Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
What You Don't Know
It is always better to know the truth, even when we don't like what we see. The trick is in knowing what questions to ask, and where to find the truth we seek.
One of my favorite expressions is “You don’t know what you don’t know”. This sounds obvious but it presents quite a conundrum. If you are learning something, how can you know what is important to remember, and what isn’t? If you are doing something you have never done before, how do you know what questions to ask to adequately prepare?
There are many levels of knowing and not knowing. There is what we consciously know, what we admit to knowing, what we know subconsciously, what we know intuitively without evidence or confirmation, and what we think we know, but are mistaken.
We sometimes conflate belief with knowledge, often to our detriment.
Divination is the practice of making the unknown known, and of gathering information that may not be discoverable by ordinary means. Yet even we in the divination community disagree about how much we can learn in divination that we do not already on some level know.
One thing we diviners agree upon is this. Divination can bring what is in the subconscious into our consciousness. This process can prepare us, protect us, and heal us.
Another common expression is “What you don’t know can hurt you”. In all aspects of life, we need to be ready to learn and unlearn, ready to ask questions, and ready to find the right teachers.
Sometimes the value of divination is in learning what questions to ask, and what teachers to trust.
There is never a time when we should stop learning or stop asking questions. Another popular expression is “Knowledge is power”. This is true on so many levels. It’s easy to say that we would rather not know something. It’s easy to hide from the truth. Yet, the damage that comes from not knowing is usually much greater than the damage that comes from the truth.
The StaarCorner
There is still time to make your plan to join us at StaarCon 2023, either in person or online. To learn more about StaarCon, check out the latest episode of the StaarCon Variety Show. Frank and I discuss some of our StaarCon plans, and I interview StaarCon presenter Jen Sankey. This is a magical and informative episode. You can listen wherever you get your podcasts, or catch it on YouTube.
Finding the Unknown in Tarot
Is there an answer to every question? I don’t think so. Some tarot decks include an “Unknown Card” which, when it appears, suggests that the answer to the question is unknowable at this time. There are other cards in the deck that can speak to what is unknowable. The Wheel of Fortune can say that anything can happen. The Moon can warn us that there are unknown forces at work. The High Priestess is the keeper of secrets.
Knowing that there is not a reliable answer, or a specific solution, can be helpful. When we know there is not a singular path to follow, we have greater power to influence a situation to our own advantage.
It can be very helpful to directly ask the cards questions like, “What do I need to know?” or “What am I not seeing?”
We can also state our current understanding about something and simply ask the cards, “Is this true?”
We might want to ask the cards to show us a truth that we are avoiding, or a belief we need to question.
When we delve into the cards in this way, we often begin a deeper process of introspection and self-awareness.
The Week in Review
Did you catch Tuesday’s class on Giving Voice to Tarot on YouTube? You can watch the replay. This Sunday, join us on YouTube for a class about the tarot Court cards, Engaging the Tarot Court.
From Around the Web
Did you read the article in the New York Times about astrologer Jeanna Kadlec? It is fabulous to see divination and diviners getting fair treatment in the press!
Theresa Reed’s monthly astrology forecasts are always informative and fun to read. Here is what she has to say about January 2023.
Tarot.com has a tarot spread to help you discover what you do not know, and what you need to know.
Upcoming Events
Card and Craft Academy
Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!
Christiana’s Candle Magick
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Practical Tarot Techniques
Psychic Tarot
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
Tarot Beyond the Veil
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends
Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships
Clarity in Every Tarot Card
Tarot Flow Workshop
Making Magick with Tarot
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
The Elemental Major Arcana
Minor Arcana Numbers, Elements, and Truth
Personal Healing with Tarot
Create and Interpret Custom Tarot Spreads
What the Court Cards Want You to Know
How Spirit Speaks Through Tarot
Catch up on your missed Zoom webinars and more!
About Christiana Gaudet
Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.
Christiana Gaudet
3559 SW Corporate Parkway
Palm City, Florida 34990-8152
Email cgaudet@cardandcraft.com
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.
Zoom parties and group instruction available almost everywhere!
Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232 x102
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Schedule online at cardandcraft.10to8.com.
Agent inquiries are welcome.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 6 Issue 2
January 11, 2023
Everything You Think You Know
Is what we believe really the truth?
There are a few references in modern culture, such as Dr. Strange and Willow, where a character is directed to forget everything they know, and everything they think they know.
I have found that this can be an important directive when working with tarot, and in life in general.
When working with tarot, sometimes we need to forget classic card interpretations in favor of a specific intuitive message inspired by a certain card in that moment. Sometimes we need to forget common wisdom in favor of unusual and unique possibilities that appear in a client’s cards.
