intuition – Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot

Action Eases Anxiety Tarot: Next

I’d really like it if you follow this blog. Not just because I enjoy the thought that somebody somewhere might enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it, but also so you can see the patterns unspooling with the same timing and sequence that I see it.

First the 8 of cups kept popping up and the overall vibe those days was of turning a corner, all very much attuned to the classic meaning for the card. Think walking away from a bad situation and toward a better one with all the Bittersweet painful nostalgia mixed bag of feels that experience brings.

Then the energetic turning-a-corner feeling faded into, well fading.

Even then, the Moon was making itself known in Standing in the Shimmer and in Friday’s Weekend Oracle: Fade posts.

The Moon card is still talking to us.

This morning, I did a different card draw for today with the intention of doing a collective energy, week-ahead, action eases anxiety type of reading for today. It was The Moon, The Ring and The Mice.

Don’t ask me why or how, but I lost the draft of the short before I could edit and get it uploaded to YouTube. Whatever boneheaded thing I did, I’m taking it as a hint that the card and message was wrong for the moment and tried again even though I had already reshuffled the cards and it was half an hour later.

Hello Moon.

I can take a hint.

The Moon card means it when it shows up twice like that. After all of this time with the card, I know a good synchronicity when I see it.

Today’s cards are:

What it is (current energy): The Child.

It seems like there is always that one card in a deck where the visuals don’t quite match the vibe. That can happen with any card in any deck in any given reading, but it seems like some of them are like that more often than the others in a deck. The Four of Swords in the Witches Tarot is one example. This is another. The art screams horror movie reboot to me, but the guidebook talks about new beginnings. Combine the visual with THAT and it does give a sense of crossing a threshold into something new. This is the mysterious something just out of sight and off screen with the RWS 8 of cups we’ve talked about in earlier posts. This is what we are turning a corner to face. This is what new thing we are or can fade into.

The current energy is one of becoming.

What to DO (to ease anxiety or move forward more peacefully): The Moon

Clearly this is where the emphasis is for today’s reading. DOing can be quiet and internal. The thing to do just now IS to be quiet. Both Lenormand and RWS decks have a moon card. Both styles point to introspection and intuition. There is a big pause and reflect message here. Give yourself the inner grace if not the literal quiet. Allow the wattage to be a little lower if you just aren’t feeling it. We’ve been through some stuff and seen some things, so is ok to slow down, take inner inventory – again “pause and reflect” comes through strongly here – before we tackle the new beginning, turn the corner, walk off the edge of the card and cross the glow-y threshold to something new.

I also hear “look beyond to the new cycle” … look to what is next BEYOND the corner, beginning and threshold. Cycles and circles don’t stop. Change doesn’t stop…it just happens at different speeds. The moon gradually fades from one phase to another, while Jupiter spins in the span of a typical workday. Change might be in fade mode right now, but a new phase is beyond. It’s a new moon now, in the real world. That will fade into a full moon soon enough.

Whatever place we might be in a cycle, however fast the cycle might be moving, something is always next.

What it is is something new. What to do is give yourself some grace and time to adapt.

Introducing Sage’s Second Cup

I’m resuscitating my other blog that has the old Modern Oracle archives for you to explore.

Hi! I’m Sage.

I’m also a Tarot reader and the author of Sage Sips blog on TaoCraftTarot.com. If you are looking for anything Tarot related, it’s there.

THIS on the other hand is my other blog.

Sage Sips is all Tarot: collective energy general audience readings, behind the scenes, how-to, Q&A (submit a question HERE)

On this blog I settle in for a second cup and write about anything else.

Here is the back story of it all if you are curious:

I started reading Tarot and Oracle cards in 1992 or 1993 (ish) At first I read for myself and my friends (why pay $$$$ to the phone psychic people when you can do it yourself?) My bestie encouraged me to read online (forever grateful!) I worked under the handle Baihu with Keen, Advice Trader and AllExperts. In 2003 (ish) I went full pro and opened my own Tarot practice and Modern Oracle Tarot website doing party, in-person, live online and email readings.

