Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
Season's Greetings
It's been a great year!
My family and I wish you a very happy holiday, and wonderful things for the New Year.
It has been my pleasure to know you and work with you this year.
I am grateful for you, and for the opportunity to serve you.
I am planning some great classes and events for 2020, and something very special for 2021, so I look forward to seeing and working with you in the future
Thank you for being part of my life and work. May all the blessings of the season and the New Year be yours.
Radical Kindness
This week we explore the importance of kindness.
Radical Kindness
Our very successful Holiday Open House got me thinking about kindness and generosity. Radical kindness, revolutionary generosity; you know what I mean. The open-hearted, open-handed kindness that can be hard to do, but always gives back in return.
When I look for volunteers for my Holiday Open House I am always astounded by the generosity of people in our community. There are those who sign up to volunteer as readers, healers and hosts. There are those who are there as attendees but pitch in to help above and beyond the call of duty when the need arises.
This year I actually had more readers wanting to work with us than I had space to seat them! That says everything about the kindness that is rampant in our community, in the hearts of spiritual people.
I always run into a few readers who aren’t happy at the idea of working for free at a charity event. I think those few haven’t learned a particular aspect of how energy works. When we are kind and generous and give freely, good things come back to us in abundance.
It’s important not to confuse kindness with allowing people to take advantage of us. There are always those who will try to manipulate us, and who take our kindness for weakness.
Sometimes, the most generous thing we can do is have good boundaries, and the kindest thing we can say is ‘no’.
It’s important to remember that kindness never comes out of guilt. If we are doing something nice because we feel guilty, or will feel guilty if we don’t, we need to examine our motivations, and our relationships.
In our day-to-day lives there are specific things we can do to practice radical kindness. First and foremost, very often the kindest thing we can do is to refrain from judging others harshly. When we see someone who is struggling, rather than reacting with anger, scorn or ridicule, the kindest thing is often to recognize that we don’t know their situation, and they are probably doing the best they can in the moment.
We might not always be able to help a struggling person. Yet, a prayer, a smile, or a pleasant word can go a long way, and is so much better than holding judgment and resentment.
Even when it is healthiest for us to keep someone at a distance, it is a kindness to ourselves, and to them, if we keep that distance with an energy of love in our hearts.
Sometimes the kind thing is to say ‘yes’ to something. Sometimes the kind thing is to hold a boundary. Radical kindness is not only about what we do, it’s about the energy with which we do it.
Returning Light Tarot Spread
On Sunday, December 22, we will have our longest night and shortest day. After that, the light half of the year begins. At the time of the winter solstice we think of bringing light to our hearts, and to the hearts of others. This fits in well with the theme of kindness.
Using a tarot deck, or other oracle deck, try this simple three-card spread in honor of the winter solstice, and the returning of the light.
Card One: Something I learned in the past six months.
Card Two: A way I can welcome light into my heart.
Card Three: A way I can bring light to others.
The Week In Review
You can read about our Holiday Open House, and see pictures and videos, on my Community Blog.
Find You Three-Card Weekly Reading archived on my YouTube channel.
From Around the Web
My friend Kassia is a healer. Check out her new website!
Benebell Wen has given us a retrospective of the last decade of tarot.
Here’s a great personal story of how tarot helps us find truth and right action in our lives.
Cards for Your Consideration
This week let’s contemplate the Minor Arcana Sixes. Often the number Six can be about service to others, which speaks of kindness. The number Six is also associated with the solstices since the solstices divide the light and dark halves of the year, each six months long.
Keywords for the tarot Sixes are service, glory and victory. Let’s see if we can find the energy of kindness in these four cards.
In the Six of Pentacles, of course, we see charity and sharing that comes from success. Of all seventy-eight cards, the Six of Pentacles is one that speaks most of kindness.
The Six of Wands is typically associated with victory after battle. In the context of kindness, this card may remind us to celebrate another person’s victory, and to wish success for others.
The Six of Swords often speaks about the need for logic, and the ability to move toward better times. It’s interesting to note that in many images of the Six of Swords we see a character who is helping by steering or paddling the boat. Perhaps, in this context, the Six of Swords could offer the opportunity to shepherd those in need toward a better destiny.
