Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
The Power of Self-Care
Make your own self-care a priority, and join the free Card Reading Magic telesummit!
In medicine, self-care is the regimen a patient must follow on their own.
In personal healing, self-care includes anything you do with the intention of taking care of your well-being, whether body, mind or spirit.
Sometimes I find that my need to take care of my body feels at odds with a perceived need to take care of my spirit with chocolate cake!
In many cultures, and especially here in the United States, people seem to take pride in denying themselves care. Perhaps we feel we appear stronger if we do not admit to needing care.
Often, we pack our lives with so many commitments that we can’t seem to find the resources to focus on our own self-care.
In reality, self-care is good time management. The better we feel, the more efficiently we use our time.
Taking time for self-care is also an enforced break from our routine. That, in itself, has value.
There are many possible self-care activities. Exercise, massage, cooking, yoga, tarot, gardening, meditation, journaling, dancing, socializing, spa treatment, ceremony and playing music could all be considered self-care. As you can see, some activities take time and money, others can easily be incorporated in to daily life.
Whatever you invest in your own self-care will be returned to you many times over.
Body, Mind and Spirit Self-Care Spread
Here’s an easy three-card spread designed to help you understand your self-care needs and habits.
Simply pull one card for Body, one for Mind and one for Spirit.
Interpret the card in each position in context of your need for self-care in that area.
Perhaps a card might indicate a self-care activity that would be helpful. Perhaps a card my reveal a particular resistance to self-care. Maybe a card would congratulate you on your approach to self-care in that area.
Perform this spread on a regular basis as a way of making sure you are showing up for yourself.
The Week in Review
This week, I shared a new video on my YouTube channel. It’s a guided meditation to heal the heart and attract love.
On my Dark Forest Blog, I shared some thoughts about online dating. Read “Dating as a Shopping Experience.”
From Around the Web
From Jamie Morris, here is a tarot-based writing prompt! Why not use tarot and writing together for some self-care this week?
In the mood for something out of the ordinary? The Tarot Cat interviews European musician Zdrada Palki!
Lisa Hunt has created the new Fairy Tale Lenormand deck, with book by Arwen Lynch! Check it out, and come see Lisa at TarotCon
Florida!
Song of the Week
From Lindsey Stirling, featuring Christina Perri, Here’s Brave Enough.
Card Reading Magic Free Telesummit
No matter where you are in your card reading journey, there is always more to learn about this art that none of us can ever truly perfect.
From feeling confident from the moment you sit down in a reading, to creating a consistent, powerful experience for clients, there is so much we can share with each other.
So my friend and colleague Tori Hartman, creator of the best-selling Chakra Wisdom Oracle Cards, has put together a free virtual intuitive festival so that you can benefit from rarely-heard insights in conversations with well-known groundbreakers and up-and-coming experts.
Card Reading Magic, an online event with 18 speakers including myself will take place September 14-18.
This event is perfect for you if:
- You’re new to card reading and want to start a business
- You’ve been at it for years and want to step your game up
- You want to join a community of top card readers
During this virtual intuitive festival, you’ll discover:
- How to gain more specific, in depth information from your readings
- The 5 essentials of card reading
- How you can use your intuition more effectively and naturally
- Mistakes that keep you from accurate readings
- How you can shift into the zone of being a card reader quickly and easily
- Simple techniques to move away from the guidebook
- How to put the story together for your clients by linking cards
- The insider secrets of self-publishing decks from experts who have done it
So if you’re ready to get more accurate readings, join me for this virtual intuitive festival:
Card Reading Magic
September 14-18
Reserve Your Spot Now (FREE)
The Four of Pentacles Urges Self-Care
Many people see the Four of Pentacles as selfishness. Eden Gray called this the “Card of the Miser”.
Modern tarotists often see the Four of Pentacles as depicting a “lack mentality”.
All of these can be appropriate interpretations of the Four of Pentacles.
At the same time, there is another interpretation that works for this card, and can sometimes shed new light into a reading.
Sometimes, we can interpret the Four of Pentacles as advice for self-full-ness, rather than a warning against selfishness.
The Four of Pentacles can advise us to hold better boundaries, or to make our own needs a priority.
Sometimes, we feel selfish when we are really being appropriately self-full. The Four of Pentacles asks us to contemplate this balance in our lives.
Image from Crystal Visions Tarot by Jennifer Galasso
Your One-Card Weekly Reading
Eight of Cups
Your One-Card reading is the Eight of Cups.
This week, it is time to consider what emotions and hurtful stories you are hanging on to, acknowledge them, and release them.
Recognize that the way you tell your stories, even if factually accurate, may not be the way that allows your history to serve your best.
This process is part of good self-care, and an opportunity to heal.