I wrote the Tarotbytes blog (2009ish – 2018) and in 2015-16 was a regular on David Dear’s Menage A Tarot podcast (one of my favorite things ever! David and Kate are the BEST readers I’ve ever had the privilege of working with)

Throw an Etsy shop in the mix and things were getting messy, so in 2018 I rebranded everything as TaoCraft Tarot and renamed the blog Sage Sips.

In late 2024 l ife happened and in January 2025 I retired from the professional part of TaoCraft Tarot. Now I only write the blog as a hobby and I only do private readings as a thank you gift for Sage Sips supporters on Ko-Fi. The Ko-fi support goes toward web-hosting the main blog without ads or paywalls.

It’s liberating, honestly. Without the professional part, I can be as erratic and sweary as I want to be. When you fully follow intuition, Tarot and esoteric topics can be like that.

That’s about it. It’s been a while since I’ve used this blog. It may or may not cross post on Sage Sips or Ko-fi for the long term (haven’t decided yet) but it will initially just to help get the ball rolling with the Second Cup blog.

And yes, in real life I really like coffee, so I’m all in with the analogies.

See you at the next sip!

Weekend Oracle: Listen In The Dark

Sage Sips is a free tarot blog that gives you daily meditation style tarot in the time it takes to sip your #coffee. Support me on Ko-Fi where the proceeds from private readings and memberships all support the cost to produce Sage Sips. You can join (for free tarot readings) or get private readings HERE on Ko-fi.

Listen to your intuition even if it is telling you something uncomfortable

Left: That Which Lies Beneath. Sometimes what we need to know is so suppressed, so uncomfortable, so disturbing that we can’t fully admit it to ourselves. In those times, our instincts may manifest simply as a vague sense of “not right” “just off” “not myself” or something just beyond words. Those messages are as deserving as any other – perhaps more so. In these times the why behind the vague feeling is more important than ever. This card is a loud call to understand your motives and the reason WHY you feel and act as you do.

Right: The Alleyman. We are the artists collective of humanity. We are all connected in our shared human-being-ness and our shared experience of life on planet Earth in the early 21st century. There is, there can be, connections that are fleeting but significant. The moment of niceness you feel when a stranger holds a door, or a smile passing on the sidewalk, a grocery clerk who is helpful and friendly, a barrista joking with customers, anything. If that collective of kindness, those fleeting moments are called “the alleyman” we can both be helped by The Alleyman and we can BE the Alleyman. We are the Alleyfolk, the collective of kindness and intuitive wisdom. Look for the Alleyman. Be the Alleyman for someone who you might never know.

This concept is exactly why I’m such a fan of The Alleyman’s Tarot and the Alleyway oracle deck used here. Always grateful to Seven Dane Asmund, author, creator and publisher, for permission to use these decks. Check out ⁨his new project, a collection of short stories set in the universe of the Alleyman Tarot and its podcast. Please visit Publishing Goblin on backerkit for more details.

Action Eases Anxiety: Feel your way home

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L- what it is (cross, reversed)
R – what to do (the Lady)

Energy is flowing at cross purposes to your higher intentions. Magick moves slower, this is not a time for impulsive actions.

Feeling is both noun and verb. Feeling IS doing something. Emotions, intuition, gut instinct may sway back and forth, but like a compass needle will help you feel your way forward, like gently finding your way across a pitch-black room.

The Lady card today resonates with the sacred feminine, with the mysterious, spiritual, inward, contemplative side of human psychology that is akin to the High Priestess in other Tarot decks. That is the thing to do. By the same token, being rigid, outward, legalistic, or dogmatic (as one might expect from the Pope card) is something to be avoided in this energy environment.

Lenormand tradition does not give much weight to reversals, but in this case it seems to emphasize the message that the energies are not openly hostile but definitely moving at cross purposes to your intentions. This is not a time for new projects. This is not a time for impulsive action or rash decisions.

Think about finding your highest and best, think of acting (albeit carefully) for the highest good. This is a good week to contemplate your true calling and highest path. Find direction now, take action later when the way is more clear and the resources you need are within view and closer reach. your true calling and highest path. Find direction now, take action later when the way is more clear and the resources you need are within view and closer reach.

