Be Grateful for Gratitude

Be Grateful for Gratitude

The energy of gratitude changes everything!

Like it or not, the holidays are upon us. For some this is a joyous time, for others the holiday season is synonymous with awkward dinners, loneliness, and unnecessary financial burdens.

Whether or not you are celebrating this week, a holiday that is themed around the concept of giving thanks can’t be bad thing, can it?

The problem is that sometimes, when we are caught up in the difficulties of life, or when we are experiencing trauma, it’s hard to get to that place of gratitude.

Yet, gratitude is a powerful energy. Gratitude gives us new perspective and opens the way to new possibilities. Finding the gift that comes along with a disappointment, or the silver lining in the grey cloud is more than a lame cliché – it’s an exercise of spirituality, healing and magic.

Being grateful doesn’t negate the things that hurt us, but it does magnify the things that bless us.

No matter how difficult or dire a situation might be, gratitude, even for something very simple, can make our burdens feel a bit lighter.

This year I am happy to say that the blessings in my life are easy to count. I know that isn’t the same for everyone, though. We all have times in life when our burdens seem greater than our blessings. It’s my contention that those are the times when gratitude is most important! I know that sounds counterintuitive, but if we can summon the energy of gratitude, even in difficult times, our mood will be lighter, and our blessing will increase.

During happy times, we show our gratitude by enjoying life.

During dark times, sometimes all we can do is be grateful for the energy of gratitude – that energy that allows us to find what is good, to accentuate the positive, and to find the blessings in everything.

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Join us for our Holiday Open House!

Plans are coming together for our December 23rd annual “psychic food-raiser” Holiday Open House, to be held from 2 to 6 pm. I am happy to say we will have a full roster of tarot readers, astrologers and healers ready to pamper you with mini-sessions in exchange for your donation of nonperishable food items.

Bring your friends, your food donations and a holiday treat for our snack table and join us at Unity Church in Stuart for an unforgettable event.

Some of the well-known talent already signed up for this event include Ruby Hands, Blue Evans, Ambika Devi and Mary Ellen Collins. We also have some incredible new talent, even a few folks who have never shared their skills in this way before!

Our new venue, Unity of Stuart, at 221 SE Central Parkway, Stuart, FL, 34994, is spacious and convenient, so make sure you don’t miss this special day!

If you have questions or would like to volunteer, please call me at 561-655-1160.

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One Card for Gratitude

This week I am including some links to a few great Thanksgiving tarot spreads. To add to your tarot gratitude practice, here’s a single card tarot exercise to help you generate the energy of gratitude, no matter what is going on in your life.

Simply ask the question “What can I be grateful for?” and pull a card. The exercise is in interpreting the card, and then meditating with it to raise your grateful energy.

If you get a card you just don’t understand in this context, pull a second card to answer this question, “How can I possibly be grateful for this?”

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The Week in Review

This week I am happy to announce my special offer for January 2019 called LEAP 2019. You can learn about this opportunity, and sign up to participate, on my website.

I also shared a post about the ways our tarot practice can become unhealthy.

From Around the Web

I’ve found a cornucopia of tarot spreads and exercises for Thanksgiving. Grab your cards and enjoy a tarot-inspired holiday with these exciting ideas.

From Gothic Bite, a Tarot and Gratitude Spread.

From US Games, The Path to Thanksgiving.

From Cher Green, A Thanksgiving Tarot Spread.

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Upcoming Events

Monday, November 26, 7 to 8 pm
Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live

Join me on my Facebook business page for an hour of readings, study and fellowship with tarot enthusiasts from around the world. Simply visit my page and look for the live feed!

Wednesday, November 28, 7 to 9 pm
Tarot, Gratitude and Healing: Using the Tarot to Heal
Christiana’s Conference Room
1025 SW Martin Downs Blvd, Suite 203, Palm City, FL

I have space for a small group of people to participate in a free workshop designed to use tarot to help us heal from past hurts and remove current obstacles.

Some understanding of tarot will help you get the most out of this experience.

Bring your tarot deck and a notebook.

To register, please call or text 561-655-1160.

Sunday, December 9, 4 to 6 pm
Cards and Conversation
Panera Bread
2894 SW Town Center Way, Palm City, FL

Join our monthly tarot meetup! Anyone with an interest in tarot is welcome. Bring your cards or borrow a deck at the meeting. You can RSVP on the Meetup site or simply meet us at Panera.

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With Gratitude, A Special Thanksgiving Edition

This week, the United States celebrates Thanksgiving. Part of what I’m thankful for this year is our worldwide tarot community. In celebration of that community and this holiday, I’ve asked my friend Steven Bright of Tiferet Tarot, based in the UK, to share his talent with us.