Upcoming Events
September 14-18
Card Reading Magic Tarot Telesummit with Tori Hartman
Discover the 5 essentials of card reading, mistakes that keep you from accurate readings, and how you can use your intuition more effectively during this FREE virtual intuitive festival, Card Reading Magic, where I’ll be one of 18 featured experts. Sign up now!
Coming Soon:
October 7 Professional Development Day (PreConference Intensive)
October 8-9 TarotCon (Florida) 2016
October 14-23 Christiana's Trip to West Palm Beach. Call or test 561-655-1160 to schedule your party, house call or private reading.
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.
Is it possible to have too much integrity?
Three tarot cards that encourage us to do the right thing, Orbifold Tarot and the element of Earth, Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live, Professional Development Day, and more!
Everyone’s moral compass points in a slightly, or widely, different direction. For some people, ethics are largely a gray area. For others, the difference between right and wrong is starkly black and white.
Sometimes our moral differences are a matter of culture and background. Sometimes they are point of view.
If you are a person of extremely high integrity, there are some hard-to-avoid pitfalls that may be familiar to you. Here are five of them.
1. You are constantly disappointed in human nature.
Because you will always make decisions for the greater good, you will be hurt and mystified by war, greed and injustice.
2. You naively see the best in everyone.
Everyone, even the worst of us, has a positive side. You’ll see that positive side, and it will cause you to sometimes be a poor judge of character.
3. It’s hard to find your peers.
In business, in love and in friendship, you will constantly be disappointed by the best others are able to do.
4. Your need to do the right thing, and avoid the wrong thing, will sometimes cost you money.
Honest people shoot themselves in the foot all the time. It’s unavoidable.
5. You may become judgmental of others.
The spiritual lesson in being a person of high integrity is to be forgiving of those who do not share your values. Sometimes that’s difficult.
Integrity is the subject of poetry, myth and legend. Shakespeare’s Polonius reminds us, “To thine own self be truth.” The Egyptian Goddess Ma ’at greets you after your death, and weighs your heart against a feather. If your heart is not heavy with wrong-doings, she will allow you passage into the Underworld.
If you are a person with a strong moral compass, you can work to avoid the pitfalls associated with your virtuous nature, but you can’t avoid being who you are. Learn to appreciate your high standards, and enjoy being an example to those around you.
Three Tarot Cards that Do the Right Thing
Sometimes the Universe can use a tarot reading to call you out for your own lack of integrity. Sometimes the cards will strongly urge you to honor your ethics.
Typically, the suit of Swords, related to the element of Air, will strongly speak of honesty, ethics and integrity. Many swords cards contain darker images that tell the brutal truth, or express the damage done when trust is broken.
Here are three tarot cards who clearly tell you to play fair.
1. Justice
Justice can indicate matters of law and fairness, but it can also be a commandment to do the right thing.
2. Ace of Swords
The Ace of Swords may remind you that you know the truth, and you know the right thing to do or to say.
3. The Knight of Swords
The Knight of Swords communicates a responsibility to the truth, to swift action, and to just action.
The next time these cards appear in a reading, consider that their message may be urging you to your highest ideals and values.
The Week in Review
Upon returning home to Tampa from my trip northeast, I wrote about a poignant experience I had during my trip, doing readings and then leading a healing ceremony. Read this true story on my 78 Magickal Tools blog on PaganSquare.
From Around the Web
From Speak of Secrets, here is a great myth-busting post called “Tarot and the Rules of Engagement”.
For my many empath friends, here are “5 Ways for Empaths to Shield from Negativity”.
From Oprah.com, it’s time to Speak your Truth!
Song of the Week
Here’s a song about speaking your truth. Enjoy Brave, by Sara Bareilles.
Gratitude, and Great Events Ahead!
My August Trip Northeast
Thanks to everyone who made my trip northeast so special, and so successful!
Please remember that I am available to travel at any time for your special events, just call or text 561-655-1160.
I’ll be back in Connecticut from March 23-April 4, so you can book your party now!
Professional Development Day (Pre-Conference Intensive)
If you are a professional tarot reader, or want to be, you should make plans to attend our Professional Development Day. The class schedule is now available on my events page.
TarotCon (Florida) 2016
The speaker line-up for TarotCon is growing! This will be the most exciting tarot convention ever! Tickets are still available. Visit the TarotCon website to reserve yours!
Parties, Classes and Private Readings in West Palm Beach!
I’ll be in West Palm Beach from October 14 - October 23. Private readings will be available by appointment at Pearl’s Room at Unity Church in the Pines, and by appointment at my suite at Homewood Suites.
I will also be teaching a few classes at Pearl’s, so check her Meetup to attend.
I have a few dates available to do house calls, psychic parties and gatherings in your South Florida home or office. Simply call or text 561-655-1160 to reserve your time.
