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

Is the Struggle Real?

Everybody struggles in life. Our ability to battle something difficult and come out the other side is a testament to our strength and resilience. Our tendency to create unnecessary obstacles and rise to fights we can’t win weakens us and worsens the struggle. This week we are finding solutions with tarot.

If you spend any time on social media (and who doesn’t?), you are familiar with the phrase “The struggle is real.” We often use this phrase ironically to discuss our first-world problems.

At the tarot table, I see people struggling with problems ranging from mild inconveniences to life-impacting tragedies.

Sometimes we worsen our problems by struggling against them when a struggle isn’t helpful.

When we are struggling to handle something, it can be an essential step to figure out what we are really struggling against and if the energy of struggle is helping or hurting us.

Sometimes we struggle against things we have no choice but to accept. Other times, we may perceive a struggle that exists only in our thinking.

Our ability to struggle with something difficult and come out the other side is a testament to our human strength and resilience. Our tendency to create unnecessary obstacles and rise to fights we can’t win weakens us and worsens the struggle.

This calls to mind one of my favorite helpful sayings, generally known as The Serenity Prayer.

Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Written in the 1930s and adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous in the 1940s, this prayer offers a clear choice and process for any situation.

Sometimes a struggle is necessary, and we must struggle until we prevail. Other times we need to surrender to the circumstances. There are other times our struggle is entirely in our imagination.

Whatever your struggle is this week, leaning into serenity, courage, and wisdom will help get you through.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

“You should have a sound bath at StaarCon!” This was a suggestion from my daughter about six months before StaarCon 2023. I could not figure out how that could work logistically, but it sounded like a good idea. Just a few weeks later, I received an email from Jenny Stafford of Resonate Sound Healing asking if we would like a sound bath at StaarCon! We figured out the logistics and prepared to be the very first tarot conference to offer a sound healing session.

Just a week before the conference, Jenny discovered she would be unable to attend. StaarCon presenter Michelle Barrie was able to step in and offer an amazing sound bath in addition to her other conference responsibilities. People enjoyed the sound bath so much that we realized we must offer a sound bath session every year. For StaarCon 2024, an Oracular Intentions Sound Bath Meditation with Jenny Stafford is on the calendar! (Michelle Barrie will also return with an exciting Lenormand presentation).

At StaarCon, we are excited to bring together a wide variety of modalities for divination, healing, and magic. Please make your plan to join us!

StaarCon presenter Jenny Stafford.

Serenity Prayer Tarot Spread

I have always loved the Serenity Prayer. Yet, in all the years I have been a tarotist, it never occurred to me to create a tarot spread inspired by the Serenity Prayer. Let’s remedy that now.
Lay out the cards in any pattern that feels right.

Card One: This card represents something in your life that you must accept and cannot change.

Card Two: This card gives information about what can help you accept this.

Card Three: This card gives insight into the serenity that both engenders and results from this acceptance.

Card Four: This card represents something you can change and need to change.

Card Five: This card gives information about what can help you make that change.

Card Six: This card reflects on the courage that both engenders and results from this change.

Card Seven: This final card speaks to you of your journey toward wisdom.

I performed this spread and found it very enlightening. I hope you have the same experience. Please let me know!

The Week in Review

Did you catch our YouTube Tarot Harvest Gathering last night? If you missed it, please watch the replay!

If you are local to Palm City, please join us at Panera Bread this Sunday at 4 pm for our monthly tarot meetup.

From Around the Web

It is fun to poke around and find old articles and blog posts that are still brilliant today. Check out this post from 2021. StaarCon presenter Maria Alviz Hernando gives us Tarot Meanings for the Age of Tinder.

I love it when tarot appears in fiction and popular culture. From Book Riot, we have an article on The Use of Tarot in Fiction.

There is a lot of discussion of gender in society. There have always been a lot of ideas and discussions about gender in tarot. I love this personal essay from Them, How Tarot Helped Me See Myself Beyond the Gender Binary.

Creation and Divination

Something virtually all creative people struggle with is finding creative inspiration. Further, some people need help identifying how their creativity is expressed and ways to pursue that.

Tarot is a perfect tool to help with both dilemmas.

We can ask the cards for general inspiration by simply asking for a topic or idea and pulling a card or two.

Writers can ask more specific questions for plot or character development. Fine artists can ask more specific questions about style, color, and technique.