In the Six of Cups we see often see two children, one making a gift of flowers to the others. In that image, we see the kindness of giving. Typically, this card is about the past; our memories, nostalgia, and connection from the past. When we consider and honor past sacrifices and traumas, we do a kindness to ourselves and others.
We can see kindness, and the need for kindness, in most of the seventy-eight cards. Perhaps, though, the energy of kindness is particularly evident in the Sixes.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 51
December 18, 2019
Happy or Not
Acknowledging our feelings, whether positive or negative, is an important step toward healing.
Happy or Not
Not everyone is happy during the holidays. Sometimes the many references to joy and glad tidings can make people feel worse, not better.
There is something in our culture that people refer to as ‘toxic positivity’. Not just during the holidays, but at any time of the year, there are those who try to police emotions, and feel that the only emotions we should have are happy ones.
This is especially so in spiritual communities who over-zealously believe that we attract the energy we cultivate. The belief is, if we are happy, we attract happy things, if we are sad, we attract more sadness. There can be some truth to this. Yet, like all things, it is a truth best applied in moderation.
I believe in the power of positivity. I believe that optimism is healthy and helpful. Yet, I also know that we need to be authentic in our feelings, even if our feelings are not so positive. To shame ourselves or others for feeling down is hurtful, and ends up making everyone feel worse.
It’s often easier to heal when we acknowledge our hurt, rather than trying to mask or deny it.
Sometimes, when someone we care about is sad, our goal shouldn’t be to ‘cheer them up.’ Rather, our goal should be to acknowledge and hold space for their feelings.
There is a difference between being authentic in grief and sadness and being a victim. Sometimes people hang on to their grief and refuse to heal. I think it is that behavior that positivity enthusiasts like me want to call attention to and heal. When we live in grief and victimhood, we often create more grief for ourselves and others. When we authentically experience our full range of emotions without judgement, we have an easier time working through the difficult feelings and getting back to a more positive attitude.
It’s also possible to feel a wide range of emotions in a single day, or even in a single hour. When we are in a place of grief, we still have room for positive feelings interspersed in between our moments of pain.
Sometimes we feel guilty for feeling happy during difficult times, or for feeling sad during happy times. I think we do better when we acknowledge our feelings, and the feelings of those we love, without judgment.
During the holidays, we often get stressed by the extra demands on our time and resources, along with expectations that things be a certain way. I think we have more fun and joy when we can experience our gatherings and events by simply being present in the moment, and in the season.
Holiday Open House This Sunday
This Sunday, from 12 to 6 pm, will be our annual Holiday Open House. Please make plans to stop by anytime during our open hours with your donations of nonperishable food items. Bring a holiday treat for the snack table and enjoy some holiday cheer! Have free mini readings with our staff of talented readers who volunteer their time and skill for this event.
We even have a reader, Steve Homesack AKA Fast Horse, flying in from Pennsylvania to volunteer with us!
The Open House has been a tradition of mine for decades. It started in Putnam, Connecticut. For many years I was the only reader. Then, I asked students and friends to join me.
Now, I enjoy hosting the event and letting my students, friends and colleagues share and develop their skills.
I’ve held the Holiday Open House in six different locations in Connecticut and two in Pennsylvania. This will be my fifth location in Florida, and the first time in my new Palm City office.
You can see some pictures and read about some past Open Houses on my website. Here are pictures from 2010 in West Palm Beach, 2015 in Lutz, and 2016 and 2017 in Palm City.
Here is the write-up for last year’s event.
Please, be part of my special holiday tradition and join us on Sunday, from 12 to 6, at my new office at 3559 SW Corporate Parkway, Palm City. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call or text at 561-655-1160.
Healing with the Dark Cards
While I believe that all tarot cards can mean welcome or unwelcome things in readings, it is true that some cards have happier images and tend to carry more positive messages. Often people fear working with tarot because they fear the messages in those darker cards. Truly, when we see a dark card in a reading, or when we choose to contemplate and meditate with a dark card, we have a real opportunity to heal.
