The Power of Random

The Power of Random

The meanings we find in random occurrences.

I have always been fascinated with random occurrences and the coincidences and synchronicities that seem to follow random happenings. While it is always important to remember that sometimes a coincidence is just that, and that not every random thing has meaning, I think most of us agree that sometimes things that appear to happen randomly end up feeling that they are anything but random, and in fact feel divinely ordained.

So many divinatory tools, like tarot and all cartomancy, runes, I Ching and all bibliomancy, are based on the power of random. I often think random itself is the domain of a Higher Power who used the energy of random to send us the messages, information and assistance we need.

I tend to wear out decks of tarot cards with great frequency because I shuffle them so much and so often to make sure they are completely randomized. Only then do I feel that the universe can truly speak through them.

A problem comes in when we believe that something is random when it actually isn’t. In casinos, the seemingly random slot machines are programed not to favor the customer. That is the exact opposite of how I see devices of random token divination such as tarot. I truly believe that the cards will always give us the information we need.

I also notice that very often random thoughts may pop into mind that later turn out to be the voice of intuition. It seems that one of the ways to tune in to our intuition is to pay attention to those random thoughts, as often they may be warnings, inspiration and guidance.

Our loved ones in spirit may send messages to us through occurrences that may feel random.

How can we harness the spiritual power of random in our lives? I think there are two primary ways. The first, of course, is to use tools of random token divination. The second is to pay attention to our random thoughts, and to the random things that happen around us. Sometimes those seemingly random things can have great power and value.

There’s Still Time to See Me in Connecticut and Rhode Island

I’m having a great time seeing old friends and making new ones as I continue my June Northeastern Tarot Tour!

I still have a few openings for private readings, house calls and psychic house parties while I am here. Give me a call or text at 561-655-1160 and I will see if I can fit you in to the schedule!

My last day is June 25th so don’t wait!

How to Tell if Your Random Experience Has Deeper Meaning

There can be a real danger in spiritualizing every random event and finding meaning in every coincidence. Sometimes, as Freud said, “a cigar is just a cigar”. We can overthink things in a way that supports our fears or desires and doesn’t support truth.

I think the best way to vet a suspicion that a random happening has meaning, and to confirm that meaning, is by using a second dose of random!

When you are wondering about the significance of something that has happened, use a random token divination tool, like tarot, runes or oracle cards, to confirm or deny your suspicions.

Make sure you make an effort to “get out of you own way” during this process. The less attachment you have to the outcome, the more accurate and meaningful your results will be.

Simply ask, “Does this have meaning?” Or, “What is the significance of this?” Or, “Am I correct in my interpretation of this?”

Using something random to confirm or deny the power of a random experience will allow you to find the meanings and messages that are there for you. This process will keep you from following a false clue down a confusing rabbit hole.

The Week in Review

This week I shared a blog post about something that might surprise you. I don’t think that superstition mixes well with tarot! Read the post to see what I mean!

Did you catch my Three-Card Weekly Reading this Monday? You can find it on YouTube to see what the cards said for the energies surrounding us this week.

From Around the Web

Believe it or not, I found this article on how to shuffle your tarot cards! It seems I am not the only person who cares about the energy of random!

Something I fell in love with when I moved to Florida is night-blooming flowers. Here is an article about how to grow a moon garden!

It’s amazing to learn about people, past and present, who enjoy tarot. The poet William Butler Yeats was one!

Cards for Your Consideration

Of all seventy-eight tarot cards, arguably none express the energy of random more effectively than the Wheel of Fortune, Major Arcana 10.

The Wheel of Fortune can be a frustrating card to receive in certain contexts. The Wheel of Fortune can speak of cycles, fate, and karma; the things that come around and around again. The Wheel of Fortune can speak of luck, and, like the Fool, when well-aspected can encourage you to take a risk.

The Wheel of Fortune can describe a gamble, or a visit to a casino.

The Wheel of Fortune also represents the unpredictable energy of random. This card can tell you that the outcome is up to fate and cannot be influenced by your actions or desires. Very often this card says, “Spin the wheel and see what happens.”

In a final outcome prediction, the Wheel of Fortune can tell us that anything is possible.

Upcoming Events and Tour Dates

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 25
June 19, 2019

Disturbing the Universe

Disturbing the Universe

We always make a difference.

The spring of my senior year in high school (oh, so long ago) my classmates and I fell in love with the poet T.S. Eliot, and especially his poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. We chose a line from that poem to be our yearbook theme. That line was “Do I dare disturb the universe?”

Many years later, I still contemplate that question and what it might mean.

