Choose a card. Pause the video if you need more time, the restart for the reveal. Don’t over think it, though. Just pick whichever cards seems right at the moment. Or use them all if you like. Then scroll for card highlights.
Here is where things get a little different from before.
As we talked about in last night’s blog post, the basic blog is going to stay largely the same…all the same “my side of the table” behind the scenes and how to posts, all the same Q&A posts, Reiki, Meditation, Niggles….all of that is free to read and follow just like before. “YouChoose” interactive Tarot reading videos will still be here on Sunday or Monday. I expect/hope/intend to do “Today’s Tarot” every Wednesday.
The difference is MORE content, not less. I’ve added a subscription tier to the basic free blog. For a low $5 per month, subscribers will get value-added content over and above the usual free posts that you have seen over the past year and a half of TaoCraft Tarot. Subscriber benefits include longer “YouChoose” card interpretations, extra “Today’s Tarot” posts, subscription only special offers and giveaways, and best of all, access to personal one card readings by email (one reading per month per subscription) The reading alone is a $5 value if purchased separately in the TaoCraft Tarot Shop.
Left: Three of Coins. It’s a ‘nose to the grindstone’ kind of week. Success needs effort.
Center: The World. Good omen card, but don’t forget to look for the big picture so you don’t miss the good stuff.
Right: King of Cups. It is ok to get advice. Look for a mentor or a guide – two heads are better than one.
Cyberpunk is probably my favorite book and movie genre, despite the fact I am currently on a huge Dune kick. I’m re-reading the whole enchilada, both the original series and all of the Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson books. So far, I’m only up to “Sisterhood” but if you want to dive into the deep end before the new Dune movie hits theaters in December, check out the book list in the authors suggested order on Tor Forge. Perfect timing for the coming (pumpkin) spice season.
Being gen X, I am also a huge William Gibson fan. The idea of working all online feels like native territory, perhaps more than my actual native state. Distance Tarot comes as easy as breathing (especially the email written ones.) As much as I love the energy of a conversation and electricity of interaction that can only come from a live reading, part of my brain is putting on sunglasses, swallowing the red pill and donning my old duster at the prospect of working 100% online.
I’ve been watching the local covid case numbers. I’ve read about the weird blood clots they’ve been seeing with the virus (I have a genetic blot clot thing to begin with, so that part caught my attention big time) Much as I hate to admit it, face to face readings are just too big of a medical risk. Even though we may be “open” and “green” I’m putting in-person readings and party readings on hold until further notice. Further notice meaning until I have a trustworthy vaccine in my arm. I’m shifting the time that otherwise would have been set aside for individual and party sessions to phone readings and creating extra, upgraded blog content.
I’m pleased to announce the new subscription TaoCraft Tarot extended blog. The basic blog won’t change, and it will remain FREE to follow and read. It will still contain one “Today’s Tarot” card reading each week, the basic version of the weekly “YouChoose Interactive Tarot” Reiki, Meditation and all of the behind the scenes, how-to, “my side of the table” content that it has now.
I’ll be adding extra subscription-only content to the blog during the rest of 2020, perhaps permanently. Subscriptions are only $5 per month and gives you access to Digital mini InkMagic readings by email (1 per subscription per month) at no extra charge. These readings alone are a $5 value if purchased separately in the TaoCraft Tarot Shop. In addition, subscribers will be able to access extra “Today’s Tarot” blog posts each week, the expanded version of the “YouChoose Interactive” weekly Tarot Readings, and subscriber only special offers and giveaways. To subscribe, please visit the Subscriber Benefits page and follow the prompts to access the members only portion of the page.
This is a new feature, and I’m learning how it works right along with you. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. I appreciate your patience while I’m on one of life’s little learning curves.
Thank you all so much! I appreciate each and every one of you, no matter which subscription you choose!