Steven has developed a special Thanksgiving Tarot Spread. You can perform this spread this week as part of your personal Thanksgiving reflection. Then, follow the link to Steven’s blog to see what happened when Steven performed this spread for himself!

Also in this special edition of my weekly newsletter, you’ll find my schedule of events for December, including information about my Holiday Open House.

A regular edition of my newsletter will be published next Thursday, with all your favorite features.

During this week of Thanksgiving, I hope you’ll join me in holding gratitude for the many blessings that are ours, and in seeking the hidden blessings that lurk within our greatest challenges.

After more than twenty-three years as a full-time tarot professional, I am very grateful for you, my friends, clients and students, who have helped me build my dream career and explore my passions. Please remember that I am available to you throughout the holiday season, and that I offer gift certificates for the special folks on your shopping list!

Happy Thanksgiving!

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A Thanksgiving Tarot Spread

by Steven Bright

Over here in the UK, most of us have grown up aware of Thanksgiving. With the birth of the internet, our connection to Thanksgiving has tightened, since we now have friends who share their celebrations through Facebook and Instagram.

For many of us in the UK, the nearest we have to compare to Thanksgiving is Christmas, since it is also a time we spend with family, can relax, and will eat well. I don't mind saying that I am not a great lover of Christmas.

Yes, this is a sad admission,  but every year  it seems to start earlier through television advertising and in the shops. By the time it does arrive, I've had enough. For many, it is about receiving gifts, as oppose to being thankful for those gifts we already possess. In this sense, the idea of Thanksgiving is something which makes more sense to me.

Some years ago, my parents and I spent Christmas together but did not share gifts. We didn't decorate our home either, but we did have a Christmas meal. It is one Christmas I will always remember because it was built on those things which I consider important - the appreciation of being together and sharing our time with one another. While many people do this as well as sharing seasonal presents, it reminded me that the latter was not entirely necessary.

When I was asked to create a Thanksgiving spread by Christiana Gaudet, it was this appreciation of the people in our lives which I wanted to focus on.

I have become fond of breaking up my tarot decks for use and mixing packs together for readings. In my Thanksgiving Spread, I have broken my standard tarot deck into four parts - the Court Cards, the Minor Arcana (2-10), the Majors, and the Aces. Each stack is shuffled and one card is pulled from each and placed into its position.

This spread focuses on a person we are thankful for. While it might be a friend, lover, or parent, this person needn't have been directly active in our life during the past year. The person identified by the court card may have been an influential teacher from your childhood or someone who departed much wisdom before they passed. The spread allows great scope and can be performed more than once. It asks 'Who are you truly thankful for and why have these people been important on your life journey?'.

Card 1: Who?
For this position, draw one card from your sixteen court cards. 
This card reminds you of a person you can be thankful for.

Card 2, 3, 4: How?
For this position, draw three card from your fifty-two minor cards. 
Card 2 will explain how this person has had an effect on you. It sits like an umbrella over cards 3 & 4.
Cards 3 & 4 will support and add context.

Card 5, 6, 7: Why?
For this position, draw three card from your twenty-two major cards. 
Card 5 will help you to understand why you should be thankful for their influence. It sits like an umbrella over cards 6 & 7.
Cards 6 & 7 will support and add context.

Card 4: What?
For this position, draw one of your four aces. 
This card alerts you to what you can give back to the universe. What gift you can share - might it be your passion (Fire), your sensitivity (Water), your physical effort and time (Earth) or your ideas and communication (Air)? 
This card presents a way in which you can express your gratitude by sharing the gift of the Ace with someone else.
 

Don't be surprised if you receive difficult cards in your reading. Not every person who turns up in the cards will have done good by you and not every situation highlighted will have been easy. Sometimes, we need to look at these challenges and find the blessings within them. In being thankful for the year gone by, there will be some aspects and characters which we will need to acknowledge, make our peace with, and let go.

Have fun with the spread and have a wonderful Thanksgiving, wherever you are!

-Steve

Thanks to Steve for an insightful way to reflect on the people for whom we are most grateful.

Once you've had a chance to try the spread yourself, or if you need more inspiration, visit Steven's blog and see what happened when he did the spread for himself!

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Upcoming Events

Month of December

Sunday, December 6th, 3:30 pm
Tampa Bay Area Tarot Meetup
Madam Lenormand’s Tarot Soup Recipe
Panera Bread
23388 State Road 54, Lutz, 33549

Professional reader Michael Newton-Brown will share his technique of using tarot and Lenormand to create a comprehensive professional-quality reading.
Join us at Panera for food, fellowship and a great learning opportunity. Visit the event listing on my website, or RSVP on the Meetup site.

