The newsletter will be abbreviated for this week and next because we will be at StaarCon this weekend. Instead, this week I. T. John has selected a few articles from the past to remind us of the coming Spring.

As you read this, people are flying into West Palm Beach from many places. People who are attending virtually are arranging their computer stations and perusing food delivery options.

StaarCon is growing into something bigger and better than we imagined when we first decided to produce a conference. I am excited to see how we grow next.

Once StaarCon is over, the year-long AfterGlow begins, adding a new dimension of learning and fellowship.

Tickets are still available to join us in person and online.

I am available for private appointments every day except the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of StaarCon. I will resume my regular schedule of YouTube livestreams and my usual weekly newsletter by the end of January.

I am grateful to all of you for the support you have shown me over the years. Because of your support, we have created some extraordinary things.

Signs of Spring

Originally Posted 1/30/2013

On February 2 here in the United States we celebrate Groundhog Day. Did you know that Groundhog Day actually has its roots in both Pagan and Christian antiquity?

Originally Groundhog Day was celebrated as Imbolc, or Imbolg. Many modern Pagans still celebrate this holiday between January 30 and February 2. The word "Imbolc" means "in the belly." This is the Irish holiday of the lambing ewes.  By this time of year the ewes would be pregnant and lactating. This would be seen as an assurance of a year of prosperity ahead.

Imbolc is also known as Brighid's Day and Saint Brighid's Day. Brighid, or Brigid, is known both as a Catholic Saint and the Triple Goddess of healing, poetry and smithcraft.  Her rituals include a meditative journey to Brigid's forge where Brigid will transform your sorrows and burdens into something more useful.

In some cultures, this holiday was celebrated as Candlemas. It was a time to light candles as a reminder that the sun would soon return.

As we end January and begin February, we are equidistant between the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox.

However you celebrate it, the beginning of February is a time to honor fertility, creativity and hope. No matter how cold, barren and frozen it may be right now we still know that spring is on its way.

Spring Cleaning

Originally posted 3/23/2022

This is the first week of Spring! No matter your favorite season or your geographical locale, the arrival of spring brings excitement and renewal for all.

We associate spring with new projects, new ideas, fertility, and growth. Spring is the time that the earth is renewed, and with that we find personal renewal as well.

It struck me that the tradition of spring cleaning seems different than the energy of planting, sprouting, and hatching which we often associate with springtime.

I did some research to find out where the tradition of spring cleaning originated. It turns out that spring cleaning is thousands of years old, and originated independently in several cultures around the world, including Iranian, Chinese, and Jewish.

In these cultural traditions, the cleaning of the house in springtime is spiritual and energetic as well as physical. Spring is the time to remove any bad luck or negative energy that has accumulated over the year.

This made me think of the gardening task of pruning. There are many plants that should not be pruned in spring. Yet, there are some that indeed thrive when pruned early in the year. In spring, some things need to be cut away to make room for new growth.

Perhaps the process of spring cleaning helps us ensure that the seeds we plant will blossom.

It makes sense, too, that as the earth is renewed, we would want our physical space to reflect that renewal.

Sometimes the cleaning we most need to do is not physical at all. Along with the concept of removing negative energy from our space is the concept of removing unhelpful things from our life. This is a sort of personal pruning where we cut away what no longer serves us. Perhaps it is time to break a bad habit, or to change the way we speak to ourselves. Perhaps we need to stop honoring outmoded beliefs that are keeping us from our success.

Now that spring is here, think about what you might want to prune away from your life in order to assure the success of the seeds you are planting. Let your personal spring cleaning support your new projects and ultimate success this year!

Four Cards for the Springtime

Originally posted 3/31/2012

Springtime has always been special to me. Living up North, springtime meant the end of the dreary winter season that I dreaded and distained. Now that I live in Florida, I still love spring because of what it represents spiritually.

Even though we have a year-round growing season here, springtime still represents renewal, rebirth and rejuvenation. The theme of resurrection is still pertinent.

That spring theme of resurrection is part of doctrine in many religions, including Pagan Ostara and Christian Easter.

Another aspect of the vernal equinox around which all the spring holidays are based is that it marks the increasing return of the sun, and advancement toward the “light half” of the year.

As an exercise in Tarot Circle, I asked folks to look at four cards to discuss the move from the “dark half” which is the internal, introspective time, to the “light half” which is the external, extroverted time.

For this exercise, I chose the Magician, the High Priestess, the Sun and the Moon.

The Magician and the Sun share the same numerology, both being number one. The Magician and the Sun are both elementally masculine; the Magician being Air and the Sun Fire. The High Priestess and the Moon are both feminine Water.

In many ways, the Magician discusses the ways we learn in the outer world, the High Priestess discusses the ways we lean in our inner world. The Sun may represent our public doings; the Moon may represent our more secretive doings.

The process of comparing and contrasting these four cards in this context was very enlightening.

At this time of balance between light and dark, outer and inner, it is interesting to look at these cards to see the wisdom and subsequent action that can happen in the outer world with the Magician and Sun, and the inner world, with the High Priestess and Moon.

As we move toward the time of light, we take the wisdom of the High Priestess and the Moon with us, and use the energy of the Magician and the Sun to let that wisdom shine for the world to see.

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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
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Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 7 Issue 3
January 17, 2024