I’m calling this “PeaceTarot: the punk graffiti edition” These are second quality paper copies of PeaceTarot with single sided printing and side staple binding that I’ll thoroughly vandalize with an InkMagick one card Tarot reading in the white space. Handwritten with my favorite glass dip pen, a mini InkMagick reading includes card interpretation, sigil element illustration, affirmation, crystal energy and aromatherapy suggestions plus anything else that comes to mind. You can personalize the reading with a specific question or topic, or leave the personalize option blank for an open style reading.
PeaceTarot is an easy method of doing DIY daily meditation Tarot readings. You can use the book even if you don’t have access to a Tarot deck. PeaceTarot gives you alternative ways to choose your card for the day and use the card meaning included in the book. Downloadable copies of the ebook are available in the TaoCraft Tarot shop too.
These handwritten readings are extra special to me for several reasons. While I know right down to my bones that written distance readings gives the same quality and information that you would get in a live in-person or phone reading, as a writer nerd at heart, for me, the readings I give in writing might actually be a little bit better. Symbolism is the language and life’s blood of Tarot and this kind of spiritual work. In the physical, work-a-day world, anything that is written (or recorded) has permanence, even a legal gravitas over and above the spoken word. That carries over here. Written Tarot session add weight to the words and help pull the path you desire out from the ethers and help you to manifest them in physicality. Speech, is more potent than a passing thought…it has actual physical energy, moving actual air particles sparking real neurological activity. Email or video has permanence and the ability to be stored in memory outside of your own. Pen, ink and paper has that same permanence, but adds even more weight. You can store electronic images but you can’t really touch them. Pen and paper Tarot is a chunk of something you can actually hold in your hands. It is a personal reading raised a dimension in time and drawn into physical space. It is a special, unique experience to create each and every InkMagick reading. I hope it is just as moving for you to experience one. Writing unites art and ideas with the tangible world. This is Tarot you can touch.
“What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic.”
In numerology they do this thing where they add the individual digits of higher numbers to reduce them to a single digit equivalent. Why, I don’t know, but they do. But it is an interesting concept when applied to the 10 cards of the minor arcana suits. Not only is it the largest of the numbered cards, the threshold to the court cards, but 1+0 = 1 which hints at a full circle, satisfying completion, a return to origens, a homecoming.
On the surface, the Ten of Cups has always been the ‘happy family’ card, akin to the Ten of Coins/Pentacles that we’ve seen in recent days. Instead of reminding us that relationships and loved ones are our most valuable treasure, this card lifts 10 cups in pure celebration of them. Homecomings of all sorts are celebrations.
Not all homecomings are the literal with all of those people, food, home and hearth goodnesses. There is a thread here connecting today’s card to the past two cards.
The Devil card reminds us that there are still storms on the horizon and that there are, in reality, some legit bad stuff out there. The Two of Wands reminds us that within any journey or project, a planned detour is possible. You can steer around the storms and get where you were originally wanting to go if you are heads up, eyes open, and plan on the fly. New phases, new plans, new turns don’t have to be stumbling blocks. Fluid, effective adaptation is very possible.
We’ve also seen a turn in energy that was outside of the cards and their artwork. That shift connects the other two cards to today’s Ten of Cups. While the first half of the year was focused on the physical realm and doing what needs done (even when what needs DONE is to stay home, wear face masks and wash your hands. Now that we are in the dog day doldrums of summer, the energy has turned toward spirituality and introspection. Now the time has come for spa retreat, soul searching, growing, deciding, planning for the Fall and Winter ahead. That is where the homecoming comes in.
Author Richard Bach is known for saying “The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” The same is true of our internal philosophy-home. It is time for a spiritual homecoming. It is time to celebrate whatever path embues life with the most respect and joy possible. It need not be the path you started on.
