TaoCraft Tarot / Sage Sips blog

Q&A: Vibe Check

Q: I keep getting this feeling that something is wrong, but I can’t figure out what. It reminds me of how I felt right before the pandemic hit. Does this mean something terrible is going to happen again?

A: I dunno. Maybe

We’ve all heard/read my rant about how I can’t predict the future and neither can bits of cardboard with pictures on them a dozen different times….

At the same time, I hear you.

Depending on your political point of view, arguably something terrible IS happening. Multiple things. Really bad things.

That alone is enough to give anyone the creeps and make you feel like everything is just …. off.

The card is the Wheel. Some decks call it the Wheel of Fortune. If you look at it through an old school, predictive lens it gets very fatalistic, hopeless, victim of circumstance-y very quickly. I think the real message here is CHANGE.

Today’s card is drawing a little from the Moon card (natural cycles) and a little from the Death card (big permanent changes) but the emphasis is on change.

You are allowed to be in a bad mood. You are allowed to be tired, or worried or uncomfortable – regardless of whether you have a reason or a cause or not.

No, you shouldn’t write it off. Your instincts might be trying to tell you something. Inexplicable fears and worries might be our intuition giving us the heads up that we missed something. Use this as a cue to take another look, see if you can find a reason for this feeling that you missed before.

Writing off these feelings of unease or trying to get rid of it might not be the best idea, but neither do you have to live with it forever.

Some of my favorite second-look, figure out this weirdness strategies are very simple.

Probably the least fun one is to just let it happen. I forget who said it (Dan Harris quoting someone else maybe??) but as a general rule of thumb, emotions are very short-lived. Like 90 seconds short. That seems a bit rapid – fire to me. An emotional funk can haunt you for hours, or off and on for a day or two at the very longest. But normally, it is time limited thing. Let it come, let it go, learn from it, this too will pass. Remembering it is temporary is sometimes all it takes to turn down the intensity of worry.

One the most useful things is to make a plan for whatever is worrying you. We are living through the enshittification of life as we knew it, and it is impossible to plan in the middle of chaos, but any little bit helps. Decide what you want for lunch tomorrow. Check in with a friend, ask a family member how they are doing…anything. The Buddhists got that one right – action (and action plans) really do ease anxiety.

You mentioned COVID…

I think that’s your answer. NOT that another pandemic is coming, but remember when we talked about resonance? Remember how we said energy sensitive people can vibe so strongly with the energy environment that it feels like the fear and worry is their own and not a by-product of the energy soup we swim in every day? Just like pollen can get in your hair from just walking around outside, you can stuck energy muck too.

One of the things this feeling of unease is asking to figure out is whether the source is you, or your resonance.

Try this.

Sit cross -legged on the floor or if you are in a chair, cross your ankles. Then lace your fingers together. This seals and strengthens your individual energy on a grounded, physical level.

Now, lets bring imagination online to help your mental and emotional energies a little. Imagine you are sitting in the middle of a force field or a clear crystal ball. Get comfy in your mental hamster ball of invincibility. If it helps, decorate that mental space with things that usually make you feel happy and empowered – put symbols on the sphere, see a mug of coffee beside you, play heavy metal music – whatever you like.

Now, with that posture and those images mentally in place….what does that do to the feelings of dread and worry? Are they still there or are you pleasantly surprised to learn “HEY! IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPY IN HERE!!”

If this mental & emotional shielding exercise dials that worrisome feeling WAY down, chances are it is a function of resonance. Take a hot shower, or whatever other grounding, centering, clearing things that you like to do. My hunch is that a nice long shower with a clear-your-energy intention might just do the trick.

If the worry is coming from inside the force field, if it is inside the house so to speak…then it is back to understanding an action-planning. THAT is when an ‘action eases anxiety’ tarot layout might help.

Either way, no, this doesn’t mean something terrible is about to happen. Yes, it does mean your emotions are asking you for some attention. Either way, this vibe checks with the message I’ve heard from so many sources about the solar eclipse today, and this early August season in general: stop, watch, understand then act after the energy – um- changes on the other side of the eclipse. The mood will change, always, but you can shield and check the vibes any time you need to.

Take good care of yourself.

Thanks!

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Weekend Oracle: Apart

Even when you are apart from people, you are a part of people.