Those struggling to identify where their creativity lies can ask questions of the cards like, “What is a creative talent I possess?” “How can I explore that talent?” “What activities would help me discover my creativity?”

Use tarot to help you discover and explore your creative talents!

Upcoming Events

Christiana and John with their grandchildren, Aubrey and Elliot.

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 31
August 2, 2023

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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

Marking Milestones

The grandchildren's first birthday got me thinking about the milestones on life's journey, and why they are important.

Art photo of a birthday cake.

I’m writing this newsletter after attending my twin grandchildren’s first birthday party. I am full of cake, cuteness, and conversation, and reflecting on how we mark important life milestones.

A first birthday party is obviously more for the parents and the family than for the babies, who are still too little to understand or remember. A first birthday party presents the children to the larger circle of friends and family and celebrates the parents’ accomplishment. Yet, there is an important investment there for the babies.

Years later, the children will look at the pictures and videos of their first birthday party and see everyone who came to celebrate them. They will see the decorations and effort their family made to mark this important milestone. When they see this, they will know how loved they have always been and how much they are supported.

This may be why most cultures mark milestones with celebration and acknowledgment. Paying attention to milestones gives us more than an opportunity to mark the passage of time with a party. When we acknowledge an achievement along the journey, we acknowledge that the journey matters.

As adults, our important milestones may include professional achievement, as well as the advancement of personal interests. Very often, we are so busy setting our sights on the next project that we fail to adequately acknowledge our accomplishments.

Marking a personal milestone may not mean throwing a party. It might mean simply taking a moment to appreciate your success and everything it took to get you there.

When we celebrate our milestones and acknowledge our success, we remind ourselves that we matter, our efforts matter, and our journey matters. Remembering that sets us up for our subsequent success.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

María Alviz Hernando will return to StaarCon 2024 as a Friday Intensive presenter. María’s three-part presentation is Diving into the Tarot Tableau: Read Cohesively in Every Context.

María reads tarot using a Nine Card Tableau. With this spread, she has developed unique techniques for deriving deep information and insight.   In this intensive presentation, participants will learn how to read this unique spread with confidence.

Make your plan to join María and all the excellent StaarCon presenters at StaarCon 2024!

StaarCon 2024 presenter María Aliv Hernando.
A tarot deck in a pouch.

Milestones in the Tarot Journey

Do you remember the day you got your first tarot deck? Indeed, that is an important milestone on any tarotist’s journey.

Whether you are a professional reader, an aspiring pro, a beginner, or a serious practitioner with no professional aspirations, your tarot journey is meaningful and essential. It makes sense to celebrate your tarot milestones. That can include your first class, your first reading, your first conference, and the many, many markers of accomplishment that can follow.

The Week in Review

Tarot Reversals is the topic of our free livestream tarot class on YouTube, tonight, July 19, at 7 pm ET. All are welcome!
If you are a member of my YouTube channel, make sure you check out the Members-only playlist on my channel. This playlist includes replays of Members-only livestreams like the one we did last week, as well as special uploads.

This coming Tuesday, July 25, at 7 pm ET, make sure you join us for a free livestream class about Tarot Numbers.

From Around the Web

I was so pleased to read that last week’s newsletter topic inspired StaarCon 2024 presenter Erika Robinson. Her words on the topic of equanimity brought my understanding of the concept to a new level.

StaarCon 2024 headliner Benebell Wen has a website that features a lot of great stuff, including free tarot study material downloads.

Silver Raven will be a presenter at StaarCon 2024. Her website offers free downloads of tarot spreads and magical information.

Creation and Divination

When we think of our past, we look to our milestones to review our journey. When we look to the future, we set goals that we hope will one day become milestones.

It can be helpful to create a timeline of our life so far, to see our milestones laid out linearly. We can also work to manifest our goals by creating a ‘future timeline’ where we commit to our goals and to the timeframe in which we will achieve them.

Here is an exercise that is simple to understand but will take time to perform.

Create a timeline for yourself, either past, future, or both.  Do this with pen and page or digitally. Pull a tarot card at random for each milestone.

Interpret the cards to help you understand your journey through life and the impact and reach of your accomplishments.

Upcoming Events

Christiana Gaudet, Aubrey Rankine, John Gaudet & Elliot Rankine under the birthday balloon arch.

