Tarot News blog has news and information of interest to the tarot community.

Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

Equanimity

Equanimity is an important skill of emotional intelligence. This week we are discussing ways to find equanimity with tarot.

When I was young, I wasn't aware of emotional intelligence. It just wasn’t something we talked about. I believe life would be better for everyone if we were all taught emotional knowledge, understanding, and skills.

Since many of us weren't taught these things as children, we must learn them later in life. This can make it difficult for people to handle their emotions and achieve their goals while also managing adult responsibilities.

One skill of emotional intelligence that seems particularly important is equanimity. Equanimity, from Latin, literally means ‘even mind’ or ‘level spirit.’ Equanimity is the ability to remain calm and non-reactive in challenging or distressing situations.

This does not mean that we do not acknowledge and respond to distress. Instead, it means we have the skill to do so in a level-headed way that offers solutions rather than drama.

The concept of equanimity appears in many spiritual traditions, including Buddhism and Christianity.

Practices of equanimity include nonattachment, mindfulness, and self-compassion. These are also good divination practices.

By taking responsibility for our energy, responses to triggers, and reactions to situations, we increase our ability to find solutions, navigate challenges, and cultivate meaningful relationships.

It's all right if we can't always maintain complete equanimity. Setting a goal to achieve equanimity helps us move toward peace and balance.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

Mary Ellen Collins has been a part of StaarCon from the planning stages forward. She is a stalwart volunteer as well as an excellent presenter.

At StaarCon 2024, Mary Ellen is offering a Friday Intensive option called Tarot Plus! Divination Combos.

This intensive is for tarot enthusiasts who want to learn to integrate other forms of divination into their tarot readings.  Mary Ellen will teach Tarot Plus! In three sessions. Session One is Cards and Stars, where you will learn simple astrology tools to personalize your tarot readings.  Session Two is Cards and Charms. Here, you will learn charm casting and ways to combine charms with tarot. In the third session, Cards and Crystals, you will learn the basics of lithomancy (reading crystals) and several methods to combine crystal divination with tarot.

Whether you enjoy this intensive with Mary Ellen in person or online, live or during the AfterGlow, you will be thrilled with how these techniques power up your tarot practice.

Equanimity Tarot Exercise

Here is an exercise to help you find a sense of equanimity as you learn more about your tarot deck.

First, think about the qualities of equanimity – peace, calm, serenity, patience, balance, etc.

Then go through your tarot cards, face up. Pull every card from the deck that you feel represents a quality of equanimity or makes you feel equanimous.

Now look at the cards that you have pulled. Divide them into suits and see what similarities and differences you see in the cards in this subset of the deck you have created. Is one suit predominant? If so, what message do you take from that? Is a suit missing? Are their repeated numbers? What do you learn about equanimity from these things?

Pay attention to what comes into your mind as you play with these cards. Pay attention to how the group of cards you have chosen work together and what messages and insights come to you from these images when you view them as a group.

Now, take this group of cards and shuffle them together. Do not include other cards from the deck; shuffle only the cards you pulled out initially. Pull three cards from this shuffled group at random to give you personal insight into your relationship with equanimity.

The Week in Review

If you missed Global Tarot Circle last night, please watch the replay. Tomorrow evening, Thursday, at 7 pm ET, members of my YouTube channel are invited to join us for our monthly members-only livestream. This month, we will focus on the Court cards.

From Around the Web

StaarCon presenter Nancy Hendrickson shared this fabulous post about omens.

This interview with tarotist Jessica Dore in the LA Times is very interesting.

Here is a free download of equanimity practices (it mentions tarot!) from the Association of Reflexologists.

Creation and Divination

Can we use tarot to create a healthy headspace? Very often, I think we can.

I can think of three ways to use tarot to create equanimity. The first is tarot study. There are so many cards that admonish us to be patient. Many cards encourage us to find balance. As we learn the cards, we naturally embrace their messages.

The second way is through divination. When performed mindfully, divination with tarot can help us find the perspective and understanding that leads to calm.

The third way is with tarot magick. We can find the cards in the deck that most represent the energy we want to embody. For example, the High Priestess and Temperance embody the practices leading to equanimity for me.

Once you have chosen your cards, you can meditate with them, write about them, or look at them with a soft gaze and breathe their energy into your being.

Try these three techniques and see how your mood and tarot practice are improved!

Upcoming Events

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
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com

YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon


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 available almost everywhere!

Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232 x102
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Schedule online at cardandcraft.10to8.com.

Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 6 Issue 28
July 12, 2023

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Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

Invoking Energy

What energy do you need in your life right now? This week we are exploring ways to call upon the energy we need.

Many religions and spiritual practices include invocation. In mundane terms, to invoke is to appeal to an authority for help or support. In spiritual terms, an invocation is calling on a spirit in prayer, to witness and attend, or for inspiration.

