Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
Six is the First Perfect Number
This week we take a deep dive into the power and meaning of the number Six.
Welcome to Volume 6, Issue 6 of the Tarot Topics Weekly Newsletter. Given the sixes this week, I thought it would be fun to do a deep dive into the number Six, and its meaning in different traditions, as well as in tarot.
To be honest, whenever I think of the number Six, I think first of the poem, Now We Are Six, from the book of the same name by A.A. Milne, the creator of Winnie the Pooh. I still have that poem memorized. While I doubt the author had the divinatory study of numbers in mind when he wrote it, the poem does a good job giving some possible basic meanings for the six numerals, ending with, “But now I am six, I'm as clever as clever. So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.”
The Pythagoreans felt that Six symbolized high ideals.
They also pointed out that Six is the first perfect number. Mathematically, a perfect number is a positive integer that equals the sum of its proper divisors, excluding the number itself. Six is the lowest of these perfect numbers, and therefore the first.
Perhaps there are metaphysical ways in which Six is also the first perfect number. When I was first learning tarot, I learned Three as the number of first fruits, Four as the number of comfort and safety, Five as the number of expansion, and Six as the number of victory. From this perspective, Six would be the first number to express complete success.
In Kabbalah, Six is Tiphereth, or Beauty. The Chaldeans heralded the number Six as caring and giving.
When we dig into the meanings of the number Six in different traditions, we find some common themes emerge. Those themes include family, nurturance, connections, and reciprocity.
This, along with the concept of victory as I first learned, is helpful to consider when we look at the Six cards in tarot.
The Lovers, of course, is a card about relationships. The Six of Cups is about our childhood, and our relationship with the past. The Six of Pentacles is about sharing, the Six of Swords is about forward motion, and the Six of Wands is about victory after battle.
Within each of these cards we can find beauty, connections, family, victory, and, in each, a certain kind of perfection.
If Six is your birth number, or life path number, you are likely to be a nurturing and caring person, and one who works to build connections to friends, family, and community.
In all systems of divination, I am fascinated by the unlikely but perfect marriage of science and myth, logic and intuition, systems and random. We can see the relationships of diviner and tool, human and spirit, and reader and querent in the number Six as well, and in all the Six tarot cards.
The StaarCorner
This week there are lounge events on February 11, 12, 13, and 14. If you are a StaarCon 2023 ticketholder you have access to the lounge events. Don’t miss this chance to spend some time with your StaarCon friends, and learn from your StaarCon presenters!
If you have a ticket and have not yet logged into Accelevents, log in now, watch replays of classes, and enjoy the lounge events. If you have any trouble logging in, please reach out to me at 561-655-1160 and I will help you get started.
The AfterGlow ends February 21 at 7 pm. Please get as much as you can out of this time of learning, shopping, and interaction.
Tarot Exercise with the Tarot Sixes
Here is a way to get to know the tarot Sixes a bit better. There are six (no kidding) tarot cards associated with the number Six. Take them out of your deck. They are The Lovers, The Devil, the Six of Swords, the Six of Wands, the Six of Cups, and the Six of Pentacles.
In the lead article in this newsletter, we learned a few keywords associated with the divinatory meaning of the number Six. Look at each of these cards and determine the ways in which the following keywords describe each of these cards.
Relationships
Connections
Beauty
Victory
Can you find each of these keywords in each of these cards?
The Week in Review
This week I uploaded two new recorded videos to my YouTube channel, one for everyone and one for members only. The all-access video is a collective reading and tarot spread for the coming spring. The members-only video is about ways to use tarot for personal healing.
Tonight, Wednesday, February 8, join us at 7 pm ET for a live class on using tarot cards with oracle cards.
Did you get your February TarotScopes yet?
From Around the Web
StaarCon presenter Marion Kirk has shared a great new blogpost about saying ‘no’ as a tarot reader. If you read for others, either casually or professionally, you need to see this!
The first Tarot Blog Hop of 2023 is out! It’s wrangled by Kimberly Essex. You can check out the theme, and then follow the master list to see what five tarot bloggers had to say about the topic of beginning again.
Of course, it had to happen, and Teen Vogue has the story. There is a new tarot deck inspired by Taylor Swift called The Taylor Tarot!
Creation and Divination
Do you have a way of expressing your creativity that involves divination? Send me your poems, your art, your stories, and your crowdfunding links!
This week I will share poems that I wrote for two of the four Minor Arcana Six cards. Where or not one is a good poet, the act of writing about each card strengthens our understanding of the card, and our connection to the energy of the card.
Six of Cups
The journey back home before journey’s end
Memories shared, a reunion of friends.
Honored history and those who have passed
Looking with longing at what didn’t last.
When the sweetness of youth joins the great march of time
Some things will decay, but some things still shine.
Six of Swords
Silent on the waters slipping into the black night
An angel guides this journey toward the distant shore's true light.
Rising above turbulence with intent both calm and clear
Higher thought commands this boat, and the stars by which to steer.
Navigation born of science, and logic points the way
Leaving stormy seas behind as you sail toward the new day.
