Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.

Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

For the Win

Friendly competition can be fun and can help us build skills. Yet, when we fail to acknowledge our wins, we set ourselves up for loss.

A tree sprouting from a tree trunk.

One of the earliest things we learn in life is that there are winners and losers. We are encouraged to compete and win in sports, creativity, and academics.

In adult life, the stakes become higher. We want our favorite sports teams to win, but we also want to win deals, promotions, awards, and recognition.

There is nothing wrong with friendly competition. There is nothing wrong with striving to win.

The problem is that we often do not recognize the little wins in our lives. Other times, we don’t think we can win, so we don’t even try.

When someone is not doing well in life, unkind people will use the term ‘loser’ to describe them.

I believe that, secretly, many of us feel like losers, at least sometimes. Part of this is that we only sometimes see or acknowledge our wins. This happens mainly in the face of disappointment.

When we fail to obtain the win we were hoping for, we must remember to look for the inevitable blessings that come because we tried.

Sometimes, other people set goals for us. They want to use a metric to judge our success that is different from our own. This can make us feel small and unworthy.

When it comes to the game of life, we each get to judge our own wins and losses. When we see ourselves as winners, no matter how small the victory, we welcome greater success.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

Mitchell Osborn has been a beloved tarot coach and divination teacher in our community for many years. He has been an important part of the StaarCon community since our beginning.

At StaarCon 2024, Mitchell will present “Reading Tarot in Layers”.

In this workshop, you will learn important techniques that will help you give readings that are comprehensive and thorough.
We are also excited that Mitchell will be your host for the Thursday Evening Dinner Excursion. If you are joining us in person and are at the hotel by 6 pm Thursday evening, join your StaarCon friends and take the hotel shuttle to Rosemary Square for a lovely meal together.

We are looking forward to seeing Mitchell, and you, at StaarCon 2024.

A photograph of Mitchell Osborn with his dog.

Tarot For the Win

Which tarot cards specifically speak of winning? Which cards tell us that we are achieving our goals?

My favorite card for winning and competition is the Six of Wands. I also see the Three of Wands as a card of success.

The Three of Pentacles can speak of recognition for professional success.

The Nine of Cups speaks of happiness and wishes fulfilled.

The Ten of Pentacles can speak of wealth, generational wealth, and success in real estate.

In the Major Arcana, the Empress, Emperor, and Hierophant all speak of authority. The Chariot speaks of mastery. The Star speaks of hope and fulfillment. The World speaks of completion.

Many tarotists will have a favorite card that speaks to them personally of their own success. Mine is the Queen of Wands. What’s yours?

The Week in Review

We had a great time at Panera Bread this past Sunday. Wherever you live, check to see if there is a tarot meetup near you. If there isn’t, why not start one?

I am excited to be nominated for the 2023 World Divination Association Awards in three categories. We have until September 28 to vote, so please cast your vote for me, and for your favorite StaarCon diviners.

Tomorrow, Thursday, September 14, please join us on my YouTube channel at 7 pm ET for a special class with guest teacher Erika Robinson. Erika will be teaching “Lenormand for Tarot Readers.”

From Around the Web

In the US, the beginning of autumn means football season. Can we use tarot to predict the outcomes of sports matches? Different readers have different opinions. Tarot author Anthony Louis wrote about this in 2014.

Parade magazine recently interviewed several members of the tarot community. Check out these five tips for your first tarot reading.

StaarCon 2024 headliner Benebell Wen has a new book coming out on the I Ching. Here is a video and blog tutorial she has created to help you get ready to learn I Ching.

Creation and Divination

Arguably, the tarot suit that speaks the most clearly about competition, winning, and losing is the suit of Wands. When we study the suit of Wands, we can see within each card something about winning and losing.

Here is a poem from my 78 Poems Project about the Nine of Wands. This is a card I often call ‘The Wounded Warrior.’

If you would like to submit a poem, essay, or short story for publication in this newsletter, please email it to me.

Nine of Wands

The soldier keeps his vigil, though he appears at rest.

He is a patient guardian, strong and able for the test.

No need to seek a battle that may never come

His battle is within now, until the war is done.

His duty is to wait, to conserve and to defend

To stand long at his post, his battle scars to mend.

With the knowledge of the Hermit he awaits what might arise

And values now diplomacy; his wounds have made him wise.

Upcoming Events

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

YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon


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 37
September 13, 2023

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Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

The Power Number Nine

It is the beginning of the ninth month, and we are talking about the power of the number nine.

The number nine in abstract colorful clouds.

September First marked the beginning of the ninth month. That is a fun coincidence for me because lately, I’ve been contemplating the significance of the number nine. In some spiritual belief systems, nine is considered the most powerful number because it is three times three, and three is a deeply meaningful number representing many sacred trinities.

