Growing Toward the Light

I am sad to admit that I am not much of a gardener. My few experiments with both indoor and outdoor plants made it clear that, at least for now, I do not have the time to properly tend plants. Yet, I love helping living things grow, and I love learning from that process.

I love to notice plant behavior, and let plants be my teachers.

One plant behavior that feels informative is called ‘phototropism’. Sunflowers, and certain other plants, will turn to face the sun. If they are situated in a place where the sun is not easily available to them, their stems will twist and lean as they strive to find the sunlight.

Growing toward the light is a good metaphor for a certain way of living. It reminds me of that story of two wolves that battle within each of us. One wolf is mean, egotistical, and fearful. The other is joyful and loving. Which wolf wins the battle? Whichever wolf we feed.

Growing toward the light is the same as feeding the joyful wolf.

When we choose to grow toward the light, we, like the sunflower, turn our face to the sun. We seek out what nurtures us. We turn to what illuminates us. We keep our focus on the positive and lean in that direction, even when that causes us to have to twist and turn.

This does not mean that we ignore the unpleasant things in our lives, or that we pretend that everything is sunny when it is not. We must acknowledge what is dark and difficult. We gather strength to face that difficulty as we lean toward what is light and helpful.

Phototropic plants know that the light is always there, somewhere. They twist and turn to find that light. We need to have faith in that light as well. We must find ways to grow toward it.

The StaarCorner

We are excited that Gita Rash will be joining us for StaarCon 2022. Gita is the designer of the Mahabharata Oracle Deck. At StaarCon 2021 she shared with us this deck, which is based on an ancient epic tale.

Gita is also a tarot reader, and a gifted palm reader. Her father was well-known palm reader. At StaarCon 2022 Gita will teach a class in palm reading! We are happy to welcome Gita back to StaarCon, and to learn this important divination method from her.

See Me in the Tampa Bay Area in August

I will be back in the Tampa Bay Area August 26 through August 30.

On Sunday, August 29, from 3 pm to 5 pm we will have a free tarot meetup at Panera Bread in Lutz, Florida.

During my time in the Tampa Bay Area, I am available for private readings at my AirBnB in Wesley Chapel. I am also able to make house calls for private readings. I am happy to come to your home or office for a psychic house party.

For more information, or to make your appointment, call or text 561-655-1160.

Growing Toward the Light Tarot Spread

Here is a tarot spread that you can arrange in the shape of a sunflower. The trick is that you can use as many cards as you want for the stem, the leaves, and the petals. You may decide to use only one card for each, or many. Let your intuition guide you as you explore the ways you can grow toward the light.

Stem: Let this card, or these cards, help you understand how you need to ground and position yourself in order to be nurtured and strong.

Leaves: Let this card, or these cards, show you what feeds you and helps you grow.

Center of flower: Let this card show you how to keep your focus on what is most helpful.

Petals: Let this card, or these cards, show you the benefits you will receive as you turn yourself to the light, allow the light to nurture you, and share that brilliance with others.

Join us For Class Tomorrow

Tomorrow, Thursday, at 7 pm ET, I am presenting “Tarot Keywords and Interpretations”. This class will help you understand and remember keywords for tarot cards. Even more importantly, this class will help you use those keywords to engage your intuition and give meaningful tarot readings in any context and situation.

There are two ways to attend. If you can come in person, you can purchase a ticket on EventBrite and attend the class in my Palm City office.

If you can’t come in person, you can attend virtually from just about anywhere. Just reserve your place in class on Zoom!

Get your ticket or make your reservation and study with your tarot friends from around the world in this hybrid presentation.

The Week in Review

Did you catch my class on YouTube, “Tarot History and Why it Matters?” You can watch the replay to learn about current historical thinking about tarot, and what that might mean for we esoteric tarotists.

I was excited to join Amie Mouser as a guest on her new podcast, Behind the Magic. In honor of what Grateful Dead fans call “Jerry Week”, or “The Days Between”, Amie and I did a deep dive into my youth, and my continued love of the Grateful Dead’s music and message. You can watch the video, or listen to the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.

From Around the Web

This week’s offerings are all from StaarCon 2022 presenters!

Mary Ellen Collins shared a blog post called “Breaking Free from the Eight of Swords”. This is such a great synchronicity; I led a meditative exercise about this card during my workshop at The Masters of the Tarot conference.

Marion Kirk (Marion K Tarot on YouTube) shared a video about Grief and the Fours in Tarot.

