Making Room and Holding Space

A laughing woman does yoga in a colorful space.

A massage therapist once told me that much of our common bodily discomfort comes from holding ourselves too tightly and not stretching enough, resulting in insufficient space for organs and muscles to thrive. In short, she said, massage creates more space in the body.

I have no idea whether that is medically true. I do know that the image has stuck with me in a helpful way, because life is like that as well. When we get too busy, stressed, and focused on whatever is taking our attention, we forget to make room for ourselves and others to thrive. We don’t make room for rest, fun, or downtime. We don’t make room to chill with our friends.

The same thing happens in our minds. We don't make room for joy, creativity, and hope when we get clogged up with spiraling thoughts, worries, and upset.

Sometimes, a loved one going through difficulty cannot make room for themselves because they are full of grief, sorrow, or pain. This is when we must hold space for them by acknowledging their pain and their value and excusing them from their regular shared activities with you while keeping that space open for their recovery and return. We can hold the vision for their future even when they cannot. We may be able to step in and temporarily give them some space by taking over some of their duties and making ourselves available for conversation and company.

We often pack our schedules, tightly budgeting our time, money, and resources to get the most bang for the buck. There is nothing wrong with this. Yet, we thrive when we have space to move around, think, create, and just be.

The StaarCon 5 Imagining of Pixie Arcana. Art and composition by Stacey Williams-Ng, backgrounds by Animix.

The StaarCorner

This Sunday, February 23, all StaarCon 5 ticketholders are welcome to join me in the Meeting Hall lounge on Accelevents at 5 pm ET for a Tarot Spreads and Techniques workshop. All StaarCon 5 ticketholders are welcome!

The calendar of upcoming lounge presentations is on the StaarCon website and is updated regularly.

Stacey Williams-Ng presenting at StaarCon 5.

A man conducts a tarot reading for a client.

Tarot is All About This

I think the modern practice of tarot can be all about making room and holding space.

What do I mean?

First, in a reading for another person, whether professional or casual, you must make room in your mind, heart, life, and schedule for that person to be the most important in the world to you in that moment.

You also must make room for that person’s needs, thoughts, ideas, and desires, even if those are different from yours or even, in some cases, distasteful to you.

You must hold space for their pain, fear, and worry. In a good reading, you will feel what your client feels, which is not always pleasant.

In reading and studying tarot for yourself, first, you must make room for tarot in your life. That does not have to be regimented, and you needn’t feel guilty for letting your tarot practice lie fallow from time to time, but you do need to create some space and time for your practice in ways that suit you.

Tarot is a wonderful tool for teaching us to be kind to ourselves and to hold space for our healing, recreation, and desires. That happens when we learn the lessons of the cards and then use the cards to conduct insightful self-readings that help us understand our needs.

Learning tarot online.

The Week in Review

On my YouTube channel, you will find regular gatherings of our digital village, where we do live readings or study tarot and divination together. You will also find a valuable archive of free tarot classes, deck and book reviews, and interviews with community leaders.

If you missed last night’s Tarot for Love and Relationships workshop, please enjoy the replay.

From Around the Web

Trust Benebell Wen to ask and answer the most provocative questions! Her recent blog post, “Is AI Validating Psychic Ability?” Is fascinating!

Mary K. Greer’s blog is, of course, equally interesting. This week, Mary shared a perspective on “The Oedipus Cycle and Tarot Triumphs”.

Have you seen Frank Kwiatkowski’s “Beatles Song Tarot Project”?  I love everything about this. Whether or not you are a Beatles fan, you will know enough of their music, so this is a valuable read that will help you understand more about tarot.

Volunteers process charity donations.

Communities

Volunteering is a great way to make room in your life and hold space for others. There are many organizations and ways to help, either casually or formally. You can commit to a regular schedule or a single event.

There are opportunities to volunteer for charity, political, medical, cultural, environmental, compassionate, and spiritual organizations. While volunteer jobs are unpaid by definition, there are often fabulous perks from volunteer commitments.

