You might have heard that I have a new favorite musical artist, Noah Kahan. I love his smart, thoughtful lyrics and folk-rock sound. His song, “Growing Sideways,” is about dealing with mental health issues. It points out that healing is messy, and we don’t always grow in a straight line. He talks about moving sideways to avoid his feelings. We all know avoidance isn’t a path to healing. Yet, we can sometimes find healing in bits and pieces, even when our coping mechanisms are part of the problem.

Some people are surprised that adults prioritize personal growth, learning, and healing. They figure growth and learning are something for kids, not adults. What I see in life is that the only way to go forward is to grow forward.

I believe the minute we stop learning, or decide that we don’t need to heal from past trauma, is the minute we become brittle and easy to break. We don’t always need to focus on a healing path, but I believe we’re at our best when we know that as long as we are breathing, we are growing, and that our personal growth is our best way forward.

No one is perfect, and we don’t need to be. But if we are pointing ourselves in the right direction, two important things happen. First, we’re more likely to get where we want to be. The other is that we will grow, learn, and heal along the way.

The StaarCorner

At StaarCon 6, we will have three panel presentations, which is more than ever before! Frank Kwiatkowski will facilitate two of these.

Frank has been part of StaarCon since the beginning. Frank is a South Florida tarot professional and author. He offers tarot coaching, tarot mentoring, and life-changing group workshops. Over the years at StaarCon, Frank has shared exciting workshops, added his wisdom to panel sessions, and volunteered to do whatever was needed to keep things on track.

At StaarCon 6, we are excited that Frank will be facilitating two panels. On Saturday morning at 10:15, join Frank in the classroom for some tarot divination fun. You might remember that at StaarCon 2024 and StaarCon 5, Mary Ellen Collins created and facilitated Game of Fortune Panel Readings. The concept is simple. There are four tarot readers, and a wheel with their names on it. People in the audience are asked to submit questions for tarot. The facilitator spins the wheel. Whichever tarot reader the wheel lands on will read for that question.

This year, Frank is facilitating this panel, as the Game of Fortune session officially becomes a StaarCon tradition. His panel of readers will include Mary Ellen Collins in a fun turnaround, along with Jason Cosmos, Will Herrera, and Christine Leiser.

On Sunday afternoon at 3:15 pm, join Frank in the classroom for the Tarot Styles and Methods Panel Discussion. This conversation will highlight how tarot luminaries conduct their personal tarot practices. This entertaining session will inspire your own personal relationship with tarot. Look forward to hearing from Bex, Mitchell Osborn, Kooch Daniels, and Stella Boheme on this insightful panel.

We are very excited to welcome you to StaarCon in just a few weeks! Make your plan to join us!

How Tarot Helps Us Grow

Each tarot card offers insight into life and personal growth. When we study tarot, we learn these lessons.

Tarot divination can help us grow when we ask hard questions and listen to the answers. Tarot shadow work involves letting the cards show us where we are hurt, where we hold on to trauma, where our thinking is wrong, and how to heal and change.

A good tarot reader can lead us on a profound healing journey. Spending time with our tarot friends in class, at gatherings, and at conferences is good fun, but it can also lead to personal healing and growth.

Tarot Wisdom for the Week

Which tarot card focuses most on personal growth and healing? I have to say that the entire tarot deck is a tool of growth and healing.

The Major Arcana shows us the Fool’s Journey, which maps a path for growth, discovery, healing, and spiritual enlightenment. Each suit of the Minor Arcana shows us a journey through one of the Four Elements. The Court cards encourage our growth and refinement as we learn with the Pages, pursue with the Knights, nurture with the Queens, and lead with the Kings.

The entire tarot deck, though originally simply a card game, has evolved into seventy-eight tools of insight that work together to tell us all we need to know to grow.

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