It doesn’t chase after anything. Yet, just being itself, a magnet attracts and sticks with the just-right things. It’s a quiet process, but a powerful one. Watching, waiting, just sitting there letting your light shine in the universe is a powerful something to do, possessed of great optimism. Although they are outwardly quiet, confidence, optimism, contentment, and intention can be very energetically loud.
“My optimism wears heavy boots and is loud”
Henry Rollins
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I like this layout because it takes a big-picture view of the path ahead but applies to any point in time. It starts the path with the ground at your feet, and moves forward step by step, season by season.
I like to read right to left, as with the past-present-future parts of the layouts I learned from Medicine Cards by David Carson and Jamie Sams. That, plus Ted Andrews’ writings, plus Diane Morgan’s Magical Tarot, Mystical Tao have all formed the foundation of my intuitive work and Tarot reading. That foundation has proven utter solid and reliable, every damn day since 1992.
I wrote this layout to follow that right to left pattern and have used it for myself and for clients for I honestly don’t remember how many years now. Starting with the bottom row, the most right hand card is the current season – in our case today, Autumn. Then it goes across in order of the coming year: Winter, Spring then Summer. Each card gives a sense of the energy ahead and its ebbs and flows. Each card is guidance how to best navigate the foreseeable energy of that particular season. Generally, I connect the season to astronomy, using solstice and equinox rather than months. The boundaries of energy aren’t clearly defined and blur and blend one to the other as time passes. Intuition and spirituality doesn’t happen on a schedule.
Just as Neil DeGrasse Tyson once said that “The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you” the universe is under no obligation to happen according to our expectations, clocks or calendars.
You are just as free as the universe.
You are under no obligation to understand or to feel any particular thing at any particular time. The kindness you show (or don’t) is your only accountability. Alan Watts reminds us that “you are under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago.” Your understanding and experience flows through time, so this kind of reading is not a defined road map
Or as I’ve said for years now – “Tarot doesn’t tell you what will happen in life, tarot helps you figure out what to do when life happens.”
The top card is guidance or some sort of theme for the coming year as a cohesive whole.
I’m going to write this as if it was a private email reading – the only difference would be that private readings get a photo or your unique, individual real world card layout instead of a YouTube short of our collective cards.
Our collective cards today:
Autumn: Ten of Cups
Winter: Six of Inking Balls (akin to pentacles, but not quite)
Spring: Strength
Summer: The Hanged Man
Year: The Star
General Pattern
There is a gentle start immediately ahead with two minor arcana cards, but then stress, energy, change and life in general picks up steam with three major arcana cards in a row. Current chaos continues in general but with a steady plateau for a little while during the colder months in the northern hemisphere. Here I get the mental image of ice on the Potomac river in Washington DC…take that how you will. Whatever your politics, there are some pretty parks and places in the district. The sense of cold and still winter air is pleasant and peaceful, more than polar-vortex stressful. I get a sense of melancholy. Honor the feelings of this coming year. Life is enough of a struggle without doing combat with your own emotions. Acknowledge them. Work with them. Let them be what they are while you do what you need to do to take care of yourself and your loved one. You are under no obligation to happy or joyful when you aren’t. Neither are you under any obligation to be sad or stressed when you aren’t. No one can drive away with your happiness. Your emotions are you own. To paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt, no one can make you feel any particular thing without your consent and cooperation.
Autumn
The Ten of Cups is nothing but good. Think of all the traditional harvest images. Listen to us old people. Those “old fashioned” (albeit over idealized) cost less and didn’t enrich big corporations and the fascist oligarchy that is trying to get us all killed. Revive depression era traditions … or whatever is meaningful. This is the year for sentimentality and authenticity far, far over spending and commercialism. Cue Linus’ speech from the Charlie Brown Christmas special (minus the religious stuff if you are so inclined) Don’t spend a penny on black Friday. And yes, this is promoting my political agenda. Go promote your values in your own way in your own social media or blog or however. This is a season of authenticity and emotion. Be true to yourself and a satisfying holiday season is very possible.
Winter
Like pentacles, this unique card from the “Strange Suit” of the Alleyman’s Tarot deck is focused on career, wealth and the physical realm. It picks up on the thread of authenticity and quiet austerity that begins with the Fall card.
It asks us ‘is it worth it’?