To put it in short but controversial terms, be loving and spiritual this week, avoid religion. Feel, more than act this week. Contemplation and kindness lead the way through this time.

Thank you so much for reading. See you at the next sip!

Members Only: Crystal Casting, 2 August ’25

This is a companion video to a members-only post.

sage sips membership

Sage Sips Members on Ko-Fi get one free Tarot reading by email each calendar month, DM access, and exclusive content on the ko-fi blog. Click above for information or to join.

Membership is $5/month and includes one private Tarot reading by email each calendar month

The monthly readings are NOT automatic, but all you have to do is DM and ask.

I don’t read anyone without their prior consent, plus it helps me connect to your individual message when I see your question, topic or request for an open reading.

Members also receive exclusive content on the ko-fi blog, and random special offers. Click HERE to join and read today’s crystal cast.

Week Ahead Tarot: Personal Perspective

Sage Sips is tarot for your day in the time it takes to sip your coffee

Pause the video. Think of a question, topic or simply the week ahead of you. Choose the card that feels right or that you feel most drawn to. Even if you see the card first – even if you see the card AND read the interpretations before choosing your card, the choice is still valid. You can do all of that and still choose both. Or neither.

Your inner wisdom, your own good intuition still leads the choice. The whole point is that there IS a choice – and it is all yours. You’ll know the right guidance for you when you see it.

THE FOOL: Perspective is everything. A fresh look is a fresh start. Know all the angles before committing to an action or an opinion.

QUEEN OF WANDS: You are the ruler of your inner kingdom. Queen’s lead through example and nurturing. Keep yourself strong in order to be of greatest help to others.

Thanks for reading! All likes, subs, follows, and shares are always appreciated!

Cheating at Choosing

sage sips is tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee

Private readings by email no appointment needed. 5 card layouts are the equivalent of a 1 hour session – $30. Order HERE

Week Ahead Tarot is an interactive reading. Pause the video & choose your card. Restart the video to see the reveal, and get your reading in the description below the video. YouTube and the socials get a very short reading. The reading in the TaoCraftTarot.com blog, the Ko-Fi blog and the Substack newsletter are usually a little longer, with more background explanation and detail.

Q: Why do you show the cards at the end? Isn’t there some way to hide it? It goes so fast to pause. Isn’t it cheating if I choose my card after I see them both?

A: In Shorts, Reels, Tik Toks, or any short format video, it can be hard to read the instructions and pause in time before the cards are flipped. Especially if you are on an older device or have some lag for any reason.

But that’s just a glitch in the experience, not a problem with the reading itself.

Contrary to what you may think, seeing the card first isn’t cheating….it’s doing it the hard way. Choosing between two cards you can’t see operates on pure intuition and instinct almost subconsciously. When you can see the cards, you have to use your intuition more consciously and deliberately.

If you choose after you see the pictures, you suddenly have a bigger intuitive job to do because you add in the options of BOTH or NEITHER.

Of course, no matter when you choose, in the end you still have to use discernment along with intuition. You have to decide if the message is right for you or not. You have to decide whether you should take it to heart of let it go by.

The important thing is that all of the ways of choosing a Tarot card are equally valid, because in the end, it is still YOU making the choice.

Thanks so much for your question!

See you at the next sip!

On Brand

Sage Sips is Tarot for your day in the time it takes to sip your coffee.

ADA (action dissolves anxiety) Tarot is a daily meditation style reading that helps us understand whatever is going on and get an idea about what to do next. If these are helpful at all, please support Sage Sips with private reading orders, memberships and virtual coffee all HERE.

Left, current situation: The House (stability, foundation)

Right, action: The Moon (intuition, creativity, reputation)

Stay true to your “brand” in other words stand strong for your true self. Either stay with the reputation you’ve built or build a reputation that you can stay with.

In dream interpretation, a house is often symbolic of self. In both Lenormand and traditional Marseille, RWS tarot, the moon is connected to cycles, intuition, spirituality or our spiritual journey.

Life may not feel one bit steady now, but this may be a clue that is ok to lay a few foundation stones for the future. It’s an ok time to think about the kind of person you want to be, the kind of presence you want to be in the world.

