May is National Meditation Month. I’m going back to where my blogging began with one card daily meditation readings all month long.
Today’s card is “The Patient” from Seven Dane Asmund’s Alleyway Oracle of Secrets, created by artist “a paranoid zombie” used used here with permissions from Publishing Goblin LLC
Right away the keywords that light up are about “the acceptance of things as they really are, not the version we wished them to be.”
This is a life lesson that comes to us both from Tarot and Taoism. Think of the classic Chinese painting The Three Vinegar Tasters which has been a lifelong philosophical touchstone for me
Very loosely, the figures represent the three major philosophies of ancient China. Confucius finds the vinegar bitter, and his solution is to teach the vinegar makers better knowledge and technique. Buddha finds the vinegar too sour, and his solution is to learn to deal with the unacceptable flavor. Lau Tzu, the mythical writer of the Tao Te Ching just smiles – because the vinegar tastes just exactly like vinegar.
It is what it is and that is exactly as it should be.
That is acceptance. But critically – acceptance is very different than acquiescence.
Just because you acknowledge and accept the harsh reality of a situation does NOT mean that you’ve given in to it. It doesn’t mean that it is impossible to change or to move forward into a new set of conditions.
The first step in solving a problem is accepting that it exists. The next step is to understand – and accept – what the problem really is. Then you can get to solving the problem and fixing things.
Acceptance is a first step, not the end result.
To take a journey of a thousand miles, the first step has to happen.
For the first step to happen, accepting the existence of the journey is required.
Use the contact form on the Ask Me Anything page to – you guessed it – ask me anything. I’ll answer in a blog post like this one. It might contain a Tarot reading. It might not. But it will be intuition based and free. Unless your question is spam, religious, or inappropriate. Then it will be deleted. Other than that – ask me anything.
Q: I would like to know if the man I am currently in love with loves me and if we will ever be in a serious committed relationship.
Hi *****
Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, I have both good news and bad news. You may not like this answer at all. It might make you furiously angry. Hopefully, over time, the reading will prove more helpful than not – even if it triggers a few feels right now.
The other good news is your question is letting me showcase the new TaoCraft Path layout that is taking the place of my old Modern Oracle/energy flow layout. What follows is exactly like a paid, private email reading, which means you are getting a $30 Tarot reading for free. So maybe it won’t be so bad after all.
The first thing we need to do is give everyone a reminder about how Tarot really works. It is NOT like what you see in the movies or on TV. It doesn’t predict the future because of simple cause and effect. Your choices and actions are what really matters. What you do makes the so-called “prediction” happen or not.
Relationship questions like this are even more complicated. You have no control over what your love interest feels or does. There is only one person in all the universe who can answer if the man you love loves you too – and that is the man himself. All this reading can do is give you insight and understanding and ideas about how to approach this relationship and your feelings about this relationship.
Which begs the question – why are you asking a stranger on the internet if he loves you? Have you told him how you feel?
If you are asking the question because things have been said, things have been left unsaid or neglected or you have any reason to doubt him – we need to look at the cards to find ideas and encouragement for you to talk to HIM about this. You have every right to be safe and happy. If he isn’t right for you, then you need to know from him so you can move on and do whatever you need to do in order to be safe and happy.
If you think maybe he does love you and you are afraid of rejection, afraid of finding out that he doesn’t – welcome to club! You are facing the biggest, most consequential feeling that human beings can experience. Good for you for giving this the care and attention it deserves! Let’s look at the cards and see if we can find you the courage to talk to HIM about this.
Either way, Tarot can’t predict if you will ever be in a serious, committed relationship because it all depends on if you two ever talk about your feelings and it depends on the things in his mind and in his heart – things no other person can know or control.
But now let’s move on to the part that is just like a private email reading.
First we talk about the general pattern of the cards and how they fall in the overall layout. This layout is read from the bottom up, and right to left – exactly the opposite of the way we read words. That helps disrupt logic & language habits, and encourages a purely intuitive reading.
Your card today are:
The Past and its influence: Five of Wands
The Energy Now: The Lovers
Advice & Cautions: The Tower
The Greater Path: Knight of Cups
The Lesser Path: Wheel of Fortune
In the Tarot deck, there are 56 minor arcana cards but only 22 major arcana cards. Minors outnumber majors slightly more than 2 to 1. So when the majors outnumber minors in any layout it is usually significant.