Jamie Sawyer is launching the final deluxe edition of Sawyer’s Path Tarot next month!

Cards for Your Consideration

In the Waite Smith Tarot, there are two references to sunflowers. One is the Queen of Wands. Often when the Queen of Wands appears in a reading and my focus is drawn to that sunflower, I see it as an admonition to grow toward the light.

The other sunflower reference is in a card that often reminds us to grow toward the light, no matter which deck we are using. Major Arcana 19, the Sun, represents the light itself. There are many traditional and non-traditional depictions for this card. No matter the image, the Sun reminds us to find our inner light. We must face the light, we must seek the light, and we must be the light.

I particularly love the Waite image, because the sunflowers have turned to face the child, rather than facing the sun as they normally would. The child shines more brightly than the sun.

This card reminds us that we all have the potential to shine that brightly.

Upcoming Events and Tours

Card and Craft Academy

Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!

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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

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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 33
August 18, 2021

Tarot Topics 10/22/2014: Synchronicity

Tarot Topics Christiana's Weekly Newsletter Synchronicity October 22, 2014 View the newsletter online at http://tarottopics.com/news/2014-10-22 In This Issue Synchronicity   Coincidence and Synchronicity   The Week in Review   Synchronicity and Divination   What's Up at the Psychic Café?   Learning Tarot: Six of Swords   Global and Local Happenings   Your One-Card Weekly Reading   Upcoming Events   Contact Information   Synchronicity Pay attention! Sometimes you will see, or hear, or notice a unique thing that will suddenly appear more than once in a short period.   We call this phenomenon “synchronicity.” Make no mistake; this is how the Universe gives us important messages.    A synchronicity can tell you to make something a priority, or encourage you to explore something new. A synchronicity can tell you that something that might appear ordinary actually has a real spiritual significance.   Sometimes these moments of synchronicity come to us in mundane ways, through songs on the radio, street signs and billboards. Sometimes they come to us through the natural world, as we observe plants and animals that hold special meaning for us.   If you are interested in developing your intuition, you must pay attention to these synchronicities. Interpreting their messages to you will help you become more aware of your natural psychic ability. More importantly, the messages you receive will give you important guidance on your journey through life.   [ In This Issue ] Coincidence and Synchronicity We’ve all heard people say, “There are no coincidences.” This is a way of pointing out the importance of synchronicities. When we write off synchronicity as coincidence out-of-hand, we are missing an opportunity to gain important information.   At the same time, sometimes a coincidence is just that. Sometimes we use the concept of synchronicity to convince ourselves that something is meant to be, when it really doesn’t work. Just because you share the same birthday with a famous artist, for instance, doesn’t mean you are also destined for fame.   Meditation, divination and common sense help us sort out coincidence from synchronicity. As with all intuitive work, the important part is to release your own fears and attachments so you can hear the truth.   [ In This Issue ] The Week in Review This week I went to “Time Lord Fest” in Tampa. If you want to know my impressions of this Dr. Who convention, read my review on my Dark Forest Blog. On our Community Blog, I wrote about the tarot cards that stalk us. On my personal blog, Tarot Trends, I wrote about a card that has been stalking me, the Wheel of Fortune. From Around the Web I hope you don’t need this post, but, if you do, this information is extremely helpful. From Love Dove Tarot, here are “10 Signs you are in a Toxic Relationship.” She includes a tarot spread on the topic to try! From Passages, here is a fabulous tarot spread I stumbled across. It’s really more of a tarot technique than a spread. Try it and let me know how it works for you! Here’s a quick post on Tarot Salve that fits in with the theme of this week’s newsletter. See the synchronicity Bonnie found on her Kindle! [ In This Issue ] Synchronicity and Divination In many ways, forms of divination such as tarot, which I call “random token divination,” rely on the energy of synchronicity. Sometimes one card will recur in order to drive home a message. Sometimes we will see messages in divination that reflect messages we have recently received from the world around us.    Sometimes, in divination, we may receive a message that says, “Look for the synchronicities around you, and pay attention to them.”   It also happens that we notice the synchronicities, but don’t know what they mean. In that case, divination can help us discover the message. We can turn to our cards and ask question like, “Why is the symbol of the elephant important to me right now?” or “What is the significance that the past three people I met all have the same name?” Or “What should I discern from the esoteric symbol that has been starring in my dreams?”   The more we pay attention to synchronicity, the better our skills at divination will become, and the more in tune we will be with the flow of the Universe.   [ In This Issue ] What’s Up at the Psychic Café? We’re celebrating the next generation of tarot readers on Christiana’s Psychic Café! On Sunday, October 19th we enjoyed an encore presentation of my conversation with Olivia Destrades. Olivia reads both tarot and Lenormand. We discussed the Lenormand trend, and the ways Lenormand is helping us to re-claim the concept of “fortune-telling” as a good and helpful practice. If you missed this show, make sure you check it out in archive on my YouTube channel. Hit “Subscribe” while you’re there! This coming Sunday, October 26th, we will enjoy a conversation with another young tarotist, Fiona Benjamin. Fiona lives and works as a tarot reader and teacher in Okinawa. Recently, she traveled to attend TarotCon in Dallas. Now that she’s back home, we’ll revisit my conversation with her from earlier this year.  Tune in on PEN or watch it on YouTube. If you have any interest in becoming a tarot reader yourself, Fiona has a lot of wisdom to share!   Christiana’s Psychic Café is my weekly webcast. It airs on the Para Encounters Network, each Sunday at 9 pm Eastern. Archived webcasts available on my YouTube channel. You can also see the archives cataloged on the Tarot Topics News Site. For up-to-date information about Christiana’s Psychic Café, visit our Show Info page and like us on Facebook! [ In This Issue ] Learning Tarot: Six of Swords In the Six of Swords, we see a journey toward smoother waters. The battle of the Five is over, and we move on to something more peaceful.   The Crowley key word for the Six of Swords is “science.”   The traditional fortune-teller would call the Six of Swords the card of “travel over water.”   Often the Six of Swords image includes a boat on the water. In the boat are swords, standing upright.   In the language of tarot, water represents our emotions.   The swords in the boat represent clear, logical thought. The swords rise above the emotion of the water.   The card of “science,” then, is the card of logic. The Six of Swords promises better days ahead if we can only rise out of the mire of emotional thinking and keep ourselves rooted in rational thinking.   The Six of Swords may predict overall improvement after a difficult time. The Six of Swords may discuss travel or relocation. The Six of Swords may refer to the study of scientific topics. The Six of Swords advises a logical approach in all things.   Next week, we will explore the “Thieves’ Card,” the Seven of Swords.     Tarot card  images from The Gilded Tarot Royale by Ciro Marchetti. Used with permission. [ In This Issue ] Global and Local Happenings   Global Tarot Circle met online last Wednesday. Together we explored some Halloween-themed tarot study. We discussed ways to communicate with Spirit using tarot. We thought about the harvest themes associated with this time of year and did some work with tarot manifestation to create the harvest we most want in our lives.   Finally, to celebrate Halloween as “The Witches’ New Year,” we did a two-card Halloween spread for our new year.    Our next Global Tarot Circle happens on November 19th. We will be working on Tarot Reversals. Join us!   On Saturday, October 18th, I participated in Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative’s “Homegrown in Hillsborough” festival, at the Seminole Heights Library in Tampa. I was one of thirty presenters. I presented “History of the Tarot,” and sat at an author table to sign books and answer questions about tarot.    Other programs included local history, yoga, dance, music and art. It was wonderful to be a part of such a creative, exciting community event.   [ In This Issue ] Your One-Card Weekly Reading Your one-card reading this week is the Queen of Wands.    The Queen of Wands asks you to consider what burns within you. Are your creative? Are you motivated?   The Queen of Wands empowers you to fuel the fires of your creativity and productivity. If you would like to learn a new craft, start a new project or move forward in your career, the Queen of Wands makes this a great week to get started.   The Queen of Wands reminds us to be passionate, but also to have fun. It’s possible to be driven toward success and filled with mirth at the same time.   This week, nurture your passions! Be creative, be motivated, have fun, be playful, and don’t forget to laugh!       Tarot card  images from The Gilded Tarot Royale by Ciro Marchetti. Used with permission. [ In This Issue ] Upcoming Events   Sunday, October 26, 9 pm Christiana’s Psychic Café   Fiona Benjamin is one of the youngest successful tarot readers on the planet. From her home in Okinawa, Fiona reads and teaches tarot professionally. Fiona just travelled to Dallas to attend TarotCon. Now that’s she’s back in Okinawa safe and sound, we’ll enjoy an encore presentation of a conversation with Fiona from March, 2014.     Sunday, November 2, 9 pm Christiana’s Psychic Café   Earlier this year, I asked a number of metaphysical professionals to share their philosophy on giving free offers and services. We’ll revisit this conversation. If you are a metaphysical professional, or considering beginning a career, this show is for you.     Sunday, November 9, 3:30 pm Tampa Bay Area Tarot Meetup Panera, 23388 State Road 54, Lutz, FL 33559   If you live in the Tampa Bay area, or Central Florida, please join the brand new Tampa Bay Area Tarot Meetup. This will be our very first meeting. Come meet some new tarot friends and help us chart our course for the future!     [ In This Issue ]   Private readings and instruction are available by appointment.   Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida.   Call 813-948-4488 or toll free 866-99TAROT, or text 561-655-1160 for more information or to schedule your event.   Agent inquiries are welcome. Toll Free: 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768) Phone or Text: 561-655-1160 Tampa Phone: 813-948-4488 Email: christiana@tarotbychristiana.com Website: tarotbychristiana.com Skype: tarot.radio

