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.

Like what you read in Sage Sips? Please subscribe – its free! You can use the search bar to explore the archives. Help me keep Sage Sips free for everyone without ads or paywalls. Buy me a virtual coffee on ko-fi and I’ll send you a personalized email Tarot reading as a thank you gift.

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!

Meet your reader (Sage’s Bio)

Today’s Tarot: Clarity (Q&A)

Q: What do we most need to know right now in the United States following Lindsey Graham’s death and conjecture about Mitch McConnell’s.

I drew this card with this question in mind, right after seeing a social media post from someone who I typically has good points and real food for thought. This may well be the first time I’ve disagreed with him.

But no, this isn’t a time for tut-tutting about “speaking ill of the dead” from either side of the political divide. Graham was not a good person who, because of his political power, inflicted real harm on real people and contributed much to the rise of fascism and white christian nationalism in America today.

I’m sorry for the loss of any kind person who feels his – or their – passing. But at the same time it is fair to think they are lying in the bed they made during their lifetime.

The social media person clucked something on the order “saying these things says more about you as a person than it does about them.

Not this time.

If making fun of a powerful bad man says something about the person saying it….what does a powerful man’s silence about the death of school girls at the hands of unnecessary war, the death of women at the hands of politically and religiously motivated abortion bans, the death of schoolchildren at the hands of our lack of gun control….and on and on and on. What does silence about these dead say about THEM? I’d rather people make merciless fun of the politicians who caused harm than remain silent in the face of the harm they caused.

It’s more important to be kind to everyone living than to worry about what is said about the dead.

Laughter is good medicine. Public figures who caused real harm aren’t going to be any less dead if we only say nice things about them after they’ve been rendered harmless by the inevitable. Momento Mori.

In the noise of current events, the Ace of swords reminds us to cut to the chase, get to the point, simplify. Tune out the static and get right down to what really matters. In the end, kindness is the only measure of what that is.

Brew It Forward

In honor of pride month I made a VERY small donation to the ACLU because of the work they do in court to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights.

I’m inspired by Molly Lee of Optimistic Soap to use my Tarot skills to contribute to causes I care about. She donates $1 from every bar of soap purchased to Democracy Forward and to other organizations.

I stand with that.

I’ve brought back the Sage Sips Ko-fi membership and renamed it ‘Brew it Forward” Proceeds from the memberships plus $1 from each virtual coffee donated from the readings menu will go to a designated organization at the end of the month (a few of my favorites are listed below)

In honor of Optimistic Soap’s inspiration, July 2026’s “Brew It Forward” will go to Democracy Forward, too.

Please consider joining – there are five spots left. For $5 / month, each member gets access to private one card Tarot readings by email on request. Just ask. Send a DM or email with your name, question and email (it’s never shared, I just need to know where to send your reading) and your meditation style reading will arrive in your inbox.

I’m not in the Tarot business anymore, so please allow a few days for the readings to get to you. Because we live in a nation with increasingly bold white Christian nationalists, I feel compelled to say that we are doing here is creating customized Tarot themed ephemeral folk art that does not tell fortunes or predict the future. But that impulse is another big reason why I chose the ACLU and Demoracy Forward for my first two donations.

Anything is better than nothing – so DO something, any little thing you can to protect democracy and our civil liberty to create art, to follow the spiritual path that is right for us and to not follow a religion that is wrong.

Thank you for allowing me to read Tarot for you, and thank you for helping me make some tiny contribution to other important things, too.

Hoist the Questions

Hoist is a fun word.

It’s kind of pirate-y and fun. As in “Hoist the colors” just like Pirate baseball fans used to do. Now they hoist traffic cones and in a city where parking chairs are sacrosanct (IYKYK) it kind of makes sense.

But back to Tarot. I’ve been thinking about open readings. Open readings are the ones with no particular question or topic in mind. From the readers side of the table, these can be challenging to do. For the client, it can be a great reading if for no other reason it can raise questions to be asked.

It’s like we were talking about in “Tarot and the Art of Not Knowing” the other day. Sometimes you don’t have any clue there are gaps in what you know.

Open readings are often validating, reassuring, and let you know you are going in the right direction. I did a thank-you reading for a blog supporter recently that was exactly that. All minor arcana cards, lovely validation energy included with the reassurance that any hiccups along the path at hand were likely to be short-lived.

Great news for the sitter. As the reader, these readings always leave a little niggle or two behind. What if it didn’t help? What if they thought it was scammy and trite and vague like a bad newspaper horoscope?

Questions are key. Some of the best parts of reading come when the person getting the reading starts answering questions. Of course, this part is easier in-person, but the conversation is equally valid when it happens over time through email. Email is as valid for communication in Tarot as it is in work and business. Its as valid as any written document or printed page…although I still think pen and paper carries a little extra magic somehow. But that’s beside the point.