I have come to believe that we can invoke spiritual energies as well as spiritual entities. Here is why that matters.

I have noticed a curious pattern in myself and others. Engaging in spiritual and creative practices helps us stay motivated and inspired in our everyday lives. However, we require inspiration to begin and maintain these practices. This means that the very thing that inspires us also relies on us being inspired. This might be why we often get stuck in a loop where we regret abandoning our practices, but we are not motivated to restart.

Invocation may be the practice that can get us unstuck and remotivated quickly.

Everything that we feel is an energy. Love is an energy. Peace is an energy. Creativity is an energy. Joy is an energy. If we want and need to feel a certain thing, it is possible to call that energy to us.

If we are anxious and need to be calm, we can invoke calm energy. If we are without creative ideas, we can invoke our inspiration.

Of course, there are obvious limitations to this. A person going through the grief process cannot simply invoke joy to replace grief permanently. However, a few moments of joy could be a reprieve that would help the process.

There are many ways to try invoking energy. As with any work involving energy, your breath is an essential tool. You can remember the feeling you want to have, focus on that feeling, and inhale while you visualize bringing that feeling into your heart.

You can write an invocation and speak it aloud. You can use colors, herbs, flowers, and stones to invoke. You can use tarot cards or other images for invocation.

The most important part of the process is this. Think about the energy you need, focus on that energy, and breath that energy into being within you.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

We are so excited that Anthony Perrotta will be presenting at StaarCon 2024. Multi-talented Anthony has a background in fashion and interior design. He runs and operates his magazine, The AstroEdit.

Anthony is an astrologer who specializes in making the abstract feel more tangible. Because astrology is at the heart of everything he does, he has created intersections of art, design, fashion, dreamwork, and poetry with astrology.

We look forward to learning from him and spending time with him, at StaarCon 2024. Get your ticket now and join us, either online or in person!

Tarot Invocations

There are two ways that tarot intersects with invocation for me. One is the invocation I perform before divination. The other is using tarot cards to invoke energies.

I perform an invocation before every tarot reading. Most readers do, although many might call it a prayer or a meditation. Before a reading, I call in every energy and entity that I believe will be helpful in the divination. That includes the Four Elements, my guides and guardians, and the guides and guardians of my client.

We can also use tarot cards to invoke what we need in life. We might use a single card to bring a jolt of energy when tired. Or, we might lay out an altar of many cards to create an energetic shift.

Which cards bring what energies?

As with most things tarot, your intention for the card matters.

The Aces are fabulous to invoke their elements. You might use the Ace of Swords to invoke brilliant words and clear communication. You might use the Ace of Wands to invoke creative inspiration or the Ace of Cups to soften your heart when you are angry.

Reviewing your tarot deck and deciding what energy each card might invoke is a good exercise. You will discover some cards you will avoid invoking and others you will often use in your invocations.

The Week in Review

It’s a new month! Make sure you check out your July TarotScopes on my YouTube channel.

If you happen to be on the Treasure Coast of Florida, or in Palm Beach County, please join us this Sunday at 4 pm ET at Panera Bread in Palm City for our Cards and Conversation Tarot Meetup.

From Around the Web

I love all the ways that tarot and poetry combine. You can imagine my delight at discovering that Camelia Elias is using tarot to create haiku and wants us to join in!

I also love the ways that songs and tarot correlate. On TikTok, I am doing a series that turns song lyrics into tarot readings. I was thrilled to find that Modern Witch connected Björk's songs with tarot cards.

Did you know that StaarCon presenter Brenda Elizabeth AKA Lady Lenormand offers free online Yoga Nidra meditations?

Creation and Divination

Every creative person sometimes finds themselves devoid of inspiration. Every spiritual person will occasionally have a crisis of faith.

At even the most uninspired times, you can create a tarot altar to invoke the energy you need.

Simply find the tarot cards that represent the energy you want to feel. Arrange them in a way that feels right. Add stones, incense, or anything that feels meaningful. Burn a candle if you like, and welcome in the energy your altar brings you.

If your altar is in a safe place, you may leave it assembled for a few hours or days. Or, you may set it up, spend a few moments with it, and then pack it away, knowing it will continue to bring energy to you.

Upcoming Events

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
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com

YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon


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 available almost everywhere!

Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232 x102
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Schedule online at cardandcraft.10to8.com.

Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 6 Issue 27
July 5, 2023

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Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

Staying Okay in an Unwell World

It's hard to be okay when it seems that everything around us isn't okay. This week we explore the importance of self-care.

Life can be challenging, even when things are going well. There is so much that demands our attention and so much that matters.

Sometimes we are met with problems that cause us to suffer yet require us to put on a good face and keep going. We might be well physically but struggling emotionally, or the other way around. We must find the strength to maintain when we are not at our best.