Bad things happen, steering away from those things can happen. Taking your place among people and ideas that give you respect and joy can happen – and must. For me that comes through the lens of Taoist and Buddhist philosphies paired with Tarot and other magickal things. Whatever it is that you respect, that respects who you truely are, and brings you happiness – that – I hope that for you. If you have an iota of inclination, the energies are right to celebrate the esoterica that makes you happy.
If you have tried new ideas and new ways of doing things and find they are off course after all, then it is perfectly fine to change back. Going back to a spiritual path that brings good things is wonderful sort of homecoming. If you seek out new spiritual ideas and find something that perfectly fits you, then that is your homecoming too. Just as family is defined by respect and joy and love, spirituality is defined the same way. No matter whether you are going back to the old, or taking up residence with the newly discovered, the energies are flowing toward homecoming.
Pro tip from my side of the table: When a message from a minor arcana card mirrors the basic meaning of a major arcana card, it serves to modify the intensity or impact. It can serve as a “major arcana light” sort of meaning.
In this way, the two of wands connects to the major arcana Fool card by suggesting a beginning. No only does it differ in intensity, but in quality too. The beginning or new-thing in question here isn’t the giddy thrill of a totally new project, or new path as is the flavor of the Fool’d kind of new beginning. This is a new beginning within an older, over-arcing journey or project. It doesn’t have the quality of cycles or phases that you might see with a moon card, it is more like a course adjustment, or adaptive change that has the luxury of time. Planning is a strong component of the two of wands as well. Think of it as a new phase, a change in plans, heavy on the plan part.
It connects with the Devil card reading from yesterday, but in energy, not artwork. Remember that storm on the horizen image that has been coming through lately? It’s back. Energy shifts and flows, day by day. The point in time today is slightly different from yesterday, even though that was a short 24 hours ago. On the whole, general energies are turbulent and fast moving these days, even though things may be stagnant or stuck on the individual level. It’s the difference between a general blog reading and individual custom reading. These posts are free, but apply to the group mindset. some days they are like throwing cooked spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks (metaphorically speaking – don’t waste food. Love, mom) A custom, individual reading is like a plate of your favorite dinner made exactly to your taste with your favorite seasonings. Shameless plug aside…back to the devil card yesterday.
Today that storm on the horizon energy has backed off a tiny bit, and seems more horizon-ish again. We are at a point where we can navigate again. Detour, might be a better word. It is still possible to get where we want to go, but we might need to detour around the worst of a storm, like a plane or ship might. That leads right in to the two of wands with planning, a new turn, a new direction, adaptation and newness within an older journey. Like real life hurricane warnings, at least we can try to prepare, with the spiritual equivalent of boarding up windows (define and honor healthy boundaries between self and others, personal emotions and general energies) and gathering supplies (self-care, disengaging from social media or draining relationships, etc.)
Introspection and a spiritual turn are parts of both day’s message, in energy if not in art work. Wands are associated with the element of fire, inner passions, relationship with self.
The Two of Wands has another connection to the major arcana. A globe is a common art element for the card across many decks. Connect that to the World card of the major arcana. That hints at success in the end if the plan/adaptation/new direction is enacted. It also hints that plans and actions need a gestalt, big picture, global aspect to help steer things toward that success.
Not every beginning is giddy and pure. Some beginnings are held within any given journey, project or plan. Sometimes, as now, we begin a new direction and a new plan within the old one.