Tuesday, December 8th, 11 am
The Fool’s Journey
Port Tampa City Library 4902 Commerce St, Tampa, Fl. 33616

Join us at the library for a presentation of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. Visit the event listing on my website for more information.

Wednesday, December 16, 7 pm
Global Tarot Circle
Free WebEx Webinar Available Exclusively Online!

Spend an hour with tarot friends around the world! Log in on your computer, tablet or smartphone, or join the call on your telephone! Expect readings, new ideas, enlivening conversations and great tarot knowledge!
For log-in information, visit the event listing on my website.

Sunday, December 20, 1-5 pm
The Tampa Bay Area Tarot Meetup
Holiday Open House
Beef O’Brady’s Private Room
21539 Villages Lakes Shopping Center Drive, Land O’ Lakes, FL 34639

Stop by with some canned goods for Feeding America Tampa Bay, and let us pamper you for the holidays! Enjoy free readings and healing sessions in exchange for your donation.  Readers and healers are welcome to volunteer, call 561-655-1160 for more information.
Visit the event listing on my website to find links to websites of our growing roster of readers.

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About Christiana

Christiana Gaudet
Origins Spa and Wellness Center
1537 N Dale Mabry Highway #102
Lutz, FL 33548

Private telephone, Skype and in person readings and instruction are available by appointment.

Tarot parties at your home or office are available throughout Florida. 

Call 813-948-4488, toll free 866-99TAROT,
or text or call 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.

Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot by Christiana Weekly Newsletter 11/21/2012