Orbifold Tarot
with Michael Bridge-Dickson
Breaking Town Tarot's Elements Part 7 - Earth
After exploring and reflecting on our intuitive, sensual, emotional inner realms through Water, we settle in Earth, whose unique quality is solidity. Earth condenses the other three Elements, anchoring us in the here-and-now concerns of reality. This tangibility is sometimes seen as being “less spiritual” than the other Elements, but as a condensation of Air, Fire, and Water, Earth contains the potential of all Four Elements — through it, we gain access to our physical experience of all Elements by linking, consolidating, and expressing the virtues of all levels of being.
Where Water accumulates memories of the past, Fire projects its actions into the future, and Air moves the mind into any direction, in any world; Earth is built on the eternal present. More and more, with the influence of Eastern spiritual traditions, being present is seen as the epitome of spiritual practice, and for good reason: being present keeps us rooted in our experiences — and indeed, in ourselves. It has even become a somewhat cliche tenet of modern spirituality: to “be in the present moment” is the dictum of many contemporary seekers, from the experientially seasoned to those flirting with the path toward self-knowledge, and all of us who are our individual stages along this path.
As common as this concept is, many of us have difficulty finding and staying “in the present moment.” We remain ungrounded, our experiences tainted by memories of the past and projections into the future, or even a sheer disconnect into what never was, isn’t, and may never be. It’s not that these ruminations are not helpful, they are: we learn from and are formed by our past, we must always carry ourselves into the future, and imagination and rationale on every plane creates the possibility for anything — even the seemingly impossible — to come true.
Without Air, Fire, and Water, Earth would eternally sit, unchanged and unmoving. It’s this timeless nature of Earth that is the key to understanding it, and indeed to unlocking the secret of “being in the present.” That is, this elusive “present moment” doesn’t exist. Time is a continuum, a process, that cannot be pinned down: each moment becomes instantly the past, and the future cannot be caught as it passes us into the past… and yet, there is no denying that we are in life, as it is happening.
So what is this “present moment” stuff, and what does it have to do with Earth?
While the present moment may be intangible, and we may even waste a great deal of time and effort chasing it, presence is eternal. Presence is like Earth, in that if unacted upon by the other elements, it will remain unchanged. This means that we disturb our ability to be present throguh the necessary effects of Air, Fire, and Water. Since these Elements are crucial to our existence within time, our necessary participation in the flow of life, we must somehow find a way to carry the Earth Element along with us. This is what is being indicated by the idea of being “in the present moment,” but I propose that to make the Earth Element more real for us, that we drop the “moment” part of this tenet:
Simply be.
Eternity is a word we often use to describe the Divine, by whichever name we choose to call it: Spirit, Goddess, God, Source, Universe, The Light, Energy, Love, The Great Being, or the term I prefer, Consciousness. Consciousness, with a capital “C,” can be accessed in many ways, each of them having presence as the common denominator. Of course, each Element has its own form of consciousness, and each brings us into presence in different ways. Nonetheless, if presence is indeed the essence of Earth, Earth then is the nearest to Spirit, Consciousness, as we can get while in this physical plane.
In fact, in Vedic cosmology, the whole reason for a physical plane at all, is for Divinity to experience itself. It is through the manifestation of the physical universe that consciousness becomes real, and hence, achieves self-realization — the goal of spiritual practice. In other words, we become God through our own self-realization, and we do so in the same way that God realized itself by becoming us. Seen in this way, our Earthly existence, our day-to-day lives, simply being — but remaining consciously present — is Divine. This life, at all of its levels, through trials and tribulations, failures and victories, pains, pleasures and ecstasies, is all spiritual. It is all God experiencing itself, and us, in turn, experiencing God through ourselves, and through our relationships with others and our environments; which, if this universe is Consciousness experiencing itself, are all reflections of us as reflections of the Divine.
In this sense, presence grounds us. It grounds us in our being, in our essence as Divinity, our essence as Consciousness. No wonder then, when we are not grounded, our spiritual search can feel empty and disconnected. At the same time, Earth’s density can obscure our ability to interact with the other Elements and experience their effects, thereby anchoring us so deeply that we are dragged out of continual presence into a fixed and stagnant state.
When we read Earth cards in tarot, we are being given the opportunity to experience this presence, this consciousness, through our everyday lives. Looking at the Earth cards alone, the lower-numbered cards may indicate simpler experiences, and a reminder to find the joy in those simpler things, especially if we have lost touch with the Earth Element and our ability to be present. Lower numbers may also indicate that we are already well in touch with our presence, that we needn’t a drastic reminder to stay present and grounded precisely because we do so in life’s simple things.
Higher numbers may indicate the fullness of recognizing the divine in the everyday, the fulfillment of self-realization within the presence of being. However, those same higher numbers can also remind us that we may be so bogged down in practical matters that we have lost touch with our eternal essence within — Earth’s density obscuring Consciousness. The middle numbers, then, indicate challenges and developments along the way.
