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
Is It You or Your Trauma?
Trauma may influence the way we behave, and the way we experience life. When we are able to heal, we let our authentic personality shine!
Is It You or Your Trauma?
“I am an anxious girl.”
“I tend to be an angry person”.
“I am very sensitive”.
“I am extremely independent”.
Have you ever noticed that we often mistake trauma responses for personality?
When we look at who we are and how we act, how much of what we see is truly who we are, and how much is our trauma?
When we look at the people around us, do we really know who they are, at heart, or do we know them by the behaviors that were shaped by their trauma?
We all have trauma in our history. For some, that trauma is egregious and tragic. For others, the traumas may have been slight enough to be forgotten. Yet, those traumas, little or big, can shape how we present ourselves to the world, and how we act and react.
Sometimes trauma calls us to do our best. Perfectionists, altruists, leaders, and caregivers are often shaped by trauma. Sometimes trauma responses get in the way of our success and happiness.
There are many ways to separate our true selves from our trauma responses. The first step is always to recognize that who you are and the way that you feel and act may be two separate things.
Getting to the core of who you are is a journey of self-discovery. Therapy, journaling, divination, and contemplation are all ways of figuring out the true essence of yourself. From there, you can discover the trauma responses that get in the way of living your most authentic life, and work on healing and releasing them.
If you claim your trauma response as your personality, you are losing the opportunity to know and be your most authentic self.
The StaarCorner
StaarCast, our podcast and YouTube show, is back with a twist! You can watch the first episode of The StaarCast Variety Show on YouTube. The podcast will be available within the next few weeks.
The StaarCast Variety Show is hosted by Frank Kwiatkowski and Christiana Gaudet. The first episode features an interview with StaarCon 2023 presenter Arwen Lynch-Poe, a review of Dark Wood Tarot, a new tarot spread to try, and a fun tarot guessing game.
Each episode of the StaarCast Variety Show will include interesting tarot and divination topics, and introduce you to members of our StaarCon community.
Make sure you mark your calendar for January 20-22, and plan to attend StaarCon 2023 either in person in West Palm Beach, or online on Accelevents.
Find Yourself in Tarot
There are many ways to find and understand yourself with tarot. You can find your birth cards and see how those cards reflect who you are. You can find cards that are associated with your astrological chart and see what those cards say about you.
You can simply look through the deck and find the image that you most enjoy and think about what that says about who you are.
I like to do a single-card reading by asking the question, “Who am I at this moment?”.
You can also try a two-card spread to explore the differences between your personality and your trauma response. Simply pull one card for the personality and one card for the trauma response and see what you learn about yourself.
The ways to explore yourself with tarot are endless. Use your creativity and imagination to discover new ways to find yourself in the cards.
The Week in Review
The YouTube workshop, Tarot and Anxiety, discussed many important topics, including why the cards can sometimes make us anxious, and what to do about that. You can watch the replay and learn some important techniques for using tarot in a way that is healing, rather than anxiety-producing.
If you are a member of my YouTube channel and missed our Members-Only Livestream this week, you can enjoy the replay at your convenience.
Tomorrow, Thursday, join us on YouTube to discover your tarot birth cards, and what those cards say about who you are.
From Around the Web
This interview with Theresa Reed shares some ideas for using tarot to heal trauma.
Here is a blogpost about using tarot to recover from childhood trauma.
Here is a download to help you use tarot for self-discovery.
Guidance on the Journey
In our YouTube workshop on Tarot and Anxiety, many people said that the disturbing images in tarot caused upset when they appeared in a reading.
There was consensus about which cards people found disturbing. Many cards from the suit of Swords made the list, as well as the Five of Pentacles, the Devil, and the Tower.
One of the things we discussed in the workshop is that each of these disturbing cards offers an opportunity for healing.
To heal from trauma, either recent or in the distant past, we must first see that trauma and acknowledge it. One of the ways trauma makes itself known to us is through those disturbing tarot cards. When a disturbing tarot card appears, we have an opportunity to understand and confront our trauma.