In life in general, we make a lot of assumptions. We often tell stories about our lives that limit us. We think these stories are based on truth. In some cases, they are. But, in other cases, these are stories based on fear, conjecture, outdated wisdom, shame, or some other thing that is not truth.
There is great freedom in giving oneself permission to acknowledge that the things we think we know might not be true.
What if you really are not too old for a new career, or a new relationship?
What if the path you took in the past was not a mistake?
What if you are not as lazy as you think you are?
What if the person who has been irritating you is not doing it on purpose?
What if the whole world is not going to hell in a handbasket?
It is a wonderful exercise to enumerate the beliefs that you hold about yourself, your life, the people around you, and the world in which you live. Then, think about how life might be different if you chose to believe something different.
The StaarCorner
Have you seen the agenda for StaarCon 2022? We have our schedule and presenters all set. Most presenters have already shared the title and description of their classes.
When you read through the agenda you will see that StaarCon will offer a wide variety of topics taught by world-renowned experts and emerging talent.
Remember, too, that classes will be recorded and available to view for thirty days after the conference ends.
Now is the time to get you in person or online-only ticket for StaarCon 2022! We will look forward to seeing you in January!
Tarot Spreads Tools and Techniques Hybrid Class
On Thursday, September 30, from 7 pm to 9 pm ET, I will be teaching a hybrid tarot class about tarot spreads.
The class will meet in person at my Palm City office and on Zoom. Tickets are now available for both options.
The recorded class will be available for all ticket holders to review.
The class description on my website will give you more information about the class, and the opportunity to register.
I hope you will join us!
Tarot For What is True
Tarot can help us figure out what is true. Tarot can also help us change the narrative that we have held as truth, that does not serve us.
Here is a tarot exercise to help you explore what you think you know.
First, come up with a statement that you believe to be true, but that is not making sense for you, or does not make you feel good. It might be a statement such as “I am lazy,” or “My ex is a wonderful person,” or “I am too old to get the job I want,” or “No one wants to date me”.
Now, pull one card to tell you “This is why this statement might be true”. Pull a second card to tell you, “This is why this statement is not true”.
You may pull more than one card for each if that makes more sense.
How does working with the cards this way help you change your narrative?
The Week in Review
This week I shared a blogpost about my experience at The Masters of the Tarot Conference at Omega Institute.
Did you know that I do four live reading sessions on my YouTube channel every week?
Please subscribe and hit the bell so you will be notified when I go live on YouTube!
From Around the Web
Build an altar to your own self-love! This post on Llewellyn Unbound tells you how.
Here is a post on the Red Wheel Weiser website from Nancy Hendrickson about her book, Ancestral Tarot. We are delighted that Nancy will be presenting at StaarCon 2022.
Sasha Graham, one of our StaarCon 2022 headliners, has shared The Perfect Lifestyle Guide for Virgo Season 2021.
Cards for Your Consideration
There are so many tarot cards that can speak about the search for what is true, and the need to release stories that are inaccurate or unhelpful.
The High Priestess asks us to look within to find truth, and to travel beyond the world of the living into the land of the dead. As we make this meditative journey, we may find that the beliefs we were taught in childhood hold no weight and no truth.
The Seven of Swords tells us to carefully examine what and whom we trust. This card can ask us to make an inventory of our own behavior, searching for ways we may be outside of integrity. Are the stories we tell about ourselves the truth? The Seven of Swords asks us to consider that they may not be.
The Moon reminds us that nothing may be as it seems, and we must tread carefully on our search for the truth. Our beliefs may not be based on truth.
We use tarot to challenge our beliefs, seek new truths, and find new options. These are but three cards that can help us do that.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Card and Craft Academy
Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!
Christiana’s Candle Magick
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Practical Tarot Techniques
Psychic Tarot
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
Tarot Beyond the Veil
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends
Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships
Clarity in Every Tarot Card
Tarot Flow Workshop
Making Magick with Tarot
Fearless Wisdom Tarot Workshop
Tarot Keywords and Interpretations Workshop
Catch up on your missed Zoom webinars and more!
cardandcraftacademy.com
About Christiana Gaudet
Card and Craft, Inc.
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 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 4 Issue 37
September 15, 2021
Seeking Clarity
When we are clear about who we are, the world makes more sense.
As we begin a new year, we like to have clear vision for the months ahead. We like to have an expectation of what is coming. We like to have goals. We sometimes make resolutions about changes we want to make in our lives. The new year inspires us to begin new things, find new ways, and seek greater clarity.
Over this past year it feels as though clarity has been hard to find because we have all been facing new and unknown things. That makes our dedication to seeking clear truth, thought, and vision even more vital.