The southern hemisphere may be gearing up to rock and roll into spring, but here in the northern hemisphere, we are in fullest summer. Mid-August is hot, humid, filled with the sound of cicadas and with a sluggish energy. As it should be. It isn’t the season of planting, it isn’t quite yet the season of full harvest – even for us city dwellers.

It’s a time of maximum yang that is asking to be met with much yin.

This weekend is a time for introverts. The advice is to be gentle with yourself and your energy. Don’t force socialization if you aren’t feeling it. Don’t push or strive or emotionally expert if you aren’t feeling it. It is ok to spend some time at the edges of the action.

The energy of the Outsider card from Seven Dane Asmund’s Alleyway Oracle of Secrets deck reminds us that outsiders are different from outcasts – some choose the perifory as a way to protect their peace or nurture their healing and growth.

For those who find themselves feeling cut off or more alone than they want to be, the energy here is a reminder that we are all connected, even when other people seem physically or emotionally far away.

If you are feeling isolated or lonely, open your circle of perspective. You may be alone in your room, but you are still a part of the family in your house or the residents of your apartment building. You might be the only person in the building, but you are still part of your state, country or continent. You might be the only person on the moon…but you are still a member of the human species and that can never be taken from you.

“We are all connected: To each other, biologically. To Earth, chemically. To the rest of the universe, atomically.”
Neil Degrasse Tyson

If you need to dial back, and have some alone time it is OK. You aren’t severing connections, you are nurturing your heart and spirit and self which makes the connections stronger, better – over any distance.

Wishing you a lovely weekend that is just as busy – or not – as you like.

Did you notice it’s August?

It didn’t register for me until this morning, even while sleepily working on last night’s post New Deck N’at

In my case, when they call contributions small dollar donations they are not kidding. Any donation I make is, by necessity, microscopic. But with your generosity, another small dollar can go to a good place and you get a professional quality, personalized email tarot reading as a thank you gift in return.

All proceeds from Brew It Forward memberships and one dollar from every virtual coffee you buy from the Sage Sips Ko-Fi page goes to a wellness, food security or civil rights public service organization each month. I just made July’s micro donation to Democracy Forward

August is corn season. Love me some fresh corn on the cob. Cooking and baking is my love language. For August 2026, we are brewing and tarot-ing for World Central Kitchen.

Brew It Forward memberships on ko-fi are $5 / month and unlock DM access. With that access, you can request a one card Tarot reading by email whenever you like by sending your name, question and email (it’s not shared, it’s just to confirm where I should send your reading). This isn’t my job, so please allow 3-5 business days for it to arrive.

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Happy Lughdnasadh to those who celebrate.

New Deck N’at

Usually I agonize over every deck I’ve bought. I have to really really REALLY feel it before I’ll shell out the cash for one. I’m frugal, and I don’t spend on hobbies and entertainment unless it strongly moves me on some level. Or if it is yarn to make a holiday gift.

Maybe that comes from being born and raised in Appalachia – real, south of here, ruby red, mountain Appalachia – BUT I’ve lived in the Pittsburgh area long enough that I consider this is my hometown whether yinz like it or not. When I accidentally stumbled across the Pittsburgh deck on social media it was an immediate ‘shut UP. Take my money’ impulse. Luckily for me, it turned out to be a very affordable deck.

The guide book is being shipped separately, so I’m winging it with this reading.

Career questions have crossed my path lately. I pulled these cards with the generic question in mind of “am I on the right path with my career”

Any “right path” question lends itself to a classic “pathway” card spread, which in turn is a more modern, nuanced version of the old-school past/present/future spread. I don’t have to tell you for the millionth time that exact predictions are not only impossible but unhelpful. As always, I read a three card pathway as:

Influences of the past – how old experiences are either influencing your perceptions of the current situation or, often, this is a reminder of old skills or lessons that you can bring forward to help you now
Current energies: things about the current situation that are asking for your attention, or pointing out any blind spots.
Moving Forward: This is a possible strategy, a good next step or a suggestion about how to best adapt to this situation.

In a “TaoCraft Path” layout, I emphasize your choices, which is what builds the future rather than predict it. For those, I add a fourth card that suggests an idea to help support the direction you are headed if you choose to keep it, and a fifth card that suggests how to change directions if you want. Today, let’s keep it simple.

