Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
The Choices We Regret
"To err is human, to forgive is divine". How can we process the choices we later regret? How can we learn to trust ourselves?
We all know that everyone makes mistakes. Alexander Pope, in “An Essay on Criticism” said that “to err is human, to forgive is divine”. Perhaps the hardest part of forgiveness is when we must forgive ourselves.
When we are young, we fear mistakes because we want the praise of others and fear criticism. As we age, the mistakes we made along the way become woven into the fabric of our lives so that we can’t really regret them without losing who we have become. Our mistakes are part of the story that brought us to where we are.
It is easy to say that if we had not chosen that or done this our life would have turned out better. Yet, that is only speculation. We could just as easily say that in the moment we chose the best or only thing we could, and no other choice would have landed us in a better place.
It can be good to learn from our mistakes and make better decisions going forward. However, we need to be able to do that without beating ourselves up.
The worst mistakes are those that hurt others. When we are aware that has happened, we must admit to our wrongdoing, and try to make amends whenever possible. And still, we must also forgive ourselves.
The thing is that mistakes aren’t planned. We call them accidents, not on-purposes. When we make a decision, we rarely know if we will regret it later. If decision-making makes us anxious because we fear a bad choice, we get stuck in the paralysis of analysis. All we can do is make the best choice we can and do the best we can. That choice will always be based on the information and resources that we have available to us in the moment.
It this this very practice that gives us the grace to forgive and understand our past mistakes. The most likely thing is always this. In each moment, we have always made the best choices we could have, based on what was true for us in that moment.
It is easy to look back and think of the thing we could have done better. Hindsight is twenty-twenty. In reality, most of the time, most of us do the very best we can in the moment.
The good news is this.
The older we get, the more experience we have, the more ability we have to make better choices going forward. Our past mistakes can be valuable education. In that way, rather than suffering regret, we can appreciate the knowledge that guides us toward a better future.
The StaarCorner
This year StaarCon will offer a beginner class on angels! Karin Maynard Eberly is certified by Hay House as an Oracle, Angel and Tarot Card Reader. She has certifications from renowned author and Angel expert Kyle Gray as an Angel Guide, an Angel Card Master, and Certified Crystal Energy Guide. Karin is a Certified Angel Tarot Reader by Radleigh Valentine, a Certified Oracle by Colette Baron Reid, and is certified in Reiki II and Animal Reiki. She has been certified as an Angel Reiki Level One and Crystal Healer by Margaret Ann Lembo.
Karin will be sharing information and exercises to help you connect with angels to power your readings, and your life.
You can attend StaarCon in person or online. StaarCon 2023 is fast approaching. Get your tickets now!
Healing From Past Decisions Tarot Questions
We all live with regret. Very often our regrets from the past make it hard for us to be present in the now, and trust future decisions. Here are some questions you can ask your cards to help you process and heal past decisions that did not work out the way you had hoped..
Pull one card in answer, or pull a few. You can also use these questions to inspire a tarot spread.
Why did I make the choice I did?
In what way did that choice help me?
In what way did that choice hurt me?
What other choices were available to me?
What might have happened if I made another choice?
What do I need to know in order to forgive myself?
What can I learn from this experience?
The Week in Review
Tonight at 7 pm ET please join our YouTube Tarot Meetup!
If you are a member of my YouTube channel, you can watch the replay of our Tarot and Chakras Members-only Livestream.
If you missed my appearance on Good Journeys Tarot on YouTube, you can watch the replay. Rosemary is doing 78 cards in 78 weeks. The card we discussed was the Page of Wands.
There is still time to vote for me in the WDA awards. I am nominated for Best Tarot Reader and Best Tarot Teacher. Voting closes September 30.
From Around the Web
Here is a great story about a professional tarot reader.
Moving on From a Mistake, from TinyBuddha.
The Simple Tarot shares some mistakes that new tarot readers often make. I found many of these sorts of articles and agreed with very few of them. This one gets my basic seal of approval.
Guidance on the Journey
I think the tarot Fives can each give us information about the way we process mistakes.
The Hierophant, Major Arcana 5, reminds of the rules we must follow, and the rules we should sometimes break. This card can also speak to us about the way we feel when others judge us.
Temperance, Major Arcana 14, is a Five card because when we add the digits 1 and 4 we arrive at 5. Temperance reminds us that it takes time, caution, and creativity to come up with something that is a perfect blend or perfect balance. Of course, there may be mistakes along the way.