When we receive a dark card in a reading, we can use the image as a jumping-off point in a healing journey. We can ask ourselves (or the cards) questions such as, ‘How does this image reflect my feelings and experiences?’ and ‘How can I tell my story differently to change what this looks like for me?’ and ‘What will my life look like when I am able to process this differently?’ and ‘What lessons can I learn from this?’
We can also feel a sense of validation that the universe sees and acknowledges our pain.
In contemplation and meditation, we can look at the image and imagine changing the image to reflect healing. The act of mentally removing the swords from the Three of Swords, for example, can be incredibly freeing and healing.
One of the reasons tarot is so powerful is that it reflects every aspect of life. Life, in all its aspects, is a miracle. Tarot can teach us to appreciate the miracle of life even when we are in pain and grief. Tarot does that by using the darker cards to expose our pain and offering solutions for survival and recovery.
The Week in Review
This week I shared a video with a sample tarot reading using Ciro Marchetti’s new Encore Tarot!
Did you catch Your Three-Card Weekly Reading on Facebook Live? If not, you can watch it on my YouTube Channel.
From Around the Web
New York Magazine shared a gift list for astrologers! I bet tarot readers would like these gifts as well.
Do you change tarot decks as the seasons change? If so, you might be interested in these tarot decks selected specifically for winter.
Christine-Claire Mallet is a French-speaking tarot reader who has shared her first post in English. Check out her blog, and learn more about this multilingual tarot artist!
Cards for Your Contemplation
This week let’s try a tarot exercise for your contemplation. Look through your tarot deck and remove all the cards that strike you as scary, dark or negative.
Now, look at each one of these cards deeply, and ask yourself the following questions.
How does this card make me feel?
Why does this card make me feel this way?
Does this card remind me of something going on in my life, past or present?
Does this card reflect something about me that I don’t like or don’t want to see?
Can I think of something positive or pleasant this card might signify?
How could I use this image in my own healing?
The more that we contemplate and consider the darker images, the less we fear them, and the more they can bring us healing.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 50
December 11, 2019
Welcome December
This week we welcome the winter festival season, the end of the year, and a new decade!
Welcome December
It’s the first week of the last month of the decade. That’s not something we get to say very often. I believe there is power in rarity. The change of a year is special, but the change of the decade is even more special, because we will only witness a handful of them in our lives.
Yes, it is true that, technically, the new decade doesn’t start until 2021, but most of us will be celebrating the turn of the decade when the numbers turn from 19 to 20.
December, itself, is a special month. There are actually sixteen Christian holidays in December, many of which are associated with Christmas. December is also the time of the Winter Solstice and Hanukkah. Our Hindu friends have a five-day celebration of Ganesha called Pancha Ganapati, which is celebrated between the Winter Solstice and Christmas Day, December 21 through 25.
Although we may be celebrating different things, it’s fun and thought-provoking to consider that people all around the world are celebrating something this month. Then, at the end of the month, we will all celebrate the new year and the new decade.
It’s true that we live in uncertain times. There is social unrest and political upheaval around the world. Many people have concerns for the future of the planet, just as many people have concerns for their own future, and the future of their loved ones. Yet, at this time of year, and as we prepare to welcome a new decade, it seems a bit easier to be hopeful.
When the calendar changes, we welcome positive change into our lives. When the decade changes, that change feels even more possible.
The winter festival season has an energy all its own. There are parties, lights, special songs, and decorations. It’s hard not to feel a sense of hope and joy during this season.
For some, though, this season is a reminder of grief, or an added burden to an already stressful situation.
Whatever we are celebrating, and whatever our situation may be, we all have the opportunity to join together in welcoming a hopeful new year, and a bright decade. We can all recognize the power and possibility inherent in this moment.
Christiana’s Annual Holiday Open House
Make plans to attend the annual holiday psychic food-raiser! On Sunday, December 15, 12 noon to 6 pm, Join us at my new office, 3559 SW Corporate Parkway, Palm City, Florida 34990,
for an afternoon of metaphysical holiday cheer for a good cause.