Consciousness reflects itself in us through Earth through relationship, through differentiation, and since Earth is both the condensation and container of all Elements, our understanding of ourselves and recognition of our Divinity hinges upon not just Earth, but the relationship of all Elements. If we lose our ability to be present directly through Earth, the same Elements that can unground us can also bring us back, through experience, to our being. It is, after all, this interaction of Elements that ensures life’s timeless and continual flow. And by the same token, if Earth’s density anchors us too heavily, our recourse is to reconnect with other Elements. Earth in balance holds all Elements both in potential and fulfillment.
Because of Earth’s relationship with the other three Elements, we will not read using only Earth cards the way we did with Air, Fire, and Water. Instead, let’s explore a way of using all Elements to bring us deeper into presence, and deeper into our being.
Separate your Ace to Ten Minors from the rest of the deck, and then separate the Earth cards and set the other 30 aside. You’ll first draw an Earth card to represent your current connection with Earth. This can be chosen at random, or better yet, try to experience your current degree of integration with Earth on a scale from One to Ten and select a card to represent that. For instance, if you feel weighed down by the weight of the world, you might select the Ten of Earth (setting aside the standard interpretation of this card as fulfillment for the moment, recognizing the density of this card). Or, if you currently feel very ungrounded, you might choose the Ace or Two of Earth, recognizing the instability of these low numbers. Feeling stuck or challenged, yet present with your reality may be somewhere from the set of middle cards, particularly the Five (but again this would depend on the degree and your relationship with each number). If you use reversals, you may also choose to use your relationship with the reversals to indicate your current level if “earthiness.”
Next, select a card and use that as an indicator as to how to bring your current Earth state into greater balance. There are several options here: you could simply select another Earth card, and observe the development or regression of this second card as your guide to further balancing your current state.
Since this state, though, is in relationship with the other Elements, I’d suggest selecting a card from the Ace to Ten Minors of Air, Fire, and Water that you separated earlier, but shuffled together. This will give you both a direction and a degree, depending on the suit and number that you wind up drawing. Use what you explored in the one-Element exercises previously to integrate this second Element with Earth and help balance it.
A third option is to include the remaining Earth cards so that you are selecting from 39 Minors.
Lastly, if you’d like a more in-depth look at the interrelationship between the Elements and your present state of groundedness, separate each suit and select a card from each with your earlier selected Earth card as your base:
Again, we’re working in degrees first, then any accompanying significance.
So in this example, Four of Earth is the current state. It is roughly mid-way on our scale, so there’s a feeling of density, solidity, but it is neither burdensome nor fully actuated. The stability of the Four indicates a state of pause.
There is comfort in the home, some sense of stability, but that stability is close and defined, it doesn’t stretch out very far. It could be indicating that the person feels grounded and secure (and present) at home, but becomes ungrounded when outside that zone — a fairly common experience for many of us. Due to this frame, however, perhaps the person is not fully experiencing life, not honoring the Divine within through interaction, but rather holding that presence to themselves. While comfortable, they may halting their own progress by being anchored in this reality.
To bring more balance to this stage of Earth for this person, at the Air level they may want to start thinking beyond this comfort state. Interaction may begin through written or verbal communication, studying subjects adjacent, but not oppositional, to their areas of interest. It may also require an ability to have a sense of humour about their fondness for comfort and the ways in which they seek stability.
In terms of their actions, in the fire realm, they need to put forth a fair bit of effort and complete projects, see things through to their end, and ensure their efforts and actions go all the way. They are extremely passionate, and that passion will help drive this person to express their being more fully. It would also be good to wrap up any loose ends, as unfinished business (whether personal or professional) may be sustaining the Four-state of Earth.
At the sensory level, another Five, indicating again a movement out of the comfort of personal stability into a larger, communal or interactive stage.Sometimes I like to think of the Fives as the transition from being a big fish in a small pond in the Four to being a small fish in a big pond — or at least another fish equal to a number of other fishes in the Six. The Five represents the in-between, and the struggle that occurs when recognizing the advantages and disadvantages of both the Four and the Six. Some of the advantages of the Four are given up for certain disadvantages in the Six, but we do it because the disadvantages of the Four we gain advantage over at the Six. Since the Five appeared twice here (and even the Ten of Fire can be seen as Five X 2, so among the non-Earth Elements we have 4 Fives, the Four of Earth extending out into a multiple of 4 Fives).
Through this exercise, we start to see how Elements interact and affect each other with Earth as our foundation, and its potential leads us toward understanding Court Cards and Elemental Dignities.
In the meantime, Earth cards hint at the continuity of being — that no matter how heavy or light life feels, despite the density of our circumstances, presence is eternal. When working with Earth, remember to simply be:
Be conscious.
Be present.
Be alive.
Find Michael Bridge Dickson and the Orbifold Tarot online, and meet him in person at TarotCon Florida 2016!