Sometimes we find ourselves struggling to keep our balance within a dysfunctional system. That is, a workplace, friend group, or family that contains people who struggle with boundaries or a culture that feels unsupportive.

There is so much trouble in the world. While we may not all agree on the most significant problems or the best solutions, we all know that we face many problems as a planet, as nations, and as communities. Sometimes it can feel hard to have a good day when so much around us seems so wrong.

I believe in a spiritual truth that might feel counterintuitive. The worse things are, the better we must be. The more unhappiness around us, the more we must nurture our happiness and that of others. The more darkness there is, the more we must strive to be the light.

At the same time, we cannot deny the truth of what we see and feel. We must make space for sorrow and joy at the same time. This is why self-care and good boundaries are so important.

Another counterintuitive truth is this. The more we enforce boundaries, the better our relationships will be and the more functional our social systems will become.

And here is another. The more time we make for our own self-care, the more energy we will have to help others. The more our own goals are defined and defended, the more space we have to help others with their goals.

When things are difficult, we must keep our focus clear. We want so much to help others and to make the world better. We can only do that if we ensure we are okay first.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

We are thrilled that T. Susan Chang will join us for StaarCon 2024. T. Susan Chang is a talented author, artisan, podcaster, professional tarot reader, and teacher. Her presentation at StaarCon 2023 was phenomenal, and we are eager to gain further insights from her expertise at StaarCon 2024.

StaarCon 2024 presenter T. Susan Chang.

Getting Back to Center

I have a younger tarot friend who describes her relationship with the cards by saying that tarot “brings her back to center.”

I love this concept. Anytime she works or plays with tarot, she returns to herself, remembers who she is, and finds her grounding. A lot of us may experience our personal tarot practice this way.

Yet, there are times when we feel so off balance that it is helpful to not only spend time with the cards but also use them to gather information that can assist in understanding and improving our situation. I have created a tarot spread to try when feeling out of sorts and searching for strategies. You are free to arrange the cards in any way that feels right.

Card One: Let this card give information about an external source of stress.

Card Two: Let this card give information about an internal thinking error that hurts you.

Card Three: Let this card suggest something you can focus on to help you feel better immediately.

Card Four: Let this card suggest something you can do to nurture healing in the long term.

Card Five: Let this card suggest something you can do to help set or reach a personal goal.

Card Six: Let this card remind you of something positive about you or your life.

The Week in Review

You can watch the replay if you missed our Solstice Gathering on YouTube. Grab your tarot deck and follow along with the exercises.

If you are a member of my YouTube channel, join us for our monthly members-only livestream tomorrow, Thursday, June 29, at 7 pm ET.

From Around the Web

The Tarot Blog Hop topic for the Solstice was ‘transitions.’ Five tarot bloggers contributed. Start with the Master List and follow your way through to read all the offerings.

As one who literally learned to read tarot in concert parking lots, I loved this article about a tarot reader at Bonnaroo.

Do you want the TV show “Succession”? The Guardian wants you to see what the show’s characters look like as tarot cards!

Illustration of people doing creative activities outdoors.

Creation and Divination

Part of well-being is finding peace with what we cannot change. Tarot can often help us find a perspective that helps.

Our creative pursuits often bring us to that place of peace. Sometimes creativity takes us to a place of meditation and inspiration.

It can be hard to muster our creative energy when we are not feeling our best. Yet, that creativity is often the very thing we need to feel better. We need to dance, we need to sing, we need to move, we need to vent, we need to find our power.

Here is a tarot exercise to help you find your inspiration.

Ask your cards to inspire your next project or to show you something you can do right now to feel better. Pull a single card and interpret it as a specific action to take right now. If at all possible, take that action!

This could be fun, inspiring, humorous, or insightful. This quick exercise will undoubtedly get your creativity flowing and help you find the peace and perspective you need.

Upcoming Events

Christiana Gaudet at StaarCon 2023 with Tikashi Denour Lacoste.

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
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com

YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon


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 available almost everywhere!

Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232 x102
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Schedule online at cardandcraft.10to8.com.

Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 6 Issue 26
June 28, 2023

Read More
Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet Tarot Topics Community News Christiana Gaudet

Making Friends

As we enter a new season, let's remember the importance of friendship. Life is always better when shared with people we enjoy.

Friendship is such an essential part of life. Yet, we often do not discuss the skills we need to make and keep friends or the heartache we feel when friendships go wrong.

One of my favorite quotes about friendship, published in 1859, was written by Dinah Maria Mulock Craik. My mother shared this quote with me when I was quite young. She told me this was how she felt about her best friend and that I should seek out friends who make me feel this way.

In a moment of synchronicity a few years later, my Eighth-Grade best friend gave me a book of quotes about friendship, which included this one.

