing. Joseph guides attendees through the ten Sephiroth and twenty-two pathways, showing how each corresponds to a specific energy archetype and how the pathways carry the flow of energy between them. From there, the workshop moves into practical territory: visualization techniques, meditations, and sacred name vibrations used to activate and channel the energy of a given Sephirah for targeted healing.
Joseph also covers ways to clear energetic blockages and balance the chakras using Qabalistic principles, so attendees leave with tools they can put to use right away rather than a purely theoretical framework. By the end of the workshop, participants will have a working method for using the Tree of Life as a map for healing, whether they are expanding an existing practice or just beginning to explore energy work.
Since this session runs on the Live Track, it also streams live for StaarCon 6 Virtual attendees through StaarCast.com.
A returning StaarCon presenter
Joseph is no stranger to StaarCon. At StaarCon 5, he joined a panel of readers for the Game of Fortune Panel Readings, spinning a Wheel of Fortune to select which reader answered each audience question. He also led Ceremonial Magic: The Middle Pillar Ritual, a class on the Qabalistic teachings behind the ritual and how to use it to balance and activate the chakras. Both sessions reflect the same blend of ceremonial magic and practical energy work that shapes his StaarCon 6 workshop.
Joseph Farrar is an intuitive tarot reader, astrologer, reiki practitioner, and ceremonial magician based in Southern Florida, with almost 30 years of experience reading tarot. You can follow him on Facebook at Tarot by Joseph and on Instagram at @tarotbyjoseph, or visit TarotByJoseph.com to learn more about his readings and healing work.
Joseph Farrar speaks during the Game of Fortune Panel Readings at StaarCon 5.
Presentation: Healing Through the Tree of Life – Using the Sephiroth and Pathways for Energy Healing
Date: October 4, 2026
Room opens: 3 PM EDT
Session begins: 3:15 PM EDT
Duration: 45 minutes
A woman consults her phone and her tarot cards.
Tarot and Fiction
There are some great novels, movies, and television shows that incorporate tarot into the story. It’s also true that many creative writers use tarot to help with plot and character development. Tarot is, by definition, a tool of storytelling. It tells the stories of our lives in divination and can inspire our creative stories as well.
However, I have strong opinions about how writers incorporate tarot into their stories. Let me give you an example of a most- and least-favorite. Obviously, you may have a different opinion.
One of my favorite tarot-based novels is The Cloisters by Katy Hays. It’s a wild ride of murder and mystery, set in a museum where academics study tarot history. This book earns my admiration for respecting established tarot history and keeping it intact while creating a great story around it.
One of my least favorite examples of tarot in modern fiction is the NBC/Netflix show “Manifest”. I loved this show in the beginning. It has an interesting premise. A plane goes missing for five years and then lands. The passengers have no idea they have been gone for half a decade. The show’s lead characters try to understand what happened to them and what it means. As part of that exploration, they discover a tarot deck that holds important clues for them. In the show, they go into great detail about their tarot deck, which they call the Al-Zuras Deck. My problem is that no such deck has ever truly existed.
Why do I have a problem with a fictional tarot deck in a fictional show? I think because tarot is a real thing with a real history, it makes sense to rely on truth when truth is available. The showrunners could have just as easily done some research and found ways to use actual tarot in their story. I am sure that not every tarotist has this kind of strong reaction to such a thing.
The fact is that tarot inspires us in many ways. It inspires us to learn truth and create fiction. This is probably one of my favorite things about tarot.
Tuesday, July 14, 7 pm to 8 pm ET: Dissecting the Question Live Tarot Webinar.
The Week in Review
If you missed Global Tarot Circle last night, you can watch the replay.
This Sunday, July 12, at 4 pm, we will hold our monthly tarot meetup at Panera Bread in Palm City. It is free and fun to join!
On Tuesday, July 14, at 7 pm ET, I will host a free livestreamed tarot class. I plan to stream on YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, and Facebook. The class is “Dissecting the Question”. We will discuss the right techniques for the right questions and the best questions for the best results.
Our Third Tuesday Tarot Class for July will be on July 21, and we will cover the suit of Pentacles. Get your ticket and join us!
From Around the Web
I love all the ways that fashion and tarot connect. Here is a great article from Vogue about exactly this!
Here are some summer beach reads for the tarot lover!
Here is a fun summer activity! It’s a tarot craft for kids!
The Major Arcana 19 tarot card, The Sun.
Tarot Wisdom For the Week
Which tarot card most authentically carries the energy of summer? I think it has to be Major Arcana 19, The Sun.
In a reading, The Sun can speak of happiness, confidence, and success. Sometimes it can speak of egotism and narcissism.
Yet, sometimes tarot can be literal as well as metaphoric. When we were freezing in the Pocono Mountains and planning a move south, the Sun became my Florida card. It often appeared in my personal readings, encouraging us to move to the Sunshine State.
I often see the Sun in a reading to indicate the season, attitude, or activities of summer. This is certainly a simplification of everything the Sun can mean, but sometimes, the simple meaning is the most appropriate.
Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.
Upcoming Events
Christiana with the books she has authored.
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 27
July 8, 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.