Image from Crystal Vision Tarot by Jennifer Galasso
Your One-Card Weekly Reading
Five of Swords
Appropriate for our topic this week, your one-card reading is the Five of Swords.
Here we see that a battle has occurred, with a clear winner, and a clear loser.
This week, chose your battles carefully. When you are ready to take a stand, stand tall, and risk all.
If you are fighting on the side of right, your belief in your cause will give you strength to endure, and, perhaps, to triumph.
Upcoming Events
Monday, August 29, 7 pm
Global Tarot Circle
Live on Facebook
Join us for our regular monthly free tarot webinar, with a twist! We’ll do our usual questions, readings, interpretations, sharing and exercises, but this time we will do it on Facebook Live!
Simply visit my business page on Facebook and hit “like”, then, visit the page at the event time. You can watch the live feed, and chat in the comment section!
Bring your tarot cards and get ready to spend a fast-paced hour with tarot friends from around the world!
Tuesday, August 30, 5:30 pm
An Evening with the Tarot
Robert W. Saunders, Sr. Public Library
1505 North Nebraska Avenue, Tampa, 33602
Join me at the library as I present the art, history and culture of tarot!
Coming Soon:
October 7 Professional Development Day (PreConference Intensive)
October 8-9 TarotCon (Florida) 2016
October 14-23 Christiana's Trip to West Palm Beach. Call or test 561-655-1160 to schedule your party, house call or private reading.
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.
The Power of Setting Your Intention
The Tarot Wisdom Telesummit begins Monday, Global Tarot Circle meets Wednesday. Set your intention for the future you want to manifest!
Have you ever heard the expression, “The road to hell is paved with good intentions”? This old cliché reminds us that what we do matters more than what we intend to do.
However, intentions have power, when we use them the right way.
When we set a goal or state an intention, we set an energy in motion. Of course, that energy will never manifest without our follow-though. Nonetheless, in the single moment we state a clear intention, we begin the journey toward manifesting something new and desirable in our lives.
When we state our intention to the people we care about, they hold us accountable to that intention. This motivates us to do the work we need to do in order to achieve our goal. When we allow others to support our intentions our forward momentum increases.
When we state our intention to the Universe, or pray to a Higher Power, we invoke a powerful force to help us on our journey.
Sometimes, the struggle is to discern what it is we really want; what our intention should be. We may have a hard time determining what is possible to achieve. We may set our sights too low, or try to take on the impossible.
There are many ways to state an intention. We can write it down, we can create a formal ritual, we can tell our friends.
An important part of this process is visualizing our eventual success, and imagining the moment when our intention becomes reality. We have to be able to see a possibility, and believe in that possibility, in order to more easily turn that possibility into a reality.
Three Ways Tarot Can Assist your Intentions
Tarot, as a tool for introspection, helps us communicate with our higher self to determine our true desires. As a spiritual tool, tarot helps us communicate our intentions to the Universe. Tarot can help us visualize our success, and can keep us on track when we become distracted.
1. Divination: Use tarot to help you decide on your intention by divining on this question, “What is it that I really want/need to manifest in my life right now?” As you move forward, use divination to help you stick to your goal, by asking questions such as, “What more do I need to do to achieve my goal?”
2. Communication: Look through your deck and cognitively (not at random) find cards that represent your goals, and your pathway to success. As you find these cards, spend time with the images. Use these images to communicate your intention to yourself, and to the Universe. State your intention aloud as you look at the images you have chosen.
3. Meditation: Find cards, either cognitively or drawn at random, that represent your goal. Meditate with these cards, and imprint their images into your mind. As you hold the images in your mind’s eye, visualize yourself achieving your goal.
From my Desk to Yours
This week, on my Community Blog, I wrote about the crossing card in the Celtic Cross spread. Tarotists of all levels of experience will enjoy this in-depth exploration into tarot reading.
I also joined Docs.com, where you can follow me to see a growing list of presentations and tarot study materials.
From Around the Web
Have you heard about “hugging meditation”? See an article on brainpickings.org that describes what Zen Buddhist Teacher Thich Nhat Hanh has to say about this!
Here is a light, fun, informative article about tarot history from Atlas Obscura.
From Deepak Chopra, here are “5 Steps to Setting Powerful Intentions”.
Song of the Week
I found a video of Frank Sinatra singing “High Hopes” with a group of children. Priceless!
The Spiritual Path of Tarot Telesummit 3 - Tarot Wisdom Begins Monday!
Register for The Spiritual Path of Tarot Telesummit 3 - Tarot Wisdom now!
20 Tarot teachers are coming together July 25 through August 5, for two one-hour calls every weekday, to show you how to access your wisdom & higher guidance through deepening (or re-energizing!) your understanding of the Tarot.
Host Kim Wilborn has asked every teacher to speak about the tarot topics they find most meaningful, with each presentation focused on helping you engage with the wisdom of the Tarot in a deeper way.
