Strength in Tarot and in Life
A young girl demonstrates her physical strength.
A yoga teacher once told me I was flexible but not strong. This was something I needed to work on. This did inspire me to build a gym habit for which I am grateful. As I age, I understand the importance of being physically strong and flexible. I also see how necessary it is to have that same balance mentally and emotionally.
At the tarot table, I often hear people define emotional strength as never showing feeling or never asking for help. I gently push back: vulnerability is often the greater strength.
Flexibility matters just as much. However well we plan, or divine, life still surprises us. Real strength means pivoting and finding new solutions without losing our peace when those plans change.
We go to the gym, physical therapy, or fitness studios to keep our bodies strong and flexible. Meditation, spiritual study, and a positive mindset do the same for our minds, hearts, and spirits.
StaarCon 6 Postcard featuring Pixie Arcana by Pamela Steele.
The StaarCorner
Last year at StaarCon 5, we started something new that we are excited to expand upon at StaarCon 6. The Hospitality Room is a place for in-person StaarCon attendees to enjoy some extra-special experiences. Here is what we have in store for you so far.
On Saturday morning, join artist Ciro Marchetti for a special conversational get-together where he will share stories and images from his 24 years as a tarot and divination deck creator.
On Saturday afternoon, stop by the Hospitality Room to enjoy coffee, tea, and refreshments courtesy of Weiser Books, and meet Laurie Kelly, Weiser’s representative. If you have a great book idea or questions about publishing a book or a deck, Laurie is there to help.
On Sunday morning, join Brenda Elizabeth, aka Lady Lenormand, for “Coffee, Tea, and Psychometry”. Enjoy a beverage and a snack, and, with Brenda’s instruction, try your hand at the psychic art of Psychometry.
We are excited to bring you a conference experience that is joyful, experiential, instructional, and inspiring. Please make your plan to join us!
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 6 Virtual Live October 2, 3 & 4
StaarCast Is Opening
Members outside Florida can join today. Florida friends, you are next.
I have news I have been waiting a long time to share. StaarCast, our virtual home for tarot conversation, live sessions, and recorded content, is opening its doors.
If you live outside Florida, you can join us right now. If you live in Florida, I am asking for a little more patience, and I want to explain why.
Why Florida Is Different
Here in Florida, access to streaming and recorded content is treated as a communications service, and that carries its own tax. It is calculated separately from everything else we sell, and it is based on where each member lives rather than where an event is held. It is an unusual rule, and a genuinely complicated one to put into practice.
We are finishing that part of our setup now. We will not sell a Florida membership until we can charge exactly the right amount and show it to you plainly on your receipt. I would so much rather explain a delay than quietly get it wrong.
Members outside Florida are not subject to that particular tax at all, which is why those doors can open today.
Florida friends, you are next, and I will announce it right here the day it happens.
A Change in How We Sell Virtual Access
Along the way, we made a change worth knowing about. Virtual access used to be folded into the price of a StaarCon ticket. Going forward, it stands on its own, with its own price, listed as a separate item.
That means two good things. If you only want to be in the room with us in Palm Beach Gardens, you are no longer paying for virtual access you would not use. And if the virtual experience is what you want, you can have it whether or not you travel.
What Is Available
Daily Member, $1.95 per day. A single day of access, for when there is one thing you do not want to miss.
Monthly Membership, $9.95 per month. Ongoing access to StaarCast events and content.
Annual Membership, $99.95 per year. A full year of StaarCast, including all premium StaarCon 6 events.
You will find full details and current pricing on the Memberships page at staarcast.com.
If you are considering a daily or weekend membership, take a look at the calendar first for the specific special events, so you can choose the days that hold what you most want to see.
Joining Us in Person at StaarCon 6
If you would rather be in the room with us in Palm Beach Gardens, here are the in-person ticket options for StaarCon 6.
Full Conference, Friday through Sunday: $360.
Weekend, Saturday and Sunday: $300.
Friday only: $80.
Saturday only: $160.
Sunday only: $160.
Prices do not include tax, which is calculated at checkout. You will find full details at staarcon.com.
If You Already Hold a StaarCon 6 Ticket
Nothing about your admission has changed, and there is nothing you need to do. I will be reaching out to everyone who has already purchased a ticket to explain the change and walk through the options available to you.
Thank you for your patience while we get this right. I cannot wait to see you, in the room or on the screen.
A woman meditating on her yoga mat.
Nurturing Strength of Spirit
I love the prose poem “Desiderata” by Max Ehrmann. My grandmother had a stack of copies of this poem that she would give to people. I think this was her way of trying to heal the world.
One of my favorite directives in “Desiderata” is “Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.” This message relieves us of the spiritual bypassing and toxic positivity of fundamentalist thinking, which teaches that spiritual faith is an infallible safeguard against difficulty.
We can’t expect a higher power to protect us from everything, no matter how much we pray or make offerings. That is not what spirituality gives us. Spirituality helps us nurture our inner resilience so that when tragedy inevitably strikes, we can handle it.
Spiritual strength is not the strength of our faith in a doctrine or deity. Spiritual strength is our inner and outer non-tangible resources. That is, our ability to heal, to love, to laugh, to cry, to pivot, and to find new perspectives. We can cultivate that strength using sacred texts and stories, meditation, divination, community building, time in nature, and personal healing.
Tuesday, August 11, 7 pm to 8 pm ET: A Modern Celtic Cross Live Tarot Webinar
The Week in Review
If you missed your TarotScopes for August, find them on YouTube.
Watch the replay from last night’s Global Tarot Circle.
If you are near the Treasure Coast of Florida, join us for our monthly tarot meetup, Cards and Conversation, at Panera Bread in Palm City, Sunday, August 9, at 4 pm.
Join us for a free livestreamed tarot class on Tuesday, August 11, at 7 pm ET. We will learn a modern version of the Celtic Cross tarot spread. I will stream on YouTube and multistream to Instagram, Facebook, and Twitch.
From Around the Web
Tarot cards can have a place in your yoga practice, says Yoga Journal. I could not agree more.
Here is an article about Strength, the tarot card, and what it means in life, from Medium.com.
Back in 2010, James Ricklef wrote about Desiderata and the tarot cards that could accompany the poem.
Tarot cards with a focus on Strength.
Tarot Wisdom for the Week
In the Waite-Smith Tarot, Strength is Major Arcana 8 and is pictured as a woman and a lion. In a contest of physical strength, the woman would likely not fare well. Yet, she has managed to tame the lion.
The woman tames the lion with love and compassion, not with brute force. This is the spiritual lesson that tarot teaches us about what strength really is.
When we see Strength in a reading, it may be a confirmation that you have the strength you need. Very often, though, it is a reminder not to let anger and frustration get the best of you, and to act from a place of compassion, even in stressful times.
Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.
Upcoming Events
Christiana reading cards for herself, circa 2022
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
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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.
Agent inquiries are welcome.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 9 Issue 31
August 5, 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's class digs into the Court Cards — what they represent, how to read them, and what they reveal in a spread. $20 class fee; advance registration required.