The Five of Pentacles can speak of the regret of missed opportunities. The question is, did we really miss the opportunity, or can we find what we need even now?
The Five of Cups speaks of the things we have lost. It reminds us to hold space for grief, even while remembering that there are still good things in life.
The Five of Swords speaks of the battles we must fight. The key decision is to know when to fight, and when to walk away.
The Five of Wands speaks of the inevitable conflicts and decisions that come from building something.
You can see that in each of these cards, a mistake, loss, or a poor decision is a possibility. Sometimes these cards will appear to warn us to choose carefully. Other times they will call on us to reframe the way we think about our past decisions that did not turn out the way we had hoped.
Upcoming Events
Card and Craft Academy
Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Personal Tarot: Reading for Yourself
Sharing Wisdom: Reading for Others
The Meaning and Magic of Tarot Reversals
Journey Through the Major Arcana
Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana: Numbers, Elements and Truth
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends
Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships
Fearless Wisdom Tarot Workshop
Tarot Keywords and Interpretations Workshop
Tarot Spreads Tools and Techniques Workshop
Tarot for Magic and Mediumship
Tarot Communication for Clarity and Depth
Weaving the Tarot Reading Story
Minor Arcana Numbers, Elements, and Truth
Create and Interpret Custom Tarot Spreads
What the Court Cards Want You to Know
Catch up on your missed Zoom webinars and more!
cardandcraftacademy.com
About Christiana Gaudet
Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.
Christiana Gaudet
3559 SW Corporate Parkway
Palm City, Florida 34990-8152
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classeswww.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com
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.
Call or text toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Agent inquiries are welcome.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 5 Issue 39
September 28, 2022
Is It You or Your Trauma?
Trauma may influence the way we behave, and the way we experience life. When we are able to heal, we let our authentic personality shine!
Is It You or Your Trauma?
“I am an anxious girl.”
“I tend to be an angry person”.
“I am very sensitive”.
“I am extremely independent”.
Have you ever noticed that we often mistake trauma responses for personality?
When we look at who we are and how we act, how much of what we see is truly who we are, and how much is our trauma?
When we look at the people around us, do we really know who they are, at heart, or do we know them by the behaviors that were shaped by their trauma?
We all have trauma in our history. For some, that trauma is egregious and tragic. For others, the traumas may have been slight enough to be forgotten. Yet, those traumas, little or big, can shape how we present ourselves to the world, and how we act and react.
Sometimes trauma calls us to do our best. Perfectionists, altruists, leaders, and caregivers are often shaped by trauma. Sometimes trauma responses get in the way of our success and happiness.
There are many ways to separate our true selves from our trauma responses. The first step is always to recognize that who you are and the way that you feel and act may be two separate things.
Getting to the core of who you are is a journey of self-discovery. Therapy, journaling, divination, and contemplation are all ways of figuring out the true essence of yourself. From there, you can discover the trauma responses that get in the way of living your most authentic life, and work on healing and releasing them.
If you claim your trauma response as your personality, you are losing the opportunity to know and be your most authentic self.
The StaarCorner
StaarCast, our podcast and YouTube show, is back with a twist! You can watch the first episode of The StaarCast Variety Show on YouTube. The podcast will be available within the next few weeks.
The StaarCast Variety Show is hosted by Frank Kwiatkowski and Christiana Gaudet. The first episode features an interview with StaarCon 2023 presenter Arwen Lynch-Poe, a review of Dark Wood Tarot, a new tarot spread to try, and a fun tarot guessing game.
Each episode of the StaarCast Variety Show will include interesting tarot and divination topics, and introduce you to members of our StaarCon community.
Make sure you mark your calendar for January 20-22, and plan to attend StaarCon 2023 either in person in West Palm Beach, or online on Accelevents.
Find Yourself in Tarot
There are many ways to find and understand yourself with tarot. You can find your birth cards and see how those cards reflect who you are. You can find cards that are associated with your astrological chart and see what those cards say about you.
You can simply look through the deck and find the image that you most enjoy and think about what that says about who you are.
I like to do a single-card reading by asking the question, “Who am I at this moment?”.
You can also try a two-card spread to explore the differences between your personality and your trauma response. Simply pull one card for the personality and one card for the trauma response and see what you learn about yourself.
The ways to explore yourself with tarot are endless. Use your creativity and imagination to discover new ways to find yourself in the cards.
The Week in Review
The YouTube workshop, Tarot and Anxiety, discussed many important topics, including why the cards can sometimes make us anxious, and what to do about that. You can watch the replay and learn some important techniques for using tarot in a way that is healing, rather than anxiety-producing.