It’s just one of those gnarly sh*tshow kind of years. All politics aside for the moment, there has been a lot of funky mojo energy out there. We’ve talked about it through the past several months and made friends with the word “zeitgeist” along the way. It started with multiple, multiple clients who never thought of themselves as intuition sensitive or empaths. Time and again readings were saying that the anxieties they were feeling were actually a resonant response to the outer energy environment. The advice was to to reinforce their boundaries, to do something protective. The 2020 funk started ringing those assorted psychic and empathic bells as early as January and February. Then came the avalanche of pentacle cards telling us to hunker down, get our proverbial ducks in a row, and pay attention to the physical realm nuts and bolts of things. For those of us lucky enough to be able to work from home, paying attention to the physical realm while staying home day after day after day wasn’t exactly helpful advice – at least not on the surface. Dig a little deeper, and we were being called to wring enjoyment out of the simple things, to recapture the things that delight us, and remember that little things really do mean a lot. That, in turn, inspired the “Kitten Whiskers” off topic series of “my favorite things” posts this summer (more of those to come, btw)
The energies have shifted recently. The boundary challenging, empathic bell ringing quality has abated. The focus-on-the-physical, avoid life altering decisions if possible, enjoy-the-little-things-while-you-can energy has become the spiritual retreat many of us expected at the beginning. Ready or not, we were thrown into a cocoon by worldwide crisis. Now, we are facing a new crisis. This time it is internal. NOW is the time for that spiritual introspection and evolution. NOW is the time to decide our path forward. We were chucked involuntarily into a cocoon. Now we are being forced to decide how, and in what form we will emerge.
No matter what the external lockdown orders may or may not be, the time has come for that spiritual retreat. Just because you are permitted to go out doesn’t mean have to do it. When we do emerge, are we going to bring the same hate and prejudices out with us that we took in with us from the before time? Are we going to face what we’ve avoided both out there in the world and within ourselves?
That is where the Devil card comes in. It isn’t a prediction of doom. I still get that mental image of a storm front on the horizon. Actually, that distant hurricane image is honestly starting to look like a tornado of sand and glass at our doorstep ready to grind everything flat if certain people and forces prevail. But that isn’t today’s Devil card.
In this case, the Devil card is reminding us that some people have come out of the cocoon a good deal worse for the wear. This is our reminder that the sh*t is still storming and there are dark forces out there. It really isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. We are leaving the cocoon and entering the crucible.
One of the greatest things about the Devil card is the reminder that it serves. Yeah, things may suck, they may continue to suck for a time to come, but we can nevertheless do SOME thing to make the world a better place in spite of the general suckishness. Volunteer. Protest (with a mask, outdoors, standing apart) donate, vote a straight blue ticket come November. Be at peace for a moment. Even just one little moment. Even at that, you have added a moment of peaceful energy to a world that really needs it right now.
Pause the video if you need a minute to choose your card. It isn’t a hard and fast prediction. It is just a thought to guide you, a light that shines in dark corners where you might otherwise missed something kind of cool. So no pressure. I don’t add crystals and trinkets and make the YouChoose pictures all instagram pretty for a reason. Those things help intuition and make the choice more pleasant, but this is swinging a weighted bat in a way, for those of you who want to give raw intuition a little more of a workout. In a plain picture like this, you have to follow your heart as much as your eye to the right card.
Left: Seven of Cups There are two seven cards in this weeks group of three. I’m choosing to see that as good luck and a bit of hopefulness for everyone this week. Goodness knows we Americans could use some of that. But this card is also permission to take it easy on yourself. Go easy on the decision making and embrace the KISS with both arms. Keep it simple. Cut to the chase. Brush away every bit of the minutae and get to the heart of things and the path will become crystal clear.
Center: Seven of Wands. This is the second of our two 7 cards this week. I’m still going to deliberatly choose to hold space for something good to come along this week, even if the sh*tshow continues unabated here in America. In fact, digging deep in our comic / geek / sci fi culture is just the thing this card is giving for advice. There are going to be challenges, but they are deal-able, especially if we do it with a little style. This is the week to channel your inner Deadpool, Ironman, Spiderman, Star Lord, Captain Mal, Han Solo or whatever other wise-cracking antihero you have lurking in there. You can save your world with two swords and warp factor 9.
Author unknown, presumed public domain
Right: Three of Wands. Watch and chill. No, I don’t mean Netflix. This is a wait until you see the whites of thier eyes, everyone stay frosty kind of watch and chill. This isn’t a moment to act, but rather watch for the just-right moment to act with precision and impact. Think cat. Think watching, ready, waiting for the perfect moment to pounce.