In a typical RWS deck, I often read wands as your relationship with yourself – the inner world . I don’t know, yet, if that is what the deck creators intended with the suit of “nature” but that’s how I’m reading it today. I look at it through a very Taoist lens of working with your own true nature, THAT kind of nature just as much as the rocks and trees kind of nature. No question the World and the Moon cards are vibing just like every other deck, at least in relation to this particular question and layout.

Of course, being a collective energy reading, it is by the nature of collective energy readings, vague and dilute. This things are always much more impactful when it is private, customized and focused just on one person.

Two out of the three cards being major arcana confirms big career energy right now. There might be a time of stress at hand, to go with these big energies, but it doesn’t feel like anything you can’t handle. It feels like growth, in a big but good way.

Knights are associated with action. Play to your strengths. Do you. Do what you know well and above all what you enjoy. This is a comfort zone move, yes, but one that has serious wattage behind it. Showcase every skill you have, both from formal trained and from raw life experience.

The World hints that you have lots of options right now, the world is your oyster. Now is a good time to decide which direction you want to go, because many paths are open. In the predictive use, the World card has always been considered a good omen. You are in a good spot to build something good if you have the courage to start and a clear vision of what you want (out of all those many possibilities)

The Moon reminds us of natural cycles. To know if your current career or career plans are right for you, look at the context of your life…where in your life cycle or the life cycle of this job are you? Are you starting? Is there room to grow? Do you need more? Do you need less? Is this a good fit for where you are in life right now? How does your career fit into the rest of your life and it’s cycles?

I’m curious what the deck authors intended. Look for more with this deck in the days ahead.

It’s a fun deck. Just having it means something. We’ll see what unfolds.

Have a good week!

The Pittsburgh Tarot deck is by Ed Simon and Steve Teare and is available (with the guide book) through Microcosm Publishing

Of two minds, and neither one has an answer

From the archives

Of the different meanings for the Two of Swords, “of two minds” comes to mind. A lot of times when we think of that, it means that two options are equal, and there is no obvious, logical, good way to decide between the two. There is six of one and half dozen of the other as they saying goes.

So what do you do when you are of two minds and both options are equal: equally bad that is? What do you do when you don’t know what to do at all? What do you do when you are of two minds and neither one of them knows what to do?

It’s ok not to know. It’s ok for some things to be unknowable. And it’s ok to try and find out. If you don’t know, ask. If you don’t know, learn. If you don’t know, welcome to the universe. It is like that sometimes. We haven’t figured it all out, and that’s OK too.

“I’d rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.”
Richard Feynman

In the Microwave with Saturn

I read the Farmers Almanac newsletter. And yes, it makes me feel old but also sentimental because my Grandmother always had a copy on the table. And no, I’m not a gardener but damn – the recipes. This morning’s newsletter included Theresa Reed’s article about the beginning of Saturn retrograde.

Astrology isn’t a vibe for me except for the occasional sip of shadenfreude when memes make fun of people in a flap about Mercury retrograde. It seems Saturn is taking Freddy Mercury’s place in the microwave.

I’m feeling this one. Not the Mercury thing, the Saturn thing.

Retrogrades are only frustrating if you are caught up in constant forward striving and wanted to get what you don’t have and get it now. Not everything is about new beginnings, not everything is constant personal growth and forward movement.

Sometimes the energy is about the next phase, not a new beginning.

It is about solidifying and maturing, and is very much attune to this time of year. After the seeds sprout, you have to let them grow up before you can celebrate the harvest.

This isn’t a time of manifesting what you don’t have – this is a time of investing in what you do have. Now is a time to make all you’ve learned solid and real and lasting. It’s about maturing what you’ve already manifested.

“Curing” comes to mind. Not the healing kind of way….in the resin and glue kind. Soaps, resin art, some glues, have to have time to ‘cure’ and become fully solid, durable, usable. It is akin to the aging process in fine wine.

Would you rather climb up on a stack of wobbly boxes or a nailed-together step stool? This week, or even the next several months if this retrograde type vibe holds, is a time to reinforce this new place so it can become a solid foundation for later growth.

We’ve talked a lot over the past several months about leaving what no longer serves. Walking away from the bad entails walking toward the good. Now we are at the next step in the process. We’ve given thoughts and energies to both the past and the future. Now it’s time to invest in here and now. Mindfulness is always good advice. This energy is mindfulness turned up to 11. This is very much a “repair and maintain” energy. This is a time to make it strong where you are.