If you are a member of my YouTube channel and missed our Members-Only Livestream this week, you can enjoy the replay at your convenience.
Tomorrow, Thursday, join us on YouTube to discover your tarot birth cards, and what those cards say about who you are.
From Around the Web
This interview with Theresa Reed shares some ideas for using tarot to heal trauma.
Here is a blogpost about using tarot to recover from childhood trauma.
Here is a download to help you use tarot for self-discovery.
Guidance on the Journey
In our YouTube workshop on Tarot and Anxiety, many people said that the disturbing images in tarot caused upset when they appeared in a reading.
There was consensus about which cards people found disturbing. Many cards from the suit of Swords made the list, as well as the Five of Pentacles, the Devil, and the Tower.
One of the things we discussed in the workshop is that each of these disturbing cards offers an opportunity for healing.
To heal from trauma, either recent or in the distant past, we must first see that trauma and acknowledge it. One of the ways trauma makes itself known to us is through those disturbing tarot cards. When a disturbing tarot card appears, we have an opportunity to understand and confront our trauma.
The first question to ask yourself is why that particular image disturbs you. What is your reaction to the image, or the keywords you associate with that card? How have those feelings shown up in your life before? Does this image remind you of something you have experienced?
A negative reaction to a tarot card can be a doorway into self-exploration.
A card with a disturbing image can help us confront the difficult things in a current situation, or from the past.
The next time you see a card that disturbs you, explore it with curiosity rather than with fear. Use the image to understand yourself better, and to confront what has hurt you in the past.
Upcoming Events
Card and Craft Academy
Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Personal Tarot: Reading for Yourself
Sharing Wisdom: Reading for Others
The Meaning and Magic of Tarot Reversals
Journey Through the Major Arcana
Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana: Numbers, Elements and Truth
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends
Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships
Fearless Wisdom Tarot Workshop
Tarot Keywords and Interpretations Workshop
Tarot Spreads Tools and Techniques Workshop
Tarot for Magic and Mediumship
Tarot Communication for Clarity and Depth
Weaving the Tarot Reading Story
Minor Arcana Numbers, Elements, and Truth
Create and Interpret Custom Tarot Spreads
What the Court Cards Want You to Know
Catch up on your missed Zoom webinars and more!
cardandcraftacademy.com
About Christiana Gaudet
Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.
Christiana Gaudet
3559 SW Corporate Parkway
Palm City, Florida 34990-8152
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com
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.
Call or text toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Agent inquiries are welcome.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 5 Issue 30
July 27, 2022
The Awkward Number Five
It is impossible to achieve success without take a leap of faith and courage.
This week our newsletter is Volume 5, Issue 25. I thought it would be fun to discuss the energy of the number 5 in honor of that milestone.
Five, in tarot, is an awkward number. To make friends with the Five cards we need a lot of nuanced thinking, and a lot of faith and courage.
When Five is your personality number, you might be social and fun-loving, but you could also be very changeable.
The number Five is associated with Mercury, so we can see the importance of communication and social connections, but also the possibility for tricky behavior.
If you are seeing multiple Fives around you, interpret this as a head-up for changes that can lead you to success. Look for opportunities around you.
When we look at the numbered cards in the Minor Arcana of tarot, we can see that Four cards can indicate stability, while the Six cards can indicate success. Here we see the way that Five cards, and the number Five in general, can be troublesome.
To get to the place of success, we must leave the comfort zone of Four. Five is where we are on our way to success but have not quite made it. We are no longer in the comfort zone, and not yet successful.
In that place of Five we must be comfortable with being uncomfortable, knowing that our success is coming, and is worth our hard work and sacrifice. We must believe in ourselves, and in our journey. We must see the future, and work toward it, without the structure we have known in the past.
It is probably impossible to become successful without passing through that awkward phase. Whatever your goal is, know that you must sometimes leave comfort behind, and live in a space that feels unstable, on your way to success.
See Me in the Tampa Bay Area This Week
There is still time to get a private reading, house call, or group session with me in the Greater Tampa Bay Area this Thursday through Sunday.
Make sure you join us at Panera Bread in Lutz at 3 pm on Sunday for a tarot meetup, too!
If you have questions, or want to schedule something, please call or text 561-655-1160.
The StaarCorner
We are excited to welcome Tikashi Denour Lacoste to StaarCon 2023. I have known Tikashi for several years online and on the telephone. I am looking forward to meeting her for the first time in person in January.