If you are happy with who you are, it’s ok to think about how to keep that foundation strong, and fold in the moon’s creativity to keep doing what works. More importantly it is OK to be OK and happy with who you are regardless of a world filled with social media and doubts.

What your “true self” is, what your genuine inner home and foundation is -only you can say. That’s also where the Moon comes in.

Mental action, contemplation, deliberate decisions and making a plan to move forward are all actions, albeit internal mental ones. Those all count when it comes to action dissolving anxiety.

Thanks for reading! See you at the next sip!

Other Oracles

New exclusive content for members today: “Other Oracles”

Believe it or not, Tarot isn’t the only intuition amplifier in town.

No matter what kind of Oracle or divination technique you use, the real engine underneath it is your human connection to universal energies – your intuition.

We all have that natural intuitive connection, but sometimes spirit speaks in whispers. I’m here to help you turn up the volume and translate those whispers into actual English sentences that you can use.

Email Tarot is my specialty. As a writer by nature, I can give you a very convenient and enriched Tarot reading at a distance through email – the same or better than an in-person reading. We can talk about all of the advantages of that another time.

Today, on the members only blog we are starting a series about other oracles, other tools and techniques for accessing and amplifying intuition.

First up: I Ching. Join Sage Sips members on ko-fi to learn more about this ancient divination technique

Sage Sip Membership: $5 monthly

Free one card Tarot readings upon request up to 3/month
Automatic Discounts on larger reading layouts
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Click HERE to join and read more about the I-Ching and other oracles over the coming months

Sage Sips is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee. Private Tarot readings are OPEN and support this free public blog and the Sage Sips YouTube channel.

Email and the holidays

Tarot open for the holidays, no appointment needed.

Add “open during the holidays” to the list of advantages

Why email Tarot?

As good as (probably better) than in person sessions: 100% of my intuition is focused on your message without distractions.
Convenient: order anytime, no appointment needed. Most readings arrive within 24 hours of receiving your order.
Private: engage with your Tarot message in a timely and place that is right for you
Comfortable: get your reading with all the comforts of home. No travel, no appointment, no stress
Great for first time readings: get an easy sip of Tarot to see if it is right for you
Affordable: no physical location means lower costs – I pass the savings on to you.
Best for book lovers: email Tarot is a reader’s reading.

Why Email Tarot?

It’s my specialty: My email readings are equally as good & probably better than live sessions. For me, typing or handwriting the reading is a relaxed mindset closer to channeling or automatic writing. I can fully engage with the intuition and energy without having to reserve bandwidth for spoken language or social interaction. The intuition is more intense and flowing on my end, giving you a richer, more expressive reading experience. At minimum, any distance format will give you the SAME reading as you would in person – but at a fraction of the cost.

Q: How can you read me if we aren’t together?

A: The distance between us doesn’t matter because I’m not reading you, I’m reading energy or spirit to get guidance on your behalf. Spirit energy is universal, it’s everywhere all at the same time, physical distance doesn’t matter.

The words are the same whether I say them out loud, type them into an email or write them on paper. The only difference is the way in which you enjoy receiving your message, not in the message itself.

Phone sessions tend to be social, light, chatty, friendly. Your questions are answered in the moment as we go along. Written or recorded readings are private, powerful and intense. Written words amplify the emotion and magick of the moment. All distance Tarot readings include a follow-up email to answer any questions you might have.

Free for you now: The archives are free to explore with the search bar on the right of this page (scroll down on mobile) There are years of general audience / collective energy Tarot readings to browse. Those might hold the answer you need. At the very least it will give you a sense if we are a good match to work together on a larger, personalized reading. “Ask Me Anything” using the contact form on the AMA page. That gets a FREE Tarot inspired answer in the blog, no promises about when it will post. It is a public post, but all identifying information is removed to protect your privacy as best as we can.

Want to learn more about my readings including advice on how to find a psychic you can trust? Get the FREE ebook Tarot Portfolio in the Sage Words Tarot ko-fi shop.

Ready for a reading just for you? Order HERE. I’m looking forward to working with you!