I hear “invest in this.” Invest time in the here and now. Things will move again, they always do. This is that next phase and new you that you’ve worked toward. Live here for a little while. Incorporate and integrate all that you have learned and achieved so far, whatever that is. And whatever that is – is perfectly good and enough.

See you at the next sip

Pour yourself a second cup

I’m feeling very Chariot at the moment.

It’s telling me to be in the moment, look forward.

There is a hefty dose of Moon and Wheel energy.

When old things end, new things begin.

Please feel free to come browse the TaoCraft Tarot website and the Sage Sips blog archives. I think I finally have it looking the way I want it. Keep taking sips, and eventually you empty the cup. Then you can either dwell on the coffee that was or you can pour yourself a whole new cup.

See you at the next sip!

*shuffles off to the kitchen toward the coffee pot*

Modern Art!!

Energy path layout: Fading emerges, current energies, growing energies

Modern art!

Just for a fun comfort watch, we’ve be re-watching the Peter Capaldi seasons of Doctor Who. When Matt Smith left and Peter Capaldi came into the role, I wasn’t sure what to think as is the case for most Doctor Who fans when regeneration time comes around. Then they showed the old “Fires of Pompeii” episode where Capaldi had played the role of Caecilius the marble merchant. When toga-clad Capaldi raised his arms in a BEHOLD gesture and declared the Tardis to be “MODERN ART!” I’m like ok, ok…he can be the Doctor now.

If Tom Baker was the Doctor you wanted to be your dad, David Tennant was the Doctor you wanted to be your friend, and Matt Smith was the Doctors you wanted to be in your family, then Peter Capaldi was the Doctor I wanted to BE.

Why is my Whovian fan-girl side bringing up this obscure Doctor Who reference? Because Caecilius’ enthusiasm is exactly the vibe for this week’s reading.

When the world is on fire, sometimes you have to indulge in something you enjoy just to support your own sanity. Extra credit if it is something easy, simple and close at hand, like watching a favorite TV show or allowing yourself an extra scoop of ice cream. Or a beer. Or six. Or eating an entire cake with a spoon. Double extra bonus points if you have a sense of humor about it. Why not express yourself in the quirkiest, happiest most playful way that you can?

This is a week for passionate artists and creatives. It’s giving me itchy knitting fingers. Wait until you see this new hat pattern.

The fading energy card feels like early week energy. There is a ‘ get while the getting is good’ vibe about it. If you are feeling inspired, act sooner rather than later. This is the knight of cups after all. Knight cards are all about action. Cups are emotions. Grab the chance to express yourself and how you feel as soon as the opportunity presents itself. Don’t wait to appreciate your modern art!

The current energy card feels attached to the later part of the week. Sword cards are more precise and intellectual than cups, but they too can hint at action. Swords are connected to the classic element air, and the single upright sword on the ace card has a sweeping, lifting, rising energy. The word INSPIRATION comes strongly to mind here. If you have been in a creative slump, or feeling uninspired in any context, keep your eyes open and be ready, that may turn around soon. Inspiration is on the way, it seems.

For those of us who have had to focus on practical, mundane day-job energies, the ace feels more like getting a second wind. It is a hint of revitalizing an old project rather than beginning something new. Which energy carries the week for you depends on where you are starting out today (Merry Monday everyone!) If you are coming into the week fresh after the weekend, then fresh starts ahead. If, like me, you have a weekend work schedule hang in there. A fresh gust of wind beneath your wings is on the way.

The Chariot from the major arcana is the card representing growing energies. This also gives the impression of movement and flow through the week as a whole. The mental image here is of waves on a lake, as opposed to heavy surf on an ocean beach. This feels like movement and self expression, but gentle forward movement instead of a tidal wave.

There is absolutely no logical reason why, but clear quartz points and herkimer diamonds come to mind too. Lore around clear quartz is that it is an energy amplifier. Quartz points, especially tourmalated quartz (clear with small spiky inclusions of black tourmaline) are thought to support guidance (the spikes and points symbolize something ‘pointing the way’ for us.)

The keys for the week are self expression, creativity, art, increasing energy, and gentle forward progress.

So go, make life into your own work of modern art.

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Ask The Expert

I started reading Tarot and Oracle cards in 1992, give or take a little.

