Snakes aren’t evil.
The Lenormand Tarot reads them as threatening energy and a strong caution not unlike the three of swords.
This isn’t a time for impulsive action – but neither is a time to be frozen by fear.
In China and other Buddhist cultures, Snake is part of their astrology and revered as one of the 12 zodiac animals to heed the Buddha’s call. People born in Snake years are thought to be intellectual, wise, enigmatic and charming. Snake people got the rizz.
What it is (current energy): The Snake. Be Cautious, not frozen. Impulse and emotion should take a back seat to intellect and wisdom this week. This is a good environment to put your best foot forward and show off the best parts of you that are already here. Shift the focus from self development to self-shining. Polish what you have, instead of seeking what you don’t.
What to do: The Stork. Yep….the exact same card we saw last week. Repeats like this warrant our attention. My mind is drawn back to the same mountain top image as last week. We’ve waited, watched, gathered information. I’m pulled straight ahead to the downhill path. An easier road ahead. The side paths along the narrow mountain ridge are less lit, more shadowy. They are flat, but downhill is easier than flat. And in this new image, safer too. I hear “razor’s edge” (in reference to the narrowness of the paths, not the book) Joy can not be maintained and changes the same as sorrows change in time. All emotions come and go like clouds in the sky or leaves floating in a stream. The peak, as beautiful as the view may be, is unsustainable. Move ahead. The elevation changes, but is ultimately a wide, safe, sustainable way forward.
We are at the point where cautious watching could easily become frozen in fear. Cold, frozen, decay. Standing where we are is fraught with new challenges, new dangers. Standing still is no longer a healthy option in this image. The golden sunset light from last week has faded into an icy, snowy night. Moving forward again is where the warmth and light leads us.
I hear “follow the stork” and remember the “follow the white rabbit” scene from the movie The Matrix. Intuition isn’t entirely without value. Trust your inner guidance, trust what you know.
Snake and crane together are a symbol of the practice and art of Tai Chi. We often think of the yang side (crane) of things as being powerful, but Tai Chi and Taoism teach us that yin is powerful too and both in balance is best.
Climbing and mountains are yang, and need yang-style power. Downhill paths and valleys are yin energy, a power all of their own. Think of a magnet. Instead of going out hunting and capturing what is needed, yin draws what is needed in, like a magnet.
Negotiating a downhill path requires balance now just as much as climbing the mountain did not that long ago.
Snakes have a magnetic personality, cranes and storks have big powerful breaks and wings. Both together are balance in motion. Here is where searching the two of pentacles in the archives might come in handy.
The ultimate point of the reading is to not let the anxiety you feel stop you. Don’t be frozen by fear. Remember your charm. Make literal charms and talismans if it helps. Move forward. Let the new cycle begin.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. When it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path where the fear has gone and there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
Frank Herbert, Dune
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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