“Oh, the comfort, the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person; having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but to pour them all out, just as they are, chaff and grain together, knowing that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

Interestingly, in 1859, long before conversations about ‘safe space’ and ‘emotional safety,’ this author eloquently extolled the virtues of feeling safe with another person. Though often ridiculed and devalued, this sense of personal safety can be paramount to our happiness and personal success.

Another quote about friendship that sticks with me is from a song we used to sing in Girl Scouts.

Make new friends but keep the old.

One is silver, the other gold.

Often at the tarot table, I see people who are lonely because they have stopped making new friends and forgotten to nurture longstanding friendships. Sometimes this lack comes from a need for more time, space, and energy. Sometimes we need to brush up on social skills. Sometimes we simply need to remember that friendships are important.

When we were children, our access to potential friends was limited by age and geography. As adults, we can have friends of any age, from anywhere in the world.

We are never too old to make a new friend, and it is rarely too late to rekindle an old connection.

As we enter a new season, let’s remember the value of our friendships.

The StaarCon Fairy for 2024 by Ciro Marchetti.

The StaarCorner

We are excited to welcome Erich Landstrom and The Giant’s Forge to StaarCon 2024.

Erich is an astronomer and teacher who creates magical tools.  Erich will present at StaarCon 2024.  He and his family will be on hand at their in-person and virtual exhibition booth to offer their fabulous array of unique handcrafted tools and jewelry.

Whether you attend StaarCon in person or online, you will enjoy the best learning and shopping experience possible. We are delighted to add Erich and The Giant’s Forge to our 2024 roster.

StaarCon 2024 presenter and Exhibitor Erich Landstrom.

Our Seventy-eight Friends

As a tarot teacher, I encourage my students to view the seventy-eight tarot cards as new friends. Just like making new human friends, it takes time to remember each card and its unique characteristics. This is why the cards can have different meanings depending on the context in which they are drawn, just like how people can have multiple facets and behaviors.

To truly understand the cards, we must take the time to listen to them during a reading. By doing so, we can receive fresh and insightful guidance, just like how we can have profound experiences with our human friends by allowing them to be themselves.

How does your experience of tarot change if you consider each card a friend you are getting to know better?

Immediately, one change I believe you will notice is that your understanding of tarot will never be static. The cards will always be able to speak in new ways, and your understanding of tarot will always be able to grow.

The Week in Review

Today, June 21, is the longest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. Join me on my YouTube channel at 7 pm ET tonight for a tarot-centered celebration of the solstice!

Many people said they enjoyed last Thursday’s class, How Tarot Cards Work Together. If you missed it, catch the replay.

From Around the Web

The Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) has announced its 2023 awards. You will see many past and future StaarCon presenters amongst the winners. Congratulations to all!

I love the way that tarot is art and inspires art. Check out these tarot-themed fabric collages.

Here is a tarot spread for the Summer Solstice by Lori Lytle. Use this spread today, or this week, to harness the energy of this special time of year.

Creation and Divination

Tarot and divination can be a way to make friends and deepen friendships. There are tarot study groups and meetups to find like-minded people, whether online or in person.

When you get together with your friends, you can use group tarot and divination exercises for fun, healing, and fellowship.

Of course, you can read for each other, or choose a spread for everyone in the group to perform.

You can try single-card round-robin readings. Sit in a circle and have one person ask a question of the person on their left. That person pulls one card to answer the question and then asks a question of the person on their left, and so on.

You can also do group tarot magic. For example, you can have each group member go through their deck face up and choose a few cards to represent their personal goals. Once everyone has chosen their cards, go around the room and have each person talk about the card they chose and the goals they represent. All the group members can add their energy and support to manifest those goals.

If everyone in the group knows tarot well, try a round of tarot charades. Let each person choose a card to act out and see if the group can guess the card.

If the group is one that gathers often for a specific purpose, try having each person in the group pull a single card at random. See how each card offers insight into who the person is within the group. Look at how the cards interact with one another to get information about the group dynamics.

If you are hosting a party, consider using tarot images as nametags, place cards, or decor. This can be a great conversation starter and helps to set a fun mood.

Upcoming Events

Christiana Gaudet at StaarCon 2023 with Tikashi Denour Lacoste.

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
On the web www.christianagaudet.com
Online classes www.cardandcraftacademy.com
StaarCon information www.staarcon.com

YouTube @YourTarotFairyGodmother
Instagram @christianatarot @staarcon


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 available almost everywhere!

Call toll free 866-99TAROT (866-998-2768)
Palm City 772-301-0232 x102
or call or text 561-655-1160
for more information or to schedule your event.
Schedule online at cardandcraft.10to8.com.

Agent inquiries are welcome.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 6 Issue 25
June 21, 2023

Read More