Are you working and achieving, or over-striving to achieve and Pyrrhic victory. Curate your resources carefully. Effort can turn into drowning easily. Take great care not to bite off more than you can chew. Take great care not to pay too high of a personal life price for a tiny financial gain. Curate your time, attention and emotion as carefully as your financial budget.
Spring
I’m rooting for the lion on this card.
Look closely at the picture on the card. Who you identify with or who you feel drawn to says everything.
Are you the wild-eyed judgmental zealot imposing his will on wild nature, or are you the grace and power of your inner nature throwing off the oppressor?
Choose your side.
Summer
The Hanged Man is a classic symbol of slow progress if not outright stagnation. It may be a welcomed rest after the brief but intense skirmish-like if not outright battle-like energy of the spring. This may be the exhaustion (more than calm) after the storm, but also much needed down time to pick up pieces and bind wounds after difficulty. I mentally hear cicadas and see bright blue skies and intense sunshine. I ‘hear’ “August” and “Doldrums” and feel a tense anticipation of some big event to come (the ’26 election?)
Again a vague reference to the great depression. I am reminded of Lange’s famous Migrant Mother photo from the 1930s. John Steinbeck pops to mind. I don’t logically know why the depression era references, and can’t quite pull in what spirit is trying to say. (Personally, this is referencing my Grandmother) so I leave it to you to see if these references have any meaning for you.
Whacky cake comes to mind too – check out Dylan Hollis’ videos about vintage and depression era recipes. Max Miller’s Tasting History too. Great stuff, that.
Year Ahead
The Star is about guidance. It is about finding a fixed navigation point to guide you through this coming year. Before spring, it is CRUCIAL that you find some mental or emotional anchor to keep you oriented and steady as possible. It might be your religion or philosophy. It might be some habit or practice (meditation, yoga, golf, walking, reading, whatever it is that makes the world seem just a little more sane for you). Making and keeping some small routine in your day is important self-care. Craft a bedtime or wake-up ritual and routine for yourself like you are a five year old and stick to it. Create your own stability wherever you can.
Summary
At this point in the reading, I usually give any colors, crystals or aromatherapy that comes to mind. Usually that is very personal to the person I’m reading for. This may be a general reference to the upcoming holidays, but I see pine and pine cones, with that fragrance. Pine and eucalyptus essential oils diffused in a room can help with garden variety head colds and are thought to be very healthful.
I see both clear quartz and rose quartz. That’s not for everyone, but it will resonate with someone.
Now that morphs into sandalwood fragrance and malachite energy. Rose quartz and malachite are heart chakra colors, for whatever that is worth.
I ‘hear’ “heal your heart” – whichever crystal most appeals to you, it can help ease wounded emotions.
And there the energies step back.
I hope you enjoyed seeing a full sized reading in action. It’s for the collective, so it might be on target for some and a total miss for others – but hopefully some piece of it was helpful to you.
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That’s it. No bells, no whistles, no drama – just me and my cards typing what I would say to you in person. Tell all of your introvert and book loving friends. These readings are perfect for them. And for anyone who wants to try a reading without a lot of cost or effort. This is the perfect Zen, calm, low battery, out of spoons, stress free, relaxing, low key reading for anyone.
Happy Halloween everyone! See you at the next sip!
This is a time of re-evaluation and release. Take a hard, honest look at the way things actually ARE so when the energy shifts to a mores active stance, you can do what truly needs done, even if the thing that needs done is letting go.
The dominance of female images points toward a very yin, quiet, drawing in energy this week. In autumn, many trees shed their leaves, so Autumn Queen reminds us of letting go, which can be filled with feelings of loss and sadness just as much as the experience is filled with empowerment and freedom. The energy truly is bittersweet this week. This energy is very much akin to the 8 of cups in RWS type decks.
The thing to do in this environment is to take a reality check. The Autumn Lady works with the queen like an advisor, keeping decisions grounded in reality and practicality. The action of taking inventory is a quiet, introspective one but an action nonetheless.
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L- what it is (cross, reversed) R – what to do (the Lady)
Energy is flowing at cross purposes to your higher intentions. Magick moves slower, this is not a time for impulsive actions.
Feeling is both noun and verb. Feeling IS doing something. Emotions, intuition, gut instinct may sway back and forth, but like a compass needle will help you feel your way forward, like gently finding your way across a pitch-black room.
The Lady card today resonates with the sacred feminine, with the mysterious, spiritual, inward, contemplative side of human psychology that is akin to the High Priestess in other Tarot decks. That is the thing to do. By the same token, being rigid, outward, legalistic, or dogmatic (as one might expect from the Pope card) is something to be avoided in this energy environment.