I’ll be speaking about tarot as a tool of healing.
I chose this topic because, over the years, I have seen so much healing come out of tarot readings, tarot study, and other tarot techniques. I am so excited to share the ways tarot heals us with you.
Each call will be like a mini-class, complete with guided meditations! You’ll be able to listen to live calls online, by phone, or via Skype, and free 48-hour replays will allow you to listen at your convenience. (Low-priced recordings are also available to make it even easier!)
If you would like to deepen (or refresh!) your alignment with a spiritual tool that can bring you clarity and insight while it lights your way to joyfully fulfilling your personal Soul Purpose, register today for our telesummit!
Image from Crystal Vision Tarot by Jennifer Galasso
Your One-Card Weekly Reading
Strength
This week, your card is Major Arcana 8, Strength.
Never doubt your own strength, nor your ability to manifest what you need in life.
Recognize that you are strongest when you are willing to be fierce, but temper that fierceness with love, compassion and gentleness.
This week, find your balance between your wild side and your gentle side.
Determine when it is best to be quiet and patient, and when it is best to roar and show your teeth, for both of these energies are needed to create success.
Upcoming Events
July 25th - August 5th
The Spiritual Path of Tarot Telesummit 3 - Tarot Wisdom
Sign up now to participate in this amazing opportunity to explore tarot, for free!
Wednesday, July 27, 7 pm
Global Tarot Circle
Free WebEx Webinar Available Exclusively Online!
Join us for our monthly tarot study! Whatever your level of tarot knowledge, you will learn, grow and have fun as we share readings, questions, thoughts and ideas.
You can call in, or log in, by following the instructions on the event listing on my website.
Coming Soon:
I will be available for private readings and house parties in Connecticut and surrounding areas from August 3 to August 17. Call 561-655-1160 to get on the schedule now!
TarotCon (Florida) 2016 will take place October 8th and 9th, with a special Professional Development Day on the 7th, in Palm Beach Gardens. Make your reservations now!
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.
What is blocking you?
Tarot helps you remove the things that hold you back!
So often in life, we feel stymied in our efforts to make positive change, to release the past, or to create the future we want.
At least once a week I see in a tarot reading that my client feels blocked, either by their own inability to muster motivation and confidence, or their inability to release a past trauma.
Sometimes the stuck, blocked feeling seems to come from an outside source. A person may be doing all the right things to get a job, find a partner, or to lose weight, for example, but may go for a long time without results. In that case, we start to wonder if some outside energy is limiting us.
Tarot, meditation and yoga are all great ways to identify and remove our blockages, whether those blocks are creative, emotional or motivational.
When we feel blocked, or stuck, we need to recognize that this condition, though frustrating, may be a necessary part of our evolution.
Usually, once the block is removed, our ability to move forward not only returns, but returns stronger than before.
Sometimes an inability to move forward is the Universe’s gentle way of nudging us to another path. Sometimes, though, that block is something for us to push against, something to make us stronger on the long road to eventual success.
There are some simple steps for releasing our blocked state.
First, identify the way in which you are blocked. Are you having trouble being creative or achieving your goals?
Then, identify the source of the blockage. Are you responding to past trauma, or to a negative story you tell about yourself?
If the blockage is internal, find a way to remove it. That may include changing a behavior, changing what you are telling yourself, or doing energy work to release your trauma.
If you perceive the blockage is external, energy work is usually the best answer. That could include energetic clearing and cleansing, chakra work, protection, or cord-cutting, for example.
As with most things, a combination of practical solutions and spiritual practices is the solution to release you from your stuck place.
Release Your Muse Tarot Spread
Often we feel creatively blocked, or blocked from finding the beauty and joy that surrounds us.
Here’s a tarot spread to release your creative blockages and find your inner muse!
Arrange six cards in a triangle, with card one at the top, card two to the left, card three to the right, and the bottom three cards dealt left to right. Then, add another row of three cards underneath those. Finally, place a tenth card on the bottom middle, so it looks like the trunk of a tree.
Card one: What it is that you want to do or experience
Card two: Your vision of success
Card three: Things of the past that may be blocking you
Card four: Fears that may be blocking you
Card five: Outside influences that may be blocking you
Card six: The extent to which pursuing this is your best path
Card seven: How to release the past
Card eight: How to deal with outside energies
Card nine: Insight and direction from the Universe
Card ten: your natural talent, calling or path
From my Desk to Yours
This week, I experimented with going Live on Facebook. You can find my first two attempts on my Facebook Business Page, or on my website. While you are on my FB Business Page, please hit “Like”!
From Around the Web
Mary K. Greer shared a wonderful blog post about reading tarot. Read “Removing the last thin veil”.
From mindbodygreen, here are 3 signs your energy is blocked.
