Storytelling is an essential part of any holiday. We incorporate telling the stories and myths of our holiday’s origins into our family and community celebrations. We delight in movies that use the holidays to create the setting for stories that become part of our modern holiday traditions.

In our own families, our holiday celebrations mark the passage of time. We tell stories of our childhood celebrations, and remember the funny things that happen year to year.

Sometimes the holiday story we tell ourselves leads us to a place of anger or sorrow instead of joy. When that happens, it’s time to tell ourselves a new story, and find a way to make peace with the holiday season.

What are your favorite holiday stories? Is it time to create a new holiday story this year?

The Holiday Open House Story

On December 20th, from 1 -5 pm, the Tampa Bay Area Tarot Meetup will host a Holiday Open House at Beef O’Brady’s Private Room in Land O’ Lakes. Tarot readers, diviners, healers and massage therapists will be on hand to offer free short sessions in exchange for donations of non-perishable food items to be donated to Feeding America Tampa Bay.

While I’ve haven’t been able to organize an Open House every year, this is a special holiday tradition for me, and one I have done in some form for most of the past twenty years.

When I was living in Pennsylvania and commuting to Connecticut, we had Open Houses in Pennsylvania at my home, Sylvan Lodge., and at the Radisson New London in Connecticut. When I had offices in Niantic, CT and Central Village, CT, I held Open Houses in both locations.

The very first Open House was just me, giving free readings in a small hotel conference room at the King’s Inn in Putnam, CT.

When I opened “The Dark Forest” in Putnam, I asked our community members to join me in offering free sessions, and we decided to turn it in to a toy drive.

Over the years, the need for food has seemed more pressing than the need for toys, and so the Open House became a food drive.

Eventually, the Open House became a way to showcase the skills of my friends, students and colleagues, as well as a way to raise food for the needy.

The last Holiday Open House was at the Harvey Building in West Palm Beach in 2012, where twenty-two practitioners were able to raise six hundred pounds of food.

I am proud of the holiday tradition that has sprung out of my tarot practice, and hope that you will join us on December 20th.

I also hope that my Holiday Open House story might inspire you to tell the stories of the holiday traditions you have created, or to create a new one!

Image from Gilded Royale, by Ciro Marchetti.

Your One-Card Weekly Reading

This week, I drew Temperance as your one-card reading.

Temperance reminds us that nothing in life is perfect, but with patience and creativity, we can find the perfect blend.
In our desire to find the perfect gift or host the perfect party, we often forget the true ingredients of the perfect holiday experience.

Temperance is here to remind you that your time and your creativity are always the most important gifts you can give.

This holiday season, release the need to be perfect, and instead focus on finding the blends that work perfectly together.

The Week in Review

This week I discovered two tarot blog posts that captured my attention. Read what I had to say, and follow the links to read the posts from Benebell Wen and Ste McCabe.

From Around the Web

I received a gift of some wonderful original pottery from a local artist, and wanted to share his site with you in case you are looking for a unique, beautiful gift for someone special. Definitely check out Fabu Pottery!

From TimeandDate.com, here is an article about the many holidays celebrated around the winter solstice.

Theresa Reed, the “Tarot Lady”, has collected some pieces of advice from professional tarot readers. If you are a pro reader, or interested in becoming one, you’ll be interested to read this!

Song of the Week

In honor of the approaching winter solstice, here is Charlie Murphy’s “Light is Returning”, an important part of my personal holiday story.

Image from Pixie's Astounding Lenormand, by Edmund Zebrowski.

Learning Lenormand

Card 28: Gentleman

The Lenormand Gentleman, or simply “Man”, will refer to a male person. This could be your querent, if you are reading for a man.  Otherwise, the Gentleman is very usually a male love interest of your querent.

Some modern Lenormand decks give more than one illustration and card for the Gentleman. This allows readers to choose the image they prefer best, or to use both cards in the case of same-sex relationships.

The playing card association is the Ace of Hearts, which lends meaning to the romantic aspect of this card, as well as indicating joy and happiness.

Next week we will meet the female counterpart of the Gentleman, the Lady.

Our Tarot Tree

At our monthly community tarot circle, we found a new, fun way to celebrate the holiday season.

I asked each of the eight people present to cognitively choose two cards from their deck with which to perform some holiday tarot magick.

One card would be something the person wanted to manifest in their own lives. The other card would be something they want to manifest for the world.

From my own deck, I created the structure of the tree by using the Ace of Pentacles at the bottom to represent the roots of our living tree, and Major Arcana 17, the Star, was at the very top.

After each person choose their cards, they arranged them on the table in the shape of a tree. We each spoke our intentions for the cards, and enjoyed the beauty and energy of the special tarot holiday tree we had created.

This is a new holiday story for us, but I bet it will become a holiday tradition!

Upcoming Events

Note New Date!
Thursday, December 17, 7 pm
Global Tarot Circle
A Free WebEx Event Available Exclusively Online!

Spend an hour with tarot friends around the world! Log in on your computer, tablet or smartphone, or join the call on your telephone! Expect readings, new ideas, enlivening conversations and great tarot knowledge!
For log-in information, visit the event listing on my website.
 

Sunday, December 20, 1-5 pm
The Tampa Bay Area Tarot Meetup
Holiday Open House
Beef O’Brady’s Private Room
21539 Villages Lakes Shopping Center Drive, Land O’ Lakes, FL 34639

Stop by with some canned goods for Feeding America Tampa Bay, and let us pamper you for the holidays! Enjoy free readings and healing sessions in exchange for your donation.  Readers and healers are welcome to volunteer, call 561-655-1160 for more information.

Visit the event listing on my website to find links to websites of our growing roster of readers!

About Christiana

Christiana Gaudet
Origins Spa and Wellness Center
1537 N Dale Mabry Highway #102
Lutz, FL 33548

Private telephone, Skype and in person readings and instruction are available by appointment.

Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida. 

Call 813-948-4488, toll free 866-99TAROT,
or text or call 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.

Agent inquiries are welcome.