Tikashi is a Certified Crystal Healer and a graduate of the Debra Silverman School of Astrology. She has studied contemporary and medieval astrology with Bernadette Brady and Darrellyn Gunzberg.
Tikashi is a natural intuitive, as well as a tarotist. She combines all her skills in her work with clients. We are thrilled that she will be sharing her knowledge with us at StaarCon 2023.
Four, Five, Six Tarot Spread
Here is a three-card reading that can give insight on your way to success. It is extra auspicious if you get a Four card in the first position, a Five card in the second position, or a Six card in the Third position.
Card One: What you need to give up or move away from in order to succeed.
Card Two: What you need to know while you are working toward your success.
Card Three: What your success could look like.
The Week in Review
Did you catch our Summer Solstice event on YouTube yesterday? You can watch the replay if you missed it. I have also shared a new rant for you!
Remember that all our members are invited to join us for a members-only class on tarot magic on June 30th!
From Around the Web
Here is a Summer Solstice Tarot Spread from The Seasonal Soul.
Here are some tarot rituals for the summer solstice from Tarot Parlor.
Here is your astrological forecast for the summer solstice from Well and Good.
What the Court Cards Want You to Know
On Wednesday, June 29, 7 pm to 9 pm, join us for a hybrid tarot class about the tarot Court cards. You can attend in Person in Palm City or online on Zoom.
The sixteen Court cards, typically called Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings, can be some of the most confusing cards in the tarot deck.
This is because these cards are very versatile. They can reference the people around you. They can also reference parts of yourself. They can behave like any other tarot card and offer advice, comment, and prediction.
In this two-hour class you will learn easy ways to understand and work with these sixteen cards.
You can join us in person or online. Every student will receive access to a recording of the class. Visit EventBrite to purchase your ticket.
The class will be available at cardandcraftacademy.com after July 8th.
Guidance on the Journey
Major Arcana 5, the Hierophant, teaches us some important lessons about nuance and critical thinking. These lessons are necessary when we are going through ‘5 phases.’ That is, when we are going through a time of discomfort on our way to eventual success.
The Hierophant represents spiritual leadership, doctrine, and dogma. We know that spiritual study and mentorship are important. But we also know that dogma can be limiting, and mentors can become abusive.
It is so tempting to try to make something either fully good, or fully bad, fully helpful, or fully unhelpful.
Nuanced thinking requires us to be able to hold space for the idea that something, or someone, can offer things that are positive and necessary along with things that are difficult and troublesome.
As humans, we all have that mix within us, but have little patience and understanding for that mix outside of ourselves.
One of the lessons of the number 5, and the 5 cards in tarot, is to find the blessings in the difficulties, and tolerate the difficulties in the blessings. We also need to know when the difficulties should not be tolerated, even if that means sacrificing the blessings.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Card and Craft Academy
Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Personal Tarot: Reading for Yourself
Sharing Wisdom: Reading for Others
The Meaning and Magic of Tarot Reversals
Journey Through the Major Arcana
Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana: Numbers, Elements and Truth
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends
Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships
Fearless Wisdom Tarot Workshop
Tarot Keywords and Interpretations Workshop
Tarot Spreads Tools and Techniques Workshop
Tarot for Magic and Mediumship
Tarot Communication for Clarity and Depth
Weaving the Tarot Reading Story
Minor Arcana Numbers, Elements, and Truth
Create and Interpret Custom Tarot Spreads
Catch up on your missed Zoom webinars and more!
cardandcraftacademy.com
About Christiana Gaudet
Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.
Christiana Gaudet
3559 SW Corporate Parkway
Palm City, Florida 34990-8152
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com
Private telephone, Skype, FaceTime and in person readings and instruction are available by appointment.
Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida.
Call or text toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Agent inquiries are welcome.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 5 Issue 25
June 22, 2022
The Power of Great Need
Training in spiritual practices and traditions is helpful and good. Yet, in a time of great need, our love, hope, and desires are powerful tools.
I had a conversation with a friend this week which got me thinking about the power of prayer and energy work in a specific context I hadn’t before considered.
Many of my friends and colleagues are, like me, energy workers, diviners, and clergy. That is, we are people who have been trained, and who have studied, to work effectively with spiritual energy. We have proven and verifiable results. Many of us have made it our life’s work, and our career, to share and teach this knowledge, and these techniques.
The question that came up in the conversation with my friend is this. Can we assume that the prayers and healing energy of trained mystics are more effective than the prayers and energy of those who are not as trained and experienced?
