Category: Tarot Cards

Tarot readings and card discussions

Standing in the Shimmer, no paywall edition

Over the past several months I have been given images and messages about letting go, moving on, releasing what no longer serves.

That especially included romance Tarot questions which always makes people hurt and angry, understandable so. Heartbreak and loneliness are some of life’s sufferings that no one wants to experience.

Still, there is a tiny glint of encouragement, a little bit of shimmer among the ashes.

Astrology isn’t my strong suit, but according to internet memes, things are turning a corner, at least on individual levels. I’m not touching world events here. If I can give a little encouragement on an individual by individual basis, that’s plenty enough of a win. Encouraged individuals are then a little bit more resilient and able to speak and resist and do whatever else we can in the flaming, toxic social / political  environment that has been dropped in our collective lap through no fault of our own. 

public social media, creator unknown

I don’t know if it has anything to do with anything, but my sun, moon, and rising signs are all on this particular list. They are on to something with this meme. I was really feeling it when I wrote the Standing in the Ashes post a few days ago and can personally relate to that post. 

Since I have a full time day job now and have had to remake my professional Tarot practice into something entirely different, I am basically standing in the ashes of 20+ years of work. If you resonated with that post – me too.

This corner-turning energy that has cropped up this week in spite of world events really does beg the question of NOW WHAT. Now that we’ve done the hard things, now that we are standing in the ashes of the bridges we’ve burned, what are we going to do?

Here is where the encouragement part comes in.

Reading Tarot isn’t just about the cards. To be really good at it, you also have to draw in present-moment intuition that relates to the person, situation and energy of the moment at hand when you are doing a reading.

Last week was one of those weeks where I wrote for the blog in bits, little times fit in between other necessary things. It was interesting to see the energy shift even as I was working on a post about a single card here and there over the course of the week. 

The day after the post published two days ago, the mental image the card prompted came back to mind, but with a subtle but important change. 

The figure on the card was facing a different direction. Not back the way he came, but at a different angle than is on the card. There was less water, no cups (symbolizing less emotional upset, more clarity, and a greater sense of calm)

Most of all, the ground was all grey, like the ashes in the post BUT with a silver and gold shimmer. It reminded me of the simulated moon dust from an old episode of Mythbusters but with the tiny glitter they add to nail polish mixed in. 

Yeah, everything has been burned to ash, but that ash is shimmering with potential. The shimmer is new, compared to the same mental image from writing the other post a few days ago

The Standing In The Ashes post put the onus of rebuilding on us. Then the energy was reminding us that our intention matters. Causes have effects and we are the cause of our next experiences. It’s a little bit of a dark and burdensome message, but there is no light without the shadow. Or as Carl Jung wrote “…the word happy would lose its meaning if it were not balanced by sadness.” 

Yes it is our responsibility to choose what we do next as we stand among the ashes of the past. Yesterday is gone…so what shall we do today to make tomorrow better?

The shimmer reminds us that among the loss, among the ashes is great potential. The ashes remind us that the same old Phoenix is there is we choose to let them rise. But the shimmer reminds us that change is forever present. Change is life. We can choose the Phoenix that rises this time.

image public domain via Wikipedia commons @lychee532

Spring Cleaning the Coffee Mug

Not that much has fundamentally changed around here over the past year. In honor of springtime (and trying to distract myself that it is almost daylight ^&%@! savings time again) I’ve been editing the website and Kofi page to clean up and streamline things. The focus has been shifting since January of last year, so the details have been getting a little messy. Here’s the update for how you can support Sage Sips on Ko-fi. As always, the proceeds go toward the creation and web-hosting of Sage Sips. My goal is to keep the website free for everyone to read, browse the archives and ask questions without ads getting in the way.

Here’s the latest:

I only do private Tarot readings as a thank you gift to Sage Sips supporters. There are two ways to get one of these free email Tarot readings:

One time contributions

When you support the blog through the READINGS menu, you receive the same private email readings that I did as a (20+ years) Tarot professional. The layout you received is determined by the contribution levels ($3 – $30)

Buy me a coffee on Ko-Fi (virtual tip jar) and you get DM access to ask your question and a one-time daily meditation style email tarot reading.

