Sage Snow – Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot

Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water…

Oh for the luvva….

I thought we put this to bed yesterday.

Love and relationships are the whole ballgame when it comes to being a human – um – being.

But I was hoping to move on to the half price chocolate and leave the whole My Tarot Valentine thing behind.

But then, maybe we did. Leave it to Lenormand cards to roll up smack us in the face with a frying pan and put the last nail in that coffin.

My intention was to do a nice, normal “action Eases anxiety” reading for this week, but noooo, here we go zooming back to yesterday’s annual Valentine’s day rant.

Here’s the beef:

Valentine’s day (at least here in America *rolls eyes*) seems to be all about white heterosexual romance.

If you are in a relation like that or adjacent to that, then it can be sweet and romantic and a great time to pay attention to the people that mean the most to you. It can and does extend to friends and family.

But it can, and does, make some people feel bad because they don’t have the romance or life partner they want in their life right now, and that right there is where it all goes off the rails.

And that right there is where today’s cards grabs us by the head and turns it for one more look

One of the many things I like about this Healing Light Lenormand deck by Gerard Butler is the way it makes both male and female versions of both The Lady #28 and The Gentleman #29 cards. It lifts the deck beyond binary gender roles to include any romantic relationship, and in conceptual extension, to any relationship at all. I like to think this card showing up today is a validation of being the love you want in your life. In giving love, in loving the things and people in our lives now, we put the whole Valentine’s Day soulmate thing into perspective.

And makes those relationships when they are in our lives doubly important, valued and appreciated. They become love heaped upon love. It makes relationships more valued and precious when they are an expansion of a love-filled life, not filling for an empty spot.

Looking at today’s cards as they usual ‘what it is’ and ‘what to do about it’ we see the lady/gentleman paired with the hear.

The lady/gentleman cards are a self significator…they stand in for you in the reading. This reading is aimed at purely internal, subjective perception. What you think these cards mean, is exactly what they DO mean. The reading is between you and you…all I did was pull the next card for you to contemplate.

The heart card is the star of all of this…relationships. Not just one to one romance…any connection, anyone or anything that is significant to you…anyone or anything that you love. YOU love is the key. Not expectations. Not ideals. What do you love in your life right here, right now? What connections need to be nurtured and grown? What connections need to be trimmed or cut? What connections need to be built? What connections are right there, just waiting to be seen and discovered?

It is at once the simplest and the hardest part of life.

What it is – you

What to do about it – love.

I wish you a peaceful week free from ridiculous commercial holiday expectations. Happy half priced chocolate to those who celebrate.

See you at the next sip!

Supporters through the “readings” menu on ko-fi get a custom private email Tarot reading as a thank you gift. Proceeds help me to create Sage Sips and keep it free from advertising and paywalls.

My Tarot Valentine 2026

Welcome new blog subscribers! Please enjoy these no-paywall collective readings, BTS and Q&A posts. Join me on Ko-Fi as a monthly member or one time supporter to access free private email Tarot readings. Thank you!

When you love, you win. It’s the act of giving love that matters.

Love heals the deepest wounds without dwelling on them including – perhaps especially – when that love and healing is directed toward yourself.

Loving others is its own reward, no matter how others respond.

Love is a living tree. Water and tend to it, always. It will give air and fruit and color and life in return, if not in this season, then in another. Love will outlive the pain.

“The only thing stronger than hate is love” – Bad Bunny

available for download from the TaoCraft Tarot shop on ko-fi. Please click the cover to order

My Tarot Valentine is a collection of Tarot meditations with the theme of love, romance, and relationships of all kinds. 44 pages.

My Tarot Valentine

All proceeds from Ko-Fi support the creation of Sage Sips and help me to keep it free from ads and paywalls. Thank your for being a patron of the art of reading Tarot!

click cover to order

My Tarot Valentine is a collection of love, romance and relationship themed daily meditation Tarot readings from the Tarotbytes (Modern Oracle) and Sage Sips archives

Dropping In

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by nibs (@nibsnextdoor)

And you thought I was kidding about the whole “I don’t have ducks, I don’t have rows, I have squirrels and they are hosting a rave” thing.

