Speed Reading the Tarot with Christiana Gaudet
Christiana Gaudet is my kind of tarot reader: concise, no-nonsense and practical. She gets right to the point without stalling for time; and knows immediately what aspect of a card to highlight. Her decades of full-time reading shines through her technique. She intuitively knows what the client needs: practical advice, compassion, reassurance, a kick in the pants – she can deliver any of that with any card. I’ve given an exercise below that will help you read just as fluently and quickly.
As far as I know, Gaudet has used Waite Smith cards her entire career. There’s something to be said for sticking to one type of deck and building up a rich web of associations that you can draw on during readings. I believe that’s a large part of intuition – the ability to call up just the right association, at the right time, for the right client. It takes a lot of study and a lot of practice to get to that point.
To read quickly and fluently, you must coordinate eyes, brain and mouth; and have the courage and confidence to say what you see without hesitating. Meanwhile, your intuitive antennae are vibrating in the client’s direction and you modulate your presentation according to what you pick up. Card readers are the ultimate multi-taskers.
Speed Reading Practice Exercise
Below the links I’ve listed 33 client questions gathered from Gaudet’s videos and my own practice, so these are real-world examples. Use the list for the following exercise.
- Put the list where you can see it.
- Place a shuffled deck face down in front of you.
- Read a question.
- Turn a card over.
- Answer the question out loud in no more than 30 seconds.
- Don’t think. Don’t hesitate. Just start talking.
- Keep going: one reading after another without pause.
For TdM readers:
- Use just the trumps and turn over one card per question.
- Have two stacks: trumps and suits. Turn over a card from each stack and let the suit card modify the trump.
- Shuffle the entire deck, turn over two cards at a time and blend them into one message.
Links
See Gaudet’s reading style in action on her Global Tarot Circle facebook page where she conducts mini classes and gives live readings. These are one-card readings in under 30 seconds. (I timed her – fastest reading: three short sentences in seven seconds. Longest reading: 27 seconds). Brief doesn’t mean superficial. Her answers are always thoughtful, practical and focused. I’m in awe.
Christiana’s Youtube channel where she archives the readings mentioned above as well as weekly three-card readings.
Her website: https://www.christianagaudet.com/
LIST OF PRACTICE QUESTIONS
- I just started a business, how will it go
- Why does the 10 of Swords keep coming up in my readings
- What do I need to know about my health
- What does the universe want me to know right now
- How will my surgery go
- Will the court case come out successfully
- I’ve been feeling strange lately—how is my energy shifting
- What do I need to know about my current job
- What do you see for my new relationship
- Why do people constantly misunderstand me
- Am I going to find a compatible roommate
- I’ve been unemployed for months, when will I get a job
- What do you see for the next week for me
- Can I keep my car running a little while longer, or is it time to get rid of it
- I’ve been feeling unsettled lately, I need a card to give me a focus
- Is this the time to quit my day job and focus on doing what I love
- How does my boyfriend feel about our relationship
- What do I need to know about my financial situation
- I’m starting a new job next week, how will it go
- What do you see for the next month for me
- I feel like a global catastrophe is coming — what does tarot say
- I met a man online and we seem compatible. How will it go if we meet in person?
- We just made an offer on the house, will we get it
- Will my upcoming trip go smoothly
- Should I get a dog
- Will my wedding day be amazingly successful
- How can I learn to manifest
- I’m moving to another country, how will it go
- I feel like I have a special mission but don’t know what it is. What do the cards say?
- Will my financial situation improve
- Will I ever find true love
- Will we find the right house soon
- How can I carve out more time for myself
Sample Readings done by me with the Vandenborre tarot.
Q. Will my upcoming trip go smoothly?
A. (Judgement) Prepare for the unexpected and treat it like an adventure. Leave room in your plans for side trips and exploring things not on your itinerary.