From Tarot Musings, try this Chakra tarot spread.
Song of the Week
Here’s one of my recent favorites," Wake Me Up", from Avicii.
Orbifold Tarot
with Michael Bridge-Dickson
Breaking Down Tarot’s Elements Part 5 — Fire
Last week we saw that Air dislikes confinement, but when controlled can give us direction and inspiration. We also noted that there is great power in Air from this directedness, and it builds force when compressed. If Air is compressed enough, it releases this force not only as directive power, but it also builds heat until it combusts into Fire.
The most dynamic of the Four Elements, Fire marks the breaking point between the dense and subtle Elements. Its unique quality — heat — ignites, consolidates, processes, transforms, and disperses, allowing for the possibility of Elements to transition from one state to another. These transitions either require heat to take place or release heat in the process, or both. For Elements to retain a constant state, heat must also be kept steady. So, to create or prevent change, heat must always be considered.
Fire, then, has to do with anything that produces or releases heat, and by extension anything having to do with transformation, transition, combining, separating, creation, and destruction.
We generally create both heat and change through our actions, our efforts. Where effort is lacking, heat is low and change either occurs slowly or not at all. Where effort is great, heat is generated, and change also often occurs — though not always positively!
Effort also involves a degree of tension. It creates tension in our bodies and in our interactions. This tension is necessary to facilitate change through action, but there are also times when our efforts are wasted — it could be that our efforts are unnecessary because the situation is already moving in that direction, that we are fighting an equal amount of opposing effort, or the opposing effort is so great that our efforts are consumed without result.
This tension also build the heat of transformation. In our bodies, tension resist the effects of gravity, allows us to move, and fuels our activities. It also accumulates as and is caused by stress. Tension, whether resting or active, produces heat and burns calories — but before you go abandoning your diet regime and create a bunch of unnecessary tension, consider too that as Fire burns, it also consumes its own fuel, making us feel stiff and brittle like charcoal.
This is as true within our own bodies as it is in our interactions and environment. When our muscles are stiff and tense from excessive or sustained effort, not only do they burn through their own resources, they also break down the connection, the possibility for Fire — or action — to move efficiently through our bodies which in turn affects our ability to carry our efforts through. Similarly, our efforts in all realms can burn through resources and disintegrate the healthy and dynamic interactivity.
Some situations are only made worse by our continued efforts. These efforts, when excessive or in the wrong direction burn us out and burn our bridges. To make matters worse, these stresses, tensions, and wrong efforts breed frustration and anger — Fires that burn wild and destructively, feeding on each other and destroying all possibility for repair. Here, Fire builds from action to reaction, a release of effort that can easily grow out of control.
It’s not all bad though, this same Fire that consumes and destroys also clears obstruction. Fire’s capacity through effort can help realize desires and passions, to exert will and move situations forward. These same efforts transform monotonous behaviours, refine raw materials, sharpen vague ideas, excite dull relationships, and brightens dreary days.
The key to mastering Fire within us is in knowing when and how much effort to invest in any particular deed so that we don’t burn ourselves out or destroy valuable connections, waste our energy on impossible tasks through excessive effort, and yet maintain our momentum and execute our ideas, develop warm and caring relationships, and reduce anger and reactivity when things get a little too heated.
This balancing of efforts in Fire can explored by using just the Fire cards in the tarot.
Any tarot deck will do, as the suit of Wands expresses these various efforts. However, sometimes the lower numbered “effort” cards can depict happy scenes even when effort is inadequate, and not so pleasing scenes when more effort may be required. In this way, a pipstyle deck like The Orbifold Tarot can be helpful when exploring degrees of helpful and unhelpful effort.
As we explored last week with the Air cards only, here are some similar ways to investigate effort using only Fire cards.
In this first example, the first card is the degree of effort that will be unhelpful in the situation, and the second the amount that will be helpful:
The Ten of Fire indicates over-effort. While it may be in the right direction, it is unnecessary. The Six of Fire suggests that a little over half of the current effort is still necessary. 60% effort is still quite a bit, but it will more harmoniously merge with whatever active influences are surrounding the situation.
Even with this simple 2-card spread, we could also incorporate reversals to indicate where effort may be more effectively applied — outward or inward:
The Eight of Fire reversed indicates that unhelpful effort is being directed inward. Perhaps this person is working against themselves with every action, and is working pretty hard at it! They should reduce that effort by half, but redirect the effort outward. There could be self-sabotage or jealousy at play here, where the actions are destructive but are really only hurting the person performing those actions. Reducing the effort, and therefore also the hostility, may ease the feelings of anger, which in turn will change the result of the efforts, even if they are less. Those more restful efforts will also be more constructive.
