Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.
No Negative Self-Talk!
The High Priestess, and how to be a better friend to yourself.
No Negative Self-Talk!
It’s something I see at the tarot table every day. Good people who are kind to everyone, who work hard and do their best, often don’t see themselves in a positive light. Folks who have nothing but kind words for their friends say things to themselves, about themselves, that they wouldn’t say to their worst enemy, let alone their friends or family members.
Sometimes negative self-talk focuses on physical appearance. Other times it comes from regrets; things that we wish we had done better or differently. Sometimes it seems that negative self-talk comes from a sense of false modesty where people put themselves down to avoid feeling egotistical.
No one likes a braggart. Celebrities and politicians can get away with boasting. The rest of us know how distasteful it is to spend time with someone who is their own biggest fan. Yet, internally, we all need to be fans of ourselves.
Negative self-talk is dangerous because, when we speak badly about ourselves, there is a part of us who believes the bad press. This can limit our success in the workplace, in relationships and in developing healthy self-esteem.
None of us is perfect. It is important to have enough self-awareness to be able to see our flaws and work toward healing and self-improvement. We all have room for growth.
Yet, we see the flaws of the people we love, and we love them, nonetheless. We need to be able to do the same for ourselves.
When we speak with people, we highlight their accomplishments, not their failures. We need to be able to do the same for ourselves.
We desire love, approval and respect from others. It’s harder to get those things from those around us if we can’t or won’t give those things to ourselves.
The next time you catch yourself saying something mean to yourself, apologize to yourself, and follow ups by saying something nice!
Three In-Person Tarot Classes
Over the next few weeks I will be teaching in-person tarot classes in three locations.
Tonight, I am teaching a class on reading tarot for yourself in my Palm City office. There may still be seats available, call 561-655-1160 if you would like to attend.
On Thursday, May 30th, from 7pm to 9pm, I will be teaching “Working with the Tarot Court” at Dream Angels in Tequesta.
In this class you will learn a variety of ways to interpret the sixteen Court cards when they appear and find all the possible messages within them.
For more information, and to get the discount for a prepaid class, visit Dream Angels online.
On Sunday, June 16 from 7 pm to 9 pm I will be teaching “Numbers, Elements and Truth: The Minor Arcana of Tarot” at True Bikram Yoga in Madison, CT. This class is appropriate for anyone with an interest in tarot, from the merely curious to the adept.
I hope to see you soon at a class near you!
Use Tarot as a Mirror
While sometimes it can be difficult to use tarot to make predictions for ourselves because we are so close to the situation, it is easy and helpful to use tarot as a mirror in self-reflection.
When we know we have made a mistake, we can ask the cards questions such as, “What did I learn from this?” and “What can be my next step to fix this?”
Sometimes it’s helpful just to ask the cards, “Who am I today?” and pull a single card on which to reflect.
When we are feeling down about ourselves, tarot can be a best friend that reminds us of our most positive qualities. Simply ask, “What are some of my best qualities?” and pull a few cards.
In reading for others, these techniques can help us guide a person away from their own negative self-talk, and toward a practice of seeing themselves in a more positive light.
In reading for ourselves, this these techniques can build a great tarot practice as well as healthy self-esteem.
Book Now for my June Northeastern Tarot Tour
It’s almost time for my June Northeastern Tarot Tour, June 12 through 25. Once again, I will be available for readings at True Bikram Yoga in Madison, Connecticut. I am also available for parties and house calls in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I will be teaching a tarot class on June 16th in Madison, and a chakra healing class on June 23rd in New Haven.
Please call or text 562-655-1160, or email me, to schedule your time with me, to book your party, or to get more information about classes.
Since I will be teaching tarot during my Connecticut trips I have started The Connecticut Tarot Study Group on Meetup.com for my Connecticut friends. Please join if you are interested in tarot and live in New England.
I will look forward to seeing my Northeastern friends this June.
The Week in Review
This week I shared an in-depth review of The Moonchild Tarot, both written and video. I featured a card from this lovely deck in the “Cards for Your Consideration” article this week.
If you missed Global Tarot Circle last week, you can watch the replay on YouTube.
On YouTube, you can also see my three-card reading for the week. I was surprised by the intensity of this reading!
From Around the Web
Very often misplaced feelings of guilt hinder our self-esteem, and very often those feelings are rooted in a misunderstanding of spirituality. Here’s an interesting piece based on a study from the University of Chicago. So often we look to religion to give us our moral compass. Yet, so often this can backfire, as we see in this Patheos post.
