Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
Grace and Goodwill
I've been thinking about grace recently. Here is my deep dive into what grace means, what it is, and why it matters.
I have been thinking about grace recently.
Growing up in the United Methodist Church, I learned about the grace of God. That is, the concept of forgiveness and redemption that is available to all.
At dinner each night, my family would say grace. That is, a short prayer to bless our food, and express our gratitude for the meal we were about to enjoy.
At dance class, my teacher encouraged me to be more graceful.
When teaching me etiquette, my grandmother stressed the importance of being gracious.
As an adult, I often get the sense that many of us need to give ourselves more grace.
This week, I decided to look up the word ‘grace’ and discover what it actually means.
I found ten definitions and uses for the word ‘grace’, and three primary definitions.
The first definition refers to being graceful. In this case, grace is simple elegance or refinement of movement.
Grace is also courteous goodwill.
Grace can also be a verb. In this case, it means to do honor or credit to someone or something by one’s presence.
The spiritual definition of grace includes the bestowal of blessings, and the free and unmerited favor of God. This is primarily derived from Christianity. Yet, I think in our modern times, the concept of grace has reached beyond the church walls and out into the spiritual-but-not-religious communities.
In looking at the three primary definitions, I am struck by two things. One is the word ‘goodwill’. To have goodwill toward all is not easy. To establish a sense of goodwill around oneself by building an exemplary reputation takes time and integrity.
Yet, if we treat all with goodwill and work to build our own goodwill, it is certain that we will always be conducting ourselves graciously.
My other thought is that if we view these three definitions in a combined way, we can approach the concept of spiritual grace.
When we learn to live with spirit, rather than in a battle with spirit, our energy becomes that of elegance and refinement as we move through life gracefully.
When we act with courtesy and goodwill, we bring blessings to ourselves and others.
When we show up for the people and things that matter to us, we are bringing grace to others and to ourselves simply by being present.
The StaarCorner
You may know Rosemary Sunflower as a moderator extraordinaire at StaarCon 2022 and StaarCon 2023. We are very excited to announce that at StaarCon 2024 Rosemary will be a presenter!
Rosemary is a contributor to the Cartomancer Magazine and a deck creator. Her tarot deck, Good Journeys Tarot, was published in July 2023 as a print on demand deck. The accompanying guidebook followed.
About her work as a tarot creator, Rosemary says, "This Journey called life has been long and complicated. Tarot has been transformative both spiritually and emotionally as I have gained further understanding of myself and my world."
At StaarCon 2024, Rosemary’s presentation will be “Why I Designed a Tarot Deck…and You Should Too!”
Make your plan to join us at StaarCon 2024, January 19-21, in person in West Palm Beach or online on Accelevents.
How We Forgive Ourselves with Tarot
Part of being gracious is to be forgiving. Sometimes the hardest thing is to forgive ourselves for past mistakes.
We can use tarot to help us understand and forgive our errors in the distant past, and in the recent past.
As with many topics, we can do our best work with tarot when we ask the right questions, and pull a card, or a few cards, in answer.
Here are some questions that you can ask the cards when you are working to forgive yourself for a past mistake.
Why did I do what I did?
How did this impact me?
How did this impact others?
What might I have done instead?
What did I learn from this?
Why does this situation make me feel so bad?
How can I reframe this situation?
What do I need to know that I have not yet considered?
Is there something I need to do to make things better now?
The Week in Review
This coming Saturday, May 18, from noon to 1 pm, please join me for a free tarot workshop in downtown West Palm Beach at Mandel Public Library of West Palm Beach. All are welcome!
Remember that I do livestream readings on my YouTube channel throughout each week. Subscribe and hit the bell to receive notifications when I go live.
From Around the Web
If you attended StaarCon 2023, you might have met Justine, a tireless volunteer on our tech crew. She is also a moderator on my YouTube channel. Check out her website, and read her thoughts about StaarCon, tarot, and more.
