TaoCraft Tarot / Sage Sips blog

Imagination On Target

Knitting together last week’s posts about imagination and accurate Tarot predictions.

I like to knit.

Sometimes that means making stuff out of yarn.

Sometimes it means weaving together disparate ideas in a Tarot reading. Or a Tarot blog post.

I’m doing both lately. It’s that Elfcon 5 gift making time of year, but I’d also like to knit together the past couple of blog posts. We’ve looked at a couple of narrow topics, now lets connect them back into the grand scheme of things a little bit.

The grand scheme is how Tarot and intuition actually works – at least the way I go about it.

Recently we talked about the role of imagination in intuition and the idea of accuracy in intuitive processes like Tarot.

My readings do not predict the future. So that kind of “accuracy” doesn’t factor into things even if it were possible, which it isn’t for all of those cause and effect sort of Heisenberg uncertainty-ish sort of reasons. In this case “accurate” means “it contains some sort of useful insight or idea.”

Can we get insight or inspiration from Tarot and imagination? Yes – absolutely. It’s about the most human thing I can think of to do.

Let’s go back to our imagination as intuition example – think of an elephant taking a shower.

When I first learned this concept in an email conversation with Chris Fleming, my first thought was a Babar-like, highly antropomorphized cartoon elephant in a cartoon human shower with a big white towel wrapped around it’s waist a la movie men’s locker room.

Was this a prediction? No, of course not. Was it accurate? Yes – it was whimsical and playful at a time in life where I needed a reminder to be more playful and find more humor in life.

In response to last week’s post, a client said she visualized a real life elephant being lovingly cleaned by an attentive caretaker and seeming to enjoy the experience.

Like a Tarot card in the context of a layout, this image in the context of the person who saw it is a beautiful message from and for a beautiful person.

This person is a natural caretaker in a care taking profession. Her visualization is a tremendous validation that she is on the right path in her work, and even if they don’t say it her clients appreciate her as much as her imaginary elephant was enjoying its shower.

It is also the classic reminder for caretakers to allow themselves to be cared for or at least give themselves a little TLC. It could be a reminder to let yourself be that happy elephant.

These aren’t “accurate predictions” relative to physical events. To make Tarot or psychic readings into that is to strip it of all its depth, emotion, beauty and humanity. Making Tarot and psychic readings about predictions is like taking a living breathing elephant and turning it into a two dimensional rubber stamp shadow image of an elephant.

Imagination is our window to intuition. Tarot is the battery sparks intuition. Together, they let us see marvelous things far beyond physical predictions.

Are you ready for something more advanced than pool ball toy predictions? Are you ready to glimpse the ideas that help you create your future rather than (maybe) predict it? Tarot doesn’t tell you what will happen in life, it helps you figure out what to do when life happens.

Private tarot by email

OK, ok – let’s call it elfcon 5

What movie is that from, anyway? The Santa Clause? You know – where holiday busy work (+/- holiday stress levels) parodies the defense threat levels in War Games?

I’ve decided to make food gifts this year, and it’s that last push to get it all ready to get in the mail to our scattered family in assorted states and time zones.

All that means is that the blog posts and social media might a little more erratic and squirrel-rave-ish than usual (wait – isn’t a squirrel pagan rave the baseline?)

Anyway, just wanted to remind you lovely folks that private email readings are always OPEN and available to order, no appointment needed – no matter what the squirrel rave is doing.

“I don’t have ducks

I don’t have rows

I have squirrels

And they are hosting a pagan rave.”
unknown

image: public domain

Learn With Me: Tarot on Target

I want to take a little break from exploring the Lenormand Tarot deck and talk about something that has been on my mind since a conversation with a potential client yesterday. We’ve talked about it before (don’t forget you can use the search bar to browse the 1500+ posts in the archive) but it’s time to revisit the idea of accuracy in Tarot.

As I see it, accuracy in psychic or Tarot readings begs the question “Accurate compared to what?”

Accuracy of anything is a measurement of that thing compared to some desired goal. Accuracy measures how on-target something is.

To measure anything, you have to make a comparison of one thing that you don’t know with something you do know, like a ruler. Even if one of the things you are using to measure is your eyeballing estimation based on experience – it’s still a comparison.

So what do you use as your ruler to measure the accuracy of a Tarot reading?

Is your measure predicting the future?