I am so excited to be able to host this event at my office. This is something I have not been able to do since I was based in the Harvey Building in West Palm Beach!
As we do every year, tarot readers, astrologers, psychics and healers will be on hand to provide free mini-sessions on a first-come, first-served basis in exchange for your donation of non-perishable food items to be given to the Treasure Coast Food Bank.
Bring food to donate and work with our staff of talented professionals and students! Bring a holiday treat for the snack table! Card and Craft, Inc. will provide beverages (coffee, tea, hot chocolate and water).
Are you a reader or healer? Volunteer your time and skills for this exciting event! Call or text Christiana at 561-655-1160 to get on the volunteer list. Readers and healers will volunteer in two shifts, 12-3pm and 3-6 pm. Sign up for the shift that is best for you. Bring your business cards to promote your business! Students are welcome to volunteer and practice their skills.
Three Things to Do with Tarot in December
Of course, it is great to work with tarot all year long. Yet, there are some fun seasonal tarot exercises and activities. Here are three that are helpful and exciting to try this time of year.
Use Tarot to Make Your Gift List
Do you have someone on your gift list who is hard to shop for? Why not let tarot help you find the perfect gift?
Simply think about the person and pull a few cards. You can use keywords, images, associations and intuition to help you think of a great present.
Forecast your New Year
Pull one card for each month of 2020, twelve in all, to give you a sense of the energies that will surround you in the coming year.
Focus on Gratitude
Just as I did in my Week of Tarot Gratitude on Facebook Live, pull a single card to give you a focus for your gratitude. We all know the things we are obviously grateful for. But what does the universe want you to consider and hold gratitude for? Let tarot tell you!
The Week in Review
This week I finished my Seven Days of Tarot Gratitude Series on Facebook Live. You can review these videos, and see Your Three-Card Weekly Reading, on my YouTube Channel.
I teamed up with Amie Mouser to write an important blogpost about the many metaphysical scams that we seekers need to avoid. Make sure you read this, and take heed!
From Around the Web
Are you looking for some interesting fiction to read this holiday season? Check out young writer Jonathan Scott Griffin. His writings are reserved for those who are age eighteen and older because some of his stories are a bit scary and thought-provoking. If you enjoy science fiction, check him out!
You can always count on The Tarot Lady, Theresa Reed, for your monthly forecast! Here is what you can expect in the month of December.
The final Mercury retrograde of 2019 is over. How did it treat you? Here are some thoughts from Rogue Heart Tarot.
The Four Elements: Healing, Manifestation and Divination
Please plan to join us for the final class of 2019, this Sunday, December 8, 4 to 6 pm.
The class will be held at my new office, 3559 SW Corporate Parkway, Palm City, FL 34990
In this special class I will teach you to work with the Four Elements.
The energy of the Four Elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water, has long been used in healing, divination and magic.
When we connect with the Four Elements, we can harness their powers for our benefit.
In this class you will learn how to work with the energies of Earth, Air, Fire and Water to bring healing, facilitate intuition, and manifest your best future.
No prior experience is necessary to take this class.
Seating for this class is limited. To register and reserve your seat, visit Eventbrite to pay your $37.50 class fee and receive your ticket.
Image from Spiral Tarot by Kay Steventon, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Copyright 1997, Used with permission.
Cards for Your Consideration
The Wheel of Fortune in Spiral Tarot shows us the Three Fates at work weaving our fortunes. This card reminds us that there are some things that truly are not within our control. No matter how much we hope, pray or visualize, we cannot dictate the forces of nature or the passage of time.
In a reading, the Wheel of Fortune often predicts good luck, and often represents the end of one cycle and the beginning of another. This is a great card to consider as we close out one year and open up to another.
We can also think of this card as we prepare to honor our holiday traditions. Some annual cycles are things we look forward to, others are things we dread. Yet, this card reminds us that the holiday season will come every year, no matter what else changes or surprises us.
Then, just as quickly as it came, it will be gone, only to return again next year.
The Wheel of Fortune offers us that dichotomy. Everything changes, yet everything cycles around again.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 49
December 4, 2019