The first question to ask yourself is why that particular image disturbs you. What is your reaction to the image, or the keywords you associate with that card? How have those feelings shown up in your life before? Does this image remind you of something you have experienced?
A negative reaction to a tarot card can be a doorway into self-exploration.
A card with a disturbing image can help us confront the difficult things in a current situation, or from the past.
The next time you see a card that disturbs you, explore it with curiosity rather than with fear. Use the image to understand yourself better, and to confront what has hurt you in the past.
Upcoming Events
Card and Craft Academy
Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Personal Tarot: Reading for Yourself
Sharing Wisdom: Reading for Others
The Meaning and Magic of Tarot Reversals
Journey Through the Major Arcana
Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana: Numbers, Elements and Truth
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends
Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships
Fearless Wisdom Tarot Workshop
Tarot Keywords and Interpretations Workshop
Tarot Spreads Tools and Techniques Workshop
Tarot for Magic and Mediumship
Tarot Communication for Clarity and Depth
Weaving the Tarot Reading Story
Minor Arcana Numbers, Elements, and Truth
Create and Interpret Custom Tarot Spreads
What the Court Cards Want You to Know
Catch up on your missed Zoom webinars and more!
cardandcraftacademy.com
About Christiana Gaudet
Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.
Christiana Gaudet
3559 SW Corporate Parkway
Palm City, Florida 34990-8152
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com
Private telephone, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom and in person readings and instruction are available by appointment.
Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida.
Call or text toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Agent inquiries are welcome.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 5 Issue 30
July 27, 2022
We Are Always Evolving
We are always enrolled in the school of life.
We Are Always Evolving
We can never stop learning and changing.
When my son came home from his first day of kindergarten, he told us that he had a good day at school but was glad that he was finished. Finished? We laughed and told him that he had only just begun. Somehow, in the excitement of that first day of school we had not communicated to him that his education would be a daily and ongoing process. More than twenty years later, he is still in school now!
I think sometimes we adults forget that we must always be learning and evolving. Whether we are studying something in a formal way, learning a new hobby, or simply evolving the way we operate on the planet, we are enrolled in the school of life for our entire lives.
So much of this process of personal evolution is self-reflection. This is not about becoming self-absorbed, it’s about coming to a place of self-understanding and self-acceptance. This can be a very difficult process, because so often we have spent our lives trying to become the person that other people want us to be, rather than discovering who we really are!
It’s natural, too, that as we grow, we change. We change our goals, and even, to some extent, our values and our beliefs. There can be a bit of a cultural disconnect here. Some people seem to feel that there is honor in hanging on to outmoded beliefs or disproven ideas. They even couch this unwillingness to grow and change as some sort of spiritual virtue.
I believe that, in many ways, our emotional and spiritual wellbeing depends on our ability to think critically and shed the old beliefs that no longer work for us. We must adopt new ways of finding our enlightenment. Without growth and change, we become stuck and stagnant.
There should be no shame in changing one’s mind. There should be no resistance to evolving one’s views. There should only be joy in embracing something new and releasing something that has stopped working.
The question is, how can we find time in our busy lives to embrace constant growth, learning and evolution? When we can, finding time to take classes, read a book, meditate and make new friends is helpful. When we can’t, simply observing our feelings and reactions without shame and judgement is a good start. If we can truly see ourselves and be honest with ourselves, and be loving toward ourselves, we will always be open to personal change. We will always be evolving into the next best version of who we are.
New Office Opening November 1!
Please plan to have a reading with me in my new office, anytime November 1 or after. Card and Craft, Inc.’s new headquarters will have a larger conference room, a lovely lounge area, some retail space, and, of course, a private and comfortable reading room. Get your friends together for an in-office psychic party!
I am in the process of planning some wonderful events for our community to enjoy in this new space that will be more than simply an office, it will be a spiritual community center!
