TWO OF WANDS (reversed) Don’t use planning as an excuse to delay or to be too rigid. Be adaptable. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Roll with the punches if you have to but stop yearning and start doing.
“There are only four rules you need to remember: Make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan.”
“Captain Cold” (DC comics)
Deck: Black Cat Tarot by Maria Kuara copyright 2013 all rights reserved used with permission granted on llwellynpublishing.com
Sage Sips is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee (or whatever you like to sip this time of day)
Seven of Pentacles: Wait. Give the seeds you planted time to grow. Don’t meddle…if it ain’t broke don’t fix it. Just wait.
Seven of Swords: Mischief is afoot. Watch your stuff. Don’t fall for phishing. Be on the lookout for petty bs and swat it down if needed.
Nine of Pentacles: Enjoy what you’ve achieved. As one project wraps up, it’s good to take a minute to appreciate what you and your team have done before moving on to the next big thing.
Card doesn’t fit or feel right? Enter the card or any keyword in the search bar on the right side of the page (or scroll down on mobile) to browse the archives. Your message will find you – all you have to do is look and listen.
The Hermit: Balanced light leads the way. Use discernment. Choose your influences and mentors wisely.
Seven of Swords: Short cuts can have long consequences. Make sure your short term gain doesn’t lead to long term pain.
High Priestess: The Cosmos is under no obligation to bend to your level. But if you reach up, it can lift you like a mother picks up her child.
(Cards are interpreted left to right, opposite of a pathway layout)
Hi Everyone!
Been a little off schedule taking care of some unexpected busy times at the day job and with the family schedule, but all in a good way. As always thank you all for your patience and understanding.
The squirrels have been raving hard the past couple of years, so the schedule around here is officially no schedule at all for 2024. I’m going to roll with the rave and see how that goes.
I aim to post M-W-F but no particular time of day. The idea is You Choose card of the week will post on Monday-ish, Learn With Me or some sort of BTS on Wednesday (give or take) and something pithy and potent on Fridays to guide us into the weekend. Not beating myself up if I miss the mark and I’m not promising to post any particular time of day, just grooving with the squirrel rave playlist as it comes up so to speak.
Which allows me to put my Tarot attention where I really want to put it and where it rightfully belongs – on member’s readings and private readings.
Don’t forget, members get up to three one card readings by email included in your membership each calendar month. Until the end of March, you can upgrade your membership readings to a three card yes/no at no additional charge.
I call them “Zombie Cat” readings because they flirt with predictions more than other layouts. Meet Zombie Cat (originally from my Tarotbytes blog in 2015 and inspired by Menage A Tarot podcast created by David S. Dear) is still one of my favorite rants about psychics who claim “100% accurate predictions” and predictions in general. I like using the Zombie Cat persona to tap into the lighthearted and playful side of Tarot. Yes/no readings are a good vehicle for a pure entertainment reading. I chose the yes/no method that I use because while you can stop at the silly, snarky, ‘magic 8 ball’ surface of the thing, it can still serve as a portal to more nuanced and serious insights too. Members: feel free to try one with some silly frivolous question just for fun if you want.
It reminds me of Spongebob’s magic conch shell. (Copyright Nickelodeon and all that jazz, please don’t sue me Viacom Paramount We *heart* Spongebob at my house, especially when my son was small)
Wishing you all a great week. See you at the next sip!
Three of swords : Trust must be earned, even when you want to give it easily
Eight of wands: Patience and time can work in your favor. Obstacles and challenges may be slowing you down enough to protect you from something you don’t see coming.
Five of pentacles: It’s not a good time for impulse buys. Wait, be sure first.
And there, the energy steps back. I guess we chalk this week up to a pithy and potent kind of card reading.
Next up is finally starting that behind the scenes series either Wednesday or Friday, depending on how much the squirrels rave this week. Either way, have a good week. See you at the next sip!
Deck: Alleyman’s Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund used with permission (publishinggoblin.com)
Pick a card from the picture above. Watch the video to see the reveal. Get your reading below.
Magician: This is a card of manifestation and transformation. It is also a card of co-creating, in other words working with the universe to bring your intentions into reality. Often this kind of magickal working is heavy on the WORK. The magician must do their part.
King of Pentacles: Survey your kingdom. Focus on what you have. Don’t spend your energy wanting what you don’t have this week. Once you see what you have on hand, it becomes clearer what you truly want, what you need and how to get what is really missing. Wanting what you have is contentment.
Death: Change is inevitable. Seven Dane Asmund, creator of this Tarot Deck (Alleyman’s Tarot, used with permission) He calls this the “dancing death” of the several versions of the Death card in this deck. Dance with this moment. Embrace it. Fully be a part of it because, for better or for worse, this moment will change momentarily.