Do you have a Card of the Day tarot practice? Here’s information on how and why to do it!
Teen Vogue was talking about Tarot last December, and how tarot can be helpful in fostering mental health.
Cards for Your Consideration
This week I am happy to share for your consideration the High Priestess from The Moonchild Tarot by Danielle Noel (image used with permission).
While keywords for the High Priestess included wisdom, balance, serenity, womanhood, meditation, secrets and the subconscious, there is a more mundane interpretation of this card that I want to focus on here, in keeping with our topic for the week.
Very often, in a reading, the High Priestess can indicate a sense of perfectionism. Having a high standard of excellence isn’t a bad thing. Often this card shows up for nurses and hairstylists; people who need to be perfect in the work they do, or we all suffer unfortunate consequences.
Yet, the High Priestess, when ill-dignified, can indicate a sense of guilt, or feeling badly about oneself. When people speak of themselves or think of themselves in a disrespectful way, the High Priestess can sometimes let us know this is happening.
The energy of the High Priestess is something we can use as a remedy for this as well. We can meditate with this image, and, with it, find a sense of internal peace, gratitude and self-love.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 21
May 22, 2019
Conscious Breath
This week we focus on the power of breath and the element of Air.
Conscious Breath
The power of breathing with awareness.
If you’ve ever taken a class in yoga or meditation you are well aware of the importance of conscious breath; or bringing awareness to your breathing.
Of course, we are breathing all the time. It’s an autonomic function. ‘Autonomic’ means something we do unconsciously. When we bring consciousness to something that we usually do unconsciously we can create a great deal of power.
Beyond the physical aspects of conscious breathing associated with properly-executed exercise, there is a strong spiritual component to conscious breathing. Conscious breathing is the first important step in psychic work and the spiritual work of prayer, magic, manifestation and working the Law of Attraction.
We can also use conscious breathing to change our mood, and to regulate our physical responses to anxiety or upset.
In psychic development classes I tell my students that the breath is the magic carpet on which all psychic and spiritual work rides.
In tarot classes I ask students to literally breathe in the energy of their tarot cards. I know how silly that sounds. Yet, the power of it is real.
Even in our mundane lives, we know the power of breath. Friends tell us to take a deep breath before we respond to someone anger or make a decision we might later regret.
Conscious breathing is an important part of checking in with intuition. It’s also a necessary part of chakra healing and energy work.
Conscious breathing aligns us with the element of Air, whose metaphysical properties include clarity, logic, intelligence, integrity, communication and all powers of the mind.
By breathing with deliberation, slowly and deeply, we change our energy, and attune ourselves to the rhythm of the universe. From there, anything is possible.
Get Your Autographed Copy of Tarot Tour Guide!
After much patience, I am happy to announce that the Second Edition of Tarot Tour Guide is now available.
First published in 2012 and out of print since 2016, Tarot Tour Guide is a comprehensive tarot book that offers beginners an understanding of the cards and how to use them. It also offers experiences readers techniques, exercises, spreads and meditations to deepen your tarot practice.
This Second Edition is gently edited and expanded.
To get a signed copy with a dedication you can buy the book on line at christianagaudet.com.
If you prefer my first book, Fortune Stellar, I have plenty of copies in stock. Why not get both!
The Suit of Swords
As you may know, the Four Elements figure prominently in tarot understanding; each suit of the Minor Arcana is associated with an element.
You may also know that, of the four tarot suits, the suit of Swords, associated with the element of Air, contains the cards that are most often feared and disliked. In many decks, the illustrations on some of those Swords cards can be brutal. That is why, I think, so many people fear them.
Yet, if we get past our fears and think of those Swords as related to Air, and to the breath, we can find truth and understanding in these cards, rather than fear and upset. Of course, fear itself, as a mental process, is also a thing of Air, and therefore of the Swords. So often in tarot our natural reactions to the cards can reflect their traditional meanings!
Imagine how your understanding of those darker Swords cards might change if you think of the Swords that imprison the woman in the Eight of Swords as her own thoughts and beliefs, for example. Perhaps the ten swords that impale our hero in the Ten of Swords are the unkind words of others. Perhaps the nine swords that hang over the bed and prevent sleep in the Nine of Swords are simply unfounded fears and worries. The Four of Swords might be a reminder to simply take a pause and breathe.