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 29
July 19, 2023

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

Equanimity

Equanimity is an important skill of emotional intelligence. This week we are discussing ways to find equanimity with tarot.

When I was young, I wasn't aware of emotional intelligence. It just wasn’t something we talked about. I believe life would be better for everyone if we were all taught emotional knowledge, understanding, and skills.

Since many of us weren't taught these things as children, we must learn them later in life. This can make it difficult for people to handle their emotions and achieve their goals while also managing adult responsibilities.

One skill of emotional intelligence that seems particularly important is equanimity. Equanimity, from Latin, literally means ‘even mind’ or ‘level spirit.’ Equanimity is the ability to remain calm and non-reactive in challenging or distressing situations.

This does not mean that we do not acknowledge and respond to distress. Instead, it means we have the skill to do so in a level-headed way that offers solutions rather than drama.

The concept of equanimity appears in many spiritual traditions, including Buddhism and Christianity.

Practices of equanimity include nonattachment, mindfulness, and self-compassion. These are also good divination practices.

By taking responsibility for our energy, responses to triggers, and reactions to situations, we increase our ability to find solutions, navigate challenges, and cultivate meaningful relationships.

It's all right if we can't always maintain complete equanimity. Setting a goal to achieve equanimity helps us move toward peace and balance.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

Mary Ellen Collins has been a part of StaarCon from the planning stages forward. She is a stalwart volunteer as well as an excellent presenter.

At StaarCon 2024, Mary Ellen is offering a Friday Intensive option called Tarot Plus! Divination Combos.

This intensive is for tarot enthusiasts who want to learn to integrate other forms of divination into their tarot readings.  Mary Ellen will teach Tarot Plus! In three sessions. Session One is Cards and Stars, where you will learn simple astrology tools to personalize your tarot readings.  Session Two is Cards and Charms. Here, you will learn charm casting and ways to combine charms with tarot. In the third session, Cards and Crystals, you will learn the basics of lithomancy (reading crystals) and several methods to combine crystal divination with tarot.

Whether you enjoy this intensive with Mary Ellen in person or online, live or during the AfterGlow, you will be thrilled with how these techniques power up your tarot practice.

Equanimity Tarot Exercise

Here is an exercise to help you find a sense of equanimity as you learn more about your tarot deck.

First, think about the qualities of equanimity – peace, calm, serenity, patience, balance, etc.

Then go through your tarot cards, face up. Pull every card from the deck that you feel represents a quality of equanimity or makes you feel equanimous.

Now look at the cards that you have pulled. Divide them into suits and see what similarities and differences you see in the cards in this subset of the deck you have created. Is one suit predominant? If so, what message do you take from that? Is a suit missing? Are their repeated numbers? What do you learn about equanimity from these things?

Pay attention to what comes into your mind as you play with these cards. Pay attention to how the group of cards you have chosen work together and what messages and insights come to you from these images when you view them as a group.

Now, take this group of cards and shuffle them together. Do not include other cards from the deck; shuffle only the cards you pulled out initially. Pull three cards from this shuffled group at random to give you personal insight into your relationship with equanimity.

The Week in Review

If you missed Global Tarot Circle last night, please watch the replay. Tomorrow evening, Thursday, at 7 pm ET, members of my YouTube channel are invited to join us for our monthly members-only livestream. This month, we will focus on the Court cards.

From Around the Web

StaarCon presenter Nancy Hendrickson shared this fabulous post about omens.

This interview with tarotist Jessica Dore in the LA Times is very interesting.

Here is a free download of equanimity practices (it mentions tarot!) from the Association of Reflexologists.

Creation and Divination

Can we use tarot to create a healthy headspace? Very often, I think we can.

I can think of three ways to use tarot to create equanimity. The first is tarot study. There are so many cards that admonish us to be patient. Many cards encourage us to find balance. As we learn the cards, we naturally embrace their messages.

The second way is through divination. When performed mindfully, divination with tarot can help us find the perspective and understanding that leads to calm.

The third way is with tarot magick. We can find the cards in the deck that most represent the energy we want to embody. For example, the High Priestess and Temperance embody the practices leading to equanimity for me.

Once you have chosen your cards, you can meditate with them, write about them, or look at them with a soft gaze and breathe their energy into your being.

Try these three techniques and see how your mood and tarot practice are improved!

Upcoming Events

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 28
July 12, 2023

Read More