I’ve done hundreds of online and email Tarot readings for folks as far away as Germany, Great Britain, India, Austrailia and Papua New Guinea. PNG is as far away from me as you can get and still be on planet Earth, so I’m confident I can do remote distance readings for anyone.

Now that I’m free from being a professional, I’m free to read for you for, well, free. This isn’t about promoting professional readings, it’s about conversation. It’s about the blog and our shared interest in things like Tarot, intuition, and secular spirituality. Think of this as a conversation over a cup at the local coffee shop.

Ask me anything HERE

I have another day job so I can’t promise to answer everything, but I CAN answer select questions here in the blog (privacy protected, of course) If it fits a reading, we’ll do that. If your question fits a behind the scenes / learn to read tarot kind of post, we’ll do that.

Thank you for the blog post inspiration. Hopefully you’ll get some inspiration in return.

See you at the next sip!

P.S there are loads of BTS, Learn to read tarot, and Q&A posts in the archives …. please use the search bar to explore. Like what you read? Buy me a coffee on ko-fi to keep the blog and archives open to everyone without ads or paywalls

From the Archives: Clair-ity

From the Tarotbytes (originally published in 2009) archive on Sage’s Second Cup blog:

Clairvoyant is a pretty well-know term. It means psychic, or someone who sees the future, right?

Nope.

Not entirely. The real root of words like “clairvoyant”, “clairaudient”, “clairsentince” means clear – clarity of sight, sound or feeling.

Once again, predicting the future is NOT a part of the picture. Functionally, these terms refer to intuition, and how we interpret that non-linear, symbolic information that we call “psychic” or “intuitive”. It doesn’t matter whether you believe psychic information is spiritual in source, or just a higher function of the right brain hemisphere, seeing any situation a little more clearly may seem “psychic”.

Being able to listen to subtle clues from our environment and from within ourselves is the root of clairvoyance.

Clairvoyance is technically clarity of vision – like the word voyeur. Many times when working with intuitive information it comes to mind in the form of mental images. These mental images are much the same as memory, imagination, or daydreams. It doesn’t mean that the psychic is hallucinating or literally seeing things that aren’t there. Quirks of language may make it seems that way…but it isn’t what is really going on at all. If we say we “see” something, it really means that we are tuning in to subtle visual/ mental images. Yeah…it is all in our head. But like J.K. Rowling said in the “Deathly Hallows”…”Just because it is in your head, Harry, doesn’t mean it isn’t real” The images may not be “real” but the guidance and inspiration they give is quite real.

The same is true for Clairaudience. The “audio” here is sound, usually spoken words. Once again, this isn’t a sound outside the head that is a mis-perception of the environment or a hallucination that mimics a sound that really isn’t there. It has the same dream-like, imagination-like quality as clairvoyance, but in sound form. Most often this is spoken words, and is what people who “channel” often report. They just repeat or write down the verbal information that they sense.

Again, language makes it seem as if there is a physical component that just isn’t there. We may say we “hear” a spirit, or “hear” a phrase, but it isn’t a literal sound. Sometimes, the information will come as memory of a literal sound…a bit of music that is somehow significant, or the sound of waves for someone who loves the beach, or the sound of birdsong for someone who loves to camp…that sort of thing.

Other senses can come into play when doing intuitive work. These are less common, but are worth thinking about. This can include smells…which is a very potent way to trigger specific memories. For example pine, cinnamon and oranges are strongly associated with Yule holidays while flowers might evoke springtime memories. Either of those may help bring about a specific insight when doing or receiving a Tarot or other psychic reading.

The same is true of physical sensation. Feeling hot or cold, or feeling a heaviness in a particular body area might be significant.

Taste seems to be the rarest intuitive sensation of all, at least in my experience. For the most part, we are visual creatures, so mental images are very common intuitive messages. Words follow a close second, which makes logical sense, given how important language and speech is to our daily lives. So if any of the other senses come into play during a reading, they are likely very significant are are worth our attention.

Our senses are a part of our human experience, so they are naturally a part of our natural intuition as well.

Try now…what sensations are you most aware of now…temperature, smells, body sensations, images from old memories, a word or phrase….if you let your mind wander, what is the first thing it wanders to? What is the first thing to capture your attention?

Now, what message does that sensation, image or word hold for you?

Best wishes to you all for a sensational week!

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