Here is a gift from StaarCon 2024 headliner Benebell Wen. It is a free downloadable art print of Kuan Yin, which includes the Great Compassion Mantra dharani in Siddhaṃ script.
Here is a Vulnerable Rebirth tarot spread for Welcoming Change and Grace, from The School of Magical Homemaking.
Creation and Divination
How do you express your creativity? Does your creativity influence or affect your divination?
If you have something that you have created that you would like to share in this column, or some thoughts about creativity and divination, please email me.
In tarot, one of the Major Arcana cards that expresses the energy of grace to me is the Empress.
We know the Empress as a card of motherhood, fertility, luxury, beauty, and fecundity.
I was happy to receive the submission of the following poem, a beautiful tribute to the poet’s mother. In this poem, I think many of us with see the Empress, our own mother, or perhaps ourselves.
Yin Yang
A Tribute to my Mother
Like the bow and stern of a ship
She is yin yang energy
Breaking waves in front
Falling back to the narrow
To not go down
The wind in the sail
A stabilizing force to not go adrift
Maneuvering storms raging beneath
A balancing act beyond defeat
Combined
She is discerning
Protecting and nurturing
Inner strength is self-reliance
A pioneer you would like to meet
Paving a way beyond defeat
Threads twisting by her feet
With a machine making a living
Without the masculine
There is still a feminine
By P.C. Bain
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 11
March 15, 2023
Bargaining with the Universe
Bargaining is the third stage of grief. We bargain with Higher Power, and with ourselves, from there, healing becomes available to us.
We are all familiar with the concept of the Faustian bargain, that deal we make when we give our soul to evil or amoral forces in exchange for something we immediately want or need. The story of Dr Faustus, written in 1592 in England by Christopher Marlow, was based on a German legend.
In the United States, this same theme is woven throughout our musical tradition. The 1979 Charlie Daniels Band song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” has its roots in the 1938 song by Robert Johnson, “Me and the Devil Blues”.
The irony is this.
While we all know of the legend, concept, and metaphor of making a deal with the devil, most of us more often try to bargain with our Higher Power.
We can all deeply understand why there are no atheists in foxholes. When things are dark, we make promises and bargains with the force we believe might be able to deliver us from the overwhelming threat we face. What we call that force depends on our culture, tradition, and belief system. We may view it as deity, or simply as the universe. We may see it as an appeal to our own higher self.
This topic is on my mind because of a conversation I had with a friend this week about bargaining. She was referencing the third of five stages of grief in the Kubler-Ross model.
According to this model, we face grief first with denial, then with anger, and then with bargaining. From there, we move to depression, and finally, to acceptance.
I often think about this model of grief in terms of death and critical illness, since it was first presented in the book, On Death and Dying.
Yet, we feel the pain of grief and loss in many less dire circumstances. And we use bargaining, sometimes to our detriment, when we are working to change behaviors that we know do not serve us.
The person who wants to maintain a healthier weight grieves the loss of their previous relationship with food and may bargain with themselves to justify a piece of cake.
The person who is in an unhealthy marriage may bargain to rationalize the continued relationship.
The person who is struggling with substance addiction bargains to enjoy another encounter with their drug of choice.
When we find ourselves in an internal bargain to make ourselves feel better about an unhealthy choice, we need to remember three things.
First, this is a normal, natural, human thing to do. Shame only makes it worse.
Second, if we are aware of our behavior, we have access to the beginning stages of healing, even if we are not currently making the best choices.
Finally, when we are making bargains as part of the process of releasing harmful behaviors, we are not truly making a deal with any mystical force, either good or evil. We are playing games with our own conscience.
Once we realize this, it can become easier to hold ourselves accountable for healthier decisions.
At the same time, we must be gentle with ourselves. The fact that we are in a bargaining stage is clear proof that our grief is real. Grieving people are always deserving of grace, no matter the source of the grief.
There are times we do turn to mystical forces to explain the difficult things that are happening, and to make a bargain to turn our luck around. Prayer, magic, energy work, and affirmation are things that bring us comfort. I believe these things do hold power and can make a difference in our outcomes.