In your case, I think the major cards dominating has two messages.
First and foremost, this speaks to the intensity of emotion at play. This is a big, important, potentially very wonderful thing for you. There is a lot on the line. It is ok to feel big feelings about that. Big emotional energies get the big energy cards.
The other message is that this is a big energy time for everyone, especially here in the U.S. Big political things are happening, there is a comet in the sky, two big storms have just passed, seasons are changing – some of the charged emotions and worries may be coming from the outside. Intuitive people feel resonant energy as if it is their own sometimes. You can see it in physics. If you sound a tuning fork at a particular pitch, a bell at that same pitch can vibrate and create sound even though the bell hasn’t been touched.
Almost every five card reading I’ve done lately has this three major arcana and two minor arcana pattern. That repeating pattern for many unrelated people and readings tells me that a general, environmental, Zeitgeist sort of energy is at play in this reading too. The energy environment may be amplifying your worries a bit. The advice in that situation is simply don’t be impulsive. Be sure before you act. Trust your instincts, but be gentle and patient as much as you can with everyone – both yourself and your love interest.
The Past: Five of Wands
Wands symbolize the element of fire, passions, inner philosophy, and your relationship with yourself. This card gives a feeling of inner conflict. Although the five of wands has to do with conflict it also hints at a positive outcome after that conflict if you put in some effort. If we connect that to relationships, if you have had past bad experiences, don’t assume the same things of this person. Put in your work to be fair to the other person. Be open, aware – don’t be fooled again, but neither should you make assumptions or expect the worst. “Don’t assume” steps forward for emphasis. It’s very important not to jump to conclusions about this person. Again that brings my mind to what we said earlier about talking to him. That kind of direct communication is essential to avoid assumptions or false expectations that may be based only in old bad experiences. Don’t let conflicted emotions get in the way of clear understanding.
Current energy: The Lovers
The Lovers card is one of the most misunderstood. I wouldn’t blame you if you took one look at this and though ‘woo hoo! he loves me and we’re getting married!”
That’s not it at all. It doesn’t say anything about how he feels. It has nothing to do with committed stable relationships (that’s the two of cups, by the way, not the lovers card)
The lovers is about a lusting type of desire, and it can be about a passionate desire for anything, not just a romantic partner. Lust burns bright. Love lasts long. Follow your passion, yes, but that can’t be everything. This card shows how much this relationship has captured you heart and mind. Don’t forget you. Don’t lose yourself. If you love him as you say, then give him the best of you – a whole, healthy you. Don’t forget all the things that make you into the right match for him.
Advice & Cautions: The Tower
It is very common for major arcana cards, like the lovers and the tower to have multiple threads of meaning. The tower most commonly can mean sudden news or an unexpected thing that throws everything into chaos. Adaptability is key in surviving chaos. Think about what you would do, how you would react to whichever way things go with this man. If he doesn’t return your love and doesn’t want a long term relationship – as terrible as that would feel, what would you DO in response? And, crucially, if he returns your feelings and wants to deepen your relationship, as wonderful as that would be what would you want to DO next?
Another less well known meaning is perspective. If you climb to the top of a tower, you can see the big picture, even when things are chaos at the ground level. To understand and better know how to adapt to unexpected things, to understand and better know what you want to do, look for the big picture. Don’t focus only on the relationship. Give time and attention to all aspects of life.
The Greater path: Knight of Cups
This is the direction most open to you, and most likely to lead to a good outcome. Cups cards have to do with the element of water, and symbolize emotions. Knight cards denote action. There is a feeling of smooth sailing, and calm action. Don’t approach this with anxiety. Approach this with calmness and love. Very old interpretations of the card have to do with a message coming to you or travel over water. Calm, cool water comes to mind. Be at peace. You being in a calm, steady emotional place will help things go better. Message is key. Action is key. Talking and communicating with this person is key. Talking and communicating about strong emotions is difficult, but that is the path to a good outcome.
Lesser Path: this is open to you if you choose it, but it isn’t the way things are headed naturally right now.
The Wheel is a card of change. Things will change naturally, whether you do anything or not. This feels like the path of not communicating. This feels like the path things would take if you choose not to talk with him about how he feels. This feels like a path of inaction, just “let the chips fall where they may”
If you don’t talk with him about how you feel and how he feels – then what are the chances he takes that silence to mean that you don’t care?