At first glance, the answer is a resounding yes. As with all things, training and practice makes a difference. This is why it is valuable to study and learn specific techniques and traditions of energy healing, divination, and manifestation.
Yet, there is another factor we must consider, and that the power that is conferred by great need and great love.
What energy is more powerful than a child praying for the well-being of their parents, or parents praying for the protection of their children?
What training can equal the weight of need that comes from a person in a dire situation?
Haven’t we all had at least one desperate experience where we needed an important prayer answered, a bit of luck, a miracle to save us from a great difficulty?
Very often, help comes at the last minute. Very often, that help is sped along to us on the wings of prayer, hope and visualization.
The same is true of the information that comes from divination. I have often seen tarot and other tools give amazing help to beginning students. These seekers were able to tap into helpful information in a time of need, without the benefit of much training or experience.
Training, study, and practice are helpful, and necessary. Seeking help from trained professionals is wise.
Yet, never doubt the miracles that can be available to each one of us in the times of our greatest need. And never doubt that the greater the need is, the greater the power we have to create those miracles.
The StaarCorner
We are excited to add a new presenter to our StaarCon Roster. Micki Klein, the developer of Planetary Lithography, will be joining us!
Micki is an astrology teacher, Shamanic Astrologer, tarot reader, and crystal healer. Her method of Planetary Lithography combines astrology, crystal reading and sortilege in a unique, effective, and meaningful way.
We are so excited to have Micki as part of the StaarCon family. We hope you will be there to enjoy her presentation. For more information, visit the StaarCon website.
StaarCon Presenter Micki Klein
Clairvoyant, Shamanic Astrologer & Crystal Healer
Join us for a Special Tarot Class on Zoom
Are you a professional tarot reader? Do you aspire to professional reading? Perhaps you would simply like to develop great tarot reading skills to use with your friends and family.
On Wednesday, August 26, 7 pm to 9 pm EDT, I will be presenting a live webinar on Zoom called “Sharing Wisdom: Reading for Others”.
This class is designed to help you have more confidence as a tarot reader.
Reading tarot for others, whether professionally or casually, involves a specific skill set that extends even beyond card interpretations and intuitive connections.
In this class you will learn ways of discovering and developing your own unique reading style. You will learn strategies for handling difficult readings. You will discover ways to make every reading you perform an effective and enlightening experience. Class fee is $37.50. Register now on Zoom.
Three Cards for a Time of Great Need
Do you need a miracle right now?
Here is a three-card spread to help you focus your energy and find your resources.
You can arrange the cards in any pattern that feels good. Use tarot, or any other oracle.
Let Card One give insight into your current problem, need, or situation.
Let Card Two point out an inner resource that you have to help you solve this problem.
Let Card Three give advice on how to work with energy, pray, and manifest a solution.
The Week in Review
Did you catch my live class on YouTube about Three-Card Readings? You can watch it in archive!
This week I blogged about Major Arcana 4, the tarot Emperor. 2020 is the year of the Emperor when we look at tarot numerology. Now that we are eight months into 2020, I thought it would be interesting to look at the way that the Emperor has been manifesting for us this year.
Remember to join us for Global Tarot Circle tonight on my Facebook Business Page.
From Around the Web
I was thrilled to see Business Insider share the story of a professional tarot reader.
This article from 2014 on six true-life miracles is hopeful and heartwarming.
Here is an article about the tarot sevens, and how they speak of waiting for a miracle.
Smith-Waite Centennial Tarot Deck Copyright 2009, US Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT, used with permission
Cards for Your Consideration
One tarot card that often conveys a sense of great need is the Five of Pentacles. Very often this card can indicate a sense of poverty, or a fear of poverty. I often see it as the card of the “missed opportunity”.
Typically, the Five of Pentacles is a card that people prefer would not appear in their readings.
Over the years, though, I have noticed that when it appears, its message is usually not as dismal as one might think.
We often miss opportunities because we don’t see them, or look for them, or recognize them as such.
When I see the Five of Pentacles, it often appears for a client who thinks they have missed the boat. Yet, the reading confirms that there are many opportunities still available to them, if they will only look.
Sometimes they see the opportunities but are afraid to pursue them.
American businessman Henry J. Kaiser famously said that “trouble is only opportunity in work clothes”.
The next time you see the Five of Pentacles, rather than feeling dismay or worry, see it as the possibility of opportunities coming your way. These opportunities may not be easy to see or to pursue, but are likely to be worthwhile in the end.
Events and Tours
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 3 Issue 32
August 5, 2020