Membership on Ko-Fi

Membership includes DM access plus free email Tarot readings anytime at your request* for the duration of your membership. $5 per month gives you the choice of a Year Ahead or Taocraft path layout, while $3 per month gives yes/no style readings.

Meet Your Reader

All policies apply.

*Please note, membership readings are not automatic. You have to send a question or open reading request each time. Seeing your name and question each time helps me to do a better reading for you.

Weekend Oracle: The Source

Sage Sips is a reader supported free Tarot blog. When you support the blog on ko-fi, you can get a private Tarot reading by email as a thank you.

Your card for today: TEHOM

Stop and think is your best strategy over the next few days. Evaluate. Recalibrate. The root cause of the problem is the best place to solve it.

As I understand it, the Tehom card refers to the life source, the impetus of creation at the beginning of the universe. Sometimes we have to bake up to the beginning at take a fresh run at things. It may not solve current problems, but understanding the root cause of them can help us see the most effective solution. Root cause analysis may be a doorway to a fresh start.

To solve a problem, understand the source of the problem.

This continues the flow of energy we’ve seen lately with the 8 of cups Standing in the Ashes post. Understanding why boundaries had to be set, or why the things we released no longer serves us can help us in that process of holding intention for something new and better to fill that space that was created by those boundaries we set and attachments we released.

Part two of that post, Standing in the Shimmer, was originally released to members only. Stay tuned here for its release to everyone. Follow this blog to get everything directly to your in box.

Members on ko-fi get on-request private Tarot readings by email and early access to upcoming posts. Please visit the Sage Sips/Taocraft Tarot ko-fi page to see the updated membership benefits that start March 2026.

Thanks for reading! See you at the next sip!

Deck: Alleyway Oracle of Secrets by Seven Dane Asmund, used with permission

Magic, Manifestation and Opportunity

Please support Sage Sips on Ko-fi to help keep the blog ad-free. Members get free email Tarot readings anytime on request. One time contributers through the ‘readings’ menu get private email Tarot readings as a thank you gift.

The Magician card is associated with manifestation and transformation.

There is a so-called Chinese proverb, loosely attributed to Sun Tzu and his classic The Art of War, that chaos is opportunity.

The energy here is chaotic. I get the mental image of black and white randomly together, like the snow on an old TV with no signal or the matrix of a granite counter top.

At the same time I ‘hear’ (meaning the intuition comes as words instead of mental images) There is great opportunity for manifestation

Think of this as drawing what you need…manifesting…out of the chaos.

How? That’s the tricky part. That is the part that makes working magic, well, work. A firm decision about goals and priorities and a healthy dose of persistence can help.

Know what you want and need, be a little flexible and adaptable about how you get there, and keep looking. The chaos may bring you something unexpected.

Standing in the Shimmer

More on the 8 of Cups, a continuation of the recent post Standing in the Ashes

​Over the past several months I have been given images and messages about letting go, moving on, and releasing what no longer serves.

That especially included the Valentines Day and romance Tarot questions – which always makes people hurt and angry, understandable so. Heartbreak and loneliness are some of life’s suffering that no one wants to experience.

Still, there is a tiny glint of encouragement, a little bit of shimmer among the ashes…

Members read the rest HERE

Please support me on Ko-fi to help keep Sage Sips ad-free

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Non members can get private email readings as a thank you for one time support using the “readings” menu on the ko-fi page.

Please visit the link above for full details.

Standing in the Ashes

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8 of Cups: You’ve let go of that which no longer serves you. That creates space. What are you holding that space FOR?

It has been said that nature abhors a vacuum. That space you’ve created will be filled with something. Are you going to fill it intentionally or let chaos and entropy take its course?

You’ve burned the necessary bridges so now you stand among the ashes. What will you build from them?

This is the why behind the “let it go” type of energy we’ve seen so much for many months now. When you let go and burn whatever bridges that need to be burned it creates the space and materials to build something new. It becomes necessary to deliberately and intentionally create whatever aligns with yourself and your needs as they are in this present moment.

Or you have the choice to surrender your intention and let the same old Phoenix rise.

What do you want? What will you do as you stand amid the space and ashes after you have let the right things go?

deck: Witches Tarot by Ellen Dugan and Mark Evans all rights reserved, used with permission (llwellynpublishing.com)

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: It’s about the how.

