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

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

Omens Good and Bad

In celebration of Good Omens' Season 2, we are focussing on predictions in divination this week.

Today, Wednesday, July 25, John and I will leave the office uncharacteristically early. We have tickets to a cinematic screening of the first episode of Good Omens, Season 2, in Miami.

If you are unfamiliar, Good Omens is a streaming series adaptation of the book by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. It’s a comedy based on Christian mythology. It stars a delightfully not-entirely-evil David Tennant as the demon Crowley and a not-always reverent Michael Sheen as the angel Aziraphale. Together, they must team up to stop the approaching Armageddon.

Of course, I love that the title of the books and series bears a reference to divination. The word omen refers to something of prophetic significance. That is, an event regarded as a harbinger of good or evil. Omens specifically speak of the future and specifically are interpreted as either positive or negative.

This interests me because I am a tarot reader who often downplays the importance of future prediction. After all, what we do today creates the future. That means that in readings, I like to focus on the choices we have and the actions we can take. Yet sometimes, I gratefully use the gift of prognostication and understand its value.

I am also a tarot reader who prefers not to consider the cards as good or bad or the information we receive in reading as good or bad. All information is helpful.

Yet sometimes, we must face things we would prefer to avoid. There are times we are denied stuff we want and deserve.

As I get ready for a rare evening out, I consider this. I will always lean into my tarot practice as an opportunity to make empowered decisions that drive positive outcomes for my clients. At the same time, there will always be within me an old-fashioned diviner looking for the omens, both good and bad.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

The shopping opportunities are among the most anticipated features of a divination conference. Since StaarCon 2024 is fully hybrid, your chance to support our exhibitors extends beyond the weekend conference. The online expo will be open for the entire 365-day AfterGlow.

If you join us for StaarCon 2024 in person, you will notice some important improvements to your shopping experience.

As we did last year, exhibitors will be ringing two of our four classrooms. We will also have exhibitors, including readers, in the hallways. This offers more opportunities to shop and have readings with our talented exhibitors.

We will also welcome the public to our StaarCon Open House on Friday, January 19, from 5 pm to 9 pm. If you live in or near Palm Beach County and want to stop by, have a reading, and shop, you can do so without purchasing a ticket if you join us during our Open House.

Please email me if you would like to be a StaarCon 2024 exhibitor, either in person, online, or both.

Is Forewarned Forearmed?

One of the most often discussed and disagreed upon topics in the divination community is how we interpret bad omens and when and how we share that information.

I firmly believe there are no right and wrong answers in these sorts of conversations. I believe equally firmly that we all must look within and find our own answers to these difficult questions.

What are the questions? The questions all involve the admittedly dicey topic of future prediction.

First, do you believe it is possible to predict the future with divination? If so, do you believe the future is always predictable, or only sometimes? What has your experience of future prediction been? It is worth spending some time pondering this.

Next, if you read for others, do you believe the divination process will only reveal what the client is ready to hear? Or do you think that you must temper the information you give based on your estimation of their ability to hear it or your ability to deliver it?

Finally, when you read for yourself, do you ever find yourself making unwelcome future predictions for your own life? Is this helpful or unhelpful?

Finding answers to these questions will help you be a better reader for yourself and others because it will help you understand your relationship with future prediction.

The Week in Review

Did you catch our livestream class last night on Tarot Numbers? You can watch the replay to learn how the numbers of tarot help us to understand and interpret the cards.

This coming Sunday, July 30, at 5 pm ET, we will have our Zoom gathering for YouTube channel members at the Stars and Suns level. Email me if you need the link!

From Around the Web

Storm Faerywolf has reviewed Llewellyn’s new Tarot of the Vampires for The Wild Hunt. If you like vampires, you may have found your next deck.

I was curious to learn about this new online platform for tarot readings called Moonlight. Have you used it?

Hello! Magazine posted this surprisingly positive article about tarot reading. That the article is illustrated with a picture of Lenormand cards is also surprising, but perhaps just a bit on-brand for the magazine.

Closeup of a woman preparing for a tarot reading.

Creation and Divination

There is a creative divination method commonly used with Lenormand cards that can be effectively applied to tarot. The technique is to ‘activate a card’ before a reading to symbolize the subject of the reading.

For example, if you had applied for a job as a dance teacher, you might activate the Three of Cups, which often depicts people dancing, to symbolize that particular job in your career reading.

When you activate a card to mean something specific in a reading, you infuse that card with energy and intention. You are, in effect, creating a card to be an omen in your reading.

