Seven Dane Asmund, creator of The Normal Tarot (used here with their permission) reads Summer Knight 1 as “beginners luck.”
I’m also getting a little bit of a Page of Wands vibe here.
This weekend, it might not be as much luck as destiny.
You made it! It doesn’t have to be pretty or stylish or winning by a large margin to count as hard-won experience that your later, not-beginner self can call on. Maybe squeeking through with “beginner’s luck” is a little boost, a little nudge in the direction you are meant to go.
Begin where you are.
Bloom where you are planted now.
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The ‘Waning Moon’ card is about gradual change. Today’s message lives in the Venn Diagram overlap between intuition and real world science. That is often the case with moon related Tarot and Oracle cards. Obviously – the cards reflect thoughts and emotions inspired by the literal, physical, objective real-world moon. No wonder the moon is a favorite of the science minded and the spiritual minded alike. No wonder the Artimis 2 mission captured America’s heart in spite of the political catastrophe that we’ve become.
Copy – moon joy.
In his Animal Wise Tarot deck, Ted Andrews strongly ties the Moon card to natural cycles. The physical natural world has much to teach us, but so does the metaphysical and the spiritual. It is as natural as the rest. As a lovely point of sychronicity, the moon tonight as I write this is a waning crescent which seems to emphasize the notion of fading.
In my mind’s eye see ombre hair color, again bringing fading to the forefront.
But gradual change is still change.
Think Isaac Newton.
Newton’s first law of motion is the one that tells us objects at rest and objects in motion tend to stay that way. The bigger the thing is the more it takes to move it, turn it or stop it.
The racism, fascism and Christian nationalist bigotry in the US is one hell of big thing. It’s going to take every bit of all of us to stop or change it.
Inertia is a thing. It is woven into the fabric of the universe. We shouldn’t be surprised, perhaps, if the right-wing extinction burst is the slowest in a bazillion year history. But it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening just because it is happening slowly. The earth turns in 24 hours. The moon circles us in a month. Jupiter turns in around 9 hours. Neptune takes 165 Earth years to circle the sun.
Neil DeGrass Tyson famously said that the “universe is under no obligation to make sense to us.” Neither is it under any obligation to meet any single one of our hopes and expectations. Things happen in their own time. They may change slowly, but they inevitably change. That is another law of the universe in both philosophy and the physical law of entropy.
The waning last quarter half-moon faded to tonight’s crescent and will continue to fade to the dark night of the new moon. Then it will fade brighter again.
The arc of the moral universe doesn’t bend toward justice unless the full weight of multitudes and generations drag it there slowly. Hate and bigotry can fade, but only when we gradually, relentlessly do all we can to erase it.
Dilute it relentlessly with kindness, even this must and will fade.
Deck: The Normal Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund, all rights reserved, used with permissions Publishing Goblin LLC
It’s Friday. The sun is shining. It’s a nice spring day. I have the day off from work. By every outer metric things should feel as sunny as the weather.
Yet, as I thought of writing this post, I get a little niggling feeling that there is something unseen underneath it all or something vaguely looming on the horizon. The intuition doesn’t match outer appearances.
That is exactly the time when it is easiest to doubt your intuition. Which, believe it or not, is perfectly good thing to do.
After all, what is intuition? A thought. A molecule dancing between brain cells. A vague sinking sensation in the general area of those leftovers you had for lunch.
Meditation teacher Dan Harris reminds us that when anxiety sets in, it is often helpful to remember the true nature of thought. Thoughts aren’t made up of much relative to the tangible, objective world. Thinking about thoughts like this is a wonderful way to see through the everyday chatter of our minds and work with those intuitive, not-from-food gut twinges.
The Book of Secrets card from Seven Dane Asmund’s Normal Tarot deck gives the same advice – but from a slightly different angle. The card symbolizes a test of “cleverness” as the deck author puts it.
Secrets in this case hint at something unseen be it deliberately hidden by humans or hidden behind the veil of the future. Dealing with that disconnect between external reality (like our sunny day) and inner emotion takes both intuition and intellect. It takes both kinds of thinking to help us navigate anxious, uncertain, dark, obscured, secretive times. Intellect and intuition together truly are more powerful together than the sum of the parts. Synergistic is the big word for it. Intellect and intuition are synergistic, both aspects worth our attention and inclusion. Card readings are a tool of intuition. This card calls us to be clever and use our intellect. The card itself and the context points to head and heart together.