The point is, whenever you get a psychic reading, hoist the questions! It helps to dial in a general reading to better meet your individual needs even when that message is really just “You are doing great kiddo. Keep up the good work.”

Thanks for reading. See you at the next sip

Pathway

This is an actual Tarot reading I did a couple of years ago. As you can see, the recipient kindly gave me permission to use it here in the blog. This is the kind reading you’ll get if you support Sage Sips on ko-fi now.

Reading from The archives: Use the search bar to find Tarot readings, Q&A, BTS and more.

Q: You drew a card for me on Halloween which was (and still is!) really meaningful, so lovely to connect with you again. I saw your Instagram post and would love to have you pull a few cards for me if the places haven’t been filled, but no worries if not! Happy to have a reading via the blog 🙂 

Sara23Nov18

For ******

First of all, thank you so much for your kind words!

I’m always so happy to hear when a reading is helpful….after all, that’s why we do these things! But the same is true as the last reading: If you have any questions, complaints or need any clarification with the reading please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Since you didn’t specify a topic, I’ll just move ahead with an open-to-anything point of view.

Your Cards Today Are:

  • Influence from the Past: King of Coins (Pentacles)
  • Current Situation: Three of Swords
  • Moving Forward: King of Swords

General Pattern

All cards are minor arcana, which in a layout this small is no real statistical surprise. Intuitively it feels like a bit of reassurance, that nothing really major is stirring the energies for you right now. It is all pretty business as usual more than it’s not. It has a feeling that business as usual for you entails being really good at what you do. Business as usual is kicking butt and taking names from the feel of it. In that vein, it feels like a very plain-talking, no nonsense kind of reading. It also feels like most of the reading energy is pointing toward work and career thoughts, which would go right along with having a coins card right off the bat like that. The repetitions are asking for attention. You have two swords, which connote action, the element of air, intellect and logic, authority, or your connection with society and culture at large. Knit all of that together and my attention is pulled to using cold, calculating intellect when it comes to work, especially when dealing with the authority structure, or any vying for promotions or power within the structure of the workplace. “Power Play” comes to mind along with an old episode of M*A*S*H where the Colonel accuses someone (Frank? Hotlips? Klinger?) of “going over my head so many times I’m getting athletes scalp” I guess the shorthand for that would be watch out for power playing brown nosers at work. The other repetition is the two kings. Kings connote leadership. It feels like the situation may be asking you for leadership, confidence, self-starting, standing up for yourself….even if you are already good at that, it feels like the skills you have will be put through their paces, and you may even be pushed a tiny bit outside your comfort zone in that respect. I ‘hear’ (meaning the intuition comes as words instead of feelings or images) to “Hang on and be brave” There was a great meme about spirit guides (the lady) you (the boy) and a life lesson. Here is the photo part if you want to take a peek: https://goo.gl/images/gdXriU Your guides feel like they are reminding you they won’t lead you anywhere you are not ready to go, but since you are ready…buckle up baby!

Background & Context: King of Coins

This part is the reminder of competence you have, and that you are more than ready to meet leadership challenges at work, or any other part of life, really. The King of Coins as a card connotes wealth and success, so a note of reassurance there again. I hear “build on past skills and successes” I’m not clear whether that means use your skills and knowledge that you have in hand to fullest advantage, to build new skill and expand your knowledge and experience…or both. It doesn’t feel like a job change as much as an expansion of the current situation.

Current Situation: Three of Swords

Classically, this tends to be a bit darker, more dire card across all of the decks and references that I have. Often it will set me off on maternal lecture mode about be safe, keys out, park under lights, and all that usual lecture….but not so much for you today. This feels more petty than malicious. It isn’t the devil or dark side card for good reason. This feels petty, and small, and contained to one aspect of life, like office politics. “Watch out for petty backstabbers” comes to mind. Very office politics, but also heavy on the petty….like an annoying mosquito that can drive you mad if you let it, or just brush it away. The more calm, detached, intellectual and swords / mental-focus the better.

Moving Forward: King of Swords

You know how I read cards…the cards have suit, element, layout position, and general card meaning. But each card, based on all that other stuff, can have a different spin or ‘flavor’ of message; advice (something to consider doing) caution (something to consider avoiding) or validation (acknowledgement, encouragement, cosmic thank you) There has been a lot of validation energy so far. This has a little more of an advice spin. The card feels less like it pertains to you and more like it represents an ally…someone in the hierarchy at work who you can cultivate an working relationship with, who can be a mentor of sorts. “Have your back” comes to mind. Like someone who knows your skills, sees your potential. It feels like it might be literally a male figure of some sort. Does any of this ring a bell for you? I’m not sure how else to understand the card, because it has a not-you but someone who can help you sort of symbolism around it. Beyond that it is dark – meaning no signal, not evil or bad kind of dark. It feels like that is the card or energy telling me that is a singular message from this card….seek out a mentor or ally at work.