The next time you see a Swords card that disturbs you, take a deep breath and remember its association to the element of Air. This will help you in your interpretations, and help you to more fully understand the important role that element plays in tarot reading, without bringing fear and upset into your tarot reading process.
Book Now for my June Northeastern Tarot Tour
It’s almost time for my June Northeastern Tarot Tour, June 12 through 25. Once again, I will be available for readings at True Bikram Yoga in Madison, Connecticut. I am also available for parties and house calls in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. I will be teaching a tarot class on June 16th in Madison, and a chakra healing class on June 23rd in New Haven.
Please call or text 562-655-1160, or email me, to schedule your time with me, to book your party, or to get more information about classes.
Since I will be teaching tarot during my Connecticut trips I have started The Connecticut Tarot Study Group on Meetup.com for my Connecticut friends. Please join if you are interested in tarot and live in New England.
I will look forward to seeing my Northeastern friends this June.
The Week in Review
This week, in honor of Mother’s Day, I shared a post about the way motherhood appears in tarot readings.
I also shared my three-card reading for the week on Facebook and YouTube.
Every year around Mother’s Day I like to share my Roots and Wings Tarot Spread. I just discovered that the Tarot Alchemist found this spread and shared a reading with it for Mother’s Day last year, so you can see that as well.
From Around the Web
The Tarot Blog Hop happened again at the beginning of the month. The theme was “Tarot Continuing Education”. Here is the Master List, where you can begin, and then follow the links to read what each blogger had to say.
This article from Tiny Buddha about how learning new things can be challenging because we aren’t good at them yet really resonated with me.
Here’s another article about how tarot is coming back into vogue. Gee, I never knew it had gone out of fashion!
Join Us Tonight for Global Tarot Circle
It’s that time again! Once a month tarotists from all over the world gather on Facebook live to share readings, information and ideas. To join in, all you have to do is be on my Facebook Business Page, Christiana Gaudet, tonight, Wednesday May 15, at 7 pm Eastern time. Hit ‘Like’ while you are there and look for the live feed.
If you are a tarot reader, have your cards with you. If you have a question and would like a reading, or would like to learn more about tarot, jump in the conversation and we will be happy to do a reading or discuss your concern. I’ll have some tarot exercises to share as well.
Conscious Spirit Oracle Deck Copyright (c) 2013 US Games Systems Inc. Used with permission.
Cards for Your Consideration
In honor of Mother’s Day I’ve chosen a card from my favorite oracle deck, the Conscious Spirit Oracle Deck by Kim Dreyer, published by US Games.
The card I chose is card 10, Sacral Chakra. The sacral, or second chakra, is related to our connection to our mothers and our children. It’s interesting that the affirmation included on the card is not specific to family issues, but rather to self-love and sensitivity to others. I think that is a very important point because so often we pour out love and care to those for whom we have responsibility but forget to do the same for ourselves.
The Conscious Spirit Oracle Deck is interesting because includes cards for the chakras, the elements, and many aspects of spirituality and nature. The affirmations on each card are meaningful, and the artwork is lovely.
For me the sacral chakra is all about nurturance. This card reminds us to nurture ourselves, just as we nurture others.
Your Personal Tarot Practice: Reading Tarot for Yourself
Make plans now to join me on Wednesday, May 22, 7 to 9 pm, in my conference room at 1025 SW Martin Downs Blvd, suite 203, Palm City, FL, for a very special tarot class.
Whether you are a new reader or an experienced enthusiast, you have probably struggled with your own self-reading.
This class will help you discover your personal tarot cards – specific cards that have a special message for you, and that provide a mirror to help you understand yourself.
You will also learn techniques to help you stay objective as you read for yourself. You will learn ways to derive information, enlightenment and personal growth from your tarot practice.
Seating for this class is limited. Tickets are $37.50 and available from Eventbrite. Call or text 561-655-1160 for more information.
Upcoming Events
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 20
May 15, 2019
Things of Quality Have No Fear of Time
This week we explore time and tarot.
Things of Quality Have No Fear of Time
Some things are worth the wait
This week a friend on Instagram reminded me that I often use this quote. That’s because it makes so much sense to me, on so many levels.