Here is a simple way to try this technique. Formulate your question and decide which card you want to activate to be the subject of your reading. Ask your question and shuffle the deck. Now, go through the deck and find your activated card. Read the cards before and after your activated card to get your answer.

Another way is to divide your deck into three piles. Look through the cards in each pile until you find your activated card. Use only that pile to pull cards for your spread.

Try activating a tarot card to create a clear and insightful divination experience.

Upcoming Events

Christiana Gaudet and Dame Darcy at StaarCon 2023.

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 30
July 26, 2023

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

Miracles and Celebrations

This is the season of miracles, and a time to celebrate!

Beach scene of Christmas candles and seaside decor with ornaments on a wooden background.

Whatever, wherever, and however you celebrate this time of year, my family and I wish you the best of the season.

The traditions we observe, the people we visit, and the things we enjoy during this time can bring a variety of feelings, including joy, contemplation, hope, nostalgia, and even grief.

We think of this as a season for miracles. Sometimes a miracle is a small moment of calm in a raging storm, sometimes a miracle is an opening for something new, sometimes a miracle is a wish fulfilled.

For me, sometimes life itself feels miraculous. At this time of year, perhaps more than any other, it is easy to see how far we have come, what has changed, and what has endured.

Celebration is as amorphous a concept as miracles. A celebration can be a formal party, a gathering of friends, or a simple private moment of appreciation.

I wish you all the miracles of the season. I celebrate your presence in my life and work.

The StaarCon 2023 Banner.

The StaarCorner

You may know Frank Kwiatkowski as my co-host on The StaarCast Variety Show. You may remember him as “The Beatles Guy” from StaarCon 2022.

At StaarCon 2023, Frank will present “Creating a Personal Sacred Tarot Practice”. This is a great session for tarot enthusiasts of all levels of experience, from beginner to adept. You will learn ways to create a personal sacred tarot practice of your own!

Plan to join us for StaarCon January 20-22, in person in West Palm Beach or online on Accelevents. Tickets are available now!

A picture of StaarCon presenter Frank Kwiatkowski.
Tarot reader performing a reading on a Christmas decoration.

Multi-Day Tarot Practices

At this time of year there are several multi-day holiday celebrations. Hanukah is eight nights. There are twelve days of Christmas, beginning December 26 and ending January 6. There are seven days of Kwanzaa, beginning December 26 and ending January 1.

It is easy to imagine a daily tarot practice during these sorts of sacred times. You could pull one card a day and focus on the card to help you understand the spiritual energy of that day.

Tarot is a natural addition to any season of celebration!

A tarot spread next to a Christmas candle and evergreen branch.

The Week in Review

Join me on my YouTube channel this evening at 7 pm for a Seasonal Tarot Celebration.

May sure you check out my recent Rant about Crystals as well.

From Around the Web

I am so excited that Benebell Wen will be publishing book called I Ching, The Oracle: A Practical Guide to the Book of Changes early in 2023. I Ching was the first divination tool I took seriously. I am sure that Benebell’s book will be fabulous! I am hoping that it will inspire me to return to some I Ching readings.

Last year, Spiral Sea Tarot shared Tarot Through the Holidays. I love seasonal tarot practices. In 2019 I shared a blogpost on Holiday Inspired Tarot Activities.

Do you still need a gift for a tarot lover on your list? Writualplanner.com has some ideas for you!

Picture of the Four of Wands tarot card from the original Rider Waite tarot deck with mixed tarot cards in the background.

Guidance on the Journey

There are two specific tarot cards I think about when I think about celebrations. They are the Three of Cups and the Four of Wands.

What are the differences and similarities of these cards?

Both can indicate gathering with friends and family. Both can indicate specific fun events. Both can speak of creativity and inspiration. Both cards can predict good fortune.

The Three of Cups can sometimes speak of over-indulgence.

The Four of Wands is the traditional card of marriage, and can indicate an engagement, a wedding announcement or invitation.

When we look at the associations for each card, we see the subtle differences between the two.

Three is the number of production. That is, something is or has been created. Cups is the element of Water, so is related to emotions and relationships.

The Three of Cups, then, can be about creating time with people who matter to you.

Four is the number of stability. Wands is related to Fire, which is creativity and passion. With the Four of Wands we can see the hearth-fire, the happy home and family.

When we look at these two cards in this way, we can see the Three of Cups perhaps referring more to gatherings with friends, while the Four of Wands might more often refer to family celebrations.

Upcoming Events

Christiana Gaudet reads for a client in the conference room.

About Christiana Gaudet

Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.