The Boogeyman: Calculate your risk. Are your fears truly possible or just imagined?
Lightning in a bottle: Sudden success is never sudden. It builds up over time like a static charge. To catch lightning in a bottle, you have to stand out in a lot of storms
Paimon: What do you control in this situation? Is it time to subjugate or surrender?
Now that you’ve chosen your individual card. Let me take a look at all three together for a collective energy reading for the week ahead.
Although it is in the “fading energy”spot for a pathway reading, Paimon is anything but fading. If anything it is shifting from “go with the flow” to “rise and shine motherf*ckers! It is a week to reclaim power and apply it in as calculated, precise way as possible. “Controlled fury” comes to mind HEAVY on the controlled part.
Now for the parts we can’t control….
Static electricity builds, then zaps. The electrons have to accumulate in one place before the lightning can happen. The charge is building. Persist. Good advice for anyone.
The Boogeyman card reminds me of that Mark Twain quote “I’ve had a lot worries in my life, most of which never happened.” Be in the moment, see things as they are. Don’t build fears up with imagination. If you are brave enough to look under the bed, you’ll see there are no monsters.
Today’s deck is the Alleyman’s Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund of publishinggoblin.com used with permission
Two of Wands: Prepare. Plan. Get ready. Change or travel may come soon.
Nine of Wands: Live your enlightenment. Live the hard-won lessons you’ve learned. May them your own before you press on
Hierophant: Know what you don’t know. Don’t guess or feel your way through this time. If you don’t know, get help. Go find the knowledge you don’t have right now.
Looking at all three cards, there is a sense of “on the precipice” but in varying degrees. There is a feeling of something about to happen – soonest for those who chose the two of wands, slightly less soon for those who chose the hierophant, longest for those who chose the nine of wands. For all three cards, moving forward depends on you. Either there is some piece of knowledge or information you need to find in order to move forward well, or there is some bit of preparation you need to do for a good outcome, or it just plain isn’t time to move. Go for quality, not quantity in all three cases.
It’s President’s day here in the U.S. so the fam is home for the day – That’s where my energy is at the moment.
If you have any questions or comments, leave ’em below. I’m happy to answer any questions you have here in the blog. Next time: Learn With Me: BTS
I’ve made minor attempts at this since New Years Day, but this time I’m going to back up and do a proper run at some introductory material and give you a real behind the scenes look at how my particular style of Tarot really works. No nonsense, lots of transparency and plenty of shameless self promotion.
PAUSE the video
PICK your card
RESTART to see the reveal
READ about your card below the video
The Fool: A week full of opportunity and new beginnings
Ace of Pentacles: The more grounded and balanced you can be, the more you efforts pay off
The Devil: Don’t panic. Use calm, common sense to stay on the safe side. Not the time for unnecessary risk
If you picked one of the two major arcana cards, that may hint at a high energy time near by. Both cards have a “shields up” cautioning energy. The Fool may be stressful in a good way. A lot of opportunity and business on your plate is still a lot on your plate, so take care to manage your stress even if the pressure is on because of very good things happening.
The difference between the two majors is The Fool feels an “it might be stressful and busy but worth it” feel. The Devil on the other hand is a “pull back” “be cautious” sort of energy. If you chose this card, take it extra easy this week.
The Ace of Pentacles is an all-good energy. Prosperous, but low-key. Not really any cautions to take it easy. I ‘hear’ “Things unfold but gently.”
When I say ‘hear’ in a reading, that’s shorthand for clairaudient intuition. It means the intuitive message takes the form of words, sound or music. Instead of a mental image, it’s mental words or sounds. I’m not hallucinating, honest. Intuition if often much like imagination with a purpose. Remember your favorite song – that memory gives you a sense of what clairaudient intuition is like.
Thanks for taking a look.
What do you think about this format? Comments are open and I’m on Instagram and Threads every day. (@sagewordstarot for both)
Wednesday I’ll post a collective energy example reading using the new “My Tarot Valentine” layout. I’d really like your feedback about that too. If you like it, it can stand as a regular “love and romance” themed reading. If no one voices and opinion, I’ll make it a seasonal thing. What say you?
Interactive: Please watch the video and choose your card.
After the reveal, scroll down for your card reading.*
The people and the numbers have spoken.
I’ve gotten some nice feedback about the “you choose” style of readings. It makes the reading feel more personal than a single collective card BUT the shorter format is better than the longer layouts. I’m still tweeking the timing to give enough time to choose and enough time to see your card. That part will improve in coming weeks.