Tarot Topics Weekly Newsletter 5/28/2014

Tarot Topics Christiana's Weekly Newsletter May 28, 2014 View the newsletter online at http://tarottopics.com/news/2014-05-28 In This Issue Courage   Finding Courage with the Cards   The Week in Review   The Fool's Journey: An Epic Tale of Courage   What's Up at the Psychic Café?   Learning Tarot: Queen of Wands   Christiana's Trip to Connecticut   Your One-Card Weekly Reading   Upcoming Events   Contact Information   Courage In the United States, Memorial Day Weekend marks the unofficial beginning of summer. It is also the time when we honor those people who have given their lives in service to our country. We appreciate their courage, and use that courage as an example and inspiration. Thankfully, very few of us will have to fight in an actual war. Nonetheless, we all need courage.  At one point or another, we all have battles to fight. Many times our struggles are internal. The people around us may never know the courage we muster every day. Sometimes are struggles are health-related. Sometimes we are healing from loss. Sometimes we simply need to find the courage to pursue our dreams. Whatever our challenges, we are constantly inspired by the courage of those around us. Perhaps the important thing to remember is this. Courage is not a lack of fear. Courage is the willingness to proceed nonetheless.  [ In This Issue ] Finding Courage with the Cards So many tarot cards speak to us of courage. Whenever we are unsure, afraid or anxious, we can go to the cards to find solace, comfort and encouragement. It is important to ask the right questions, especially when we are in need of courage. Sometimes we base our questions on anxiety rather than faith. When that happens, we are unable to gain perspective and insight from the cards. Here are some good questions to help you find your courage in the cards. What do I need to do to face my fears? How have my fears served me? Why do I fear this? What motivates me to overcome my fear? What makes me feel more empowered? From what can I draw strength? [ In This Issue ] The Week in Review This week I am thrilled that Robin Renee shared a great post on our Tarot Topics Community Blog. Read “Audacious Eleven Talks Tarot.” Robin is a frequent contributor to the Psychic Café, and a well-known musician and spiritual leader. My contribution to the community blog this week is “Five Ways to Interpret a Reversed Tarot Card.” On my personal blog, Tarot Trends, I wrote about two Minor Arcana cards that portray women alone, and how our understanding of these cards has changed as the role of women in society has changed. Read “Tarot and the Woman Alone.” On my Dark Forest blog this week I wrote about some ideas for conscious evolution. Read “The Blame Game.” From Around the Web Hillary Gauvreau is not only an energy healer, she is also a very funny and insightful lady. If you are a single person of a certain age, you will love Hillary’s blog, “The Dated Dater: Life as an Over 50 Single.” From “Spirit, Science and Metaphysics,” here are “25 Life Lessons from Albert Einstein.” Here’s a post about tarot interpretation that makes a lot of sense to me. Read “The Tarot Bones” from Ginny Hunt’s “78 Notes to Self: A Tarot Journal.” [ In This Issue ] The Fool's Journey: An Epic Tale of Courage Tarot is a story told in pictures. The story is the epic hero’s adventure. Tarot tells the archetypal tale of each one of us on our journey through life. The hero of our story is card 0, the Fool. As we trace the Fool’s journey through the Major Arcana and through the four suits of the Minor Arcana, we see many examples of courage in his story. As an exercise, look through your tarot cards in order. What stories of courage do you see there? Think about them, meditate on them, and write about them. Now think about your own life. How do your own stories relate to the stories of courage you see in the cards? [ In This Issue ] What’s Up at the Psychic Café? May 25th is designated as World Tarot Day. At Christiana’s Psychic Café I celebrated the occasion with a conversation with Olivia Destrades of First Earth Tarot. We talked about tarot and Lenormand. I particularly enjoyed our frank conversation about fortune-telling. You can watch the show in archive on my Tarot Topics community news site. On June 1st we will be talking about building tarot communities. I will be joined by Mary Ellen Collins and Diane Wilkes to discuss tarot gatherings large and small. Mary Ellen Collins is a Readers Studio attendee, and has been a member of local tarot organizations in South Florida. Diane Wilkes has been attending national and international tarot events since the very beginning, and is the organizer