Christiana Gaudet

3559 SW Corporate Parkway
Palm City, Florida 34990-8152

Email cgaudet@cardandcraft.com
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com

Private telephone, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom and in person readings and instruction are available by appointment.

Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida.

Zoom parties and group instruction available almost everywhere!
 
Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232  x102
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Schedule online at cardandcraft.10to8.com.

Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 5 Issue 51
December 21, 2022

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

Downtime

We all need a break. We all need time to ourselves. We so often feel guilty for taking the time we need. This holiday season, let's not feel guilty for our downtime!

The modern word ‘downtime’ was coined to describe time when machines, especially a computer, is unavailable for use. In the United States, we also use that same term to describe time that people take to relax.

When speaking about computers, downtime is undesirable.

When speaking about humans, downtime feels undesirable because we are not getting things done.

But people are not machines.

We require rest, recreation, and even time to stare into space and daydream.

We sometimes call the novels we read, and the trash television we watch our ‘guilty pleasures’.

What would happen if we normalized not feeling guilty for taking some downtime?

All people need downtime. It seems to me that creative people and intuitive people especially need to take that mental space to ponder. Sometimes it feels good and necessary to simply empty the head of productive thought for a few moments. Some of our best ideas and solutions come when we aren’t trying to be brilliant.

During the holiday season we are often extra-busy. Yet, we often have some vacation time at this time of year as well. Perhaps it is not only okay, but beneficial, to spend some of that time on the couch, or in bed, or being idle wherever we are most comfortable.

The Biblical book of Proverbs provides us with the concept that the devil finds work for idle hands to do.

I believe that creating time when our minds are not busy allows the angels to bring us some healing and inspiration, often when we least expect it, but need it most.

The StaarCon 2023 banner.

The StaarCorner

Did you know that the StaarCast Variety Show is available as a podcast from your favorite podcast platform? You can also enjoy the StaarCast Variety Show in video on YouTube.

While you are there, subscribe to our YouTube channel and see interviews with StaarCon presenters past and present.

Episode 4 of the StaarCast Variety Show has just dropped. This episode features a discussion of the Fool with Ciro Marchetti, and panel discussion on favorite tarot books, and a classic tarot spread for you to learn. Watch Episode 4, or get it from your favorite podcast platform.

StaarCon 2023 is now literally just weeks away! Get your ticket to join us in person or online, for one day, two days, or for the full three-day conference.

The StaarCast Variety Show Episode 4 banner.
A girl meditates in a yoga position at home with candles and incense.

Practice and Recreation

Most spiritual practices encourage daily and/or weekly times of personal devotion. There are many daily spiritual tarot practices that include divination, meditation, study, and manifestation with the cards.

If you don’t have a daily or weekly tarot practice, you might consider committing to one for 2023.

Beyond our spiritual devotional practices, tarot can also be something we play with during our downtime.

One of the things I love about tarot is that it is as deep as the ocean, but also can be as light as a cloud. We can play with tarot as easily as we can study it and find deep meaning within it.

How do we play with tarot?

We can enjoy lighthearted readings on our own, and with friends.

We can find tarot images that appear in our world throughout the day. For example, you might see a person or an animal in a particular stance and be reminded of a certain card. Or you may hear a song that reminds you of a card. Then you can consider what meaning that card might have for you in that moment.

We can make up stories about tarot characters. We can use tarot cards to illustrate classic stories and poems. We can create a tarot card by drawing, or by using collage.

There are many ways to have fun with tarot, just as there are many ways to use tarot for deep personal growth and spiritual knowledge.

Silhouette of woman in a yoga pose on the beach at sunset.

The Week in Review

This week I started a new interview series on my YouTube channel entitled “Who Reads Tarot?”

The concept is to present people who work with tarot who are inspiringly different from the stereotypes that surround tarot and tarot readers. My first interview is with Katie Condo. Check it out!

Did you catch our livestream YouTube tarot keyword class on Monday? You can watch the replay!

From Around the Web

Metro has an end-of-year tarotscope for each of the twelve signs. Discover what life lessons you learned in 2022!

What happens when superheroes, video games and tarot collide? It seems that tarot is increasingly finding its way into pop culture!

Theresa Reed, the Tarot Lady, has a fabulous holiday gift list for all your favorite people!

A picture of the Nine of Pentacles tarot card from the original Rider Waite tarot deck with mixed tarot cards in the background.

Guidance on the Journey

Which tarot cards might talk about taking time for oneself, or for needing some rest, or some downtime?

The Four of Swords is the most obvious choice as a card that discusses rest, recovery, and retreat.

The Hermit can certainly advocate taking alone time.

The Three of Cups can advise recreation with friends.