I can tell you that level of accuracy right now – zero.

If a Tarot reading tells you what actually happens ahead of time it is one of two things:

Self-fulfilling prophecy – Cause and effect is a real thing. If you choose to DO something based on the reading, that action contributes to the end outcome. In this case, the reading caused the future, it didn’t predict it. Which is a good thing! That means you can use a Tarot reading to help you decide your best course of action. You can use a Tarot reading to help cause (or at least contribute to) the desired effect. The drawback here is that you don’t have control over everything. You can increase the chances of something happening, but you can’t 100% control everything and you certainly can’t 100% predict anything.
Pure dumb luck. A broken clock is still right twice a day.

Is your measure getting good advice?

If that is the case, then there is a very high degree of accuracy, and it happens without regard for distance or delivery method (more on that tomorrow)

Is your measure stress reduction?

With that measure, Tarot has 100% accuracy.

People come to Tarot readings for a reason. There are as many reasons to get a Tarot reading as there are people and moments along their life’s journey.

A Tarot reading is a peaceful moment. A Tarot reading is a moment of hopefulness and optimism. A Tarot reading is a moment of calm, clarity and the hope of finding a solution.

If guidance, advice, and a peaceful moment is your measure, then my Tarot readings are as accurate as they come.

Want to learn to do DIY one card meditation readings to find a peaceful moment whenever you need it?

Order my ebook PeaceTarot HERE

Want a bigger Tarot reading done by a pro, no appointment needed?

Order your Private Tarot by email HERE

Let the Imagination Flow

Daily meditation tarot reading with the ace of cups

Private Tarot is OPEN throughout the holidays! ORDER HERE

Imagination speaks many languages, and goes by many names. So does intuition. You could say they are twins.

Imagination is the portal to your intuition. Intuition enters our consciousness through the doorway of our imagination.

Imagine something. Imagine anything. Conjure up anything – a sight, a sound, a memory – anything. Psychic Chris Fleming uses the example of an elephant in a shower when he teaches about psychic ability and intuition. Let’s use that as an example. We had an email conversation once a long time ago. He said I could use his teaching point if I gave him credit. So here we go.

Imagine an elephant taking a shower.

Now what form does your imagination take? Is it a realistic elephant in a river spraying water on itself through its trunk? Or is it a cartoon elephant standing on two legs in a human shower and a gigantic towel wrapped around its waist? Is it a memory of watching Dumbo as a child? Or is it music that reminds you of elephants in a circus? (or my favorite, the song by Tame Impala)

Imagination is telling. By letting our daydreams and earworms flow, the intuitive answers you want just might come along for the ride.

Ace cards carry the essence of the suit. Today, the ace is carrying the water element association for cups, which is symbolic of intuition and deep spiritual wisdom (why, some say, the King, Queen and Page of Cups are typically portrayed near oceans. Deep water = deep wisdom & deep insights.

Most of all water flows. Let the imagination happen.

Thanks for reading! Next up, more Learning and Lenormand! See you at the next sip.

Winter Hours

Winter Hours = All of them!

Distance Tarot is my favorite Tarot to do, so that is my focus for the winter and beyond.

It’s my specialty. Written distance Tarot gives you the best of my 30 years of Tarot reading experience.

Writing gives me richer, deeper access to my intuition than speaking does. Why? I have no idea. All I know is that it works and written distance Tarot accesses the best parts of my psychic ability.

Don’t get me wrong. After all these years, my spoken, in-person readings are good. REALLY good.

My email Tarot is just that teensy itsy bit better. I can link you to the pop culture references that intuition throws at us. I can find images to help you see what I see intuitively. I can spell check and back up and find the exactly right words to elevate your reading and make it something extra special.

Email Tarot is available to order ALL of the hours: 24/7, no appointment needed ORDER HERE.

Keeping in mind that I am only one real world person, I’ll be in touch with you as soon as I get the order notice. Full write-ups usually arrive in your inbox within 24 hours, but that might vary a bit during the holidays. Because cookies. And knitting.

Email Tarot has a lot of advantages.

It gives you the best of my intuition.

You don’t have to wait for an appointment.

You get the ultimate in privacy.

You get a wider variety of layouts to choose from.

You KNOW it is genuine and real. You can’t answer leading questions or give body language cues. There is no way for stage mentalism or magic tricks to come into it.