Lenormand tradition does not give much weight to reversals, but in this case it seems to emphasize the message that the energies are not openly hostile but definitely moving at cross purposes to your intentions. This is not a time for new projects. This is not a time for impulsive action or rash decisions.
Think about finding your highest and best, think of acting (albeit carefully) for the highest good. This is a good week to contemplate your true calling and highest path. Find direction now, take action later when the way is more clear and the resources you need are within view and closer reach. your true calling and highest path. Find direction now, take action later when the way is more clear and the resources you need are within view and closer reach.
To put it in short but controversial terms, be loving and spiritual this week, avoid religion. Feel, more than act this week. Contemplation and kindness lead the way through this time.
Thank you so much for reading. See you at the next sip!
Deck: Healing Light Lenormand by Christopher Butler, copyright 2021 all rights reserved, used with permissions Lo Scarebo publishing
And you thought I was kidding about the whole “I don’t have ducks, I don’t have rows, I have squirrels and they are hosting a rave” thing.
Actually, ‘nibsnextdoor’ is one of my favorite new Instagram finds. Ranks right up there with Mr. Chicken, that animated duck dancing to “Hey Ya!” by Outkast and clips of Count Von Count from Sesame Street set to Dragula by Rob Zombie.
Here is the rave playlist….
I’m in the middle of changing jobs. I’m friggen’ 60 and basically starting a whole new full time job only vaguely related to anything I’ve done before. I’m stressed.
But what I HAVE done before is natural stress management. Tarot is part of that. Readings can help put your mind and emotions at ease. I’m walking, talking PROOF of that. 30 years worth.
My stress managing happy place in Tarot right now is one card daily meditations. I’m going to stick with that on the blog for a little while until I can settle in to the new normal
BUT
Rest assured that free readings are still fully available for members and for purchase from the READINGS menu. Worst case scenario it will just take me an extra day or two to get the reading to your inbox. But even that delay should abate in a few weeks.
Thank you all so much for patience, grace and understanding. I appreciate you!
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Current Energy: THE KEY. This is a time of transition, a liminal portal from one cycle to another – not quite finished, not quite begun. This energy is akin to a blend of the RWS eight of cups and the Magician energy than the pure beginning energy of the Fool card. This isn’t pure beginning. It is manifesting in the context of a new cycle. This resounding quiet is a potent time to plant the seeds of being and set intentions to manifest in the future.
Next Step: CLOUDS. Endings and beginnings both carry potent emotions. When endings and beginnings come close together, as in a closed circle, the emotions can be intensified. Be kind to yourself. Remember moods and emotions are transient as clouds. Let go. You can’t grasp the mist.
Action, doing something, can ease the anxiety and worries that can’t help but persist if we do nothing but wonder ‘what if…’ Action is necessary for there to be change, for anything to actually manifest. But the first step in any action begins in the invisible, begins with thought or decision. Making an action plan is as essential as the action itself, no matter how quickly that thought or decision or plan happens.
Making a decision – even the decision to do nothing – is in itself an action that eases anxiety.
Deck: Healing Light Lenormand by Christopher Butler copyright 2021 all rights reserved used with permission Lo Scarabo / Llwellyn publishing.
Psychologists, holistic health professionals and Buddhists agree. Action Eases Anxiety – maybe better than you think. Simple mental and physical exercises can take the edge off of anxiety, which is more than typical day-to-day worry. Things like naming five things you see, taking a short walk, patterned breathing. I highly recommend @DanHarris and @jim_donovan_sound_health on instagam for more trustworthy real world anxiety advice.
This layout is inspired by Lenormand Tarot but works with any Tarot or Oracle Deck. The left card reads the current concern or the current energy environment. It may be a clue to what is the cause of your anxiety. The right card is a clue to the best thing to do next. It’s like a sentence; Subject and verb. It shows what the situation is and what to do about it.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Queen of Cups. This is deep emotion, perhaps something long suppressed bubbling to the surface. Emotion isn’t your enemy. Sit with it. Feel it fully, then move on knowing it doesn’t rule you or the reality around you.