Actually, ‘nibsnextdoor’ is one of my favorite new Instagram finds. Ranks right up there with Mr. Chicken, that animated duck dancing to “Hey Ya!” by Outkast and clips of Count Von Count from Sesame Street set to Dragula by Rob Zombie.

Here is the rave playlist….

I’m in the middle of changing jobs. I’m friggen’ 60 and basically starting a whole new full time job only vaguely related to anything I’ve done before. I’m stressed.

But what I HAVE done before is natural stress management. Tarot is part of that. Readings can help put your mind and emotions at ease. I’m walking, talking PROOF of that. 30 years worth.

My stress managing happy place in Tarot right now is one card daily meditations. I’m going to stick with that on the blog for a little while until I can settle in to the new normal

BUT

Rest assured that free readings are still fully available for members and for purchase from the READINGS menu. Worst case scenario it will just take me an extra day or two to get the reading to your inbox. But even that delay should abate in a few weeks.

Thank you all so much for patience, grace and understanding. I appreciate you!

Stay tuned, and rave on my friends!

Week Ahead Tarot: Warmth and Meaning

Thanks for watching! Likes, follows and shares are always appreciated, no matter what the social media algorithms are up to these days.

Or order a private, just-for-you, personalized Tarot reading by email or join a membership tier on Ko-Fi (includes free Tarot readings). The proceeds support Sage Sips Tarot blog which is always free to read.

You can still order private readings or join a ko-fi membership tier to get free tarot readings as part of your membership (terms and conditions apply – you know that drill. Entertainment only, doesn’t predict the future and whatnot)

For THIS week, I have a treat – for myself, but hopefully for you, too. I’m finally breaking out my “Normal Tarot 2” deck . This thing is GORGEOUS! I love the gold foil on black with skeletons aesthetic (no surprise there) and I’m really looking forward to exploring it more with all of you in a few weeks.

But now…this week. Interestingly, it might be helpful to read both, regardless of which one you chose in the beginning.

THE FROZEN KING: If we think of this card in classic Tarot terms, it is a little bit Death, a little bit Hanged Man. It is about the loss and tragedy of stagnation when the stagnation stems from choice – not the lack of choice. The frozen king is like locked up riches that can not be used. It is about lack of progress and prosperity stemming from a refusal to adapt and change. This is another facet of the Death card that has turned up in some readings lately. If you are frozen, resisting flow and change, ask what passions and loves in your life have you been neglecting. What flame do you need to (re)kindle to once again find your Flow.

THE SIXTH OF SUMMER: This is almost the opposite of the Frozen King, and the solution to it. It also marries elements of multiple Tarot cards, the Lovers and the Three of Cups with a little Ace of Wands thrown in. In short, be passionate about your relationships with people with a strong overlay of playfulness and lightheartedness – be generous with your smiles to strangers and add a little extra wattage to the intimate relationships that matter most to you. The battery for all of the extra energy is authenticity and genuine emotion. Only light the torch of passion when you genuinely and intensely mean it. But the hottest flame ends the soonest. Take care not to flame out fast. Cool the passions you want to last. Advice from trusted sources and friends can help, akin to that three of pentacles energy that is coming through here.

Merry Monday! See you at the next sip!

Sage

Deck: Normal Tarot 2 by Seven Dane Asmund used with permission and available to purchase on PublishingGoblin.com

Weekend Oracle: Stuff of Life

Thank you for watching! Sage Sips is a free tarot blog. You can choose to get a private tarot readings as a thank you gift for your support on https://ko-fi.com/taocrafttarot. Likes, subs and shares are always appreciated.

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

Action Eases Anxiety Tarot: Adapt for Oysters

Sage Sips is a no-paywall free tarot blog that gives #tarot wisdom for your day in the time it takes to sip your coffee. Please support this blog on ko-fi and feel free to browse the tarot reading archives with the search bar.

Understanding a situation and making a plan of action nudges your thinking away from the future and “what if?” and brings it back to the hear-and-now. That shift in perception can interrupt and ease worries and anxieties. Lots of energy here today – it’s not often that we see double major arcana cards. This one is an attention-getter.

