Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
Does Everything Happen for a Reason?
How can spirituality help us process difficulty, and how can it hurt?
One of the most comforting yet also disturbing spiritual beliefs I have encountered is this.
Everything happens for a reason.
In his poignant and groundbreaking book, Man’s Search for Meaning, Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl suggests that people can survive and heal from even the most horrific events if they can find meaning in their suffering.
It could be that we conflate ‘reason’ with ‘meaning’.
I am quite sure that not every terrible thing that happens has an understandable and identifiable spiritual reason behind it. Over time, I have come to believe that suggesting that a person’s recent loss was ‘for a reason’ is both unhelpful and hurtful.
The cycles of nature in our universe can run so smoothly that it can become easy to believe that any disturbance to those cycles must be the intention of some higher power. Perhaps, sometimes, this is the case.
If we can discern a spiritual reason for our suffering, it becomes easier to forgive and heal. If no such reason is available, we can still find meaning in what has happened that will fuel our recovery.
Life is full of heartache. Perhaps the greatest meaning we derive from this is the challenge to find the beauty and joy in life, nonetheless.
The StaarCorner
On Friday, January 19, we will offer several intensive sessions at StaarCon. As you probably know, one of our goals is to teach a wide scope of topics and techniques.
This is why we are super excited that Amy Forman will be joining us to teach the art of lip-printing reading.
Whether you plan on attending in person or online, Amy will teach you how to read lip-prints for yourself and friends, casually or professionally.
We are looking forward to seeing you at StaarCon 2024!
Finding Meaning and Reason with Tarot
Very often we turn to tarot to help us process difficult things that happen. We look for the causes, both spiritual and mundane, of our difficulty.
Regardless of our own belief system, it is important to come to this process with as few assumptions and preconceived notions as possible.
One question I like to start with in this sort of reading is this.
If there is a larger spiritual reason for this happening, what is that reason?
If you ask this question and pull a few cards, you will get a clear sense of one of two things. Either the unfortunate happening is simply that, with no spiritual cause, or there is an actual spiritual purpose.
If a spiritual purpose appears, and this offers clarity and comfort, the reading might end after that single question.
If the cards do not reflect a discernible larger spiritual reason, another question should follow.
That question might be along the lines of the following.
How can I best process this difficulty?
What can I learn from this difficulty?
What gift might I find within this difficulty?
Where can I find support during this difficulty?
What is my way forward?
It is important to understand that even if we cannot see a spiritual reason for a difficulty we can still find meaning in our suffering. We can still find healing and a way forward through our spiritual practice.
It is human nature to want to find someone or something to blame for our trouble. Perhaps suffering can lead to the spiritual growth that seeks only to heal, rather than to blame.
The Week in Review
If you are a member of my YouTube channel, please join us tonight at 7 pm ET for a member’s-only livestream!
I have been lucky to receive some new decks as gifts this month. Check out my unboxing of Millennial Tarot.
From Around the Web
Here is an interesting article from Healthline. Here are eight ways that tarot can help your mental health. . . or hurt it.
Are tarot apps legit? I think in a lot of ways they can be helpful, especially for learning tarot, and for quick readings when you are on the go. Wired has a list of the best tarot apps.
Emerald Lotus Divination has an entire library of tarot spreads for your use!
Creation and Divination
There are so many ways that creativity and divination intersect. I want to see your photos, poems, and projects! If there is something tarot-related that you have created and are willing to share, please email me!
When we speak of difficult happenings, the Tower comes to mind as a symbol and warning of such occurrences. The Tower can also give us comfort and wisdom as we work to endure, survive, and heal.
Here is a poem I wrote about the Tower.
The Tower
Yielding only to flame and destiny, and rendered into dust
The Tower crumbles and begins to fall.
The fullness of its destruction is inevitable.
Torn, falling, brick by brick, and wall by wall.
Is this a metaphor for some internal shadow journey?
Or a dark harbinger of doom, or worse?
Dread curls around your spine and laughs as you relinquish hope
Abandoned, injured, the weight of flesh a curse.
Pray you learned well the Fool's lesson; to leap, with faith, in good time.
Flawed foundations rock; ominous, frightening
Welcome the collapse, raining droplets of Spirit and dirt.