Plus you get a better price. Working by email, I don’t need a brick and mortar location and can pass those savings along to you. With email, prices start as low as $5 for a one card meditation reading.

The $40 seven card layout is the SAME IDENTICAL reading as an in-person session. You get an hour-equivalent reading for less than the price of a 30 minute in-person session with most psychics.

AND (drum roll please)

I’m bringing back VIDEO distance readings. Instead of reading the distance session, you can listen to it plus see your cards as they are being drawn. If you like the experience of in-person readings but want the lower cost and no-appointment convenience, this is the Tarot for you.

The video readings use the Five Card TaoCraft layout. When you order, you get an instant download explaining the whole process. A link to your individual customized PRIVATE share video reading will come to the email that you specify in your order.

Get yours today before the price for video goes up to match the written readings in January.

Here is an example of a collective blog reading from a few years ago. Your reading will be more focused on you and your question, of course. Video readings for individuals feature the five card TaoCraft layout.

Learn With Me: Lenormand, Say It Loud – part 2

Let your love language do the talking.

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

Sorry for being late getting this posted. I was a victim of my own turkey tryptophan and once I woke up from a nap, figured out what year it was and cleaned the kitchen it was getting late in the day. Instead of writing, I settled in and watched “Why Is This Happening Live” with Chris Hayes and Rachel Maddow. They are hands down one of my favorite TV duos, you can almost see the IQ points dripping off of the screen. I feel smarter just by watching those two. But you HAVE to see this special. Especially if you live in America. I don’t know if the link will work for you, I THINK you can see it on the free version of Peacock, but however you need to do it, I URGE every American of voting age to PLEASE watch this. 2024 is going to be globally, historically important – no joke, no exaggeration, no intuition, just the facts on the ground in saying that. PLEASE make time for this. Please ACT. This is for real.

Enough of the scary stuff for a Friday.

Let’s look at the Lenormand cards we drew Wednesday in part one and see for ourselves if they read any differently in concert than they do individually.

I want to say yes, but not quite in the way the guide book presents.

They do connect very strongly. My colleagues are right about the intensity and in-your-face quality Lenormand seems to be lending to the reading. The cards connect to each other very strongly, but not in a way that changes the individual card’s meaning, but in a way that strengthens the connection between the cards at a layout level. Instead of connected dots, it is a fluid, unified stream of energy and consciousness. This pathway layout flows together like a heartfelt sentence.

The fading energy card is the heart (meaning union/connection akin to the two of cups) with the jack of hearts inset (akin to a knight of cups energy). The word ESTABLISHED comes to mind. I don’t think that this card in this position means that love is leaving or diminishing. It may be solid enough that you can open your focus to other things. Your attention can embrace other things. The love doesn’t leave so much as single specific relationships take up a little less space in your total attention bandwidth. This broadening and softening of focus allows you to bring your love, compassion, and sense of connection to more people and things. EXPANSIVE also comes to mind with this card.

Hmmm…go Marie. If Marie Lenormand is regarded as one of the best “fortune tellers” it is because of the intuition she tapped into, not the cards that were named for her. Trust your own heart and noggin. I suspect that, and some cultural saavy got her to where she went.

Current energy is the Stars cards. I have no idea why this is stars, plural and the other decks have Star, singular, in the major arcana. It probably has no significance at all. In any case, the Stars is associated with divine guidance, just like the Star in RWS cards. There is also an element of wish fulfillment (cue Jiminy Cricket and “When You Wish Upon a Star” from Disney’s Pinocchio)

There is some connected-card meaning modification here. The guidebook says that when the Stars and The Heart appear together, it means that a “relationship is blessed.” In the energy I see here, however, YOU are the one doing the blessing, not some divine providence.

Finally the growing energy is the Garden card. This is associated with a place of meeting or community. The inset is stepping forward a bit. The 8 of spades is akin to the 8 of swords. If I think about the 8 of swords, its connotations of empowerment vs powerlessness and victim mindset steps forward.

In understanding the Garden card, lets look at it through the lens of its inset companion, the 8 of spades/swords.

The Pamela Smith art is my favorite representation for the eight of swords because it clearly shows some key ideas. The woman’s feet are unbound. She can’t see, hear or use her arms, but she can walk. It would require that she use care, touch and other senses to move safely, BUT she could walk forward, follow the water (intuition, emotions) at her feet through the circle of swords to safety. Often this comes gives the message of unconventional action or creative problem solving. She can use whatever is at her disposal in order to act and to escape OR she can choose to stand still and remain imprisoned. Each would require its own kind of courage and endurance.