What’s happening – The World. Good, bad or indifferent, anything is possible. Sure, bad things are possible, but good things are probably just as likely. You steer toward where you look. Look at good things. This card traditionally has a positive vibe. “The world is your oyster” applies here.

What to do – The Tower. Be as OK as you can be with unexpected twists, turns and surprises. It doesn’t come naturally to many of us, but the ability to adapt is a survival skill. Adapt to find your good-future-building world oysters, so to speak.

If it isn’t natural for you, this is a time to push the envelope and deliberately work on mental, emotional, or even physical flexibility (a good stretch is stress-relieving. Mind follows body as much as the body follows the mind) If all else fails, if you can’t adapt to change, BE the change. BE the twist, turn and surprise.

Stay tuned for more Tarot. Likes, subs and shares are always appreciated! See you at the next sip! – Sage

Action Eases Anxiety: Nothing is something to do

Thanks for watching this collective-energy Tarot reading. Want a personalized reading that is unique and just for you? Private readings and memberships on ko-fi support this free Tarot blog.

Some say anxiety is from thinking too much about the future. We can’t predict the future but we can make plans and, more importantly, take action to help create the future we want. Psychic predictions aren’t much of a thing, but cause and effect is a proven, real and powerful thing. Tarot is very much that – it is a tool to help you understand what is going on here and now, and helps give you ideas about what to DO. Those ideas and those actions create the future, not predict it. Those ideas and actions help ease anxiety.

In this layout, the left card reflects the current situation, the current energy. It helps us understand what it is that prompted us to want a Tarot reading, or scroll a Tarot blog, or watch the social post that brought you here, or whatever the case may be.

The next card suggest a good next step. It is an idea what to do now about the energy that is happening now. That one idea, that one next step, is all it takes to interrupt that habit of letting your mind live in the future and stop the spiral into anxiety, even its just for a little while.

Coming in October: Sage Sips blog on TaoCraftTarot.com will be partnering with the “How To Holistic” blog to bring you more stress relief options. The Ebook “Reiki and Relaxation” and pay-what-you-want distance Reiki sessions to the Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot Ko-Fi shop.

KING OF CUPS: The king of cups is about both literal and spiritual guides and mentors. Cups cards are connected to the element of water. Because of that, they are also connected to intuition, emotions, and close relationships (including family, close friends, not just romance)

The message here is that you are not alone. You are connected to all that is. You are part of the Cosmos at the grandest scale. You spirit-world companionship is at your side at the very least. On a more practical scale, this isn’t a time to go it alone in the mental and emotional real world either. Read, listen, learn, ask for advice. That takes courage. That is why this kind of mentorship and learning is connected to the KING card. Be brave enough and wise enough to know that you don’t know everything and go get the knowledge that you need.

HANGED MAN: This card has two very different traditional meanings rolled into one card. On one hand it is about stagnation, or at the very least, feelings of frustration at the pace at which life is moving. Your mental/emotional/biological clock is ticking at a faster pace than things are naturally moving. The message here is basically cool your jets. Let things unfold. Time is key, and some things can only happen with time. You can’t ferment fine wine …or even a mason jar of pickles…in a day. Time is a crucial ingredient right now.

The other meaning for this card is ‘fearless sacrifice’ or ‘self sacrifice’ The sacrifice that must be made here is your expectations. Give up the when. Throw yourself on the alter of being patient.

Sacrifice your expectations and impatience to allow room for either real world or spiritual guidance (or both). Find your mentors. Spirit guides don’t work on a time clock. It takes time and quiet to hear spirit’s whispers. Moving at a fast pace makes it all hard to hear.

Thanks again for reading. Hoping to get a ‘weekend oracle’ ready for you Friday. See you at the next sip!

Deck: Alleyman’s Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund, used with permission Publishing Goblin LLC. Check out Seven’s latest Tarot project HERE.

Vestigial but Valuable

I follow a fair few Tarot readers on social media. @MadamAdam is a favorite. He posted the other day about those who accuse online psychics of being unethical or a scams after he had spent five or so years building a brand and business with ethics and authenticity.