We need to be clear about our intentions as we move forward into a new year. We need to be clear about our skills and resources as we work to create our stability. Maybe most importantly, we need to be clear about what we know and what we trust.
Perhaps the most important aspect of clarity is the ability to see oneself clearly. So often we see ourselves through a lens of low confidence. Sometimes our understanding of ourselves is distorted by expectations, either our own or of those around us.
Meditation, divination and self-reflection are some of the best ways to find our own personal clarity. From there, it is easier to make sense of the world.
The StaarCorner
Our last podcast of 2020 was a blast! I was all set to interview Amie Mouser, who is our podcast producer and also a presenter at StaarCon. She shared with us a clear agenda for her exciting presentation, which is about using the power and cycles of the moon in manifestation work.
Then she turned the tables on me and asked me some questions about my Preconference Intensive, Operational Tarot. Make sure you check out Moon Manifestation and Tarot Operation with Amie Mouser. You can watch it on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
StaarCon is this month, so get your tickets now!
Countdown to StaarCon
It’s hard to believe that, after all these months of planning, StaarCon will happen this month. Making the pivot to an online conference for our first event has been challenging, but I think you will find the result is amazing. We are offering four tracks of classes, five discussion groups, three tarot art performances, a full-scale psychic fair and exhibition hall, and more.
We have more than thirty presenters ready to inform, enlighten and inspire you.
If you have questions about StaarCon, please call or text me at 561-655-1160, or email me.
It is time to get your tickets for this amazing event. Remember that all classes will be recorded, and you will have thirty days to view them after the event.
StaarCon begins on January 22 and ends on January 24. Please plan to join us!
Clarity about Clarifying Cards in a Tarot Reading
In tarot, there is a practice of using a clarifying card. The problem is that a lot of readers do not have clarity on what this means and how to use it.
In a tarot reading, each card clarifies other cards that appear in the same spread. What does that mean? It means the way we interpret every card can be modified and understood when we take into account the cards that surround it.
Why, then, would we need a specified clarifying card? The answer is, we often don’t. Often the card that is designated as a clarifier offers very little clarity.
There are times, however, when a clarifying card is worth its weight in gold.
I feel the best use of such a card is as follows.
Do not use a clarifying card by rote. Only draw one if it is needed.
When do you need a clarifier? You need a clarifier when a particular card has you stumped. What you need to do is either formulate a question about that card, or simply ask, “What are you trying to tell me?” and pull a card in answer. That card should clarify the meaning of the troublesome card for you.
For more information about clarifying cards, and other ways to use them, read this blogpost I wrote about the topic a few years ago.
The Week in Review
This week my blogpost is a reflection on some things I learned in 2020.
Join me on my Facebook business page, my YouTube channel and the StaarCon Facebook page for regular livestream events.
From Around the Web
Not only is it a new year, it is a new month. Symbolic Living has your tarotscopes!
Susan Miller has your astrology forecast.
Theresa Reed’s Hit List comes out at the beginning of every month. It is always a great read.
Cards for Your Consideration
Which tarot card speaks most about our search for clarity? Since we very often use tarot in that search, we might find a way to let each of the seventy-eight cards speak to us of clarity.
One of my favorite cards to speak of the eternal search for truth and clarity is the High Priestess.
In a reading, the High Priestess can speak of many things. She is the card of perfection, balance, wisdom, intuition, and the subconscious. We say that she travels beyond the veil and knows the secrets of life and death.
That she is a keeper of such knowledge makes her a source of truth.
Very often her message to us that that we can only find the truth we seek by searching within ourselves.
When the High Priestess appears, she may be beckoning you to sit in silence and look within to find your inner visions, and to seek your inner truth. It is in that process that we find clarity.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Card and Craft Academy
Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!
Christiana’s Candle Magick
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Practical Tarot Techniques
Psychic Tarot
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
Tarot Beyond the Veil
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends (New)
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 4 Issue 1
January 6, 2021
Listening for Truth
How can we hear the voice of the universe?
How often have you heard someone say that you should always trust your intuition? It is a common adage. The problem is, no one seems to be able to tell you how to hear your intuition!
It is so easy to confuse the voices of fear or hope for the voice of intuition.
Whether you are working to become a more intuitive diviner, or simply trying to tune in to your guidance, it is important to learn how to hear the voice of truth within yourself.
There are many books, classes and meditations you can use to help yourself do it. For all of us, it is an ongoing practice. That is, something that we always have to work to develop.
There are a few things that have helped me in the search for that inner guidance. I will share them with you here.
