Tarot by Christiana Weekly Newsletter 11/27/2013

Tarot by Christiana Newsletter   November 27, 2013 View the newsletter online at http://tarottopics.com/news/2013-11-27 In This Issue Gathering Together Cards of Holiday Tradition in Tarot The Week in Review Gratitude Tarot Exercise What's Up at the Psychic Café? Learning Tarot: Strength Christiana in South Florida This Weekend Your One Card Weekly Reading Creative Ideas for Holiday Giving Upcoming Events Contact Christiana Gathering Together Thanksgiving is such a unique holiday. Thanksgiving week is always one of the biggest travel weeks of the year. People go to amazing lengths to gather together for the simple act of enjoying a meal in each other’s company. For some people, Thanksgiving is about the food. For others it’s the sports or the parade. For others, it’s the Black Friday shopping, or the time off from work. I think for most of us, though, Thanksgiving is a time to touch base with the people we love. This year, Chanukah begins this week as well, celebrating the miracle of the lamp that burned for eight days. Whatever this time of year means to you, and however you celebrate it, let’s all take the time to be grateful for what matters most in life – the people who make a difference for us, the friends and family we enjoy, those who are part of our lives. Cards of Holiday Tradition in Tarot One of the things we think about at this time of year is traditions; honoring old ones and beginning new ones. How could we see the concept of holiday traditions in tarot? The Hierophant is the card of tradition. The Hierophant can be about following old traditions with respect and accuracy. In a Thanksgiving reading the Hierophant might indicate the older relative who insists that things be done the way they have always been done. The Ten of Pentacles is the card of family legacy. With this card we consider what we inherit from our ancestors and what we pass on to our children. In a Thanksgiving reading this card is a joyful reminder that families and family traditions continue, regardless of the passage of time. The Six of Cups is the card of nostalgia. This may indicate a journey to return to a childhood home.  The Six of Cups can speak of a reunion of friends and family. It can also indicate the sadness that comes with nostalgia. The Eight of Cups can indicate breaking with the past, even when that’s hard to do. The Eight of Cups might say “Let’s do something different this year!” For a family beginning new family traditions, all four Aces can discuss the creation of a tradition. When we see how the cards show up in the context of life events we can more easily interpret them in specific ways! The Week in Review The Ace of Swords is one of my favorite tarot cards. This week I wrote about the Ace of Swords on the Tarot Topics Community Blog. Read "Slicing up the Ace of Swords." On my personal blog, Tarot Trends, I shared some of my personal thoughts about the Law of Attraction. Read "The Rolling Stones and the Law of Attraction." In honor of the holiday, on my Dark Forest blog I wrote about some things for which I am thankful. Read "Gratitude for Five Awesome Modern Things." From Around the Web From Thunderwolf’s Tarot Journal, here’s a fun post that discusses some myths about tarot, and what’s true and what’s not. Read "Tarot Fallacies." From Elite Daily, here are "20 Things you Need to let go to be Happy." Just in time for the holidays, from Elephant Journal, here are "12 Ways to Deal with a Toxic Family." Gratitude Tarot Exercise Traditionally, Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for friends, family and food. What if we look at Thanksgiving in broader terms? Here is a tarot exercise specifically for Thanksgiving, based on a more spiritual concept of friends, family and food. You can use any tarot deck, or even a card oracle if you prefer. You will pull three cards from your deck at random. Each card will give you something for which to be grateful at this time in your life. Card one will be “friends.” Let this card represent your helpers in life, be they people, spirit guides or your own gifts and talents. This card will answer the question “What helpers do I have in my life for which I need to be grateful?” Card two will be “family.” Let this card represent your foundation in life – your core values, inner strength and deepest beliefs – the things that define your identity. This card will answer the question “What is at the core of my being for which I need to be grateful?” Card three will be “food.” Let this card represent your spiritual nourishment in life, the things that make you feel whole and well, the things that inspire you and motivate you. This card will answer the question “What is the current inspiration in my life for which I need to be grateful?” As you contemplate the cards you’ve drawn, please remember that each card indicates something for which you need to be grateful. Sometimes that’s not easy. Let this exercise help you understand more about yourself at this current time, and help you understand and appreciate your blessings in ways you might not have before. What’s Up at the Psychic Café? On November 24, 2013 our focus was Spirituality and Creativity. I was honored to have two fabulous guests, Pagan musician Alexian and tarot artist Lisa De St. Croix. Alexian and I discussed his work as a Pagan priest, and as a Pagan musician. We discussed the ways both sound and silence serve us spiritually, and the way the changing seasons influence Pagan spirituality. I was happy to present his music video “Listen to the Wind.” My second guest was Lisa De Saint Croix. Lisa is getting ready to self-publish a brand new tarot deck, Tarot De St. Croix. She shared with us stories from the process of bringing this exciting new deck to life. You can watch the show in archive on the Tarot Topics news site. This coming Sunday, December 1, we will enjoy an encore presentation of Christiana’s Psychic Café. We’ll be showing an episode from September 15, 2013. My guests are Jenna Matlin and Helene Martz. Together we discuss the unpredictable business of being a professional psychic. Visit the Show Info Page, and don’t forget to like Christiana’s Psychic Café on Facebook! Learning Tarot Strength Before we get started, it is important to remember that there exist a few different tarot traditions. I tend to work with the Waite tradition, that is, the tarot designed by A.E. Waite and drawn by Pamela Colman Smith. In the Waite tradition, Strength is card 8 and Justice is card 11. There are other tarot decks, perhaps most notably the Crowley Harris Thoth tarot, which have Strength (Lust) as card 11 and Justice as card 8. If you are using such a deck you will still find the card descriptions helpful, even though the card number, and perhaps the card name, is different. Strength is generally pictured as a woman and a lion. I think of these two characters as both being essential