of the Northeastern Tarot Conclave. Both Mary Ellen and Diane are also very active in online tarot communities. We’ll discuss the importance of in-person gatherings, and share our vision for the future of our worldwide tarot community. For more information, visit the Show Info page and please like Christiana’s Psychic Café on Facebook. [ In This Issue ] Learning Tarot: Queen of Wands In the Court of the Minor Arcana, Queens can represent adult women. Queens can also represent people of any gender who are nurturers. The Queens can come up in a reading to remind us to nurture ourselves and our interests. The Queen of Wands is the Queen of Fire. She asks you to tend your fires and to nurture your passions. In a reading, the Queen of Wands can represent a woman who is creative, energetic, warm, friendly, sensual, funny and passionate. The Queen of Wands might be you, or someone you know. The Queen of Wands can encourage you to nurture your inner flame. The Queen of Wands reminds you to have a sense of humor. At the same time, the Queen of Wands invokes a sense of spirituality, and encourages your spiritual discovery. The Queen of Wands tells you not to be shy. The Queen of Wands teaches you to live out loud. Next week we will complete the suit of Wands when we meet the King! [ In This Issue ] Christiana's Trip to Connecticut This August, I will once again be traveling to New England. I will be offering Psychic House parties in Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. My travel dates are flexible at this time, but I anticipate being available in Connecticut and nearby states between August 8th and August 24th. Dates are already booking, so if you would like me to come to your home or office for a Psychic House Party in August, please call me at 561-655-1160 now! [ In This Issue ] Your One-Card Weekly Reading Your one-card reading this week is the Ace of Pentacles. If you are looking for a new job, a raise or a promotion, this is exactly the card you want to see! The Ace of Pentacles can predict new money, a new opportunity or a new career. The Ace of Pentacles can also indicate a new sense of stability, or even a new way of taking care of your health. The Ace of Pentacles is associated with the root chakra. This card reminds you that you are here for a reason. The Ace of Pentacles is the essence of the element of Earth. The card tells you that all the resources you need are available to you. This week, welcome grounding, prosperity and opportunities! [ In This Issue ] Upcoming Events Thursday, May 29, 7 pm Free Webinar Global Tarot Circle Join us for an hour of online tarot fun and fellowship. We will exchange readings, discuss card interpretations and reading technics. Anyone with an interest in tarot is welcome to attend this free online event. Log-in on your computer, smartphone or tablet, or call in by phone. For log-in information, visit the event listing on the Tarot Circle website. Sunday, June 1, 9 pm Christiana’s Psychic Café Our topic will be IRL tarot events – symposia, conferences, meetups and conventions. What’s good about them? Which are the best? Should we have more? My guests will be Mary Ellen Collins and Diane Wilkes. For more information, visit Christiana’s Psychic Café on Facebook. Thursday, June 5, 7 pm Premium Webinar Sharing Wisdom – Reading for Others Tarot hobbyists, professional readers, and those somewhere in between, all share something in common. We all want to give the best readings possible to clients, family and friends. In this online presentation, I will guide you through each step of performing a great reading. I will help you discover your personal style as a reader, and discuss some common pitfalls and ways to avoid them. I will give you insight in how to derive the most specific information possible from each reading. For registration, visit the event listing on the Continuing Education website. Sunday, June 8, 9 pm Christiana’s Psychic Café Some of my most transformative moments have come from reading fiction, and so we’ll be talking about spiritual fiction on the Psychic Café. Ambika Devi, whose new book “Lilith” has just been released, will be joining us to share her story. For more information. Visit Christiana’s Psychic Café on Facebook. [ In This Issue ]   Private readings and instruction are available by appointment. Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida. Call 561-655-1160 for more information or to schedule your event. Agent inquiries are welcome. Toll Free: 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768) Phone or Text: 561-655-1160 Tampa: 813-948-4488 Email: christiana@tarotbychristiana.com Website: tarotbychristiana.com Skype: tarot.radio