BEST NEXT STEP: The Emperor. This signifies deep competence and real-world skill. Build your confidence. Head over heart. Let logic lead for a few steps to give emotions a chance to exist and heal and be understood without letting them rule you. You are in charge here and probably doing much better than you may think. Expanded post on https://TaoCraftTarot.com tomorrow
Sage Sips is a free-to-read tarot blog supported by tarot fans like you. Private readings, memberships and virtual coffee gifts all go toward the cost to produce and web-host this blog.
Thank you so much for reading! See you at the next sip!
Don’t worry…you can’t cheat these readings. No matter when you choose your card, even if it is after watching the video and reading the meanings below, it’s still YOUR intuition leading the choice. There is still a choice being made and that’s what it is all about.
“Tarot is about telling you what will happen in life, it’s about figuring out what to do when life happens.” – Sage
This set of cards is very yin/yang like. The ten of cups is internal, about perception and subjective experience, like the black part of the taijitu (yin yang symbol) Yet the contentment is expansive, yang, like the white dot in the yin field. It is about how you occupy your moment and your space.
On the other hand, Pentacles are connected to earth element – the physical realm. This is yang, outward, like the white side of the taijitu. This is about how you interact with the outside world. Yet conserving, contracting, withdrawing – a very yin thing, like the black dot on the symbol.
Which direction did you choose? Where is your flow and change? What do you most need to create harmony with this week?
TEN OF CUPS: Take comfort in friends, family, chosen family and tribe. Moments deep contentment are close at hand and, for the moment, are easier to find.
Or, as Eric Draven (Brandon Lee) said in the 1994 movie The Crow “Little things used to mean so much to Shelly. I used to think they were kind of trivial.Believe me, nothing is trivial.”
FOUR OF PENTACLES: Conserve your resources and mind your budget. It’s the doorway to get through this energy environment and to get to better times. “Temporary setback” “Rally the groups” and “Take action to conserve” “extend resources” all come to mind.
“A penny saved is a penny earned.” – Ben Franklin
Thanks for reading! See you at the next sip!
Deck: Alleyman’s Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund, used with permissions, Publishing Goblin LLC
Sage Sips is coffee for your day in the time it takes to sip your coffee.
Or comfy, cool and inside with the air conditioning. Either way, Distance tarot fits any schedule, even a hectic summer one. Sage sips iced coffee on occasion. Enjoy this sip from 2019. Feel free to browse the archives with the search bar to the right or in the menu on mobile.
Some cards come more naturally than others.
Tarot readers are people too, and have our emotional triggers. Some cards push our buttons more than others. Giving a reading touches our hearts and minds as much as getting a reading. The Hierophant card is a challenge for me when it is drawn in full pointy hat christian-heavy regalia. Just not my wavelength. Fairly or not, my life experience and point of view made the RWS Pope look wrapped in rules and judgement. Until – thank you social media – I read a framework for the card that made sense out of it. At the same time I found decks with artwork that fit the new conceptual fit. In short order, the dogmatic, pedantic pope-ish character morphed into a Grandpa.
Think stories by a campfire. Think shamen. Think wise elder. Think teacher. Think Yoda.
Whichever deck we use, when the Hierophant comes into a reading for a client, intuitively, it seems to take one of those two tracks, whichever best suits the client’s needs I assume. It either vibes with rules or traditions.
On one hand, it seems to have to do with social conformity, playing by the rules. It is compliance with a Papal Edict. Or, it could have to do with nonconformity, breaking social convention, rejecting other people’s expectations. It seems like the sense of it doesn’t follow whether the card is reversed or not. It seems more triggered by the clients nature. If the client is a natural conformist, then it seems to nudge toward being their own person, pushes them a bit toward freer thinking. If, on the other hand, the client is naturally a freethinker, or a rule-bender, then it may be a nudge to “play by the rules” a little more in some respect.
Now that the ‘keeper and teacher of traditions’ notion has crossed my path, it comes through at times even if I happen to be using the RWS deck. It seems to come through with that energy at times when the client is feeling a little uprooted, or disconnected, emotionally or spiritually orphaned somehow. When this is the energy, the Hierophant is a call to join the circle, learn of the past, learn of roots and connections. Just as we are each our own best minister or pope, we are at times our own hierophant, finding and adopting our own spiritual tradition on a path apart from our past or upbringing. Either way, it is about learning a new pattern.
It is a pattern of twos, of balance, in understanding the Hierophant. Comply with rules or find your own path. Embrace or rediscover your tribe and deep traditions or celebrate your initiation into a tribe of one, of you. Either way, the Hierophant is teaching us our path and spiritual tradition.
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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