Now, about that sentence.

Expansive love, flowing into guidance and action.

Bless your relationships (of all types)

Speak your love-language, whatever it is, and speak it loudly.

If your love language is cooking special favorite foods for loved ones, you’ve had a good couple of days. However you show affection, let it flow. In loving others we can liberate ourselves.

Thank you so much for reading!

Holiday Hours = All of them!

Live readings are by appointment only and book at least a week in advance but you can order private Tarot readings by email 24/7, no appointment needed. I have WAY more time available for email readings and can get one of those to you usually within 24 hours.

Learn With Me: Lenormand Tarot, say it loud

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

Order Private Tarot by email 24/7 no appointment needed. Prices from $5-$40 total cost. OPEN all holiday season. ORDER HERE

Part 1

Over the past several weeks we’ve looked at the history of Lenormand Tarot as its been told by Christopher Butler in the book accompanying this deck and a few quick online searches. The origins are as fuzzy as any other Tarot deck.

So far we’ve looked at a few single cards. The more I work with the deck, the more I appreciate the artwork. Color on black with a certain neon light at night aesthetic is my favorite palette. Been definitely feeling the intp, cyberpunk lofi aesthetic these days. This deck is a standout in the art and visual representation. I don’t care much for the pale colors and deliberately old, eighteenth century look of most of the other decks that I’ve seen. The lesson there is to find a deck you resonate with VISUALLY regardless of RWS vs Lenormand setup to the deck.

See? We really are learning stuff here.

We also learned how the Lenormand Deck pushes you toward intuitive reading. You have to rely on your own intuition for the role that the playing card insets play in the card interpretation – if any. In contrast, the RWS decks use that aspect of intuition through card reversals. Lenormand disregards reversals outright.

I have to agree with my friends who said, in their experience, Lenormand tended to be more blunt, direct, in your face and to the point. I have a hunch that this is a function of Lenormand being a smaller deck and, I suspect, you might get the same punchy quality if you did a major arcana only reading with a RWS deck. Some limited run specialty decks are majors only, and when I first experiments with “cybertarot” software back in the 90s, the demo was majors only – and this has a similar feel to those majors-only readings. Just like when a lens narrows a beam of sunlight, it increases the heat and intensity of the light it could be that a smaller deck increase the intensity of a reading. But I also suspect there is a “goldilocks zone” at play, too. Too small of a deck, or too large of a layout could dilute or blur the cards’ insights to the point that it is no longer useful at all.

In my experience, larger layouts will do that regardless of the deck’s size. Even the 10 card celtic cross can get unwieldy and contradictory. I see no value in even trying the every-card-in -the-deck 4 x 9 grand tableau layout that is common to Lenormand. It is absurd to me on its face. My hunch is that Mlle Lenormand was riffing from pure intuition and using the cards to connect with her clients. That isn’t to say that it is schtick or performance or a con or a trick…people are sometimes more willing to believe “the cards” over what another human has to say. The cards make us feel that the information is otherworldly, something more or special compared to human insight.

The cards are skeletal armature. The cards are a structural foundation on which human intuition builds.

That is the larger, functional insights from these cards today. Please read tomorrow and we’ll take a look at these cards specifically in this pathway layout. The right hand card is fading energies, the middle card is current energies and the left card is growing energy as I read these.

continues tomorrow …..

Day job day

Lots going on today out in meatspace, but in a few hours I’ll be ready to do any email Tarot readings you all might need – order yours HERE no appointment needed. Readings are OPEN all through the holiday season. Delivery times might vary depending on what’s in the oven and how far behind I am on the elfcon panic knitting, but I will get it to you asap.

Don’t forget as a thank you to you wonderful blog readers – use the email over there -> to send your name & topic/questions/permission for open reading and get a FREE one card private Tarot reading in reply.

Offer ends November 30, 2023

Reverse Engineering Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving week U.S. friends! I’m thankful for anyone and everyone around the world who reads this. Don’t forget the blog readers special. This week, I’m giving everyone on the free blog the same offer that members get ALL of the time – a private one card reading on request. Seeing your name, email, topic, question or permission for an open reading is what helps me connect to your individual message, so if you put that information in an email I’ll reply with a free one card private Tarot reading. It would be a big help if you put THANKS23 in the subject line so I don’t accidentally get it confused with a question for the blog. Offer ends for free blog readers on 11-30-23.