Most of our best communities run on volunteers to some degree. If you can make room for something new and want to expand your social life, consider volunteering for something that matters to you.

If there is an event you want to attend but don’t want to afford the entry price, see if there is a way to volunteer! This can do more than get you a ticket; it gives you access to a new community and opportunities to learn new skills.

Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.

Upcoming Events

Weekly YouTube Events

Monday 9:30 am: Your 3-Card Weekly Reading

Thursday Noon: Tarot Topics Newsletter Recap

Friday Noon: Your Friday Weekly Wrap-up

Saturday 12:30 pm: Saturday Psychic Sampler

Card and Craft Academy

Card and Craft Academy is closed.

Look for Christiana’s new and improved academy soon! Until then, Christiana is offering personal mentorship classes in person and online.

Existing students of Card and Craft Academy will be offered a similar course in the new location as soon as the course becomes available. Students who take advantage of the offer to access the new course will also receive a coupon for a free month of our new all-access subscription when the full site is available.

If you are a Card and Craft Academy student, your invitation will be mailed to the email address you used to log in to the old account. If your address changes, you can contact Christiana to recover your account.

Christiana Gaudet and StaarCon headliner Mary K. Greer at StaarCon 2023.

About Christiana Gaudet

Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.

Christiana Gaudet

770 SE Indian Street
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 8 Issue 8
February 19, 2025

Christiana Gaudet Your Tarot Fairy Godmother banner.