Yet, it is best to avoid employing these practices as part of a bargain with the universe. I might burn a candle or say a prayer to bring energy toward the outcome I want. Yet, I believe I need to avoid holding the universe accountable to that bargain. If I do the energetic work and still do not get my desires fulfilled, it is important to remember that my Higher Power did not renege on an agreement.
My mother used to tell me that God answers all prayers, but sometimes the answer is no.
We can and should direct our energy toward our best outcomes, and be grateful when that energy pushes things in our preferred direction. But we must also understand that there is no true way to bargain with the forces that drive the universe.
The StaarCorner
We are excited to announce our that Benebell Wen and Emilie Muniz will be our headlining presenters for StaarCon 2024.
Benebell Wen is the author of Holistic Tarot: An Integrative Approach to Using Tarot for Personal Growth, which was shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Award, and The Tao of Craft: Fu Talismans and Casting Sigils in the Eastern Esoteric Traditions, both published by North Atlantic Books (2015 and 2016 respectively). She is also the creator of the Spirit Keeper’s Tarot, which won the Judges Choice Award for Best Tarot Deck from the 2019 International Tarot Foundation CARTA Awards and Best Author of a Tarot Deck.
Emilie Muniz is the creator of Simplicity Tarot, published by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Emilie has over two decades of tarot experience as a professional tarot reader. Emilie also divines with other systems, such as coffee cup readings, oracle cards, and Puerto Rican Espiritismo.
Her latest offering, Simplicity Lenormand, endeavors to shine a light on the mysterious yet oddly familiar Lenormand system of divination to make learning Lenormand straightforward and fun for students of any level.
StaarCon 2024 is January 19-21. You can join us in West Palm Beach, or online on Accelevents Event Management Platform. Do not miss your opportunity to learn from Benebell and Emilie, and a host of other teachers, authors, creators, and artists.
Tarot for Acceptance
When we are in any sort of bargaining phase of grief, we are ultimately in need of the final stage, which is acceptance.
Sometimes it is hard to face the truth that tarot has for us when we are still in that place of bargaining.
Yet, repetition is powerful. Repetition gives us muscle memory and helps us learn and perfect anything we are trying to master.
How often have we repeatedly gone to the cards, only to have them tell us the same thing, the thing we did not want to hear, over and over?
Eventually, we will hear and accept that truth.
There are those who suggest that we should not read on the same topic over and over. In a professional setting, this can indeed be a frustrating waste of time and money. Yet, sometimes repetitive readings can be helpful in that the truth does not change. If we hear it long enough, often enough, and phrased each time in a slightly different way, we will eventually hear it.
Once we hear the truth, and accept the truth, we can act on the truth.
This is another way that tarot can help us heal.
The Week in Review
Your March TarotScopes are available on my YouTube channel! Check out your sun sign, your rising sign, and your moon sign.
Did you catch our class on Tarot and Past Lives last night? You can watch the replay.
From Around the Web
I was excited to find this recent article from Vogue magazine about actress Maisie Williams reading tarot!
Here is an article from VeryWellMind about the bargaining stage of grief.
This article from Vice.com is almost a year old. Sadly, the problem it discusses has only gotten worse. Please read this article about Instagram scammers. At any given time, there are multiple people on Instagram pretending to be me. My peers experience the same thing.
Remember that no legitimate reader will send you a direct message offering to read for you.
Creation and Divination
I have been a hard-core tarotist for years. From time to time I explore other methods of divination. Sometimes I combine these with tarot in ways that enhance my practice. Yet, this is a rare occurrence in my life. Tarot comes so easily to me it seems counterproductive to complicate my life.
Many of my peers have been working with charm divination. As I result, I have been lucky to receive gifts of charms to be used as oracles, and to attend some workshops on charm divination, both as a singular practice and in conjunction with tarot.
Over the past few weeks, I felt inspired to combine many of the charms I have received into a single oracle set and start to work with them.