No fear in the storm; raging, releasing, enlightening.
Solid stone stands no more, yet burned and broken flesh is strangely
crawling, quivering, shaking, quite alive.
Ashes swept away reveal new ground, new hope, something shining.
The victory is simply to survive.
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 20
May 17, 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
Waiting to Be Happy
Happiness is not about achieving goals, and it is not about the absence of grief. Happiness is how we perceive the moments of our lives.
One of my favorite quotations is from Eleanor Roosevelt. She said, “Happiness is not a goal...it's a by-product of a life well lived.”
I have been recently thinking about something called “destination addiction”. It is very easy to fall into the trap of say that we will be happy when we change where we live, or when we meet a great love partner, or get a new job.
It is true, of course, that home, relationships, and career can contribute greatly to our happiness or unhappiness. But it is also true that happiness is an inside job.
It is right to be proactive to create the life we want. Yet, we need to learn to be happy right here, right now.
It is important to understand that we do not have to be happy with everything that is in our life to be happy in the moment. We can enjoy a good meal, a conversation with a friend, nice weather, or our favorite song on the radio. In these things we can find happiness while we work toward our goals or deal with our grief.
So often we achieve the goal we thought would make us happy and feel let down when we arrive. The adage “wherever you go, there you are” is wise and true.
When I talk with people about these concepts, they often push back. “How can I be happy when someone I love is suffering?” “How can I be happy when I am worried about money?” “How can I be happy when I feel all alone in the world?”
We need to acknowledge our pain and grief. We need to set goals and work toward them. Yet, even in dark times there can be bright moments. The more we can see the light, the more light we have to help us find our way.
Let’s not wait to be happy. Let’s not look outside of ourselves to find what must come from within. Let’s not let what is dark keep us from seeing and enjoying what is bright.
The StaarCorner
We will be making some exciting announcements about StaarCon 2023 very shortly. For 2023, we will need a team of in-person volunteers. We need moderators, monitors, receptionists, and more! Would you like to join us in making StaarCon 2023 the very best tarot and divination conference ever? Email me!
Hybrid Minor Arcana Tarot Class
On Thursday, March 31 at 7 pm ET I am teaching a hybrid tarot class on the Minor Arcana of tarot. The class is called Minor Arcana Numbers, Elements, and Truth. You can attend in person in Palm City, or online on Zoom.
This class is great for beginners, intermediate readers, and professionals.
In this class you will learn how numerology and the Four Elements can help you find the lessons, stories, and meanings of the forty numbered Minor Arcana cards.
For more information, and to get your ticket, visit the event listing on my website.
Tarot as a Tool for Joy
We can use tarot to cultivate happiness in our lives, especially in difficult times. Simply ask tarot what you need to focus on to bring happiness in this moment and pull a card. You can even pull a few cards.
When you interpret the card(s) in the context of this question, you will have a focus, an action, or a reflection that can bring you a moment of happiness.
The more moments of happiness we have, the more we will begin to identify as being happy.
Northeastern Spring Tarot Tour
I will be in Connecticut May 26 through June 5. I will be offering private readings at True Bikram Yoga in Madison, Ct. I am available for house calls and psychic house parties throughout Connecticut. I am also able to travel to Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New York.
As always, my available time will book quickly. Please call or text me at 561-655-1160 to schedule your appointment.
I am so excited to see my northeastern friends this spring!
The Week in Review
Did you catch Global Tarot Circle on YouTube Live? You can watch the replay. In the first half we did a lot of readings, as usual. In the second half we had some great conversations about tarot cards and reading techniques.
From Around the Web
Theresa Reed, The Tarot Lady, gives us a morning tarot ritual.
Tarot.com offers a serenity tarot reading.
Guidance on the Journey
There are tarot cards that have “happiness” as a keyword. There are tarot cards that have other keywords that make us happy, such as “luck”, “power”, and “prosperity”.
There are also tarot cards that have less desirable keywords, such as “hardship”, “grief” and “loss”.
Sometimes, though, keywords do not tell the entire story.
Sometimes happy cards deliver hard messages, and sometimes unhappy cards can offer positive messages.
How can that be?