There are many ways to disturb the universe. One might choose to be disruptive simply for the sake of disruption. There seems to be a lot of that going on these days, and it doesn’t seem to serve anyone, even the disruptors themselves.

One might dare to disturb the universe by rejecting limited thinking and instead reaching for the stars. One might decide to live loud and proud as who they truly are, rather than trying to fit into a societal norm that restricts them and defines them erroneously. One might try to do something considered impossible and find it to be totally possible.

In the poem itself, Eliot goes on to say, “In a minute there is time. For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse.” To me this speaks of the very nature of the universe, as it is and always will be. As the expression goes, the only constant is change.

Many of us seek positive change, in ourselves, our communities, and in the world at large. Many are frustrated, feeling impotent to create meaningful change on any of those levels, great or small. Daring to disturb the universe suggests that we have some power to affect something vastly bigger than ourselves.

To me, that’s how energy works. We all create ripples. Did you take time today to be nice to the people around you? Did you smile and sincerely thank the person who sold you your coffee? That small gesture of kindness creates a ripple.

When we act thoughtlessly, we create a ripple of a different kind.

The small ripples we create, for good or ill, do create some sort of disturbance.

When meanness, apathy and callousness is the norm, that disturbance may bring compassion.

When sorrow is the norm, that disturbance may bring joy.

When poverty is the norm, that disturbance may bring prosperity.

When illness is the norm, that disturbance may bring healing.

When limited thinking is the norm, that disturbance may bring expanded horizons.

Knowing that we all carry the energy to disturb the universe in little ripples is a powerful thing. Let’s use that power wisely, but let’s choose to dare to disturb the universe.

Catch me in Connecticut!

For the next two weeks I am available in Connecticut for private readings, house calls and house parties. Please call or text 561-655-1160 to make your appointment.

I am teaching a tarot class on Sunday, June 16, in Madison at True Bikram Yoga, and a chakra class on Sunday, June 23 at True Bikram New Haven. Register for those classes on the True Bikram website.

To see the events I have going on in my home state of Connecticut, join my Connecticut Tarot Study Group on Meetup!

It is always a joy to return to the state where I raised my kids and built my business. I will look forward to seeing you while I am here!

While I am traveling, I continue to be available for readings and mentoring by phone, Skype, FaceTime and Messenger, so don’t hesitate to reach out.

I will be back in my Palm City office and ready to see my friends in my adopted home state on June 27.

What Does the Universe Want Me to Know?

In psychic work and divination of all kinds there is something known as a “general reading”. That’s when the seeker doesn’t have a specific question or doesn’t want to share their question. Many readers prefer not to work with general readings, and prefer the context provided by a specific question.

I like to begin every reading with a general reading and then move on to specific questions, and here’s why.

A general reading always begins with an unspoken question, and that question is, “What does the universe want me to know?”

Being open to wisdom from the universe is always a helpful thing. In prayer and meditation, we can ask this question and open our hearts to hear an answer.

In divination with any tool, we can ask this question, and interpret the answer to give us comfort and food for thought.

Using whatever tool you enjoy, or simply in meditation, ask this question and see what universal wisdom you receive!

The Week in Review

This week I shared a post on my Dark Forest blog about my love/hate relationship with my Mac. I am sure many of you can relate.

If you missed Global Tarot Circle last week, you can watch in in archive on YouTube.

Also on YouTube is my Three-Card Weekly Reading! This Three-Card Reading to look into the energy of the week is becoming a weekly feature on Mondays. Look for it on Facebook and YouTube every week!

From Around the Web

I found this great blogpost from 2013 from Radiant Nursing that mentions tarot, and connects with our topic this week.

Here’s a great treatment of the World card, Major Arcana 21. Again, I wonder, when working with a deck that calls this card “The Universe”, do we interpret it the same way?

Here’s the full text of the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. It’s still one of my favorite poems.

From The Moonchild Tarot by Danielle Noel. Used with permission.

Cards for Your Consideration

In many tarot decks, Major Arcana 21 is called “The Universe” rather than “The World”. Typically, the interpretation is the same. We see Major Arcana 21 as a completion, and as an opportunity for expansive thinking. Everything in the world becomes possible when we see this card.

I often see this card as a reference to world travel and global thinking. I feel that this card asks us to see the big picture.

When this card is called “The Universe”, might it be even more expansive, and more powerful, encompassing the stars, the planets, and all of space, as well as the whole planet?

Upcoming Events

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 24
June 12, 2019

The Ironies of Anxiety

The Ironies of Anxiety

How to worry less and live more.