Tarot by Christiana Weekly Newsletter 11/28/2012

Tarot by Christiana   Weekly Newsletter November 28, 2012 Community We use the word "community" to describe many different things. A community can be the place where you live; you might not even know your neighbors, but it is still a community. A community can be a group of people (on line or in person) who share a common interest. A community can be your entire town. In a best-case scenario, a community is helpful and supportive. Many of us volunteer our time and talents to our community, and feel the satisfaction of participating in something that really makes a difference. In a worst-case scenario, communities can be torn apart by personality issues, causing people to feel frustrated, angry and ostracized. The important thing to remember is this. We all need our communities, especially our communities of like-minded people. Sometimes there will be members of our community who behave badly, causing us to withdraw. Sometimes withdrawing for a period of time is a good idea. But in the end, the fellowship of community is something we all need; no matter how much one person may irritate us. If you are in a community that you enjoy, dedicate yourself to it. If you are not, find your community of likeminded people. You'll be glad you did. November Global Tarot Circle Recap We had a great turnout for our November Global Tarot Circle. Our topic was Tarot Reversals. The format for the meeting was discussion, which happened primarily in the chatroom. There are no absolute rules about reversals. Not every reader uses them, and all readers have different takes on how to use them, and how they can be interpreted. Some of the things we shared and agreed upon included the idea that reversals can add subtle nuances to the reading, and that we shouldn't choose not to use reversals simply because it complicates things for us as readers. We also affirmed that reversals are not always negative, and are not always the opposite of the upright meaning. We talked about reversals as indicating delays, lessening the energy of the card or showing the energy of the card as being in the past. We discussed reversed Court Cards, and how the reversal changes the description of the individual the Court Card is describing. We discussed the graphic component of cards in a spread, and how reversals can affect the images we see, and therefore the interpretation. One thing came up that I had never thought about before. A reversal can indicate fear. When we see a reversed card, it might be that there is fear of whatever the card represents. That makes a lot of sense! I have probably been interpreting some cards this way for years, but never really put it in to words. That is one of the great aspects of Tarot Circle. Together, we are able to work together to share our techniques, teach each other and help each person find greater meaning and understanding of tarot. Your Weekly One-Card Reading Your one-card reading this week is the Three of Swords. Typically, the Three of Swords is not a pleasant image. Traditionally, this can be a card of heartache and sorrow. But don't despair! We have all endured heartache at some point in life. Often, we fail to truly heal and instead carry some measure of hurt within us. When we see the Three of Swords we understand that the opportunity to heal the heart is at hand. This week, relinquish everything in your heart that doesn't bring you joy. Allow your heart to heal. Don't Miss the Lunar Eclipse! Tonight, Wednesday November 28, there will be a lunar eclipse. Check the internet for the exact time the eclipse will be visible in your area. Spiritually, we can use the lunar eclipse as a time to release emotions that no longer serve us, just like the Three of Swords which is our Weekly One-Card Reading this week. Interestingly, I did pull the Three of Swords at random without even thinking about the eclipse and what it might mean. Here's what to do. While the moon is eclipsing, actively breathe out, releasing pain, heartache and stuck emotions. As the moon become full again, think about your dreams and goals, and hold a vision of bringing them into being. The Week in Review This week Joanne Matthew has shared some wonderful seasonal tarot stories on our Tarot Topics Community Blog. Read A Major Arcana Thanksgiving and The Major Arcana Find Their Christmas Tree. Joanne has also been participating in Tarot Translation Group. Read her most recent entry, Tarot and the Full Moon. Christiana discusses karma, compassion and the Major Arcana in a post on her personal blog, Tarot Trends. Read What we Deserve. On the Dark Forest, Christiana writes about how fiction becomes part of our language in her post When Fiction Invades our Language. Upcoming Events Monday, December 3, 8:00 pm Join us for a free webinar, The Four Elements and the Minor Arcana. This 75-minute-long webinar is about the Four Elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water) and the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. This class will cover the powers and properties of the four elements, and how they relate to the four suits in tarot. You will learn ways of interpreting the pip cards and the court cards based on their elemental association. For log-in info, visit the Continuing Education website. Wednesday, December 5, 7:30 pm Join us for a free webinar, Basic Psychic Development. Everyone is psychic! The challenge is to figure out what your gifts are, and to learn to develop them. Professional psychic Christiana Gaudet will share the basics with you. In this exciting webinar you will learn about psychic gifts, psychic tools and simple exercises you can do to strengthen your own psychic abilities. For log-in info, visit the Celebrate Spiritual Growth website. Monday, December 10, 7:00 pm Enjoy a beginner/review level premium webinar, An In-Depth Journey into the Major Arcana - Emotional Balance. This online presentation will focus on Major Arcana cards Eight through Fourteen, Strength through Temperance. Christiana will present these cards as the keys to enhancing emotional growth and finding emotional balance. This class will help tarot beginners develop a solid foundation for their tarot study. Experienced readers will discover new ways to utilize tarot. For registration and log in, visit the Continuing Education website. Wednesday, December 12, 9 pm Christiana will be a guest on Internet TV show "It's in the Cards." Tune in to see Christiana talk about her new book and perform readings for the audience. You are welcome to call in to get an on-air reading! Simply visit Para Encounters Network to join the fun! Tuesday, December 18, 6:30 pm Everyone with an interest in tarot is invited to join Global Tarot Circle for an informal tarot workshop webinar, fun and fellowship. Find details and log in info at the Tarot Circle website. Special Gifts for Holiday Giving Remember that gift certificates are available for readings by telephone and Skype, premium webinars, Skype parties and private on-line tarot instruction. I can mail or email gift certificates to you, or directly to your recipient. I can even surprise your recipient with a telephone call informing them of their gift. If you prefer, you can design your own gift certificate; just make sure I have the name of the recipient. All you need to do is call me at 561-655-1160. I can take a credit or debit card right over the phone. I also use PayPal if that is easier for you. For the tarot enthusiast in your life, my books Fortune Stellar and Tarot Tour Guide make great gifts as well. TarotByChristiana.com  |  Email: christiana@TarotByChristiana.com | Skype: tarot.radio For More Information Call Toll Free: 866-998-2768  | Local Phone: 561-655-1160