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
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 6
February 8, 2023
Always a Journey
This week I share some thoughts as I travel throughout the Northeast on Tarot Tour. Life is always a journeys and never a destination.
We use the word ‘journey’ to talk about travel. We also use this word to discuss a metaphoric journey, such as our educational journey or our journey with an illness.
Poets, philosophers, and songwriters have written about life as a journey.
I think this is a good way to think about life. Rather than cataloging our mistakes and heartbreaks, we can see each difficulty and each joy as an important part of our journey.
Ralph Waldo Emerson is credited with the well-known expression, “life is a journey, not a destination”. While setting goals is good, the only goal we are sure we will meet is to be present on the journey.
When we remember that life is always a journey, we remember that travel is sometimes arduous, sometimes smooth, sometimes fun, and sometimes educational. We can be prepared for whatever we might encounter on the road ahead.
See Me in the Tampa Bay Area
I will be in the Tampa Bay Area June 23 through June 27. During that time, I am available for house calls, psychic house parties, and private sessions by appointment at my AirBnB in Wesley Chapel.
We will have a tarot meetup at Panera Bread in Lutz at 3 pm on Sunday, June 26. I hope you will plan to join us if you are in the area!
For more information, and to schedule your session with me, please call or text 561-655-1160.
The StaarCorner
We are excited to welcome Arwen Lynch-Poe, the Professional Joy Seeker, to StaarCon 2023 as a presenter. Arwen’s tarot journey began in 1985 with one deck. Now Arwen is a tarot consultant, medium, psychic, writer, teacher, and more. Arwen has authored many decks including the Fairy Tale Lenormand, Secrets of the Mystic Grove, the Gift of Tarot Pack of Three Envelopes, Elle Qui, Practical Tarot Wisdom, Bianco Nero Tarot, the Field Guide to Garden Dragons, and Gentle Creatures Wisdom Deck.
Arwen will be presenting an interactive tarot workshop to help readers of all levels of experience find deeper meaning in their tarot interpretations.
Mark your calendar now for StaarCon 2023, January 20 through 22.
The Fool’s Journey is Your Journey
When we learn tarot, we often speak of the cards as “The Fool’s Journey”. This term was coined by Eden Gray in the late 1960s. The concept that the Fool is the star of the story told by tarot, and the other seventy-seven cards represent the experiences and lessons along the Fool’s Path is now considered a primary way of understanding tarot.
We can learn a lot about our own journeys in life by studying the Fool’s journey.
Sometimes divination and study can go hand in hand.
Shuffle your tarot deck. Ask for a card that helps you understand something about your journey in life. Pull one card at random. Think about what the Fool learns from that card. Then consider how that card makes sense on your own journey.
Join Me for Tarot Class on Sunday
It has been a long time since we have gathered for a tarot class at True Bikram Yoga! Join me on Sunday, June 5, at 6:30 pm for Techniques for Tarot Healing at True Bikram Yoga, 1347 Boston Post Road, Madison, Connecticut, or on Zoom.
Bring a tarot deck or borrow one at the workshop.
For tickets and more information, call True Bikram Yoga at (203) 350-0343 or visit their website.
The Week in Review
This week I have been on my journey. That is, my Northeastern Tour. I am so grateful to everyone who is hosting host parties, and everyone who has come to see me at True Bikram Yoga in Madison.
I will be here through June 5. Please reach out to schedule your in-person session in Connecticut, or you session by phone, Skype, FaceTime, Messenger or Zoom.
I will be back in my Palm City office June 7.
From Around the Web
Here is a Spiritual Journey Tarot Spread from Emerald Lotus.
Ryan Hanley has some thoughts on the journey of life.
If you have never studied The Fool’s Journey in tarot, here is a place to start.
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
Can tarot cards that traditionally reference travel also be interpreted to represent the journey through life, or any metaphoric journey? I would say yes, though some more than others.
For me, the Chariot is a card that often indicates travel. All four Knights can speak of travel as well. The World can speak of international travel.
Traditionally, some people see the Six of Swords as travel, as well as the Eight of Cups. I am less likely to interpret those cards as a literal trip.
The card that most often will speak to me of the journey of life, or a metaphoric journey, is the Fool.
Which cards often speak to you of travel? Which cards indicate a need to view life as a journey, or to focus on a metaphoric journey? How much overlap exists for you between these groups of cards?
When it comes to how the cards speak to each of us, we all have our own personal relationship with each card. Yet, we will all have cards in our personal tarot vocabulary that reference each aspect of life. Literal travel and metaphoric journeys are often themes in tarot readings, even if the cards that express these things may differ from reader to reader.
When we discuss literal travel in a reading, we might be predicting a vacation, or a business trip. When we discuss a metaphoric journey we may be using the cards to help frame a chapter in life in order to find ways to cope, or ways to make the most of a specific undertaking.
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 22
June 1, 2022
You'll Never Walk Alone
Inspiration from one of my favorite songs.
You’ll Never Walk Alone
What we can learn from a seventy-five-year-old song that is still popular today.