I know a lot of people with diagnosed anxiety disorders, many more who would likely receive such a diagnosis if they brought their worries to a doctor, and still more who seem to suffer worry, fear and insomnia regularly. It sometimes feels we are simply an anxious society.

An irony of anxiety is that the more anxious we are, the less able we are to think clearly and find healthy perspectives and solutions to our problems.

It’s normal to have a few fears and worries from time to time, and there have always been people who suffer emotional disorders which require medical attention. Perhaps anxiety is human nature and has always been with us. The words of Rumi, the well-loved thirteenth-century poet, resonate so well today. These words tell us that maybe we are hardwired for anxiety, and that spiritual thought has always been the way to manage it. Rumi wrote, in part,

Oh soul,
you worry too much.
You have seen your own strength.
You have seen your own beauty.
You have seen your golden wings.
Of anything less,
why do you worry?

I find it comforting that these centuries-old words still speak so much truth. It’s easy to believe that our anxious condition is a product of our modern life; of politics, social media, economic stress and urban development. While those things can certainly create modern anxiety, it appears that the lifestyle of any century could have been a recipe for stress. It seems the question is now as it was then, how do we handle that stress? How do we manage our anxiety?

Rumi suggests that we discover the power of our spiritual nature; that we remember the bigger picture; that the beauty of life is always around us.

It’s easy and normal to be weighed down by heartache, family problems, and the nagging suspicion that we will never measure up to our own expectations. Yet, when we turn our focus to the miracle that is within each breath we take, that new perspective gives us faith, hope, and some relief from our anxiety.

That’s not to say that practices such as meditation, mindfulness, gratitude and yoga are a cure-all for serious mental illness. Yet, these practices that make us aware of our spiritual nature, and that make our spiritual nature as important as our physical reality, are scientifically proven to help.

Rumi didn’t have the benefit of modern science to tell him that looking within and seeing our strength, our beauty and our spiritual nature would make a difference. He knew it because he was wise.

There is so much wisdom available to us today. It is ironic that the bombardment of ads and memes that preach a healing spiritual practice can sometimes themselves be anxiety-producing. They can make us feel badly for not doing enough on our own behave.

Perhaps the first best step toward anxiety-reduction is simply radical acceptance – to accept ourselves, and our life, exactly as it is right now. To know that everything is perfect in its imperfection.

Starting from that place of acceptance we may be able to carve our just a little time to adopt some healthy practices. We may be able to adjust our thoughts away worry, and focus more on logical problem-solving.

Clarity in Every Card: How to Use Context, Keywords and Intuition to Give an Amazing Tarot Reading

Please make plans to join us June 9, 4 pm to 6 pm, in my conference room in Palm City for this exciting class.

Whether you are a new tarot enthusiast, a professional reader, or somewhere in-between, you know the struggle. Sometimes the cards show up in clear and poignant ways. Other times they speak in mysteries and give clues rather than clear direction. Whether reading for yourself or others, this can be a discouraging and frustrating for even the most learned seekers.

In this class you will learn some techniques to help you make every reading your best reading, and to find clarity in every card.

Some of the techniques you will learn involve tarot study and protocol, others involve your intuitive development and natural connection to the tarot images.

Bring a tarot deck or borrow or purchase one at the class. Class fee is $37.50. Seating is limited. Reserve your seat online!

 Anxiety Relief Tarot Dialogue

One of the tarot techniques I rely on most often is what I refer to as the tarot dialogue. In the tarot dialogue, one questions leads to another. You ask your primary question, and pull a card, or a few cards, to get your answer. From there, you see if that answer generates a next question, or if you have a related question.

Pick up the card or cards you have pulled, shuffle them back into the deck, and ask that next question. Answer that question by once again pulling a card, or a few cards. Then move on to a next question, and continue until you feel more at ease, and feel that you have a clear understanding of the issue. Each time you pull cards, shuffle them back into the deck. This allows cards to show up numerous times. If that happens, pay special attention to the card or cards that repeat.

If something is making you anxious and you can’t identify what it is, you can start with a question like, “What is it that is really bothering me?” If you know what the problem is you can begin with a question like, “What is the impact of this issue that is bothering me?” or “What can I do to mitigate this problem?”.

Often anxiety comes from a belief that something is worse than it is or will have a bigger impact than it will. We make mountains out of molehills, as the expression goes. We can ask questions that help us understand the true nature of the problem, how much of a problem it truly is, and how to handle it.

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

Did you catch my weekly three-card reading on Facebook Live? If not, you can check it out in archive on YouTube.