I like the charms. As a child I collected miniature porcelain animals and dollhouses. Charms are small replicas of every manner of thing, and appeal to the same part of me that delighted over dollhouse sized pots and pans, and miniature frogs and mice.
I’ve discovered that charms (which are designed primarily for costume jewelry-making) are readily available and inexpensive.
I’ve chosen not to assign a particular set of keywords to my charms. Whatever they make me think of when I pull one to lay on a tarot card, or when I cast a handful on the table, is how I interpret them.
This process of open intuition has been interesting, fun, and enlightening. I can see how working with charms can help us develop our intuition and become better tarot readers.
The opportunity to assemble one’s own personal oracle is enticing in its creativity and its limitless possibilities.
I am not sure if charm oracles are a fad in our community, or something that will last for years. I am also not sure whether charms will become a permanent part of my divination practice. For now, I strongly recommend that you consider acquiring and playing with some charms. I think you will have fun with it, and it will open you to some new creativity in your divination practice, as it has for me.
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 10
March 8, 2023
There is Always Room for Greatness
Do not listen to myths that tell you that you cannot succeed.
As my generation of tarot professionals gets older, each person has their own goals about how their work will change and how their work will continue.
I love reading for people as much as I ever did. Honestly, maybe more than ever, because each reading I perform gives me the growth and inspiration that work to increase my skill over time.
Organizing an annual international tarot and divination conference has been a long-time goal, so adding that to my ongoing career plans is also inspiring.
One well-loved tarot reader I know has begun to lean more into writing and teaching and less into one-on-one readings. That is a great path for her. Yet, I heard her say something that gave me pause. In speaking about her career transition, she said, “At some point, you have to pass the torch”.
I found this odd. “Passing the torch” is a term generally reserved for those who step down from singular leadership positions to give fresh talent a chance to lead. There can only be one president, or one team captain. Passing the torch does not apply to any field where there is always room for new talent.
My response to this comment was, “You can have my torch when you pry it from my cold, dead hand”. Why? Because I will always work to make room at the table for talented new readers, authors, creators, and teachers. They can bring their own torches – they don’t need mine.
In many fields, I speak with young people who aspire to do great things but worry there will not be room at the table for them. I speak with would-be business owners who worry about market saturation. My response to these people is always the same. If work to be great at what you do, if you market yourself correctly, and if you treat people well, there will always be enough business to go around. Mediocrity worries about the market being too small. Greatness knows that one can make their mark, no matter the amount of worthy competition.
In fiction and mythology, we are taught to believe that greatness is singular. The heroes of epic tales are often portrayed as “the one”. That is, the only person with the talent, or blessing, or destiny, to complete a particular task or achieve a particular honor. We are raised to secretly desire to be that one. Even our religious myths are filled with the concept of a single prophet, rather than many.
What if this concept is flawed and hurtful?
What if, in many aspects of life, there is no destiny, and no competition, to be the single flame, or the lone hero?
What if something else is true? Could it be that if we do what we need to do there will always be room for us?
The StaarCorner
Tickets for StaarCon 2024, January 19th, 20th and 21st, will be on sale soon. You can join us in person at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport Hotel, or online on Accelevents. As always, we will have a thirty-day AfterGlow which begins as soon as the official conference ends.
Over the next few weeks, I will begin announcing some of our great new and returning presenters, as well as the exciting things you will be able to learn and do at StaarCon 2024.
For now, make sure you join our community group on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram!
Four Questions for Success
No matter our age or our circumstance, we all need goals, and we all need success. Success might be as simple as having better self-care. Success may be retirement and entering a new stage of life. Success might be a new project, new job, or new business.
Tarot can help you make your plan for success by asking these four questions. Pull a single card, or a few cards, for each.
What do I need to know about my goal?
What will be the most challenging part of reaching my goal?
What is a good next step toward my goal?
What uniquely qualifies me for this success?
The Week in Review
Did you catch the class on the Elemental Major Arcana? Watch the replay, there is a lot of good information for you.