I whisper it to myself when I am running woefully behind on a self-imposed writing deadline. I say it again to myself when I look in the mirror and see the signs of age that seem to emerge almost daily. I say it yet again to justify spending a bit of money on something that is built to last, rather than something cheaper and disposable. I say it to my clients who are impatiently waiting for a good thing that I see coming to them – a new relationship, a new job, or healing of body, mind and spirit.
None can escape the passage of time, and so often we worry that we have missed the boat, that we are running out of time, that we aren’t moving quickly enough. It’s true that time will wait for none of us, and some things do have an expiration date. Yet, there is a blessing that happens when we can gracefully accept that good things are worth the wait and that doing good work is worth the extra time.
Time adds value to some things. We see this with cheese, wine, and lovely antiques. When we allow ourselves to have the perspective that time adds value to our lives, rather than slowly stealing our lives away, our lives become much richer.
Tarot Tour Guide is Available on Amazon!
After much patience, I am happy to announce that the Second Edition of Tarot Tour Guide is now available in paperback on Amazon.
First published in 2012 and out of print since 2016, Tarot Tour Guide is a comprehensive tarot book that offers beginners an understanding of the cards and how to use them. It also offers experiences readers techniques, exercises, spreads and meditations to deepen your tarot practice.
This Second Edition is gently edited and expanded.
The Kindle version of Tarot Tour Guide will be available shortly.
If you have pre-ordered this book through my website or Indiegogo you can expect to receive it shortly, as I plan to receive and ship the books toward the end of this week.
If you prefer a signed copy with a dedication, you can buy the book on line at christianagaudet.com.
Too Late Tarot Reading
Sometimes we wonder if we have let too much time pass. Is it too late to start a business, or go back to school, or fall in love?
I often think that people don’t do what they want to do because the think it’s too late, when it’s really not.
It’s a good practice to check in with tarot, either by reading for yourself or getting a reading with a talented professional, to see if you still have time to make something happen.
If you want to read for yourself, simply shuffle and ask a question like, “Can I make this happen?”
When I have done this for others, I have sometimes been surprised by the answers I’ve received. I have seen that middle-aged people could change their careers, and then I have watched them actually do it successfully. I’ve seen older women become parents. I’ve seen senior citizens finally find the love of their lives.
Sometimes we try to talk ourselves out of trying for something because we believe our time has passed. If we are indeed too late, tarot may suggest something else for us to do.
But sometimes, tarot will encourage us to go for it. In my experience, when that happens, the possibilities for success are much better than we may have thought.
The Week in Review
This week I started something new – Three-card tarot readings on Facebook Live, archived on my YouTube channel. Check out my Three Card Spread in honor of Star Wars Day, and three cards for the week of May 6-12.
For my tarot-reading friends I shared a blogpost about doing readings for yes or no questions.
From Around the Web
Amy Zerner and Monty Farber, our favorite metaphysical couple and creators of the Enchanted Tarot, are offering an inexpensive course called 21 Ways to Tell Your Future.
Here is a wise article on grief. If you, or someone you know, is in a grieving process, you have to read this!
Many of you know how much I love John Mayer. Turns out he has been blogging about candles!
Cards for Your Consideration
This week, I would like you to consider five cards that can often speak of time. The first two are from the Major Arcana. The Hermit, Major Arcana 9, is known as ‘Father Time’. The lantern he carries was originally an hourglass. It became a lantern at a time when candles were used as timekeepers. Therefore, he now carries the light of wisdom that is also a clock. The message here is of the wisdom that is acquired over time, and that it is often wise to be patient.
Three common keywords for Major Arcana 14, Temperance, are art, alchemy and time. Temperance tells us that time is one of the ingredients needed to create the recipe for the perfect blend, the right solution and the correct balance in life.
The next two cards are both Knights, one fast, one slow. The Knight of Pentacles is the slowest of the Knights. He reminds us to take our time and tells us that things may happen slowly. The Knight of Swords is the quickest of the Knights and may tell us that something is coming quickly, or that we need to act with all speed.
Our final card is the Eight of Wands, which is all about fast action. It heralds quick change and fast news. The Eight of Wands advises that you be swift.
Predicting time with tarot can be challenging. These five cards can help us understand our relationship with time. These cards can often let us know whether things will happen quickly, or whether we will be practicing patience as we wait for what comes next.
Upcoming Events
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 19
May 8, 2019
If It Were Easy Everyone Would Do It
This week we find the blessings in our struggles.