Tarot by Christiana Newsletter 11/21/2012 Giving Thanks Thanksgiving was my mother's least favorite holiday. While she enjoyed the gathering of friends and family and the concept of gratitude, she felt Thanksgiving had become simply a holiday of gluttony, housework and a meal she didn't particularly enjoy. Over the years I have celebrated Thanksgiving in a multitude of non-traditional ways. Here's what I've learned.  It doesn't matter what you eat, where you go, or what you do. And, while Thanksgiving is an American holiday, many cultures have similar holidays in that same tradition of giving thanks. The meaning of Thanksgiving is all in its name - giving thanks. Sometimes we focus more on what we wish we have than what we do have. We use the holiday as a time to take an accounting of the things that are missing from our lives. Perhaps the thing to do is to give thanks for what we do have, and to put our energy in to manifesting that which we desire. Sometimes we can have gratitude for the things we have yet to receive.   Definitions and Stories, the Fool and the Magician I believe that most of us spend our entire adult life healing from the first twenty years. This is sometimes true even when we have great parents and few tragedies. Although childhood is often thought of as a time of exploration, wonder and growth, it can also be a time of bewilderment, misunderstanding and loneliness. Sometimes, as adults, we use the things that hurt us in childhood to define ourselves in adulthood. Sometimes we let bullies and abusers shape our sense of self-worth. Sometimes we let negative people define our limitations. After a while, it is no longer the fault of the abuser or the bully. It is our own fault for allowing ourselves to become victim to it. We when tell the stories of our past, we can cast ourselves as the victim, or as the survivor. In the end, it doesn't matter what has happened in the past. What matters is how we let our past define us. Like the Fool in tarot, we are always on a journey. We are always the star of our own show, the hero of our own story. To have the most successful journey, and the happiest story, we can't let others define our character. We can let the limited thinking of others limit us. When we look at the Fool card, we see him merrily ready to begin his journey by stepping off a cliff. It is that sort of bold faith that makes for the very best journeys in life. How do you define yourself? How do you count your tools, your abilities and your skills? When we look at the Magician card, we see that the Magician has the ability to channel power from Heaven to Earth and back again. We see that he has on his table all the tools he needs. We see him committed to the task of wielding his tools, and sharpening his skills. Both the Fool and the Magician display a sort of life-defining confidence; an ability to chart one's course and create one's own destiny. Each of us has the ability to do the same. Don't let others define who you are. Be the survivor, not the victim. Tell your story in a way that empowers you. Manifest your destiny.   Read more from Christiana's personal blog Tarot Trends! Tarot Foods Since Thanksgiving is so often celebrated as a food holiday, I thought it would be fun to share some tarot traditions regarding food. Many people enjoy crafting tarot symbols out of food. For the annual Pocono Tarot Picnic our resident baker, Regina, would always make the four tools (Wand, Cup, Sword, Pentacle) in bread. There is even a recipe tarot deck called the Epicurean Tarot by Corrine Kenner. Each of the 78 cards has a recipe to go with it. I personally enjoy tarot potluck dinners where each person has to come up with a cleverly named dish. At past potlucks we have enjoyed Death Chili, Hermit Cookies, Pentacle Pie, Two of Pentacles Pizza, Eight of Wands Chicken Teriyaki and Tower Chocolate Cake. In a reading, tarot cards can often be interpreted to discuss issues of weight loss and dietary change; although we all know that a doctor must be consulted to create a good weight loss plan. We can even divide the four suits of the Minor Arcana to discuss different types of food - Wands can be spicy foods, Cups can be liquid foods (juicing), Pentacles can be fruits, nuts and vegetables from the garden and Swords can be meat, for instance. Many tarotists have used the cards to create healthier relationships with food for themselves and their clients. So whether you use tarot and food together to pursue healing or to pursue fun, explore the many connections you can make between tarot and food! Your Weekly One-Card Reading Your one card weekly reading is the Two of Cups. This is the card of perfect love, perfect partnership, and the healing nature of love. When this card comes up in a reading, it can predict a wonderful romance. It can also indicate the need for self-esteem. It can remind us that love is everywhere. The early Greeks had many words for love. Often, when we speak of love, we speak only of romantic love. But there are many kinds of love. We love our friends, our family, our pets, our country and our Higher Power. The more we love, the more we draw love to us. This week, focus on love in all its forms.   Plan to Catch Christiana on Internet Television On December  12th at 9 pm EST, Christiana will be a guest on "It's in the Cards." Tune in to see Christiana talk about her new book and perform readings for the audience. You are welcome to call in to get an on-air reading! Simply visit www.paraencountersnetwork.com to join the fun! Upcoming Events Sunday, November 25, 5:30 pm Join us for our monthly Global Tarot Circle. Anyone with an interest in tarot is welcome, from beginner to professional. Together we learn about tarot, practice readings and enjoy fellowship. This is a fun, informal free webinar! Please be a part of it. For log-in info, visit the Tarot Circle website. Monday, December 3, 8:00 pm Join us for a free webinar, The Four Elements and the Minor Arcana. This 75-minute-long webinar is about the Four Elements (Earth, Air, Fire and Water) and the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. This class will cover the powers and properties of the four elements, and how they relate to the four suits in tarot. You will learn ways of interpreting the pip cards and the court cards based on their elemental association. For log-in info, visit the Continuing Education website. Wednesday, December 5, 7:30 pm Join us for a free webinar, Basic Psychic Development. Everyone is psychic! The challenge is to figure out what your gifts are, and to learn to develop them. Professional psychic Christiana Gaudet will share the basics with you. In this exciting webinar you will learn about psychic gifts, psychic tools and simple exercises you can do to strengthen your own psychic abilities. For log-in info, visit the Celebrate Spiritual Growth website. Monday, December 10, 7:00 pm Enjoy a beginner/review level premium webinar, An In-Depth Journey into the Major Arcana - Emotional Balance. This online presentation will focus on Major Arcana cards Eight through Fourteen, Strength through Temperance. Christiana will present these cards as the keys to enhancing emotional growth and finding emotional balance. This class will help tarot beginners develop a solid foundation for their tarot study. Experienced readers will discover new ways to utilize tarot. For registration and log in, visit the Continuing Education website. The Week in Review On Tarot Trends this week, enjoy Christiana's Nine Things your Tarot Reader Won't Tell You. On Tarot Topics Community Blog, Joanne Matthew has been participating in Tarot Translation Group. Read her post on the Star and her post on Tarot Thankfulness. Also on Tarot Topics Community Blog Christiana shared some information about two Major Arcana cards, Justice and Judgment. Read Compare and Contrast Justice and Judgment. On the Dark Forest, Christiana writes about Governor Chris Christie's appearance on Saturday Night Live. Join us for Global Tarot Circle! Global Tarot Circle meets this Sunday at 5:30 pm on Webex. This is a free event, and the technology is easy to use. This month we will be discussing tarot reversals. If you have worked with tarot at all, you know that reversed cards can be confusing. We will be sharing different ways of handling reversals. And, as always, we will be sharing fellowship, and a few laughs. If you enjoy tarot, make sure you join us this Sunday! Holiday Schedule As always, I will be available for readings via phone and Skype, as well as house parties, corporate events and house calls in South Florida throughout the holiday season. I treasure the opportunity to be a part of your holiday celebrations, to help you with gift ideas, and to help ease holiday stress. I provide gift certificates for readings, parties, private lessons and premium webinars to make your gift-giving easier. My two published books, Fortune Stellar and Tarot Tour Guide make wonderful presents for the tarot enthusiasts in your life. Please call me at 561-655-1160 to let me know how I can make your holidays brighter! Twitter Facebook