Enjoying the Passage of Time

A woman embraces an hourglass.

A woman embraces an hourglass.

I was speaking with someone on the eve of their 50th birthday. Rather than being morose, as many of us are, she was excited. We talked about the privilege of aging and the good things ahead.

I found her attitude so refreshing. There is considerable resistance to embracing the aging process. We feel a mix of bittersweet emotions as our children grow older. We hate to relinquish the things of youth and try to hide the visible signs of age. The "anti-aging" market grosses over $ 80 billion a year, which is significant given that the only true way to stop someone from aging is both permanent and undesirable.

Those of us who are fortunate enough to grow old have choices to make about how we will internally process the limitations that come with age, and how we will present ourselves externally. There have been numerous cultural expectations regarding what someone of a certain age should wear and how they should behave. Ultimately, the only person we need to please is ourselves.

James Taylor said that “The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time”. He wrote that song when he was about thirty years old. It is interesting how often we discover wisdom when we are young that will stand us in good stead when we are old.

Something I learned in my twenties was the expression, “Things of quality have no fear of time.” There is no clear attribution for this. I got it from a button a friend wore, and the concept has guided me ever since, gaining more value with each passing year.

Young adults often feel that a clock is judging them. Are they meeting their milestones? Are they where they should be for their age? I’d like to know how much this is a holdover from the health and academic scales we use to make sure our children are progressing appropriately. Perhaps young adults need to understand that the age-related milestones of achievement diverge wildly after high school. The only thing we should be judging ourselves against as adults is our own goals and circumstances.

Time is the one dictator to whom we all must pay allegiance. None of us is immune. Yet, time is a benevolent dictator. The passage of time reframes our perception of beauty. Time steals some of our vitality, but in return, it offers us wisdom and perspective.

When we were little children, we could not wait to grow and earn new privileges and abilities. As aging adults, we often fail to celebrate the new things we learn and the new privileges that come with increased maturity. We teach younger people to fear what will eventually happen to them if all goes well. We often forget to remind them (and ourselves) that aging is the best-case scenario.

What happens if we allow ourselves to enjoy the benefits of getting older, even as we strive to maximize our well-being and preserve our youthfulness?

What happens if we can celebrate our 60th birthday with as much excitement as we did our 6th?

Time can offer us grief and joy in significant measure. Society wants us to focus on the grief more than the joy. When we realize that we have more time behind us than in front of us, that we have survived so much, and acquired so much wisdom, each moment ahead becomes worthy of celebration.

Yet, to be able to celebrate the passage of time as more time passes is to accept the certainty of the timeline’s end, and the questions that arise about the great unknown. It is the spiritual responsibility of each person to find a way to embrace their mortality. That is the only way we can fully enjoy the passage of time.

The StaarCon 5 Imagining of Pixie Arcana. Art and composition by Stacey Williams-Ng, backgrounds by Animix.

The StaarCon 5 Imagining of Pixie Arcana. Art and composition by Stacey Williams-Ng, backgrounds by Animix.

The StaarCorner

As we begin planning StaarCon 6, we are considering the components that make StaarCon precious and unique, as well as the features we want to add. We know that having a full year to watch presentation recordings and attend regular gatherings, classes, and workshops each month is important, and something that no other conference or gathering offers.

What would you like to see happen at StaarCon 6? Let me know! We are considering adding more panel discussions, seances, and hands-on workshops. What else would you like to see?

To round out our May offerings in the Meeting Hall Lounge on Accelevents, please join me, Christiana Gaudet, on Sunday, May 25, at 4 pm ET for a lounge session on Tarot Mediumship.

This will be an exploration of how our loved ones in spirit use tarot to communicate with us. Be prepared for a mystical session with a lot of practical tips.  Bring your tarot cards for exercises and readings. Do you think you may not be able to communicate with those in spirit? Come to this session and be surprised!

If you are a StaarCon 5 ticketholder and have not yet attended a lounge session, here is how to do it. Log in to Accelevents, preferably on a desktop or laptop. Go to the lobby and look for the options on the left. Hit the tab for Lounges, the enter the Meeting Hall Lounge and enter the live forum. Make sure you go in early to set up your cam and mic. If you have trouble, reach out to Accelevents chat help.

We will look forward to seeing you during the StaarCon 5 AfterGlow, and at StaarCon 6!

Marion Kirk presenting at StaarCon 5.

Marion Kirk presenting at StaarCon 5.

Close-up of cards from Light Seer's Tarot.

Close-up of cards from Light Seer's Tarot.

Tarot and Time

Each tarot reader has their own methods for discussing time and timing in tarot. I also like to look at the wisdom we can learn from tarot about how we interact with time, the fourth dimension.