The new office, in Parkway Plaza, is just a few miles away from the Westbridge Building where we have happily worked for the past three years. It’s closer to I-95 and Florida’s Turnpike, and closer to Panera Bread where we hold our monthly meetups!
Of course, if you would like to see me in October, I will be happy to accommodate you in my current office, right up until moving day!
Self-Reflection Divination
Self-reflection is one of the most noble and helpful goals of divination. Whether working with oracle cards, tarot cards or other sorts of random token divination, when we set self-reflection as the goal, our tools can act as a mirror to help us see ourselves more clearly.
The question becomes, how can we use our tools in this way?
Here are two exercises to try. The first is a single-card reading, the second is a four-card spread.
Who Am I Right Now?
Simply ask the question, “Who am I right now?” and pull a card. Spend some time meditating on the card and working to see how this card reflects you. Try to make a spoken or written sentence with the card by saying, “Right now I am a person who is…” and complete the sentence using what you see in the card.
Four Cards for Personal Evolution
Try this four-card spread for self-reflection and creating a focus for positive personal change.
Card One: Who I am now.
Card Two: Who I am becoming.
Card Three: What I need to release in order to evolve.
Card Four: What I need to embrace in order to evolve.
The Week in Review
I am so happy that the brand-new magazine, The Esotoracle, has published its first issue, which includes an article from me! You can order a print copy or read it online.
Check out my new blogpost on shifting your perspective on tarot and life, published on my community blog.
Monday’s Three-Card Weekly Reading was very interesting. You can check it out in archive on Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram.
By now, you probably know that I am moving my Palm City office to a new, larger building. You can read the announcement blog on my website for more information.
From Around the Web
Here are some great tarot games from James Ricklef. We will have to try some of these at our tarot meetups!
From Backpackerverse, here is “How to Use Tarot as a Tool for Self-Reflection and Meditative Therapy”.
Here is another self-reflection tarot spread for you to try.
Tarot Tells the Story: A Tarot Class
On Sunday, November 24,from 4 to 6 pm, join me in the new office at 3559 SW Corporate Parkway, Palm City Florida 34990 for an exciting and insightful tarot class appropriate for readers of all levels of experience.
Tarot Tells the Story will cover the nuances necessary to give a great reading. Topics included will be Court cards, reversals, card combinations, trends and blends and tarot spreads.
You will learn to weave the card meanings together to create a cohesive story.
Bring a tarot deck or purchase one at the class.
Class fee is $37.50. You must pre-register on Eventbrite or by calling 561-655-1160.
Image from Spiral Tarot by Kay Steventon, Copyright 1997 by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Used with permission.
Cards for Your Consideration
This week let’s consider Major Arcana 15, The Devil, from Spiral Tarot by Kay Steventon.
The Devil is certainly a challenging card. In a reading this card can indicate addiction and unhealthy behavior.
Yet, the Devil is also the gatekeeper on the journey toward spiritual enlightenment. The Devil asks us to see ourselves as we are, to acknowledge our shadow selves. That’s why I particularly like this image.
Here, we see that the Devil is holding a mirror. The person looking into the mirror doesn’t want to see herself, but she must.
Without honest self-reflection, there can never be growth or enlightenment.
Perhaps the most egregious flaw the Devil can show us is our unwillingness to face and embrace our flaws.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 43
October 23, 2019
Tarot by Christiana Weekly Newsletter 1/15/2014
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In the Waite version, the Devil holds two human captives, but their hands are free and the chains around their necks are loose. The humans can leave whenever they want, yet they continue their slavery.
Your one-card reading this week is the Four of Wands.
On February 8th at 2:30 pm I will make a rare personal appearance in South Florida at the home of Pearl Rauberts in Loxahatchee.
Sunday, January 19, 9 pm
Please join us for a 75-minute-long webinar about the Four Elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water) and the Minor Arcana of the Tarot.
Sunday, January 26, 9 pm