On the other hand, both still just thinking. They are the sparkling molecular consciousness of the human mind. Both are little more than a squirt of neurochemicals and a few well placed electrons, aren’t they?
Intellect and intuition are both molecules and miracles together that at the same time comprise both everything and nothing.
Or, to borrow a phrase from Blue Man Group in their song Rods and Cones, thoughts and feelings are “hellawhack shiznit that happens inside your brizzle.”
Honor your intuition when the feeling inside doesn’t match the circumstances outside. Honor your cleverness and intellect so that all the hellawhack shiznit doesn’t run away with you.
Here’s to your beautiful brizzle. Have a good weekend! See you at the next sip.
For more of Dan Harris’ excellent work: DanHarris.com
Normal Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund used with permission: Publishing Goblin
Alleyway Oracle of Secrets: That Which Lies Beneath
Things are not what they seem. Be shrewd, cunning, analytical – and observant. Watch a wait for the right time. Make sure you understand the situation before making important decisions or taking any actions. Decisions that have been building for a while is one thing – but avoid impulse. Wait, watch, know, be certain – especially where another person is involved. Hot takes can harm relationships.
Wishing you a quiet, watchful, enlightening weekend.
Alleyway Oracle of Secrets by Seven Dane Asmund used with permissions Publishing Goblin LLC
Stop and think is your best strategy over the next few days. Evaluate. Recalibrate. The root cause of the problem is the best place to solve it.
As I understand it, the Tehom card refers to the life source, the impetus of creation at the beginning of the universe. Sometimes we have to bake up to the beginning at take a fresh run at things. It may not solve current problems, but understanding the root cause of them can help us see the most effective solution. Root cause analysis may be a doorway to a fresh start.
To solve a problem, understand the source of the problem.
This continues the flow of energy we’ve seen lately with the 8 of cups Standing in the Ashes post. Understanding why boundaries had to be set, or why the things we released no longer serves us can help us in that process of holding intention for something new and better to fill that space that was created by those boundaries we set and attachments we released.
Part two of that post, Standing in the Shimmer, was originally released to members only. Stay tuned here for its release to everyone. Follow this blog to get everything directly to your in box.
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Thanks for reading! See you at the next sip!
Deck: Alleyway Oracle of Secrets by Seven Dane Asmund, used with permission
“The Shockjock” card is drawn from the Alleyman’s Tarot Podcast which expands the backstory and lore behind the Tarot deck, which is yet another facet of why Alleyman’s Tarot is one of my favorite decks. And yes, admittedly, I have collected more decks than I care to admit over the years. The Alleyman’s Tarot and this deck, the Alleyway Oracle of Secrets, is built on the same premise which is set in the same conceptual universe as the original deck.
In the podcast, the ‘shock jock’ is a low filter podcaster prone to blurting out anything who has been following the Alleyman urban legend along with the other cast of characters. (The podcast has a certain Twilight Zone quality and is interesting beyond the Alleyway, if you are interested in giving it a listen)
In any case, this is one of those times where intuition and energy screams louder than the guidebook meaning. This is one of those days that teach us how important it is to listen to your own inner guidance, not necessarily what the deck’s ‘little white book’ might say.
Following your own inner wisdom over outside influences is a giant life skill in and of itself, and we can circle back to that some other day. For today, let’s listen to the shock jock – all puns intended.
In the podcast and Oracle deck guidebook, the shock jock isn’t a deliberate or cynical provocateur. Sure, he is in it for the follows, like all of us on public cyberspace platforms – but he isn’t cruel. The guidebook gives the impression that this card is an irreverent jokester, rooted in humor. The intent is silly, comedic and harmless.
The energy today, however, is opposite. This feels like a reversed card in the classic sense, where the card is read as its opposite.
This is the dark side.
This is a lesson in free speech, connected in a way to the seven of pentacles.
Today is a reminder that cause and effect is still a thing.
You are free to say anything you want. You are equally free to experience the effects that your words cause. Since the energy is a little on the shadow side, it’s tempting to say that you are free to suffer the consequences of what you say, but there is more to it than that.
The seven of pentacles often carries a ‘you reap what you sow’ vibe about it. For both the seven of pentacles and the shock jock, we have to consider both sides of reaping and sowing, of speaking and experiencing.