Meta: I’m a gestalt kind of gal. Maybe that’s why I’m good at this Tarot thing. The more big-picture I can understand things, the happier I am. Taking all three cards as a whole, the energy is flowing toward a state of relaxed but awake and ready. Don’t stress, just deal, roll with it. It reminds me of paramedics and other rescue types. One of the best bits of advice I ever heard from one of them, back in my hospital days: “Prepare for the emergency and the emergency goes away.” True. Worrying never solved anything. My martial arts days taught me that a relaxed punch is faster than a tense one. That’s true too. If you are relaxed knowing that shot in the arm is going to pinch a little, it may not hurt at all. Staying chill is the path to overcoming whatever life throws at it. It will be ok, so have some fun along the way.
Today’s card reading is less about the card and more about the reading process itself. Today’s message shows how there is more to reading Tarot than just memorizing rote card “meanings.” It’s a skill anyone can learn, but it takes some actual time and effort to get the hang of it. It isn’t a personal shortfall if you leave it to professionals. You can learn, grow, and benefit from getting a reading just as much as doing one for yourself and vice versa. Just because I’m able to learn to change the oil in my car doesn’t mean that I want to learn it or in a million years ever would do it. So the professionals get that job. That is what they are there for, right? Same with Tarot. If you don’t want to be bothered learning how or if you need a hand with a reading you’ve done on your own, get a pro opinion. No big deal. That is exactly why I’m here; to help.
Intuition takes everything to the next level.
Like it says in the video, the Four of Pentacles is one of those cards that seem to have two threads of meaning. Sometimes it is a bit menacing, and can indicate greed, stinginess, a need to protect your finances. Other times it has a lighter feel. That lighter side can be an indication that the need to be on guard is only temporary, or can hint a very minor money surprise, like finding forgotten a dollar bill from last winter when you put on your coat the first time next fall.
Every deck varies a little bit in how they represent the energy of the card. The artist might show more of the greedy, miserly, on-guard energy or more of the kindly, it’s temporary, little surprise, a sort of “be careful with your money now, and life will pull a coin out of your ear later” kind of vibe.
So how do know which thread applies to the reading at hand? If you have a choice, how do you know which deck to use in order to best capture the energy of the day?
You don’t know.
That’s where intuition comes in. Follow your hunch about which deck to use. Use the deck that feels right or ‘speaks’ to you that day. The message will find its way through.
Listen to you feelings, and the quiet whispers. If something on a card grabs your attention, follow it. If something feels wrong, trust that too.
For example, let’s say the energy for your day is the ‘mind the budget now, things will be better later on’ kind of message. Intuition may take you to a deck with a lighter-looking card, like the Heart of Stars Tarot on the right (featuring the resourceful but kind Bilbo Baggins from The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.) What if your only deck was the gruffer looking Four of Pentacles from the Witches Tarot on the left? Would that necessarily lead you to the harsher, not-quite-right interpretation? Not necessarily. You may get a feeling of something being wrong. That something-is-wrong-here feeling might nudge you to another or lesser known interpretation of the card. Or intuition may nudge your perception of the card image away from gruff Scrooge toward a protective Grandfather feeling. Either way, giving credence to your imagination, accepting the subtle as valid and honoring your feelings helps the better message to find you.
In the beginning it may feel like you are just pulling made-up crap out of your a…..back pocket. After a time, as your skill and comfort with intuition grows, you find that you are really pulling gold coins out of thin air.