Any reversed Wand card can speak of a need to recharge.

When we think of downtime spent in a delightful environment, while at ease with the world, I like to consider the Nine of Pentacles. In this card, the subject is alone, content with her surroundings and her activities.

Which cards speak of downtime to you?

Upcoming Events

Christiana Gaudet with her granddaughter, Aubrey Rankine.

About Christiana Gaudet

Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.

Christiana Gaudet

3559 SW Corporate Parkway
Palm City, Florida 34990-8152

Email cgaudet@cardandcraft.com
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com

Private telephone, Skype, FaceTime, Zoom and in person readings and instruction are available by appointment.

Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida.

Zoom parties and group instruction available almost everywhere!
 
Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232  x102
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Schedule online at cardandcraft.10to8.com.

Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 5 Issue 50
December 14, 2022

Read More
Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

Allowing Happiness

We can give ourselves permission to be happy without guilt. We must know that happiness can coexist with sorrow.

Beatiful mature woman in red dress

We all know so many proverbs about happiness. Some feel trite, others feel like deep wisdom. When know that happiness is an inside job. We know that happiness is the byproduct of a life well-lived. We know we have the right to pursue happiness.

One thing that is true about happiness that we do not often hear is that we must give ourselves permission to be happy. To be happy, we must allow ourselves to be happy. This can be difficult for so many reasons.

We must allow ourselves to be happy when our circumstances are not what we want them to be. We must allow ourselves to be happy as we recover from grief and loss. We must allow ourselves to be happy even if others around us are not happy.

Another truth about happiness is that it sometimes comes in single moments. We might have a moment of happiness followed by a moment of grief followed by a moment of frustration. We humans are multi-dimensional. We can hold space for many kinds of feelings all at once. Sometimes those feelings seem to contradict each other.

The way to be happy in the midst of sorrow is to allow your happiness and your sorrow to coexist within you.

Sometimes we feel guilty for allowing our own happiness. Of all the feelings we must experience, and all the feelings we should allow, guilt is usually misplaced. No matter the situation, we all deserve a few moments of happiness in our lives.

On a spiritual level, the ability to be happy in a difficult world may be a purpose of our human existence. Finding happiness is a step toward spiritual enlightenment.

The StaarCon 2023 banner

The StaarCorner

The moment you have been waiting for is here! Tickets for StaarCon 2023 are now available. You can join us in person or online. You can join us for one, two, or all three days.

On the newly updated website you can see the current list of presenters. Check back often, as we are still adding to the roster of classes and activities.

The website also gives you the opportunity to become a StaarCon sponsor or exhibitor.

It is time to make your plans and get your tickets. We cannot wait to see you in January!

StaarCon 2022 attendees at Rocco's Tacos
View of reader holding tarot cards near crystal at home

Allowing Happiness with Tarot

So often when we are upset, we will say “How can I be happy when this has happened?”

This is a perfect sort of question to ask tarot.

When you are seeking your happiness, processing grief, or dealing with upset, tell it to your cards! Ask your cards questions that will help you to process your feelings and allow happiness.

The very process of formulating questions for the cards can help you get a handle on your feelings. Contemplating the images of the cards you draw can help you understand your feelings, and access your inner joy.

Christiana uses her "card cam" on a monitor

The Week in Review

Did you catch the workshop on Tarot Birth Cards? You can find all the free live classes I have presented on YouTube in the Live Tarot Webinar playlist.
It’s a new month! Get your August Tarotscopes on my YouTube channel!

From Around the Web

Which tarot card do you think fits Wonder Woman best? Here is what one artist thought.

Here is a great tarot blogpost from Joy Vernon about tarot symbolism.

Can children read tarot? Should they? Here is what Mary Ellen Collins has to say.

Hands arrange tarot cards for a reading

Guidance on the Journey

Which tarot cards specifically speak of happiness? The Sun can be a card of joy and success. The Star and the Nine of Cups can speak of wishes fulfilled. The Three of Cups and the Four of Wands can speak of celebration. The Six of Wands speaks of Victory. The Ten of Cups can be about a happy family.

Is there a particular card that makes you think of happiness?

That so many cards can speak of things that make us happy suggests to me that there are many roads toward happiness, and many things in which we can find joy and satisfaction.

There are many flavors of happiness. The feeling of victory in the Six of Wands is very different than the party we see in the Three of Cups, for example.

When we compare and contrast the different ways happiness appears in the cards, we understand the nuances of tarot, as well as different aspects of happiness.

Upcoming Events

Christiana writing the newsletter articles on her laptop

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 31
August 3, 2022

Read More