Now to that reverse engineering thing.

Instead of pulling a card to see what ideas it brings to mind, let’s start with an idea and see what card it brings to mind.

Friendsgiving has had my attention lately.

Admittedly, this is focused on us here in th USA. Much love to the rest of the world, but right now I’m up to my eyeballs in dysfunctional family vibes and not dialing in very well to more universal themes at the moment. Thinking about Thanksgiving this year, The World comes to mind.

Worlds tend to collide during the holidays. Things that mean the world to us as individuals might mean little or nothing to other people. Sometimes, when the holidays bring together people who only gather out of social obligation or genetics, it can feel more like a game of billiards than a homecoming or reunion.

Holiday gatherings can also be comfort and warmth and a heartfelt celebration of the people who are, as the song goes, most dear to us.

Here I am reminded of the book The Holographic Universe by Michael Talbot. The holidays can make us feel lonely by comparison to the rest of the year and by comparison to others who have connections that we don’t have.

You don’t have to connect through the holidays. You can connect to the whole universe anytime, anywhere with anything. According to Talbot, with actual 3-D holograms, every part of the projection material contains the information to project the whole image. Conceptually, that can be extended to our world in general. Pick up a pebble and you are holding the whole world in the palm of your hand.

Even if you are alone, if you celebrate your holiday your way (or even just allow yourself to enjoy some sort of non-holiday fun) then you are connected, you are a part of the whole holiday season. It doesn’t matter what you celebrate, or if you celebrate anything at all. You are a part of the wholeness of the universe. You are connected even if you are alone. Even if you are rejected by one group, there are others that would welcome you as one of our motley crew without hesitation.

There are reasons Friendsgiving is a thing – and to my thinking it is a wonderful thing at that.

It is probably a modern internet misappropriation of some old, misunderstood quote, but I think it exists in the collective consciousness for a reason. It is a much needed idea: “The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb” meaning that chosen bonds are real, are powerful and are important regardless of how you feel about your genetic family. This is a time of year to celebrate and be thankful for the family we’ve found out there in the wide world just as we celebrate, when able, our birth family.

As someone who has been literally and explicitly told by my mother that she thinks I’m going to hell, I’m here to tell you that religion and politics have affected family relationships. I don’t know how many families, to what extent or what percentages – but I can vouch for one.

I can also vouch that it is possible to be happy without the idyllic holiday. It is possible to make your own.

It’s not for me to know much you want to be a part of a genetic family that rejects you to whatever extent for whatever reason. But I hope that you know this:

Pick up a pebble and you hold the wholeness of Earth in your hand. Take a breath and know that you are a part of all humanity. There are people on this pebble hurtling through space that accept you for who you are. There are people that love the things that you love. There are people that love you.

They might not know it. You might not know it. It’s only been since the advent of internet access that we are beginning to see the threads of this level of connection, but world-bonds of found family do exist.

For that I am thankful.

And thank you so much for reading! Please visit Wednesday when we will look at the Lenormand deck. It feels like time to start weaving them into a larger reading than the one card meditations we’ve been doing. Next Learn With Me: Lenormand will be a three card energy path reading again with Thanksgiving as our focus.

See you at the next sip!

A Little Lenormand – blog readers only

Hi everyone!

It’s Sunday and I was given a delightfully slow morning. I drank a whole cup of coffee in one go while it was still hot without multitasking my way through it. What a treat!

I want to give you a treat too. Of everything I put on social media to promote this blog and my private readings, the main blog here on the website is nearest and dearest to my writer self. That’s where my Tarot private practice began – with blogging. I appreciate all of you who read this blog more than you know.

The best way I can think of to say thank you this Thanksgiving Week 2023 is to give you what I do best: private Tarot by email.

You won’t find this offer anywhere else. I’m only posting it right exactly HERE.

Send an email to the contact in the right hand column of this page or on the contact page with your name and a question or topic (or “open” to let spirit lead the way) and I will reply with a private one card Tarot reading just for you.

Please add the code THANKS23 to the subject or email so I don’t accidentally think it is a question for the blog.

Offer ends November 30, 2023

Thank you.