This week we have two tarot meetups. Tonight, on YouTube, join us at 7 pm ET for Global Tarot Circle.
If you happen to be in or around Palm City, Florida, join us for our monthly Cards and Conversation meetup at Panera Bread in Palm City this Sunday at 4 pm.
Next Tuesday, join us for a free class on YouTube on Past Lives and Tarot. How do past lives show up in the cards? Let’s find out together!
From Around the Web
I am always excited when tarot shows up in local art news. Check out this tarot art exhibit in New Port Richey, Florida!
Here is an offering from the Tarot Lady, Theresa Reed, that has really stood the test of time. It is from her blog in 2013. Read and try her take on Goal Setting with Tarot.
If you are in a leadership position in your job, how do you know when it is time to pass the torch? Check out this article from Executive Forum.
Creation and Divination
At StaarCon 2023 we were fortunate to have Stacey Williams-Ng join us as an exhibitor. Stacey is the very talented creator of the Southern Gothic Oracle, and the Southern Botanic Oracle, amongst others.
I came home from the conference a proud owner of the Southern Botanic Oracle.
Many of you know that I sometimes have a hard time finding my groove in working to divine with an oracle deck. I love to use oracle cards in divination classes, but I don’t love them for deeper divination work.
There is something about the Southern Botanic Oracle that has absolutely captured my imagination and intuition.
The deck has forty-five cards, each illustrated with a lovely drawing of a plant, tree, or fungus that is common in the Southern United States.
Perhaps it is the fact that the most gardening I have ever done has been in Florida, and that I love the wild flora of my new home state. Perhaps it is Stacey’s realistic and evocative art. Whatever the cause, I have found my new favorite oracle deck.
Each card includes the common name of the botanical, the Latin name, and two keywords. The oracle kit includes an extensive booklet, also written by Stacey.
I think the overall thing that makes this deck so very usable for me is that her keywords for each card make so much sense, both logically and intuitively.
Stacey’s creation of this new divination device has opened a new world for me in terms of my own personal divination practice. Check out her website and see all her amazing offerings.
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 9
March 1, 2023
Overwhelmed or Under Supplied?
Life can be overwhelming. Sometimes we can change that by changing our relationship with our resources.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed. Job stress and family responsibilities can be a lot. Emotional issues such as anxiety, grief, trauma, or depression can add to a sense of overwhelm.
Creative people can feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the projects they envision. Local and global issues can feel overwhelming, dangerous, and unsolvable.
Psychic, intuitive, and empathic people are often overwhelmed by their experience of the many energies around them. Neurodivergent people are often overstimulated.
When we have health issues the overwhelm may be double. We may feel poorly, and still must deal with doctors, tests, and insurance. That can often feel like an impossible task.
The problem with a sense of overwhelm is that it feels impossible to get ahead. You may feel that you are drowning, without hope of rescue.
Here is something to understand when you feel this way.
The feeling of overwhelm very often comes not from too much to do. Overwhelm often comes from lack of supply. We may not have enough people to complete a task at work. We may not have enough hours to get everything done. We may not have enough money to cover our expenses. We may not have enough physical or emotional energy to handle the day.
When we realize this is the case, we very often feel shame at our lack of supply. We feel like we should be better at managing our resources. We feel that we should not have to ask others for help. That sense of shame can be overwhelming in and of itself.
When we deal with lack of supply, there is a very real possibility that we will not be able to access more of what we need right way.
Perhaps this is an important step in recovering our balance. We need to discover where the short supply is, and if there is a way to become better supplied. Sometimes this requires asking for what we need or asking for help.
If that is not possible, the next step is to manage our expectations. Perhaps we need to change a deadline or hold ourselves responsible for less.
When we get to this stage, very often we discover we have created overwhelm because we are competing against a distorted image or striving to meet an imaginary standard.
When this is the case, what is in short supply is our own self-esteem, and our own knowledge that we are enough.
One does not need to be psychic to know that life is probably not going to get easier. We must get better at handling the pressures around us. Sometimes the only way to do that is to manage our own supply of self-love, and our own expectations.