Those who know me know how much I love music. One of my favorite songs has a really interesting history. “You’ll Never Walk Alone” was written in 1945 by Rogers and Hammerstein for the musical “Carousel”. Today it is the theme song of the Liverpool Football Club. It’s been covered by many musicians over the past seventy-five years. Mark Knopfler plays a few lines of it on his newest album.
Beyond its longevity and versatility, I love the message of this song. The lyrics, in part, say,
“Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown.
Walk on, walk on
With hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone.”
Whether we see this as a reference to friendship or spiritual guardianship, it is certainly a reference to resilience.
That the song itself has been so resilient over time adds to its power and message for me.
Resilience is one of the most important characteristics for us to cultivate, I think. That’s because life never fails to throw us curve balls. Whatever sort of storms we might face, when we face them with hope and faith, we get through them more easily. No matter how powerful the difficulty, our own power is increased when we are able to conquer the challenge and move past it.
Many of us use divination to help navigate difficult times in life. Sometimes divination can give us a warning that forearms us. Sometimes divination can give us strategy to circumvent or mitigate a difficulty.
Often, when things are hard, we feel we are all alone. The message of resilience in this song is coupled with a message of faith that we are never truly alone. We are not alone in our suffering, and we are not alone in life.
In many ways, our greatest strength comes from our love of each other, and the way we experience love from nature, our higher power, and loved ones in spirit.
When times are hard, we especially need to tune in to that energy of love, and remember that, no matter how alone we may feel in the moment, we are never truly alone in our misery. And, no matter what storm we face, there will always be an end to the storm, and a new dawn that follows.
Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana: Numbers, Elements and Truth
Don’t miss this premium class to be held in my conference room in Palm City, Florida, on Sunday, September 15th from 4 to 6PM.
In this in-person 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 size is limited. Class fee is $37.50. You must be registered in order to attend. Register online today with Eventbrite.
The Challenge of Divining Just How Bad It Will Be
When you know something difficult is heading your way, the challenge in divination is to figure out the degree of difficulty you are about to face. Just how bad will what is coming turn out to be?
When you are in need of this sort of divination, there are a few things to consider.
First, your mindset is very important. You must take your mind to a place of spiritual neutral. If you divine in fear, everything will look worse than it is. If you divine in hope, everything will look falsely optimistic. Release your attachment to outcome in order to get the most accurate results.
Second, it can be a good idea to consider the logical possibilities. You can think of it as DEFCON levels, with 4 being the least problematic and 1 being the worst. Or, you can think of it as hurricane categories with 1 being the easiest and 5 being the worst. The truth is, many difficult things in life, from cancer to pain to earthquakes, are staged numerically.
When you look at your situation, what are the possible stages, and how do you rate them from best to worst? Once you have that figured out you can pull one card for each stage. From there you can judge which stage you are likely to encounter and use the messages of the cards that appear to give you strategic advice.
If you are working with tarot and tend to honor reversals, let the reversal of difficult cards indicate a lessening or mitigation of the problems the card describes.
If what you see for yourself or your client is a worst-case scenario, follow up with a divination on how to prepare, how to mitigate, and what the lessons and redeeming factors might be.
If what you see is a best-case scenario, follow up with a question such as, “What else do I need to know or do?”
Divination can be very valuable in difficult times. With divination, we can plan our responses, mitigate what’s coming, and find spiritual strength to sustain what can’t be avoided.
The Week in Review
This week I shared a follow-up post to my popular cord-cutting ritual post from 2013. If you tried a cord-cutting and it didn’t work, here are some things you need to know.
I have received so much positive feedback from my Three-Card Weekly Readings, which I do every Monday on Facebook Live. If you happen to miss the livestream, you can always catch the weekly reading on my YouTube channel, or on my Facebook business page.
From Around the Web
It’s a new month! As always, we can count on the Tarot Lady, Theresa Reed, for your monthly forecast!
This article from the New York Times discusses ways that tarot and astrology are intersecting with traditional psychotherapy.
How did a song from the musical “Carousel” become the theme song for the Liverpool Football Club? Liverpool band Gerry and the Pacemakers had a hit with it in 1963. Some things are just timeless.
Image from Spiral Tarot by Kay Steventon, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Copyright 1997, Used by permission.
Cards for Your Consideration
This week let’s consider the Six of Swords from Spiral Tarot by Kay Steventon.
Aleister Crowley called this the card of ‘Science’. A. E. Waite’s image shows the figures sailing toward smoother waters.
In the Spiral Tarot image, we see an angel guiding the journey. The hooded figure is dejected as the boat sails forward, and the skies are dark. Yet, the person is not alone. His heavenly companion shows the way and ensures the safety of his passage. A light in the distance beckons.
Often this card will appear to let us know that, despite a difficult time, we will survive and move forward. We will have guidance, and spiritual comfort. Things are improving as we sail toward a new day.
The Six of Swords does not offer an easy transition. Yet, this card reminds us that we are supported and guided as we move through our difficulty.
Events and Tour Dates
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 36
September 4, 2019
Tarot Topics 10/22/2014: Synchronicity
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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.
Your one-card reading this week is the Queen of Wands. 