If It Were Easy Everyone Would Do It
When Struggle is a good thing.
I say this to myself every time I feel discouraged. It always cheers me up to remember that I chose goals that require hard work, that I am uniquely qualified for that hard work, and that I am working toward something I want, value, and am honored to do.
While there is no reason to make life more difficult than it needs to be, there are times it is better to dive into struggle than to turn away from it.
If you know that, at the other end of your efforts, there is something worth working for, worth having and worth doing, then it’s worth giving a herculean effort to get there.
We all have the ability to be extraordinary in some regard. Some people have specific talents. Other have compassionate character. Others have vision. Once we identify our skills and traits, we have the option to set goals for how we will use those skills, and where we want them to take us. Of course, the bigger the goal, the harder it is to achieve.
Not everyone is willing to struggle. Not everyone feels prepared to do the hard thing, even if the rewards are significant. And, there is no shame in choosing a stable path over a path of struggle.
But, if you are a person who is driven to achieve something special, take comfort in the knowledge that your path will be hard – so hard that other people might avoid it. By facing that struggle, you are setting yourself apart from the pack, and you are setting yourself up for rewards as big the difficulty it took to get them.
Two Tarot Classes in May!
I am exciting to be offering two tarot classes this month in South Florida.
On Wednesday, May 22, from 7 to 9 pm I am presenting Your Personal Tarot Practice: Reading Tarot for Yourself in my conference room at 1025 SW Martin Downs Blvd, Palm City.
Whether you are a new reader or an experienced enthusiast, you have probably struggled with your own self-reading.
This special class will help you discover your personal tarot cards – specific cards that have a special message for you, and that provide a mirror to help you understand yourself.
You will also learn special techniques to help you stay objective as you read for yourself. You will learn special ways to derive information, enlightenment and personal growth from your tarot practice.
Seating for this class is limited. Tickets are $37.50 and available from Eventbrite. Call or text 561-655-1160 for more information.
On Thursday, May 30, from 7 to 9 pm I will be teaching Working with the Tarot Court at Dream Angels at 128 Bridge Road in Tequesta.
The sixteen Court Cards of tarot, that is, the Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings, are the most versatile cards in the deck. This makes these cards extremely useful, but also sometimes confusing.
In this class you will learn a variety of ways to interpret and work with these cards.
Seating for this class is limited. You may register in advance with Dream Angels.
I hope to see you in tarot class this month!
Encouragement from the Minor Arcana
There are many tarot cards in the Minor Arcana that can speak of the struggle of overwork, overwhelm, and goals that take effort to meet. Some cards, like the Three of Swords or Four of Swords, can tell us that we need rest, retreat and healing.
Other cards, like the Ten of Wands, can encourage us to carry our load until our journey is complete.
The Two of Pentacles can remind us that we have the ability to keep up a taxing pace for as long as we need to.
The Seven of Wands ask us to defend our dreams, even against superior odds.
All four of the Minor Arcana Fives deal with struggle, expansion, and conflict. Yet, each card holds the promise of victory if we can just get through the difficulty.
Each Minor Arcana suit tells the story of a journey, and in each journey the potential for struggle is present. Also present in each story is the potential for success, healing and growth.
The trick is that when we see a card that speaks of struggle, we also must find within the cards the purpose for the struggle, and the assurance that the struggle will ultimately yield good results.
The Week in Review
This week I shared a blogpost about divination. How and why does divination work? Here’s what I think.
From Around the Web
It’s the First of May, so here is a May 2019 Astrology Forecast from Om Times.
Did you know that Benebell Wen offers free online courses in tarot, astrology, numerology and feng shui?
I love it that tarot is now more often acknowledged as part of popular culture. Here is a slideshow from Popsugar that assigns tarot cards to Gilmore Girls characters!
Cards for Your Consideration
This week I ask you to consider a deeper meaning for a typically-feared card.
The Three of Swords is undoubtedly a card of heartache and sorrow. It can indicate betrayal, loss and sadness.
Yet, when we see this card in a reading, as much as we must acknowledge the pain that is present, there is something else that must be acknowledged. That is the chance to heal.
When we see pain in ourselves or in others, we must always also see the opportunity presented by pain – the opportunity to work through the hurt, to heal, and to grow.
Without pain and suffering, there is little ability for growth.
In every shadow is a gift. The gift of the Three of Swords is healing.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 18
May 1, 2019