So BEHOLD! One card meditation readings are back but in you choose style! I plan to do these as a guidance card for the week, but if you have any suggestions or feedback as we go along, I’m open to that – and so are the comments below. Or click over to the Ask Me Anything page and, well, you know what to do. Unless I hear something drastically different, I plan to flow with this for a while. The general plan is for “You Choose” on Mondays, “Learn With Me” posts on Wednesdays, Freestyle on Fridays (I won’t promise those will even be Tarot related) and the weekly Substack newsletter at some point during the weekend.
THAT being said, let’s get on to the good stuff, the cards.
Nine of Cups
I hear “happy endings” from a song that I don’t recognize. Might be something from the 90s, but I can’t dial it in enough to tell. This card is about just exactly that – happy endings.
Classically this card is often associated with contentment and family / holiday gatherings. I often get a fall & winter holiday vibe from it. This feels more like a January card – the holidays are in the rear view mirror and last year is well and truly tucked away.
Earlier today, Theresa Reed posted her card of the week as the Fool…new beginnings. These cards are two sides of the same large zeitgeist energy.
If you chose this card, this is a good vibe week. Things are wrapped or wrapping up in a good way that makes room to roll up your sleeves and get after whatever is next.
Ace of Cups
Cups typically symbolize emotion, intuition, and our closest relationships be they friends, family or romance. The ace always seems closer to the emotion and intuition aspect of the suit than the relationship aspect of it. That is very much the case for today. This card feels more off to the side and individualized than the nine does.
The nine feels like the big, collective energy card but the ace feels much more one to one. There is no way for me to ever know this, but it would be interesting to how many people chose which card. I wonder if more people picked the “collective” card and fewer people picked this one because this is the one they really needed.
If you picked the Ace of Cups today, first of all, well done for following your own intuition instead of the collective energy. This card feels like a validation of just that – your own creativity and instincts. “Muse” comes to mind. Your creative muse may well drop something in your lap soon, if it hasn’t happened already. When inspiration comes, this card is encouraging you to follow it at the same time it is giving you a pat on the back for your natural ability to hear and follow that kind of inspiration.
Judgement
This card stands out as being the only major arcana card of the three.
The energies this week may be important for you and are worthy of your attention and contemplation. Pay attention to the spirit part of your mind, body & spirit life balance.
Give yourself second chances. Never waste a good second chance.
By the same token, use your heart and head so that a second chance isn’t needed. Honor what you know and need and what you know you need. the first time around.
As a secular person, the religious iconography in Pamela Smith’s artwork for this card is always more annoying than inspiring for me. If you picked this card but it just isn’t resonating, by all means, please look for the inspiration you feel. Try googling the Judgement card and looking at other decks to see if another version of the card speaks to you more than this one.
I’ve found that many decks rely on this kind of imagery and options are hard to find. My favorite right now is “Karma” from Ellen Dugan and Mark Evans’ Witches Tarot which uses and eclipse and the term karma to bring ideas like contemplating the consequences of our choices and renewal. There may be dark time during an eclipse but light returns on the other side.
Thank you all for reading. Next up, in Learn With Me, we continue two card Lenormand readings.
See you at the next sip!
*if it went by too fast – left was 9 of cups, center was ace of cups and right was Judgement.
Welcome to 2024 and the first Card Of The Week of the new year.
Since the New Year reading, I’ve gotten some nice feedback about the ‘you choose’ format we used.
With all of the fast pace question-in-the-comments live readings that are available now, it seems the slower, more contemplative, interactive readings aren’t as common as they were a couple of years ago. These kind of pick your card / slow reveal readings used to be all over the place.
I’m bringing them back.
It feels a little more intensely personal than quick comment/live readings or purely collective energy readings. Let me know what you think. If you like it, we can keep it. If no one says anything, I’ll decide in a few weeks which format to use most of the time. It’ll either be a you-choose card for the week like this or back to random collective energy card for the day posts.
Watch the video, pick your card. In the future, I expect that you’ll be able to scroll back down here and read a longer, more eloquent, dammit I’m a writer not a YouTuber interpretation for the card. Today, it was all I could do to get back into filming at all. Even in low-tech, lofi, laid back mode. I don’t have anything to add to the video this time.
But seriously – comment or email or use the Ask Me Anything page to let me know what you think of the you-choose format.
You choose and I won’t have to.
Next up on the squirrel-rave playlist* Learn With Me: Lenormand returns, hopefully on Wednesday
Thanks so much! See you at the next sip!
*Squirrel Rave Playlist is my nickname for the no-schedule schedule and not-plan plan for 2024.
*Inspired by the internet meme “I don’t have ducks, I don’t have rows – I have squirrels and they are hosting a pagan rave.”
*The general not-plan for the blog is a COTW in some format or another on Mondays and Learn With Me posts on Wednesdays, weekly digest newsletter on Substack on the weekend, and everything else being just pure random intuitive inspriation.
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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