Even here in Florida, I look forward to the beginning of summer. I love the longer days and the warmer weather. In cooler climates, of course, the summer is a welcome time to enjoy nature, and a necessary time for farming.

As we anticipate summer, we make plans for vacations, gardens, books and travels.

I’m looking forward to visiting New England this summer for a series of private readings and house parties. Please call me if you would like to book something!

If you are not yet sure what your summer holds in store, why try the two summer-themed tarot spreads included in this newsletter?

Also in this week’s Tarot Topics, you’ll find the first installment of Michael Bridge-Dickson’s new series on his amazing Orbifold Tarot!

This week, plan for Summer 2016 to be your best summer ever!

A Three-Card Summer Spread

Do you want information about your summer? A summer forecast is as easy as pulling three cards, one for each summer month.

Simply pull a card for June, another for July, and a third for August.

Interpret each card as an available energy for that month, which you can choose to mitigate or maximize.

Then, combine all three cards to give you a sense of how your summer might be, overall.

Do the cards correspond with your plans?

Do you see something in the cards you would like to change?

Do you see something in the cards that you are hopeful about, or looking forward to?

From My Desk to Yours

May 25th is celebrated as World Tarot Day. In honor of this special occasion, I asked folks on social media to share a tarot shelfie! I was thrilled with the number of people who participated in this with me on Facebook, especially in the Tarot Professionals group.
 

From Around the Web

I found a great New Yorker article about the tarot garden in Tuscany!

I was thrilled to see some of my friends in this Sun-Sentinel video about flow arts!

From Rowan Tarot, here are a number of discussions about the Knight of Cups.

Song of the Week

Here’s a song about summer that I loved in my childhood. Enjoy this live video of Seals and Crofts’ Summer Breeze.

Breaking Down Tarot's Elements
 Part 1

with Michael Bridge-Dickson and Orbifold Tarot

 


Learning and understanding the tarot can seem a daunting task: 78 cards, each with their own unique and seemingly unrelated meanings. As if that weren’t enough, most tarotists agree that those meanings are in constant flux, and that no card means the same things every time — even experienced readers can be stumped by certain cards in certain contexts.

And yet, the tarot’s elegance can lie in its simplicity... A simplicity that transcends different decks, generations, cultures, and individual card meanings — it’s even relatively easy to understand!

This simple elegance can even cut through complex and learned study and lead to a deeper, consolidating view of the system that is both basic and sophisticated; lending rich layers of meaning and understanding to tarot practitioners of all levels, from novice to master.

So what is this magickal root to understanding tarot’s elegant system?

The Four Elements.

When we say we are breaking something down to its Elements, we really mean we are reducing it to its essence, the constituent parts that form its structure. In the case of tarot, we mean this also quite literally, in that most, if not all, of tarot’s 78 cards can be attributed to each of the traditional Four Elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth.

These core Four Elements are common across many cultures and are fairly universal, although some describe five or more Elements. The fifth Element often included in the basic Elements is Spirit or Space. We will leave this fifth Element alone for now and revisit at a later time — but know that this fifth Element is present everywhere, at all times, and in all situations.

Traditional cultures had a close relationship with Nature, and saw themselves as part of Nature and its cycles, witnessing the interplay of Nature’s Elements throughout their lives. They used these basic and unique aspects of Nature to describe, share, and understand their experiences of themselves, each other, and the world around them.

Although we may not be as closely involved with the Elements on a daily basis, we still use Elemental descriptors the way traditional cultures did to understand our inner and outer experiences because the Elements are so universal, so basic. They speak to us on an essential and visceral level. In a way, we already understand the Elements deeply, it’s just that many of us have forgotten — reconnecting with the Elements, whether through tarot or other practices is really a way of reconnecting with ourselves.

A key to re-connecting with the Elements is in paying attention to how we use Elemental descriptions in our common language:  
“She had an air of dignity about her.” or “He’s a real airhead.” “His passion was like a fire that consumed everything.” or “She’s a real fire-ball!” “I’m riding on a sea of emotions.” or “I’m about to cry, here come the water-works!” “That person’s a real wo/man of the earth.” or “S/he has an earthy presence.” “They were like fire and water.”

Despite our tendency to associate certain Elements with having only negative or only positive attributions, each Element has both negative and positive qualities — or more accurately, each quality is inherently neutral; we give these qualities positive or negative attributions through the connotations we have with them. 

In the next column we will look more closely at each of the Four Elements, and how they relate back to tarot. For now, simply turn your attention to Elemental descriptors in common language.

Over the next week, observe when and how you use Elemental descriptors, and how they make you feel when you do. Watch whether you have negative, positive, or neutral associations with each Element. Observe their impact on you, and see if you can develop a real-world re-connection with the Elements. Recognize too, which Elements you are more connected to, or which ones seem more prevalent in your world and interactions.

MIchael Bridge-Dickson is the creator of Orbifold Tarot. For the next few weeks,he will use his unique deck to help us learn more about tarot.

“While the Sun Shines” Tarot Spread

There’s an old expression, “Make hay while the sun shines”.

So often, we begin summer with the best intentions to write a novel, complete a course, exercise more, or at least turn off the TV and get off the couch!

There is something about longer days and warmer weather that makes us want to accomplish something important.

Summer is a time for fun, but it is also a time to get things done.

Here’s a tarot spread to help you decide what you need to accomplish this summer, and actually get it done.

Card 1: What do I need to accomplish?

Card 2: What will be the advantage of doing this?

Card 3: What will be an impediment or difficulty?

Card 4: How can I make sure I fulfill this task?

Image from Gilded Royale by Ciro Marchetti.

Your One-Card Weekly Reading

Ten of Pentacles

Your one-card weekly reading is the Ten of Pentacles.

Traditionally, this is the “Castle” card. It speaks of home and family, but also of ancestry and legacy.

When this card appears, it’s time to focus on your home. Perhaps you would like to redecorate, or accomplish some repairs. Maybe it’s time to invite friends and family over for a party.

This week, enjoy your home, and appreciate the blessings of your family.

Upcoming Events

Sunday, June 5, 10 am
Tampa Bay Area Tarot Meetup Retreat Day
MItchell Osborn's Home, Orlando

There are still a few spaces available for our first-ever retreat day! RSVP on Meetup!
 

Now Open for Registration:  

October 7, Professional Development Day at TarotCon (Follow the link below).

October 8 & 9, TarotCon (Florida) 2016 in Palm Beach Gardens.

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.