In mathematics, nine is considered a magical number because the sum of the digits obtained by multiplying nine by any number will always reduce to nine.

The number nine is considered lucky in many cultures.

Nine is, of course, the number of months for human gestation.

In Norse mythology, the universe's structure is organized into nine distinct realms, including Asgard, the home of the deities.

In numerology, nine is the highest and final number, symbolizing completion. Those born with nine as a life path number are thought to be compassionate and charitable.

In many spiritual and magical rituals, a task is done nine times specifically. This is meant to add the vital energy of the number nine to the magical working.

How can you harness the energy of the number nine in your own life? There are endless ways. Say your affirmations nine times instead of only once. Put nine stems of flowers in a vase, or nine stones or nine shells in a dish, and let that be a blessing to your home. Wear a necklace with nine beads to give yourself the power of nine.

How will you bring the energy of nine into your life during this ninth month of September?

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

You may know Frank Kwiatkowski from his earlier StaarCon presentations. You might know him as my co-host on The StaarCast Variety Show (watch for an episode to drop soon). You might know him as the author of Rise and Shine: A Guide for Experiencing Your Midlife Awakening.

Frank's love for the Beatles is well-known, regardless of how you know him. His presentation on the connection between the Fab Four and tarot at StaarCon 2022 was a huge hit.

Frank’s presentation this January will be Famous Foursomes: A Celebration of the Elements!

In this presentation, Frank will lead a discussion of famous groups of four people in pop culture and find the elemental connections in each group.

Don’t miss this and all the other excellent presentations at StaarCon 2024.

A photograph of Frank Kwiatkowski and Dame Darcy at StaarCon 2024.
Closeup of tarot cards on a table.

The Tarot Nines

Six cards in the tarot deck are associated with the number nine. There are the four Nine cards in the Minor Arcana. There is the Hermit, which is card Nine in the Major Arcana. Finally, there is the Moon, which is card 18 and, therefore, numerologically associated with Nine.

It is an excellent exercise in tarot to group cards together according to a shared association and discover what similarities and differences you find within these cards.

When I look at all the Nine cards in tarot, one thing I find they have in common is a sense of personal experience, growth, exploration, and accountability. I see a similar theme with the Sevens. I like to think that the Nines are an evolution of the Sevens in our journey toward personal growth.

What do you see when you look at the tarot Nines as a group?

Illustration of women at a table reading tarot.

The Week in Review

It is a new month, so look for your TarotScopes on my YouTube channel and on TikTok.

Tonight, join us on my YouTube channel for Global Tarot Circle at 7 pm ET.
If you happen to be on or near the Treasure Coast of Florida, please join us this coming Sunday at Panera Bread in Palm City for our monthly tarot meetup at 4 pm.

From Around the Web

StaarCon presenter Marion Kirk recently shared a wonderful post about her tarot origin story. Read “Is Tarot My Wonderwall?”

Aerik Arkadian, my favorite new podcaster, has posted some great information about candle magick.

Theresa Reed, The Tarot Lady, talks about some very real concerns for the tarot community in her September Hit List.

Young woman reading tarot in her kitchen.

Creation and Divination

Something is interesting about the number nine in tarot. In numerology, nine is the highest and final digit and represents completion. In tarot, the cards do not end with nine but continue to ten. In tarot, the Tens can mean completion, although the story of each suit continues into the Court cards. In tarot, the Nines can speak to a fullness of being. The Nines may ask what you are full of right now. This is but one reason to learn the numerology of tarot, separate from any other tradition of numerology.
One of the most creative aspects of tarot, beyond the art of which it is made, is that it is all about storytelling. We use the numbers of tarot to show us the stories that exist within the deck itself. In readings, we use divination to tell us the stories of our lives. Writers use tarot for inspiration with character and plot development.

A creative tarot exercise I particularly enjoy is dividing the cards into suits and putting them into numerical order. Starting with the Ace, tell a story, using each card to progress the story until you conclude with the Ten. Use the four Court cards to add insight to the story in whatever way makes sense.

Then, organize your suits, counting down from King to Ace. Tell a story for each suit in this way. See the King and Queen as Mother and Father God, see the Knight and Page as we, their human children. Begin your story with the Ten representing the situation into which your character is born. Tell their story, card by card, and let the Ace give your story its conclusion.

Looking at the Minor Arcana of tarot in this way, we learn a great deal about the cards, the stories they can tell, and the numbers that influence those stories.

Upcoming Events

Christiana doing readings on YouTube from her studio.

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

YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon


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 36
September 6, 2023

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Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

Look for the Glimmers!

A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. A glimmer gives us hope and joy when we need it. This week, we are looking for the glimmers!