As we’ve talked about before, “you reap what you sow” often seems punitive, something told to children so they don’t do bad things so that bad things won’t happen to them.
The other side of the threat is the promise. If you reap what you sow, then there is a promise that there will indeed BE a harvest, that good things WILL come from your sincere efforts.
The same is true for our inner shock jock.
Words have meaning. Words have power. They can be used thoughtlessly. They can be used to calm, encourage and heal. Words can be used to wound and cut down. Silence can be golden. Silence is complicity.
Like the seeds that are sown, words have consequences. Say anything you want, or stay silent if you choose, but you will reap a harvest either way.
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See you at the next sip!
Oracle of Secrets deck by Seven Dane Asmund used with permission
THE LOST KING: This Normal Tarot card (deck by Seven Dane Asmund of @publishinggoblin1072 used with permission) wraps together elements of the Hanged Man, Death (reversed) and 8 of cups tarot cards.
Not only do I love the gold foil on black with skeletons aesthetic of this deck, each card seems to masterfully weave together multiple Tarot ideas with a modern sensibility. It is like getting an entire “action eases anxiety” layout in a single card.
In this case, the King element reminds us we are in charge of our inner world. This reminds us we are our own leader, decision maker and high priest(ess) The upside down image, the Hanged Man element, hints at something blocked, turbulent of being resisted. The thing being resisted is change, which connects this card draw to the death-card-change energy that has been appearing in multiple readings lately. There is also an element of 8 of Cups energy that advises some sort of letting go or walking away, which also entails big, sometimes frightening, sometimes much resisted change.
If this reading resonates with you today, let’s put it into the “action eases anxiety” layout model. The energy here is one of taking charge of your own decisions and actions. Change is happening, soon to happen, or much needed but delayed. Any of those scenarios can cause fear or worry. The action that can help is to face the changes, make deliberate (albeit painful) choices. Make the changes you know are the right ones for you. Difficult emotions and consequences of your choices may come, but a better path may well come right along with it.
Thanks again for reading. The next couple of weeks are going to be more squirrel-rave-ish than usual, so I’m not sure when it will be, but I definitely will see you at the next sip!
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GRAIN: They used to say “bread is the staff of life.” Grains reminds us of the stuff that the staff is made of. It speaks to the source of basics, the true essentials.
The grains card reminds us of the stuff that makes up day to day life, as simple and mundane as it gets. It speaks to food, clothing, shelter. This is a earth energy akin to the 3 of pentacles in tarot. It’s about doing essential tasks, and the hands on activities of daily living from the most mundane to the most sacred and creative. This is a weekend to take care of those things. Stay home. Sort your socks. Water those plants you’ve been forgetting. Put the laundry away and put your feet up with a glass of wine and a good book. Grain by grain, a wheat harvest leads to warm bread on a cold day. Do the little stuff that you’ve been putting off because little things, in the long run, can mean a lot.
This vibes with this harvest time of year, something reversed in every culture that I can think of.
This card and this weekend is a reminder that the mundane IS the sacred.
Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes.”
Alan Watts
Deck: Oracle of Secrets by Seven Dane Asmund, used with permissions Publishing Goblin LLC
Whenever you read ‘weekend oracle’ posts, it basically is a vibe check for the next 2-3 days that give you an idea how to make the most of the energy flows around you.
THE NIGHT’S PITY: Seven Dane Asmund, author of the deck, describes this card as “finding dark comfort in hard times.”
On one hand, I’m getting that this can be a literal thing. Honor you natural diurnal / nocturnal cycles. If you are a morning person, honor that and get some sleep as you need. If you are a natural night owl, indulge your dark loving inner nature. This is a time of resonance and power for the night owls. Embrace your inner goth if you have one. Day people, nap all you want, we got this.
On the other hand, this is also psychological. Very Jungian, really. This is a good time for everyone to explore their darker side. Not suggesting you do anything harmful to anyone. It’s a thought experiment. This is talking about a touch of cynicism and dark humor in the face of all of the real violence and tragedy that so many people are facing these days.
The idea for everyone is to sit with your dark side, deal with your demons by understanding them – even befriending them. It’s a radical form of self-love to find beauty in the flaws and downfalls, and accept yourself as-is, in whole, right here, right now. Allow yourself to feel at home in the literal or metaphoric night. The dark side might just bring you a warm blanket and cookie.
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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