components of each person’s character. Within each of us is a gentle, loving woman. Also within each of us is a fierce, wild lion. We need to have both of those energies within us. However, we need to have those energies in a proper balance. What we see in the image is that the woman has the lion under control. She does not try to control the lion with her physical prowess, but with her own nature, which is gentle and kind. This card teaches us that love is the greatest strength. We need to honor our inner lion, but we need to control that fierce, wild energy with the strength of love, compassion and gentleness. In a reading Strength can remind us that we are strong enough to handle any situation. Strength can reference the important balance between gentleness and wildness. Strength tells us to “kill ’em with kindness” when we need to, and that we “catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” Strength reminds us to be compassionate and to keep our wild nature under control. Perhaps above all, Strength reminds us of the power of love. Next week we will meet the card 9, the Hermit. Christiana in South Florida This Weekend I will be spending some time in South Florida this coming weekend visiting friends and family for the Thanksgiving Holiday. I have a few opportunities to make house calls for private readings or Psychic House Parties. If you would like to schedule something, please call me at 561-655-1160. Your One-Card Weekly Reading Your one-card reading this week is the Lovers. Often we see this card as predicting or describing a love relationship. The thing is, this card is not first and foremost a card of romance. Primarily, the Lovers is a card of integration, balance and decisions. Given that many people will be gathering together this week to celebrate holidays, the Lovers offers some special advice for the week. The Lovers tells us to keep balance. The Lovers tells us to make wise decisions. The Lovers advises us that when different people come together they have to actively integrate one with another to make a cohesive whole. In some families, that can be a challenge. This week, let logic rule over emotion. This week, think before you speak. Remember that some of the people we love have different experiences, different values and different ways of thinking than we do. If we try, we can find a way to fit together that works for everyone. Creative Ideas for Holiday Giving For the tarot enthusiast on your gift list, remember my books, Tarot Tour Guide and Fortune Stellar! I also sell gift certificates for readings by Skype or Phone, Skype Psychic Parties and tarot webinars! If you would like to give someone special a gift they will never forget, call me at 561-655-1160 to arrange your gift certificate. Upcoming Events Sunday, December 1, 9 pm The Psychic Business on the Psychic Café This will be an encore presentation of our September 15th show. On Sunday, September 15 our topic was the unpredictable psychic business. I interviewed two professional readers - Jenna Matlin of Queen of Wands Tarot and Helene Martz of Intuitive Goddess. Jenna has just completed her first year as a full-time professional reader. Helene has been a favorite on the Psychic Cafe and has a long history as a pro reader. The perspectives the three of us were able to share about business, marketing, spirituality, problem clients and advice for new readers were funny, poignant and truthful. The one thing that shone through all of us was our love for the work we do and our gratitude that we are able to do it successfully. Tuesday, December 3rd, 7 pm Free Webinar The Four Elements and the Major Arcana The four elements of life are Earth, Air, Fire and Water. They each have metaphysical properties as well as physical properties. The four elements correlate with the four suits of the Minor Arcana of the tarot. They also correlate with individual cards of the Major Arcana. The term “Major Arcana” means “Greater Secrets.” The twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana contain the most spiritual messages and lessons of the tarot, and tell the story of our journey through life. When we learn the elemental associations for each of the Major Arcana cards, we have a clear way to understand these important cards. This 75 minute webinar will help the tarot student more fully understand the four elements. It will provide a deeper way to comprehend each of the Major Arcana cards. The student will be able to more fully interpret the Major Arcana cards, whether reading for yourself or others. For log in information, visit the event listing on the Continuing Education Website. Sunday, December 8, 9 pm Christiana’s Psychic Café Join us for the “Night of 1000 Fools” on the Psychic Café! The Fool is the star of the story told by tarot, representing each one of us on our journey through life. We’ll talk with tarot artists and tarot readers to find out more about the Fool, and how we can each embrace the Fool’s energy every day. For more information, visit Christiana’s Psychic Café on Facebook. Sunday, December 15, 7 pm Free Webinar Global Tarot Circle Before Christiana’s Psychic Café begins at 9 pm, we’ll take the 7 o’clock hour to meet together and celebrate tarot! Anyone with an interest in tarot is welcome to attend. Expect to learn something about tarot and something about yourself! For log-in information, visit the event listing on the Tarot Circle website. Sunday, December 15, 9 pm Christiana’s Psychic Café Join us for a special Holiday Review on Christiana’s Psychic Café! We’ll share some special gift ideas for the spiritual people in your life, along with some exciting and creative ways to celebrate the holiday season. For more information, visit Christiana’s Psychic Café on Facebook. Tuesday, December 17, 7 pm Premium Webinar Sharing Wisdom, Reading for Others Tarot hobbyists, professional readers, and those somewhere in between, all share something in common. We all want to give the best readings possible to clients, family and friends. In this online presentation, Christiana Gaudet will guide you through each step of performing a great reading. She will help you discover your personal style as a reader, and discuss some common pitfalls and ways to avoid them. She will give you insight in how to derive the most specific information possible from each reading. Christiana’s virtual classroom is accessible using your computer or your telephone. For registration information, visit the event listing on the Continuing Education website. Tarot by Christiana Gaudet Private readings and instruction are available by appointment. Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida. Call 561-655-1160 for more information or to schedule your event. Agent inquiries are welcome.        Click the icons to follow me! tarotbychristiana.com christiana@tarotbychristiana.com 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768) 561-655-1160 Skype: tarot.radio