Preach.

Of course my first response was to go grumpy granny bat and think about the 30 years I’ve spent working with spirituality, intuition development and card readings including the past 20 + years of brand and business building. Being thought of as a scam after pouring every ounce of professionalism you got into a being of service while getting a little fair compensation, all above board and tax paid….it’s enough to put a twist in any professional reader’s knickers.

I may have lost a great deal in the fame and fortune department by doing things with ethics and authenticity, but I can go on with life knowing that I did it right. A life of authenticity is a treasure all its own. I worked every moment above board, with ethics and transparency. Now that TaoCraft Tarot and Sage Sips is a blog supported by my labors of love and readers like you instead of being a full-on Tarot reading business, it seems a little silly to have such a detailed policy page.

It may be vestigial, but it is still valuable.

Ethics and authenticity aren’t selling points. They are character traits. They are how you do business, perhaps, but also how you live your life – if your authenticity is, um, authentic.

So here is my policy page, almost exactly as it has always been. Authenticity and ethical behavior doesn’t stop just because you stop answering the phone for in-person gigs and shift your focus to email readings.

At least this way you know that the readings you get with me are STILL highest quality, ethical, and above all authentic.

P.S. – the readings are fun and helpful too. Order yours HERE.

Must be 18 or over to purchase private readings

WHAT I DO

My Tarot readings are customized, ephemeral folk art consisting of a photo of your unique, real world tarot card layout followed by a written discussion of the cards and a purely intuitive summary of the reading.
Readings are delivered as a .pdf or . docx electronic document in an email attachment
The Sage Sips blog, Ebooks by Sage Snow and all associated social media are intended for artistry, inspiration, personal enrichment and entertainment only. They do not predict the future.
The proceeds from readings, memberships, and virtual coffee gifts on ko-fi all go toward the cost to create and web host Sage Sips blog and the TaoCraftTarot.com website.

WHAT I DO NOT DO

I do not predict the future,
I do not accept medical, legal or pregnancy questions.
I do not read anyone without their knowledge and direct consent. This means I don’t read for you without your request first and I don’t read about anyone other than the person getting the reading.
I NEVER approach you individually to offer a reading. If that happens, please report the impostor.
The information and services on this website and in my writings do not diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent any illness. They do NOT replace professional medical care, mental health care or qualified professional advice in any way.
No free or sample readings
I do not accept any liability of any kind. Use these artistic services or the information contained therein 100% at your own risk.
Beginning January 2025 the business portion of this website that offered phone, online, party and in person Tarot readings has closed.

DISCLAIMER, REFUNDS, EXCHANGES

Tarot is highly customized ephemeral art, so no refunds, exchanges or replacement are available.
Contacting me or making a a ko-fi purchase indicates your agreement with all policies and disclaimers.
Again, use at your own risk. No liability of any kind is implied or accepted.

PRIVACY

Your privacy is a top priority. In order to create and customize your reading, I collect basic contact information including but not limited to name, age, email, reading topic or question, etc. No information is shared except with your permission or in cooperation with legal authority.
Example readings or Q&A readings in the blog are used with the questioners knowledge and consent and with all names, dates or other identifying information removed.
For accuracy, the above basic contact information is re-collected with each new purchase or membership reading request.
Each reading is customized, ephemeral art. A reading’s relevance decreases as time passes. Readings and contact information are routinely deleted.

PAYMENT

PayPal via ko-fi checkout is accepted.

DELIVERY TIME

Each reading is unique and made to order. Please allow 3 to 5 business days for delivery.
Please expect longer delivery times when the order is placed nights, weekends or holidays US eastern time.

Copyright Notice

Free Blog posts may be shared or quoted under an attribution, share-alike, non-commercial, no derivatives Creative Commons 4.0 international license.
E-mail readings include photos by the author of the client’s individual card layout. The Tarot Waite Smith 1909 card images are public domain. Heart of Stars Tarot 3rd edition used with the direct permission of artist and author, Thom Pham. Animal Wise Tarot used with the permission of DragonHawk Publishing. Alleyman’s Tarot used with permission of Seven Dane Asmund and Publishing Goblin LLC. Other decks are used with publisher’s permission as indicated.
All readings are done by a human being with 30+ years of Tarot experience. No AI tools are used in these readings.