It seems like this is the year.

I don’t know if this is an actual thing out there or just what I’m doing in my little world, but it seems like this the year for dialing it all down. Eat the rich, screw the capitalism, forget the elaborate bougie over the top holidays…it’s about the small, thoughtful and meaningful.

That’s about all that’s affordable these days, anyway.

So maybe it’s the year for some real talk about Tarot. I have nothing to promote, nothing to sell and no one to persuade. If you want a reading with me, great. Support me on Ko-Fi where the proceeds go toward creating Sage Sips and keeping it ad-free. If you don’t want a tarot reading, cool. Keep reading the blog instead. But don’t complain to me if you don’t like the free advice.

Valentine’s Day seems like a good place to start. This is the year for a construction-paper card, a single carnation or a box of chalky conversation hearts.

Love, romance and relationships are a fundamental, important part of being human. Tarot can be wonderfully helpful as we think and feel our way through relationships of every type and definition. It’s incredibly important and it’s no wonder that romance is one of the most asked Tarot Reading questions.

From the beginning, from the very first readings I did professionally in the early 2000’s, I’ve defined Tarot cards in terms of relationships. The major arcana is our relationship with personal growth and life as a whole. Pentacles are our relationship with career, money and the physical realm. Swords are our relationship with authority, culture and society.) Wands are our relationship with ourselves in terms of spirituality, passions, philosophy and so on. Cups are our closest relationships, the ones of emotion and heart, of romance, family and friendship. The suit of cups are Tarot’s Valentine cards, in a way. This feels like the year to turn romantic Tarot readings on its head, like the two of cups reversed.

It’s no wonder that romance readings are the trickiest to do. As good as Tarot is at dealing with deep emotions of a romantic relationship, they are really shitty at dealing with the superficial, outward aspects of it.

How to deal with a broken heart? How do you deal with loneliness? How do you get on the path to a meaningful relationship? How do you shine your light so that special someone can find you? How can you play your part in the relationship you have and help make it last?

Tarot readings can help work through those things.

When will you meet the love of your life? Will your ex come back? Is this the year the big relationship will happen? – No idea. Tarot readings, at least the ones that stem from subtle energy and intuition (spirit if you will) are silent when it comes to that type of thing.

How to find the love of your life?

Simple. LOVE YOUR LIFE.

If you aren’t happy with life without someone, how can you be happy with life with

Think about it.

Think about the type of person you want to be romantically involved with.

Is that person all wrapped up in how lonely they are and preoccupied with wondering when the right relationship will come along –

OR is the partner you envision happy, healthy, and engaged with their life as it is?

Sometimes, the best way to find your soulmate is to let go of the notion of ever having one. Sometimes the best way to find your soulmate is to stop looking for them and be the person you want to have in your life.

When it comes to Tarot Readings, it isn’t about if and when you will meet that special someone. It’s about the how.

Like attracts like. Happy attracts happy. Love attracts love.

And there spirit steps back

It was either Carl Jung or Buddhism or both that teaches that the very things that annoy the hell out of you are some of your best teachers.

Valentine’s day annoys the hell out of me, but I’ve been doing the “My Tarot Valentine” thing for years.

Why?

Because I get it how deeply important relationships – of all kinds – are to a happy, healthy, fulfilling life.

But also because it’s popular and I wanted to advertise my professional Tarot readings back when I was doing that.

Stay tuned for what may well be the really, actually, truly last “My Tarot Valentine” with the mic drop piece of advice when it comes to romance.

Don’t wait on someone else – BE the love you want in your life. GIVE the love you want in your life. Then the love is inseparable from your life. No if or when required. That’s how, and that’s right now.

When you give love and kindness and strength and fun – to others AND yourself – all of those things become an integral part of your life. A soulmate and life partner is the frosting on the cake, not the cake itself.

If you have that special someone – love them with your whole heart and every cell like you love the air you breathe. That is a whole other kettle of fish, as the saying goes. This is for those still waiting.

The Tarot’s advice is stop waiting and start loving whatever you can that is here and now – including you. Do that and the whole Valentine’s Day idealized romantic relationship thing will take care of itself.