This week I shared some important but unlikely advice for beginning and intermediate tarot students on my Community Blog.

From Around the Web

Want to learn about Rumi, and read more of his work? Find it on Poets.org.

Here are Ten Mindful Attitudes that Decrease Anxiety. Mindfulness seems to be all the rage, but do we really know what it means?

Here is a Tarot Spread for Working with Anxiety. As you can see, there are many ways to use tarot to release anxiety.

Tarot card image from The Gilded Tarot Royale by Ciro Marchetti. Used with permission.

Cards for Your Consideration

This week, consider the traditional depiction of the Eight of Swords as an illustration of anxiety. Often when I see this card I think of a person trapped in a cage of their own thoughts.

Very often when this card appears it can speak of anxiety, either in a clinical or situation sense.

The Eight of Swords tells us to get ourselves out of that paralysis of analysis, to stop trapping ourselves with our own repetitive thinking.

While no one enjoys receiving this card in a reading, its instructions are clear. We need to take off the blindfold and release ourselves from the tyranny of our own thinking.

Upcoming Events

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 23
June 5, 2019

The Trouble with Talent

The Trouble with Talent

Know your gifts and use them well.

We all have talents, whether or not we see them, use them or acknowledge them. Our talents can bring us, and others, a great deal of joy. Yet, there are many ways that our talents can create stress for us as well.

When we are stuck in a job that doesn’t utilize or develop our talents, we are often bored and frustrated.

Parents and teachers of talented kids know that sometimes the kids with the most talent experience the most difficulty in academic environments.

Sometimes we feel upset when our talents are not seen or acknowledged. Being a great artist doesn’t mean that you will be known as a great artist. If you don’t have the time and energy to devote to your art, or if you are shy about promoting yourself, those with less ability may receive more opportunities than you do.

It can sometimes be hard to recognize or quantify our talents. When something comes easily to us it’s easy to think it comes easily to others as well. How often have we heard someone who just prepared an outstanding meal say, “Oh, this? I just threw this together. Anyone could do it.” We see the truth of their talent, but to them, it feels like nothing at all.

If we can’t recognize our talents, and if we don’t feel comfortable showcasing our talents, we suffer. When that happens, not only do we miss out on opportunities, but the world misses the opportunity to enjoy our unique gifts.

Join Us at Panera Bread this Sunday!

Although our commitment is to meet once a month, it has been a few months since we have been able to get together for our “Cards and Conversation” Meetup at Panera in Palm City.

I hope you will join us this Sunday, June 2, from 4 pm to 6 pm as we gather to discuss the cards and share readings and tarot study.

Panera Bread is located at 2894 Southwest Town Center Way, Palm City. Bring your cards or borrow a deck at the meeting. You can RSVP on Meetup or simply join us there.

Manage Your Talents with Tarot

Whether or not you feel you have a particular talent for divination, tarot can be a great tool to help you understand and utilize your talents, skills and abilities.

A great tarot-reading technique is to simply ask a question and pull a card, or a few cards, in answer. Spend some time with the cards you receive, contemplating their message to you.

Here are some questions you can ask of the cards to help you manage your talents.

What is my greatest talent?

What is a hidden talent of mine?

How can I develop this talent?

How can I share this talent?

How can I use this talent to help others?

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 on my Dark Forest blog I shared an interesting and exciting fact I just learned. The Equal Rights Amendment is still viable, and Florida may ratify it this year!

Although it was Memorial Day and my computer is out for repairs, I managed to do your weekly three-card reading on Facebook live. You can check it out on my Facebook business page, Christiana Gaudet. Hit ‘Like’ while you are there!

From Around the Web

Are you emotionally mature? Are the people around you? Here is a twenty-six-point checklist to find out!

A second edition of the Mary-el Tarot is coming out, and four cards will be replaced. Check out the new Hierophant!

June begins this week. Here is a look at the month ahead from Tarot.com. Read your June 2019 horoscope.

Cards for Your Consideration

This week I am asking you to consider Major Arcana 1, the Magician, as an indicator of talent.

Keywords for this card include “skills, abilities and tools”. I don’t see why “talents” can’t be an additional keyword here.

The Magician, related to Mercury, can be about communication. As card one, this card is also about initiation. The card’s name, “Magician”, can indicate the power to manifest your desires.

When this card appears, consider that it may be trying to tell you to acknowledge your talents, to take those talents seriously, and to learn to use them appropriately.

Often the Magician appears to discuss schooling. Talents are always improved with training. This card may be the nudge you need to take a class to develop your gifts!

Upcoming Events

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 2 Issue 22
May 29, 2019