Making Room and Holding Space
A laughing woman does yoga in a colorful space.
A massage therapist once told me that much of our common bodily discomfort comes from holding ourselves too tightly and not stretching enough, resulting in insufficient space for organs and muscles to thrive. In short, she said, massage creates more space in the body.
I have no idea whether that is medically true. I do know that the image has stuck with me in a helpful way, because life is like that as well. When we get too busy, stressed, and focused on whatever is taking our attention, we forget to make room for ourselves and others to thrive. We don’t make room for rest, fun, or downtime. We don’t make room to chill with our friends.
The same thing happens in our minds. We don't make room for joy, creativity, and hope when we get clogged up with spiraling thoughts, worries, and upset.
Sometimes, a loved one going through difficulty cannot make room for themselves because they are full of grief, sorrow, or pain. This is when we must hold space for them by acknowledging their pain and their value and excusing them from their regular shared activities with you while keeping that space open for their recovery and return. We can hold the vision for their future even when they cannot. We may be able to step in and temporarily give them some space by taking over some of their duties and making ourselves available for conversation and company.
We often pack our schedules, tightly budgeting our time, money, and resources to get the most bang for the buck. There is nothing wrong with this. Yet, we thrive when we have space to move around, think, create, and just be.
The StaarCon 5 Imagining of Pixie Arcana. Art and composition by Stacey Williams-Ng, backgrounds by Animix.
The StaarCorner
This Sunday, February 23, all StaarCon 5 ticketholders are welcome to join me in the Meeting Hall lounge on Accelevents at 5 pm ET for a Tarot Spreads and Techniques workshop. All StaarCon 5 ticketholders are welcome!
The calendar of upcoming lounge presentations is on the StaarCon website and is updated regularly.
Stacey Williams-Ng presenting at StaarCon 5.
A man conducts a tarot reading for a client.
Tarot is All About This
I think the modern practice of tarot can be all about making room and holding space.
What do I mean?
First, in a reading for another person, whether professional or casual, you must make room in your mind, heart, life, and schedule for that person to be the most important in the world to you in that moment.
You also must make room for that person’s needs, thoughts, ideas, and desires, even if those are different from yours or even, in some cases, distasteful to you.
You must hold space for their pain, fear, and worry. In a good reading, you will feel what your client feels, which is not always pleasant.
In reading and studying tarot for yourself, first, you must make room for tarot in your life. That does not have to be regimented, and you needn’t feel guilty for letting your tarot practice lie fallow from time to time, but you do need to create some space and time for your practice in ways that suit you.
Tarot is a wonderful tool for teaching us to be kind to ourselves and to hold space for our healing, recreation, and desires. That happens when we learn the lessons of the cards and then use the cards to conduct insightful self-readings that help us understand our needs.
Learning tarot online.
The Week in Review
On my YouTube channel, you will find regular gatherings of our digital village, where we do live readings or study tarot and divination together. You will also find a valuable archive of free tarot classes, deck and book reviews, and interviews with community leaders.
If you missed last night’s Tarot for Love and Relationships workshop, please enjoy the replay.
From Around the Web
Trust Benebell Wen to ask and answer the most provocative questions! Her recent blog post, “Is AI Validating Psychic Ability?” Is fascinating!
Mary K. Greer’s blog is, of course, equally interesting. This week, Mary shared a perspective on “The Oedipus Cycle and Tarot Triumphs”.
Have you seen Frank Kwiatkowski’s “Beatles Song Tarot Project”? I love everything about this. Whether or not you are a Beatles fan, you will know enough of their music, so this is a valuable read that will help you understand more about tarot.
Volunteers process charity donations.
Communities
Volunteering is a great way to make room in your life and hold space for others. There are many organizations and ways to help, either casually or formally. You can commit to a regular schedule or a single event.
There are opportunities to volunteer for charity, political, medical, cultural, environmental, compassionate, and spiritual organizations. While volunteer jobs are unpaid by definition, there are often fabulous perks from volunteer commitments.
Most of our best communities run on volunteers to some degree. If you can make room for something new and want to expand your social life, consider volunteering for something that matters to you.
If there is an event you want to attend but don’t want to afford the entry price, see if there is a way to volunteer! This can do more than get you a ticket; it gives you access to a new community and opportunities to learn new skills.
Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.
Upcoming Events
Weekly YouTube Events
Monday 9:30 am: Your 3-Card Weekly Reading
Thursday Noon: Tarot Topics Newsletter Recap
Friday Noon: Your Friday Weekly Wrap-up
Saturday 12:30 pm: Saturday Psychic Sampler
Card and Craft Academy
Card and Craft Academy is closed.
Look for Christiana’s new and improved academy soon! Until then, Christiana is offering personal mentorship classes in person and online.
Existing students of Card and Craft Academy will be offered a similar course in the new location as soon as the course becomes available. Students who take advantage of the offer to access the new course will also receive a coupon for a free month of our new all-access subscription when the full site is available.
If you are a Card and Craft Academy student, your invitation will be mailed to the email address you used to log in to the old account. If your address changes, you can contact Christiana to recover your account.
Christiana Gaudet and StaarCon headliner Mary K. Greer at StaarCon 2023.
About Christiana Gaudet
Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.
Christiana Gaudet
770 SE Indian Street
Stuart, Florida 34997-5604
Locations in Port Saint Lucie, West Palm Beach, and Stuart, Florida!
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
TikTok @christianagaudettarot
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 are available almost everywhere!
Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
For business or agent inquiries, call 772-301-0232
For appointments, call or text 561-655-1160
Schedule Appointments, Mentoring Sessions, or Purchase Gift Certificates Online!
Schedule your private reading or mentorship session, or purchase gift certificates at https://christiana-gaudet.as.me.
Agent inquiries are welcome.
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 8 Issue 8
February 19, 2025
Christiana Gaudet Your Tarot Fairy Godmother banner.