The StaarCorner
The StaarCon 2023 AfterGlow ended yesterday evening. With that, a very exciting, fun, and successful hybrid conference comes to a close. Thank you to all our sponsors, exhibitors, presenters, volunteers, and attendees for making this our best year so far.
StaarCon 2024 will be January 19-21. We will be in person at the Hilton Palm Beach Airport Hotel and online on Accelevents. Mark your calendar now, tickets will be available soon.
Look for new presenters and topics, new activities, as well as your favorite exhibitors and tarot and divination authors, artists, and teachers.
If you are interested in being a sponsor, presenter, or exhibitor, please email me.
Remember that our community connection continues all year long in our private Facebook group, StaarCon Community Group, and with our podcast/YouTube show, the StaarCast Variety Show. Subscribe on YouTube, and wherever you get your podcasts. Expect a new episode soon!
Check this column next week because we will be announcing our headlining presenters for 2024!
Finding Solutions with Tarot
So often dealing with overwhelm seems to require attitude adjustment, flexibility, and clarity. Tarot is such a great way to find those things when we need them.
Sometimes the first question is to understand why we are feeling overwhelmed. We may think we know the answer to this, but the true root cause might surprise us. We can always begin a session with the cards by asking, “What is the true source of my overwhelm?”
When we ask this question, we can pull one card or several. Sometimes this single question and answer is enough to make a difference.
If we want to continue our divination session, there are many other questions we can ask.
If we determine that our issue is a lack of supply, we can frame questions around strategies to increase our supply. These questions might include, “How can I manage my time differently?” or “How can I budget differently?” or “Who might I ask to help me?” or “How can I communicate with my boss that my assignment is unrealistic?”
If we determine that our root issue is one of self-esteem, our question can include, “How can I show myself more grace?” or “How can I remember that I am enough?”
If we find that we need to manage our own expectations, we might ask questions such as “Why is it so important for me to have something beyond my budget right now?” or “What can I do to feel happier where I am right now?”
When we ask the right questions, the cards will give us focus, solutions, ways to manage our situation, and ultimately to create the changes we need.
The Week in Review
Were you able to join us for class yesterday evening? Our class The Elemental Major Arcana on YouTube explains the traditional elemental association for each of the twenty-two Major Arcana. Knowing the elemental associations can help us have a deeper understanding for each of these cards. You can watch the replay anytime!
Tomorrow, Thursday, is our Stars and Suns Zoom Gathering. If you are a member of my YouTube channel at the Stars or Suns level, find the Zoom link in the community tab of my YouTube channel, or email me.
From Around the Web
We are all eagerly awaiting StaarCon presenter Erika Robinson’s upcoming book on Lenormand cards. You can pre-order it on Amazon now!
In the meanwhile, you might enjoy Erika’s blog, In the Company of the Cards. I found her February First entry very moving.
SelfTarot has a spread to try when you are feeling overwhelmed.
Creation and Divination
Creative visualization is a way of using your imagination to help you solve problems, transform energy, bring healing, and create change in your life.
Creative visualization is used in the Law of Attraction, and other magical techniques. The term was popularized by Shakti Gawain with her book of the same name in 1978.
We can use creative visualization techniques with tarot to solve problems of overwhelm.
Here is a way to do that.
Which cards do you associate with overwhelm? Perhaps the Ten of Wands, the Nine of Wands, or the Seven of Wands? Perhaps the Four of Swords, or the Eight of Swords?
Choose the card that most accurately represents your sense of overwhelm at present.
Look at the image. Slow your breathing and soften your gaze. Consciously bring your focus to your third eye (brow chakra). As you breathe with the image, imagine yourself as the character in the image. See yourself in this picture in the present moment, and in three dimensions. Look at what is around you and find strategies to change your situation within the image.
As you do this, you will naturally bring to your life a sense of comfort, and some new solutions to the things that are overwhelming you.
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 8
February 22, 2023