The answer is simply. Tarot reading is entirely contextual. Each card has classic keywords, interpretations, image, and associations. Yet, in a reading, any card could potentially mean a lot of things, desirable and undesirable.
We would all rather see the Sun than the Tower in a reading. Yet sometimes the Tower is what we need to see. And sometimes the Sun could describe a narcissistic partner, rather than a happy outcome.
Tarot can be a partner in the ongoing mission we all have to cultivate joy. This is true whether or not the cards show us an immediate message of happiness.
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
The Elemental Major Arcana New!
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 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 5 Issue 10
March 9, 2022
Flexibility
If we do not bend, we will surely break. Sometimes we must adjust our attitude, our budget, our plans, or our expectations.
As we begin 2022, something that is on my mind quite a bit is the concept of flexibility.
There are so many ways being flexible is helpful.
On a physical level, being able to move the body is healthy and healing. When people tell me they do not do yoga because they are not flexible, I have a very specific answer for them. If you are not flexible, you need yoga more than ever!
Flexibility is not limited to the physical, however. We need to be flexible in our thinking. We need to be flexible in our ability to adjust to changing times and circumstances.
There is an adage about flexibility. If you cannot bend, you will surely break.
The more we can adjust to changes and flow with the energy that is present, the happier and more productive we will be.
This does not mean that we should abandon adherence to loyalty, principles, and dedication. It does mean that when circumstances change, we must change with them. The more easily we do that, the better we do.
The StaarCorner
This is the last newsletter before StaarCon 2022! And the last episode of StaarCast before StaarCon features my conversation with presenter Katrina Wynne.
Watch the video or listen in wherever you catch your podcasts.
Check out the program for StaarCon.
You can enjoy StaarCon from the comfort of your home. The Accelevents Event Management Platform makes it feel like you are there, together, experiencing the conference with your friends old and new. Get you ticket and join us this weekend. If you have any questions about StaarCon, do not hesitate to call or text me at 561-655-1160.
See Me in the Tampa Bay Area
I will be in the Tampa Bay Area February 17 through February 20. During this time, I will be available for house calls and psychic house parties. I will also be taking private appointments at my AirBnB in Wesley Chapel.
To reserve your time, please call or text 561-655-1160.
Find Your Flexibility with Tarot
Sometimes, when life demands that we be flexible, we resist. Or we cannot figure out the right way to respond. When this happens, tarot can help.
Simply ask the cards, “What is my best response to this?”
Pull a few cards and see what information comes to you.
Whether you need to adjust an attitude, a budget, an expectation, or a plan, tarot can help.
Join us For a Members-Only Livestream on YouTube
On Thursday, January 27 ,7 pm to 8 pm ET, all members of my YouTube are invited to a special members-only class called “What We Know and How We Grow”.
If you are not able to join the livestream, you can watch the replay at your convenience. However, you must be a member of the channel to watch the livestream or the replay.
Bring your tarot cards, and your willingness to see how much you know about tarot, and how much you know about yourself. We will do a series of exercises designed to strengthen your tarot skills and foster personal growth and healing.
To join the livestream or watch the replay, Use this link.
Use this link for more information about membership.
The Week in Review
Did you catch my YouTube class, “The Tarot Journey for Beginners”? Watch the replay and get excited or reignited for your tarot journey.
Please follow my new TikTok @christianagaudettarot, and my Instagram @christianatarot.
For a full list of my links, check out my Linktree!
From Around the Web
Do you do yoga with YouTube? One of my favorite yoga channels is Yoga with Kassandra.
I am really looking forward to learning about The Food Healing Oracle Deck at StaarCon. Did you know they have a YouTube channel? Check it out to get a sneak peek before the conference.
Here is some great information. Read “Emotional Flexibility is the Key to Well-Being”.
Guidance on the Journey
Which tarot cards ask us to be flexible? Certainly, the Fool might tell us to expect the unexpected and run with it. The Tower warns us that we will have to endure something that will shake things up. Temperance tells us to find our balance, and to find solutions to our problems. The Hanged Man reminds us that if we cannot change our circumstance, we must change our attitude. The Wheel of Fortune reminds us that we must ride through the ups and downs of life.
Can you think of other tarot cards that speak of flexibility?
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
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 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 5 Issue 3
January 19, 2022