Author: TaoCraft Tarot / Sage Sips blog

I read Tarot, write stuff and make things. Secular Humanist, coffee loving, knitting, lgbtquia2+ ally.

When the pumpkin pie tastes just as it should

It takes a certain courage and generosity of spirit to be kind to yourself. It is OK to be grateful to yourself for that kindness.

What seems flawed on the surface can contain great beauty when we look at it as a whole. Scars are lovely souvenirs of the life you have survived. Removing yourself from unhealthy environments and toxic relationships can cause an ever changing mixed bag of emotions. It can make you exponentially grateful for the good ones. Yeah, this is a time for family…but hopefully it is family defined by love and relationship – shared DNA is optional. Personally, I think the whole Friendsgiving thing is kind of brilliant now that we are years into being a country divided by bigotry, racism, religion, politics and more. I don’t know that it is entirely a bad thing – many have learned the hard lessons that come with living fully, authentically, and protecting your peace.

Expectations are the enemy of a happy holiday. You don’t expect the pickles to taste like pumpkin pie. Smile when vinegar tastes sour because that just means it tastes just like it should. Life can be both bitter and sweet, but it always is as it is. The bitter times make it all the nicer when the pumpkin pie tastes as it should, too.

I’m thankful for all of you, and thankful to still be able to read Tarot for you.

Please like, follow, share and all of those good blog and social media things. We will be circling back to the beginning for a while, focusing on daily meditation Tarot. Some might have videos, many will not. Some might be morning, others will be evening or night. Private readings by email are OPEN and available on the ko-fi page. All proceeds support Sage Sips blog going toward the cost to create it and to keep it ad-free with no paywall.

The blog here on TaoCraftTarot.com, the YouTube channel, the Substack and most of the ko-fi blog are free to read for everyone. Members on ko-fi also get free private tarot readings and member-exclusive content on the ko-fi blog.

Back with a card for tomorrow. See you at the next sip!

I love a good rabbit hole

Hello and Welcome!

I was just on one of my favorite websites, Crystal Vaults.

It’s a good browse.

I love a good rabbit hole – a website with enough meat on its bones that you can browse and read and spend a little time and get good, solid, reliable, time-tested, usable information. If tiktoks, reels and shorts are a thin potato chip, then a good website is a full sized sandwich. Maybe a piping hot bowl of stew. If your lucky, it is the information equivalent of a full meal.

I like to think that TaoCraft Tarot is an all you can eat buffet of Tarot.

I’ve been at this for years. Decades. What started as small side freelancing to earn a little extra income for school expenses turned into 30 years of Tarot reading experience (almost 25 years of that as a professional) writing and blogging all along the way. Not all of it was on this platform, but a surprising chunk of it has been.

I love a good browse.

I hope you all will like browsing here, too. Welcome. The library is open. Feel free to use the search bar to dive into the Sage Sips / Taocraft Tarot archives. Enter a topic or tarot card and see what you can find.

Thanks for visiting!

The World in A Cup

Thank you for watching! If you enjoy the free Tarot you see here, please support Sage Sips Tarot blog on Ko-Fi. Proceeds from private readings and memberships go to produce and web host Sage Sips.

Pause the video if you want more time to think, then restart to see the reveal.

The World: Whew! You made it through the past few weeks. Halumi and R’amen for that! The World is your cue that things are turning. The world is always your oyster. Sometimes it is just a matter of hanging on until your part of the world turns toward the sun again. 

Six of Cups: Only everything is everything. The smallest pleasures hold a universe of delights. It’s OK to enjoy the small things as much as the big things. Delight can come anywhere, from anything, at any time. 

When you celebrate little wins, feel relief at finishing tough weeks, and find joy in small things anywhere you find them, the world is delight in a cup

Deck: Witches Tarot by Ellen Dugan and Mark Evans, copyright 2012 all rights reserved. Used with permissions on Llwellynpublishing.com

Weekend Oracle (21 Nov 25)

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“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

Action Eases Anxiety Week Ahead Tarot (16 Nov 25)

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Action Eases Anxiety layout shows ‘what it is’ (left – current energy or situation) and ‘what to do about it’ (right- advice to help move forward) Having a plan makes things less scary, even if the plan goes off the rails (which is usually does – being adaptable helps too)

Three of Pentacles: the physical realm, especially when it comes to work and career feels inside out and upside down. And it isn’t all under your control. The system or teamwork may be falling apart or under stress.

Knight of Wands: Now is the time to make a move in favor of yourself. You are your own best mentor and support team in this moment. Don’t be petty or hurtful or throw anyone deliberately under the bus, but do what you need to do for you. This is that moment where the oxygen masks are dropping and you have to put yours on before you can help anyone else. You are no good to anyone, yourself or otherwise, if you are metaphorically unconscious. Tend to your own physical and mental health this week so you can be present for new situations and other people later on.

Often this strategy brings guilt about not helping others in this moment, or worry that there will be pay-back or blow-back. Think of it as a short term investment for a long term gain. If there is blow-back for giving yourself a short amount of time to do what you need to do for yourself – then that shows the true colors. A time like this where the energy supports taking care of yourself shows who supports you and who doesn’t. Use that information to know how best to spend your energy and efforts moving forward. This time not only benefits you directly, but also lets you help others with sincerity and dedication in times to come.