Let’s look at one last example for the interaction of efforts between two people. This could be a romantic or work relationship, a friendship, or a family connection. The first card on the left is the degree of effort required by the querent, the second card on the right is the effort being put forth by the other person, and the third card elevated in the middle is the result:
Here, the querent doesn’t need to do much, but perhaps what the other person is looking for is a gesture, something original and unique that they can then build upon and run with. The second person is a mover, and puts momentum into even small shifts. There’s a great deal of passion between them, to the extent that neither needs to put forth much effort fir them to really be cooking! Again, that doesn’t have to mean romantically, but it could indicate that their surrounding influences are such that together they can get a great deal done with not a whole lot of effort, though the other person is putting a little more effort into the current relationship.
Our actions create our futures, and affect the futures of others. Utilize Fire well, and it will ignite positive change within you and around you, but beware that your efforts are constructive rather than destructive.
Next week we’ll cool and calm the flame in Water... until then, bask in the heat!
I'm grateful to have Michael Bridge-Dickson as a guest contributor to Tarot Topics. Check out the Orbifold Tarot and Michael's work!
Announcing the The Spiritual Path of Tarot Telesummit 3 - Tarot Wisdom
I am excited to share with you a new FREE event I'm going to be a part of: The Spiritual Path of Tarot Telesummit 3 - Tarot Wisdom.
20 Tarot teachers are coming together July 25 through August 5, for two one-hour calls every weekday, to show you how to access your wisdom & higher guidance through deepening (or re-energizing!) your understanding of the Tarot.
Host Kim Wilborn has asked every teacher to speak about the tarot topics they find most meaningful, with each presentation focused on helping you engage with the wisdom of the Tarot in a deeper way.
I’ll be speaking about tarot as a tool of healing.
I chose this topic because, over the years, I have seen so much healing come out of tarot readings, tarot study, and other tarot techniques. I am so excited to share the ways tarot heals us with you.
Each call will be like a mini-class, complete with guided meditations! You’ll be able to listen to live calls online, by phone, or via skype, and free 48-hour replays will allow you to listen at your convenience. (Low-priced recordings are also available to make it even easier!)
I hope you’ll be my guest at this one-of-a-kind event and experience for yourself a deeper connection to the wisdom of the Tarot.
I’m excited about the good company I am in for this summit! Look at this list of presenter~
~Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone – Birth Cards: A Powerful Tool for Self-Knowledge
~Lisa de St. Croix – Tarot Visual Journaling
~Scott Martin – Tarot Goes to Acting School
~Robert Place – History of Divination with Cards
~Sheilaa Hite – The Fool, The Hermit & the 4 Knights - Energetic & Spiritual Soulmates on the Quest to Discover their Own Personal Legends
~Brigit Esselmont – Reading with Reversals Without the Doom & Gloom
~Kooch Daniels – The Magic of Birth Date Tarot Spreads
~Suzanne Corbie – Ancient Wisdom for a Modern Age
~Ferol Humphrey – Loosening Up - For Starters & Sophisticates
~ Pamela Eakins – Claim the Power of your Birthright: Tarot of the Spirit. The Tree of Life. The Ancient and Future Mystery School
~Lisa Allen – Timing with Tarot Cards
~Katrina Wynne – Dreamwork in Tarot
~Gina Thies – The Keys to Multi-Awareness Tarot Readings
~Christiana Gaudet – The Healing Tarot: Tarot as a Tool for Cultivating Well-Being
~Ellen Goldberg – Influence your Personal Evolution by Activating the Major Arcana Archetypes
~Kim Wilborn – Access the Guardian Energies of the Tarot to Express Your Life Purpose
If you would like to deepen (or refresh!) your alignment with a spiritual tool that can bring you clarity and insight while it lights your way to joyfully fulfilling your personal Soul Purpose, register today for our telesummit!
Image from Crystal Vision Tarot by Jennifer Galasso
Your One-Card Weekly Reading
The World
This week, the World describes the energy that is available to you.
Now is the time to finish projects, and to allow cycles to complete. It may be a time to say goodbye to something or someone.
In your thoughts and conversations, try to open your mind to a larger perspective. Make sure you are getting the big picture.
Recognize you own influence, in your own life, and in the lives of others. To the extent that you can, create the world of which you want to be a part.
Upcoming Events
Monday, June 18, 2016 6:00 pm
An Evening of Tarot Especially for Teens!Thonotosassa Branch Library
10715 Main Street Thonotosassa, FL, 33592
Young people, and the young at heart, will enjoy this presentation of the art, history and culture of tarot.
July 25th - August 5th
The Spiritual Path of Tarot Telesummit 3 - Tarot WisdomSign up now to participate in this amazing opportunity!
Coming Soon:
I will be available for private readings and house parties in Connecticut and surrounding areas from August 3 to August 17. Call 561-655-1160 to get on the schedule now!
TarotCon (Florida) 2016 will take place October 8th and 9th, with a special Professional Development Day on the 7th, in Palm Beach Gardens. Make your reservations now!
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.