Q. Is this the time to quit my day job and focus on what I love doing?
A. (Spanish Captain and Ace of Batons) Yes! It’s time to use your considerable creative energy and run with your projects. But I don’t see your plans producing money right now. Beware of overconfidence. Have a plan for supporting yourself until your project starts paying off.
Q. How can I carve out more time for myself?
A. (Six of Batons and Knight of Batons) You need to leave your environment – go on a retreat or take a vacation by yourself. If traveling isn’t feasible, set up an office or studio — a private space just for you. Then set boundaries around your personal space and your time.
EXTRA CREDIT
- Think of a problem or situation you are facing.
- Brainstorm at least six questions to ask about it.
- Speed read the questions.
- Be surprised at what comes out.
Card images: Tarot Flamand de 1780, Ceska Carta, 2009.
Please share your readings in the comments section. I’d love to know how this exercise works for you.
Tarot Heritage 
Sherryl, I am humbled and honored, and excited by this exercise!
Thank you for being such an inspiration!
This is a great idea and fantastic practice. I got thrown by question #2, though. “Why does the 10 of Swords keep coming up in my readings?”
The card I got?
Yep.
10 of Swords.
Groan!! I hate it when the cards take you in circles. Why 10 of Swords? Because 10 of Swords.
What deck is TdM?
Hi Sheela,
My bad for using acronyms and jargon without explaining. TdM is the Tarot de Marseille, the European decks that don’t have scenes on the number cards. With the 3 of cups you get 3 cups, not 3 women dancing as in the Rider Waite Smith tradition.
This is a terrific idea!! As you may know I’ve started doing a two-card Daily reading feature on the site (a lot for my own practice at something very similar to what you’re talking about!) called Today’s Tarot Twosome. It’s meant to be just a quick snapshot of your concerns, the theme of the day, a piece of quick advice, a (sometimes snide) observation. (You know how the Tarot can talk back to you!!) For me, it’s been real interesting.
But this idea of multiple questions on the same problem / issue / concern, etc., with quick responses … this sounds intriguing. (You know we’re all told, “Don’t hound the Tarot if you don’t like the answer you get, hoping for a better one.”) But this could sure help you examine a situation from many different angles.
I’m excited to try this one.
Hi Rebecca,
I’m going to start following your “twosome” readings closely. My reading style has boiled down to turning over two cards, quickly blending them into one picture and blurting out what I see. If a client doesn’t have a question – forget the Celtic Cross, or the 3-card line – I just slap down two cards and we’re off to the races.
Folks, check out Rebecca’s website https://www.enchantedspirit.net/ for tons of tarot and astrology goodies. If Christiana is the goddess of spoken readings, Rebecca is my role model for clear and useful interpretations of both cards and astrological transits.
Great tip. Much appreciated. Will be giving it a try. Thankyou🙏
Thanks for this🥰
Fizzyowl, I’m glad you enjoyed this.
I really did. Very honest. Look forward to more in the future😀
I’m developing a lunch-and-learn as a fundraiser called Tarot for the Curious, and I’m going to incorporate this exercise – and then add it to my own daily practice, too. Thanks for this!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the exercise. Lunch and Learn sounds like a lot of fun – best of luck with it.
I have been interested in esotericism for a long time. My grandmother is a healer and to this day treats people who have turned to her, especially children’s fears, “hernia”, the evil eye and other diagnoses that do not respond to traditional medicine. I followed the process and the visible results in people with curiosity and admiration. After calculating my natal chart from an astrologer, I realized that I was drawn to the occult for a reason, I bought Tarot cards for the first time a year ago and began to actively study them. Memorizing the values of all 78 cards from the Tarot Guru. I was lucky to find a good mentor there, with whom I worked hard. And super-developed intuition helped to reach a certain level of development in this direction. I wish you good luck and development in this!
Emma, I’m very glad you found a method and teacher that has helped you on your tarot path. I removed the link to your teacher as I don’t want my blog to become an advertising platform for members of the public.