In the taijitu (the yin yang symbol) each half contains a dot of the opposite color. The idea is that anything in the extreme can become its opposite. There are different ways of reading the I Ching, the book of changes. Throwing three coins is the method I know best and have used the most. I’ll spare you all the details, but you use three coins to determine if a given “line” is yine or yang. Six throws, gives you six lines, and that in turn tells you which part of the book to read for your guidance. Using coins, heads mean yang and tails mean yin. If you get two of three coins showing one way or the other, that tells you the definition of the ‘line’ as either yin or yang. If you get all three coins the same it is considered a “changing line” which means it is SO yin or SO yang that it can easily tip over into being its opposite (or is in the process of doing so)
The Ten of Coins is a liminal symbol like a transition line. Coins (or Pentacles, depending on the deck you use) have to do with the physical realm, wealth, career, etc. 10 is the largest of the number cards before you move into the esoteric, idea-driven court cards. 10, in this case, is something coming to fruition or completion. It is the uber-pentacle of all the number cards. Given all of that, you might expect to see material successes represented, the Tarot equivalent of a mansion and a yacht.
Not so.
The Ten of Pentacles is the happy family card. It shows simple contentment, in the RWS tradition usually mom, dad, their 2.2 kids, white picket fence, grampa and the dog. Granted, that sounds like a 1950s surburban ideal gone wild, but that’s kind of the point. The pinnacle of material success isn’t material at all. The pinnacle of material success is the people you love and simple contentment with the cycles and flows of life. Life, love and simple mindful pleasures are, after all, the greatest of treasures. All those little things are really kind of big.
I like science and astronomy. Always have. That’s not an announcement but if you want to see an honest to goodness naked eye visible comet, now’s your chance. EarthSky explains: https://earthsky.org/space/how-to-see-comet-c2020-f3-neowise The view east from our house is basically a big, so good luck to us seeing this one. But if you do take a peek, spare a quick thought for the feeling and energy of the moment. Remembering that experience might be helpful in understanding the Star card if it comes up in a reading for you. Yeah, I know the difference between a comet and a star, but ye olde Tarot inventors probably didn’t. There are lots of old superstitions about comets, just like the old superstitions about Tarot predicting the future. I’m not saying looking at comet NEOWISE will predict your future, but it might help you get a better feel for your own good intuition and Tarot practice. If nothing else it will be a pretty lump of space ice.
SUMMER SPECIALS
The special offers page still has the new “Timeflow” layout at a reduced price with a portion of the proceeds donated to the ACLU.
Also on the special offers page: Buy a second quality paper copy of PeaceTarot (my booklet that teaches you how to do DIY daily meditation Tarot readings) and get a mini InkMagick handwritten Tarot Reading plus free shipping! The booklet is single-side printed, and I’ll write your unique one card reading in the white spaces of the book, making it a one of a kind, just for you. Purchase this special item through the TaoCraft Tarot etsy shop. Supplies are limited.
PHONE READINGS ARE BACK.
I’d discontinued them for a long time. There just wasn’t a lot of interest. Since in-person sessions and party Tarot are on extended hiatus due to the pandemic, phone readings are back, baby. If you want a live real-time reading, just schedule -> pay -> call and enjoy!
Details are HERE. Use email or voicemail to schedule the reading, then use the secure paypal buttons on the “phone tarot” page to select and pay for the layout of your choice. Three layouts are available: 7 card is the EXACT SAME layout from the in-person sessions. The five card is a good all purpose layout and particularly well suited to first-ever readings. If you just want a down-and-dirty yes or no answer that could ALMOST be construed as a prediction, the 3 card “Zombie Cat” yes or no layout is sticking around for summer, too. Apocalyptic warning: All Zombie Cat readings have a 50% chance of being DEAD WRONG. After all, it says zombie right there in the name.
COVID COOTIES are still out there!
Get a Tarot reading from a safe and happy distance, no appointment needed on the home page. Typed and video reading formats are available by email just like they have ALWAYS been.
I’ve been reading cards since the early 90s, and I love, love, LOVE doing them in a written format. Distance Tarot is my specialty, and has been LOOOOONG before caronaviruses came to town.
Please consider giving a distance session a try. But still wash your hands after, just because, you know, wash your hands.
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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