Summary

This part is like a psychic “cold reading” where I free form give you any impressions that come to mind. In readings that have a topic or question, this part might connect to that or the cards….or it might not. In an open reading like this one, it just stays in the open frame of mind.

Often it starts with colors, or crystals or both. In this case I see citrine. It associates with the solar plexus chakra, and therefor confidence. Wear or carry it for confidence at work. It also resonates with the King cards, and the coins suit because the golden color has to do with wealth, career, luck and to some extent leadership.

I taste butterscotch, with lemon scent in the background. That might be a continuation of the golden color associations. Butterscotch may symbolize comfort, while lemon in aromatherapy is very cleansing and energizing. Lemon may be important relevant to work, as diffusing some lemon fragrance, lighting a lemon scented candle, or using anything lemon after work might do two things…first it would be a clear transition signal. It could remind you work is done, clear any annoyances or negativity from your day, and let you know to shift into family/home/private life mode. It will also lift your energy…stress or pettiness at work can put an extra drain on your energies. Lemon could help neutralize that and lift your energy after a long day. Don’t use citrus oils on your skin if you will be in sunlight within the next 12 hours…it can cause sun sensitivity. Also don’t put it on your skin if you have autoimmune diseases as it enhances immunity (a good thing in cold/flu season for most people)

And there the energies step back. I hope this helps!

Best Wishes,

Photo: Witches Tarot by Ellen Dugan and Mark Evans, used with permissions published on LlewellynPublishing.com

What if…

Funny thing about intuition – it’s kind of misty and ethereal and mercurial.

Some images land in long term memory. I can still conjure up the mental image from a couple of weeks ago of the cliff top with the narrow mountain ridge and multiple paths from the summit and crossroads post.

Somewhere since then, Richard Bach’s book Illusions: Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah came through in such a way that it seemed like a BIG hint to re-read it. I can’t even remember if the Bach related thought made it into the final edit of whatever post.

So I whip out my ebook copy of Illusions. Sat down for a re-read and found exactly the idea that was trying to get my attention about two minutes into it:

“And what would you do,” the Master said unto the multitude, “if God spoke directly to your face and said, ‘I COMMAND THAT YOU BE HAPPY IN THE WORLD, AS LONG AS YOU LIVE.’ What would you do then?”

Richard Bach

Just to be clear – I am an atheist. The word ‘god’ is entirely irrelevant here.

But think about it…what would you DO? Imagine if whatever deity, entity or person whose opinion you respect straight up demanded that you be happy. Right now. No prerequisite beliefs, actions or conditions – just you, just happy.

The tricky part here is the DO. It implies that something needs to be DONE. It implies that happiness has some prerequisite action or condition in order for your happiness to exist.

This is where the happiness meaning of the Sun card comes into play.

The card doesn’t imply the DO. It is just plainly, unapologetically happy. Right here, right now, not because of circumstances but, perhaps, in spite of circumstances.

What if…

What do you think would happen if you just took a minute and allowed yourself to be happy? What if your God got in your face and commanded you to be happy for five minutes, could you? Would you?

What if this post, these words on this screen in this moment are your permission to simply be happy for the next five minutes? What if this is your permission to be happy from now on? Could you? Would you?

DO that. Be happy.

Thanks for reading! If you like these posts, please buy me a (virtual) coffee on ko-fi and I’ll send you a sip of tarot by email.

See you at the next sip!

Deck: Allyman’s Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund, used with permission

Tarot and the Art of Not Knowing

There are different levels of knowing.

There are the things you know – the hard data, the objective provable stuff.

There are beliefs, which are not much more than thoughts, electrons and neurochemicals bouncing around in your brain or, as Blue Man Group put it, “the hellawhack Shiznit that happens inside your brizzle.”

There are things that you know you don’t know. You might not be able to exactly fill in the gaps, but you can prepare for the possibilities, like guessing the shape of a jigsaw puzzle piece from the empty shape left by the pieces around it.

Then there are the real surprises in life, the stuff that you didn’t even know that you didn’t know.

Tarot, in its own way, can help with the unknowns. It can’t fill in the gaps or make exact predictions, but a reading or successive daily one card meditations can help you find the edges of that missing piece to the jigsaw puzzle. Tarot can help you learn about yourself and your situation and feel out those things that you know that you don’t know. This is where Tarot is at its stress relieving best. This is where Tarot helps you to make that action plan that eases anxiety.

But Tarot can surprise you, too. It can shine a light on the things you didn’t know that you didn’t know. It can spark a brainwave about something you never thought about before.

And sometimes Tarot is silent. Not every card on every day is helpful. The time might not be right. Perhaps it is better that we not know, because that would prompt an action that is harmful. Maybe, just maybe, not knowing something is the universe protecting us from ourselves.

You never know.

And sometimes that is ok.

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