I have learned a new word usage that I really like and want to share with you. We are all familiar with the concept of mental health triggers. Triggers are words, topics, thoughts, and images that can stimulate an unpleasant emotional reaction.

A glimmer is the opposite of a trigger. In this modern slang usage, a glimmer is something that stimulates a positive, hopeful, joyful emotional reaction.

A glimmer can be something that reminds you of a good thing that happened in the past. A glimmer can be something that feels uplifting for you in the moment.

We look for trigger warnings to avoid exposing ourselves to something that could hurt us or slow our healing.

What would happen if we started to look for glimmers? What are the signs of hope around us? What can you see, hear, find, or think about that could give you a momentary sense of joy?

What are things that reliably bring you cheer?

For me, looking for glimmers is a spiritual practice. I believe that the Universe sends us all sorts of signs. Sometimes we want to interpret those signs as a specific piece of advice. I worry that we often interpret these signs based on our fears and desires. We think hope is about getting what we want and avoiding what we don’t want.

I think it can be helpful to find the glimmers of joy and embrace the energy of hope without tightly defining what the realization of that hope might look like. The more that our glimmers allow us not only to hope but also to trust, the more uplifted we can be.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

StaarCon 2024 is excited to welcome some of the most well-known and well-loved teachers and creators to share their wisdom with us. We are also happy to discover those who are new to our international community with something great to share.

Teri Salomoni is a member of our Treasure Coast Tarot Meetup. She is a fifth-generation Strega and tarot card reader. She leads local ghost tours in Stuart, Florida. Her presentation “Strega Strategies” at StaarCon 2023 was inspiring and enlightening. We are so excited that Teri has agreed to join us in 2024, and we cannot wait to learn more from her!

Which Tarot Cards Speak of Hope?

While we can find hope in any tarot card and any tarot reading, some cards specifically offer a hopeful message. Some cards, like the Star and the Nine of Cups, are obviously hopeful.

Many other cards can be interpreted in a hopeful way, depending on the context in which they appear.

Here are three tarot cards not typically associated with hope that can sometimes surprise you with a hopeful message.

The Four of Pentacles is often associated with selfishness and miserly behavior. Yet, the Four of Pentacles offers a hopeful message when it can be interpreted to encourage healthy boundaries and good self-care.

The Moon is traditionally a card of mystery, treachery, and hidden enemies. Yet, it is also a card that encourages our psychic development and spiritual growth.

The Seven of Pentacles in the Waite-Smith Tarot is associated with the Irish Potato Famine. Yet, it can also be an admonition to tend your garden with care in anticipation of a harvest.

When we look at these three cards, we can understand that many, most, or all tarot cards can speak of hope in some way. As an exercise, pull a card at random. No matter what the card is, find a way to see a hopeful message for yourself within it.

The Week in Review

Tonight on my YouTube channel I will teach a free livestream tarot class. The class is Tarot Spread Techniques. Join us, or watch the replay, and learn great ways to create, perform, and interpret tarot spreads.

From Around the Web

Listen to a radio show about tarot in Connecticut from Connecticut Public Radio. You may know that I got my start as a tarot reader in Connecticut!

Back in 2014, James Ricklef shared a three-card tarot spread for finding hope. This spread is a perfect fit for our topic this week.

I am so excited to see that so many new people are coming to tarot meetups and joining tarot groups. If you are new to tarot and looking for a tarot resource, Joan Bunning’s Learning the Tarot website is amazing!

Creation and Divination

When we look for hopeful signs and joyful reminders in our day-to-day lives, we will undoubtedly find them. We can also find these signs within our tarot decks.

Use your creativity to ask questions and interpret cards to give you the glimmer you need. This requires advanced tarot skills because of the specific context of the question.

For example, suppose you asked for something that would give you a sense of joy, and you received the Three of Swords. How can you interpret the Three of Swords in a way that gives you a joyful moment? You might place the sorrow of the Three of Swords in the past and find joy in the healing you have accomplished. You might see the swords in the image as hard truths you are embracing and find joy in your capacity.

What if you receive a card typically associated with joy or happiness? That can also be challenging because a card with the keyword ‘joy’ will not bring a moment of joy simply because of its keyword. You must dive more deeply into the card to find a specific joyful message for yourself.

This exercise utilizes your creativity and strengthens your tarot skills as you find glimmers within your tarot deck.

Upcoming Events

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

YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon


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 33
August 16, 2023

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Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

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.

Surprised OMG shocked woman.

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 StaarCon 2023 banner.

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.

A woman laying cards on a table.

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.

A deck of tarot cards with the Page of Cups face up.

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

Christiana Gaudet reads tarot in her conference room.

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

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