Social Media and Blog Policies

I reserve the right to block any commenter for any reason at my sole discretion
Your support on ko-fi for these free blog readings is greatly appreciated.
Blog comments are moderated, no spam or comments containing multiple links are permitted.

reviewed and updated August 2025

Blah induced glow up

I don’t know if I’ve done one of these tidy-up-the-website things since I’ve been on Bluesky or not. If not, Bluesky – let me introduce myself.

If you are not new to Sage Sips blog, then thank you for putting up with yet another one of these. I’ll admit – I’ve followed that “reintroduce yourself for new followers” advice a little too enthusiastically some years. Equally important, I’m grateful to everyone who has read Sage Sips for a while or follows on any of the socials. That goes double for those of you who get private readings with me. I truly appreciate you. If these posts and readings are any little help at all, it’s worth it to keep things fresh around here for you.

The differences aren’t big, nothing that major has happened since the big re-brand in 2018, but a little infusion of energy and attention still helps every now and again. If Halloween is ‘witch’s new year’ consider this the pre-new-year housecleaning in my little corner of cyberspace.

I’m in late August BLAH mode anyway, so it’s a good time to take a week off from the usual readings and recharge a little.

But back to the re-introduce yourself thing. I always feel weird and awkward about the background and bio part. I’d much rather talk about Tarot behind the scenes or do readings or teach Tarot how-to. But still, a refreshed bio is probably for the best so you can know what kind of internet rando you are reading.

Here is the same old bio, edited down a little bit:

Private email Tarot readings, memberships, virtual coffee and shop purchases all support this no-paywall blog

Hi! I’m Sage.

I’m the author of Sage Sips blog, PeaceTarot and free ebook TaoCraft Portfolio

I’ve been reading Tarot cards since around 1992 which adds up to 30 years of experience with intuitive work and intuition development (!)

I didn’t originally start out to be a professional Tarot reader (who does?) At first I did readings for friends (why PAY for it when you can DIY it?) A close friend suggested I go online with my readings (forever grateful!) I’ve given psychic Tarot readings through Keen, Advice Trader and AllExperts. After doing literally hundreds of online readings (I stopped counting at 500) I opened my own Tarot practice with ModernOracleTarot.com, the Tarotbytes blog and the now-defunct Quirk & Flotsam shop on Etsy. In 2018 I re-branded everything as TaoCraft Tarot featuring the Sage Sips blog. In 2025, life happened, and my Tarot work circled back to the beginning as a hobby with this blog (and the private email Tarot readings that help support the cost to create the blog and host a half decent website.)

The TaoCraft name is drawn from my love of Taoist philosophy. My work will always be guided by the principles of simplicity, authenticity, and kindness. The name is also a nod to both magickal craft and and regular crafting including one of my favorite hobbies, knitting.

My pen name, Sage, is inspired by both aromatherapy and the wisdom of Taoism and Tarot.

The herb sage has a comforting, familiar scent and flavor that most of us know from breakfast sausage and holiday turkeys. In aromatherapy, Sage incense and essential oil can support a calm, optimistic mood. Most of all, the word sage means something or someone who is wise. Tarot and Taoism both give us very sage advice.

Comfort, calmness, wisdom and a feeling that things are going to be alright are all qualities that I hope you’ll experience when you read the blog or read your personalized Tarot email.

I’m Sage Sips on Substack and Sage.Sips on all of the usual socials. I mostly interact with BlueSky and Threads, so drop by and say hello.

Email readings are always available 24/7, no appointment needed! Click HERE to order anytime. Email readings have always been my specialty, and my favorite to do. You can trust the process because they are pure intuition and spirit- there is no way for me to read body language cues or ask leading questions.

Thanks for reading. I always appreciate your time and attention along with any likes, follows, shares or kind comments that you can spare. I wish you all well. See you at the next sip!