Of particular interest is the Hermit, who is pictured as an old man, Father Time. The Hermit teaches us to find comfort and solace on our own and be comfortable with our own company. The Hermit teaches us to value our own learning and wisdom, and to make our wisdom available to others when they seek it from us.

Another Major Arcana card that deals with time is Temperance, whose primary traditional keywords are Art, Time, and Alchemy. Here, we learn that time is an important ingredient in any recipe.

The Wheel of Fortune speaks of seasons and cycles, and the way that time repeats.

The Six of Cups asks us to remember the past, and how it formed us. The Eight of Wands and the Knight of Swords warn us that swift action will be needed.

When we study tarot, we gather wisdom not just from divination but from the lessons inherent in the cards. Tarot can help us navigate our relationship with time and its passage when we look at how each card helps us understand the passage of time.

Wyrd Wednesday Live Webinar - May 21st @ 7 pm.

Wyrd Wednesday Live Webinar - May 21st @ 7 pm.

The Week in Review

Join us tonight for Wyrd Wednesday at 7 pm ET. We will broadcast live on YouTube, and multicast to Instagram, Facebook, Twitch, and TikTok. Aerik Arkadian will join me for a discussion about the Elder Futhark, otherwise known as the Runes. After more than thirty years as a tarot reader, I am learning to divine with the Runes. Join us to learn more about the Runes in specific, and divination in general. Aerik did a great presentation on the Runes at StaarCon 5, so I am asking him to be my guide, and yours, too.

On Tuesday, May 27, members of my YouTube channel are invited to a Members-Only Livestream. By popular demand, we are doing AITA readings. Are you wondering who the problem person in the situation is? Let’s find out together!

From Around the Web

This video of an older James Taylor singing the song he wrote when he was young about the passage of time really inspired me.

One of my favorite quotes about aging is from the prose-poem Desiderata, which instructs us to “Gracefully surrender the things of youth.” I wondered if anyone had connected tarot with this concept. It turns out that back in 2010, James Ricklef did an exploratory exercise where he assigned tarot cards to each line of Desiderata. I love these kinds of exercises and love what James did with this.

Something that is very difficult to predict with tarot is timing. That is, when will something happen? Joy Vernon has created a downloadable PDF with her ideas for how each card might speak of time. I can see that one of her devices is using Tarot Decans, which Marion Kirk taught at StaarCon 5.

Seniors enjoy a gathering.

Seniors enjoy a gathering.

Communities

When I first moved to Florida in 2008, I quickly met a person who asked me to provide some programming for residents at an assisted living facility where she was the program director. Each month, I would lead an hour of divination, meditation, and discussion, often using simple oracle cards.

Most of my ‘students’ each month were wheelchair bound. Some would not lift their heads nor open their eyes for the hour we were together. Yet, they would answer questions and contribute to the conversation.

The program director who arranged for me to provide these sessions informed me that the residents looked forward to my arrival each month. They did not show their enthusiasm to me, but they were always there and always participated.

One thing that struck me was the friendships they developed with one another. Although they all were all in a living situation that none of them chose, they found connection with one another, and built community together.

This is a good reminder that we crave the connection of community at all ages, and that, at all ages, we can find it and create it.

Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.

Unseen hands leafing through a calendar.

Upcoming Events

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Monday 9:30 am: Your 3-Card Weekly Reading

Wednesday: Tarot Topics Newsletter Recap

Friday Noon: Your Friday Weekly Wrap-up

Saturday 12:30 pm: Saturday Psychic Sampler

Watch on Twitch, YouTube, Facebook or Instagram! (internet willing!)

Christiana Gaudet preparing for StaarCon 5.

Christiana Gaudet preparing for StaarCon 5.

About Christiana Gaudet

Card and Craft, Inc.
Southeastern Tarot Artists and Readers, LLC.

Christiana Gaudet

770 SE Indian Street Suite 10
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
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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.

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Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
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For appointments, call or text 561-655-1160

Schedule Appointments, Mentoring Sessions, or Purchase Gift Certificates Online!

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Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 8 Issue 21
May 21, 2025

Christiana Gaudet Your Tarot Fairy Godmother banner.

Christiana Gaudet Your Tarot Fairy Godmother banner.

Christiana Gaudet

Christiana has been a full-time tarot professional for more than twenty years, and is the author of two books about tarot. In 2008, Christiana was granted the title of Tarot Grandmaster by the Tarot Certification Board of America. Christiana provides readings by phone, Facetime and Skype, and in her office in Palm City, Florida.

https://christianagaudet.com
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How We Stay Grounded