The knight of wands carries most of the energy in this reading. It often reminds me of the book/series Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel. In that, the Knight of Wands turns out to be a harbinger of “magic returning to England”

The Knight of Wands is here to let us know that this is a time for our magic to come home. It is a time to pay attention to your passions, your loves, the things that make life most magical for you.

Your magic is returning. This is the week to welcome it.

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 (9 Nov 25)

Fall and Winter hours and posting schedule: none. At all.

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All of this merry tarot madness is brought to you by my love of the tarot art, a big cup of and all the tarot fans like you who support me on Ko-Fi Private Tarot readings by email are OPEN and available to order 24/7/365. Please allow at least 2-3 business days for delivery – I have a day job and Tarot isn’t a business for me.

All ko-fi proceeds go toward the cost to create and web host this blog.

The “Action Eases Anxiety” layout was inspired by Buddhist philosophy (I HIGHLY recommend Dan Harris’ Substack) and my “Learn With Me” series about Lenormand Tarot.

The layout is like a sentence…a noun and a verb. It represents the current energy, then what to do about it. It isn’t a prediction or a quick fix, but making an action plan like this takes the edge of worries. Any tarot reading can help us focus on the moment at hand, not what may or may not happen in the future. That in itself can help ease worry.

What it is (left card): Ace of Cups, reversed. Something is leaking or spilling. Where are your emotions being spent uselessly? Where is your creative energies being wasted? What fucks are you giving that would be better not to give, or to at least give somewhere else?

What to do (right card): Ten of Wands. Put down responsibilities that aren’t really yours. Remember that you can show the way, but you can’t walk through the door for someone else. You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink. Your happiness is your responsibility, no one else’s. No one can give it to you, but equally, no one can take it from you unless you give it away.

Thanks for reading and watching! See you at the next sip!

Deck: Alleyman’s Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund, used with permissions Publishing Goblin LLC

The loudest quiet

A magnet just sits there.

It doesn’t chase after anything. Yet, just being itself, a magnet attracts and sticks with the just-right things. It’s a quiet process, but a powerful one. Watching, waiting, just sitting there letting your light shine in the universe is a powerful something to do, possessed of great optimism. Although they are outwardly quiet, confidence, optimism, contentment, and intention can be very energetically loud.

“My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud”

Henry Rollins

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Q&A: Did I make a mistake?

This is a yes/no layout that the recipient allowed me to share with you, so you can see what an email Tarot reading with me is actually like. Instead of a video (that I for the blog) email readings get a static photo of your unique, real-world card layout.

Q: I got a reading with you almost a year ago. The reading said it was a good time to think about a job change. Not long after that, I got an unexpected job offer and took it. It seemed like the right thing to do and everything seems to be going well, but some doubts are starting to creep in. Did I do the right thing?

A: First of all thank you for letting me share your reading with the blog. It is such a positive energy and we could all use a little boost of good news these days.

And positive it is!

This is the most definite YES! energy that I’ve seen in a while. Usually, even in these “Zombie Cat” yes/no readings there is a lot of fluidity and emphasis on the power of choice.

This reminds me of that bitmoji where the energies and your spirit guides just sip a coffee and say YUP.

I apologize for this being a short reading. It always feels like these concise clear answers are too easy, that I’m not giving you your money’s worth. I hope the ‘yup’ is as valuable and reassuring as the energy feels on this end. It feels surprising too. If you ever had any doubts about your personal power, your path of magick, you can set those right on to the side. You are in a good place. All the effort has been worth it and people are starting to see all you’ve put into your growth and building good things for you and your family both in terms of real world, tangible things – but even more importantly for the positive esoteric energies that follow you around like your favorite perfume.

As you probably remember, these yes/no readings work a little like an I ching coin toss. Two aces = yes, but three aces mean a yes that can be easily tipped over to the opposite if you choose to do so. In this case, you are solid, which I’m guessing is just the news you wanted to hear.

Going card by card after the basic answer –

Ten of Cups is just as good as it looks. Cups are symbolic of closest relationships (as well as the element of water, intuition, emotions) This shows that the choice you made is good for you and your family, which you have always said is your number one priority.

Ace of Pentacles is as job related as you can get for this question. Pentacles are Earth, real world, career, finances. This is pure reassurance that work will work out ok.

Ace of Cups moves its focus from family & relationships to the water & intuition realm of the suit. Your instincts were right on target. Again, huge validation energy here. Doubts are normal. Stay on the lookout for any real problems emerging, certainly, but don’t get stuck in the past. The energy is very forward-looking at the same time it is reassuring.

I see blue…like a lighter gemstone, along the lines of blue lace agate or apatite. But that being said, I also feel pushed to say wear whatever crystals make you feel as powerful as you are. Lapis Lazuli steps forward too. In fact that is overtaking the lighter. Lapis, definitely lapis. I’m getting the usual woody scents like the meditative ones that usually come through for you. This time it is a little sweeter like copal or frankincense.

A quick flash of crossed over loved ones of an older generation – parents or grandparents. I ‘hear’ “honor the ancestors” but it is Dios De Los Muertos season. Now the taste of candy, like a vanilla taffy. Does that have any meaning for you?

Again Dia De Los Muertos (I hope I’m spelling that right) images.

And there the energies step back.

I hope that puts your doubts at ease! Gurrrl – you are SO on the right path!

Thanks again for letting me share such a cool-feeling reading!

Cheers and best wishes