The first is to remember that the voice of anxiety screams, while the voice of intuition whispers. You have to listen for the little voice.
The next is to remember the importance of the breath. Just as with meditation and yoga, conscious breathing is critical to intuitive development. When you want to listen to your internal truth, focus on your breath, and then see what comes to you.
Another important thing is to work with the chakras. Pay attention to where in your physical body you feel truth. Many people talk about a ‘gut feeling’. This means they feel truth in their solar plexus chakra, or in the sacral chakra. I tend to feel truth in my throat chakra. Many people feel it in their heart center. Play around with discovering where in your body that resonance happens.
Something else to consider is the practice of internally asking the questions. Ask your question, breath, and listen for the answer.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the practice of compassionate detachment. When you want pure truth from the universe, you can’t be attached to what that truth is. You have to exist in that moment in a state of trust, detached from your own desires, assumptions, and fears.
Try these techniques to help you listen for your truth.
The StaarCorner
This week on StaarCast I interviewed Nancy Hendrickson, author of the forthcoming “Ancestral Tarot”.
I think you will find this conversation enlightening, as you learn that, to Nancy, the world is an oracle and our ancestors are always around us, waiting to help us heal.
Nancy uses tarot and divination as a way to connect with the ancestors, and with universal wisdom.
Nancy has combined her life-long career in genealogy with her life-long study of tarot into the fascinating study and practice of ancestral tarot.
You can view this episode of StaarCast on YouTube or listen to it wherever you get your podcasts.
Visit the StaarCon website to learn more about StaarCon and to register to attend.
Join us for Class Tonight on Zoom
Tonight, Wednesday, October 14, from 7 to 9 pm, join me for a live webinar on Zoom,
Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana: Numbers, Elements and Truth.
In this class tarot enthusiasts of all levels of experience will learn simple-yet-profound techniques to remember, understand and interpret the Minor Arcana cards of the tarot.
This class is appropriate for all tarot enthusiasts. New readers will learn basic skills, while experienced readers will discover new ways to understand and interpret the forty numbered cards of the Minor Arcana.
Class fee is $37.50. Register now on Zoom.
Intuitive Tarot
There are many methods and traditions of tarot reading. “Intuitive Tarot” can simply mean working with tarot cards without learning their traditional meanings, or the artist’s intent for the card meanings. This is a legitimate method of divination, although it can be limiting to not have the historical and traditional knowledge behind each card to help inform your reading.
That said, even the most studied reader can and should use intuition in a tarot reading.
I believe that tarot is uniquely suited to stimulate the intuition, causing a connection with spirit in divination.
Here are a few ways to incorporate intuition into your tarot reading, no matter how studied you may or may not be.
When you lay out the cards, spend a moment breathing with them. See what comes into your mind unbidden.
When you look at a card, what do you see in the image? How do you react to it? How do you see the card relating to your question, or to what is going on?
When you look at two or more cards together, how do you see them interacting?
Take a moment to see and feel what comes to you as you take in the cards. Be aware of your physical responses, the memories that may be evoked, and thoughts that come into your mind.
Then, process all of those responses in the context of the question, or the matter at hand.
When you look at each card, see if you eye is drawn to any small detail in the image. What might that detail communicate to you in this moment?
There is a mental space where liminal experience and conscious mind meet, where you can allow your intuitive mind and your logical mind to communicate, and to find answers. That is the space where intuitive tarot reading happens.
The Week in Review
This week I shared a blogpost about my concerns regarding spiritual bypassing, and how we can most effectively guard against it at the tarot table.
Remember to check out my Live Tarot Webinars Playlist on YouTube. There you will find the links for upcoming tarot meetups and classes for the month, as well as the ability to watch classes and meetups in archive. Make sure you are subscribed to my YouTube channel!
Like and follow my Facebook business page to catch my weekly live broadcasts there, and do the same for the StaarCon page to catch the lives I do there!
From Around the Web
I was surprised to see that the University of Minnesota has shared these amazing exercises for developing intuition in an effort to help their students take charge of their health and well-being.
Here is another trusted source, Psychology Today, with an article on developing intuition.
Emerald Lotus Divination offers a lot of great tarot spreads. Here is one for developing your intuition.
Cards for Your Consideration
One card that speaks very clearly of intuition is Major Arcana 2, the High Priestess. Very often, when this card appears, it is a sign that you need to seek your own truth, and that you must do that by making the journey into your own subconscious.
This card even holds a reference to communication with those who have passed on; finding your truth from the counsel of your ancestors.
The High Priestess can recommend meditation, and urge you to find that space of inner balance and silence which allows you to hear the inner voice of truth.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 3 Issue 42
October 14, 2020