There is a chance of a good outcome here, but not talking feels riskier than taking a chance on heartfelt, kind, gentle conversations.
Summary
In all of my private readings I end with a psychic summary that lets any last intuitive messages come in no matter whether they have to do with your question and cards or not.
If you feel nervous about talking about big emotions, flower aromatherapy like rose and lavender might help. Also the stone blue lace agate is very soothing to anxiety and connects to the throat chakra to support communication.
I go back to the Lovers card. Keep career, work, health, hobbies, friends – keep a total life balance in the picture. Try not to focus on the romance relationship so much that you lose touch with other things. Especially keep an eye on career, and keep in touch with close friends.
I get a flash of a teapot, which sometimes is symbol for grandmother.
Again the color light blue comes through as something helpful. A flash of a light blue jar candle with a linen or light citrus scent.
Should I become a singer? Would people listen to my music?
Hi M___
Thank you so much for your question.
Before we start, I want to let you know that I personally know nothing about music. Everything in this reading is 100% pure intuition. So if I say anything that feels prickly, or makes you feel defensive, or feels just wrong from a musician’s point of view, please pay attention to that. Those feelings are telling and can guide you as much as what the cards say.
I do have several semi-pro musicians & amateur singers in my family. Knowing how important music and performing can be to a person, I could never tell you NOT to sing. But that is the real crux of all of this. Do you want to sing, or do you want to be a singer?
But that being said, let’s look at the second part of your question first, then we can draw cards and get to the real root of this message for you.
Would people listen to my music? – I don’t know. No one knows. Tarot and psychics do not predict the future, or read people’s minds. If I knew what people were going to like and do, I wouldn’t be on social media trying to showcase my readings and entice people to buy them.
It’s like the “choose your card” post that included the “Lightning in a Bottle” card from the Alleyman’s Tarot deck: “If you want to catch lightning in a bottle you have to stand out in a lot of rainstorms.”
The only way to know if people will listen to you is to sing. Even if you find out the hard thing the hard way, you’ll know. If people listen, you’ll know it was the right choice. If they don’t, you’ll know if being a singer is worth trying and trying and trying again until they do – or not. Is singing worth it if nobody listens but you? Is the music and singing your passion? Is singing its own reward? Or is the people listening to you the real reward and it doesn’t matter if you get their attention through singing, or dancing, or acting, or writing, or some other form of artistic expression?
The first part of your question, “should I become a singer” is perfect for for a “zombie cat yes/no” layout. I explain how those are done in the post from back in February “The Way of Zombie Cat“
Your three cards were: Ace of Wands, 8 of Swords, and The Lovers
One ace among three cards is a NO.
If that answer disappoints you, then that is your real answer.
If you were hoping for a ‘yes’ then let’s keep reading with the other cards and see how to change the ‘no’ into a ‘yes.’
Are you willing to be a singer even if no one listens?
Let’s look at this card by card.
Ace cards are the essence of the suit. Wands have to do with your relationship with yourself, your inner world of philosophy and spirit. Wands are associated with the element fire symbolizing passions. This is the ‘yes’ energy of the reading, even if it is outnumbered by the other card energies.
My hunch this means that the ‘no’ is more of ‘not right now’ than a flat ‘never.’
Something inside needs to change before being a singer is the right thing to do. You need to know how important it is to you. You need to understand the reasons why you want to be a singer and decide if it is worth it, even if it is hard, even if it doesn’t work out the way you want it to work out. Does your fire burn bright enough to endure if endurance is needed?
Eight of Swords: something is holding you back. It’s like that old saying “if you have to ask you can’t afford it.” If you have to ask if you should become a singer, then something is holding you back. What is causing your uncertainty?
By the same token, never wait for perfection. If you wait for the perfect time, the right time will never come. Waiting for the right time can be smart, but it can also be a prison. If you want to be a singer, why not? If no one listens, so what? The experience will always be a part of your story. In the long run what will you regret more – trying and failing or never trying and never knowing if you could do it?
Whatever the mental trap is, this card also means it is escapable. Whatever problems can be solved, but you have to think outside the box. Creative problem solving is key.
The Lovers is a major arcana card, and as such can carry two messages sometimes. That is the case here.
The Lover’s isn’t about romantic relationships as much as people like to think. It is about deep desire for anything, regardless of what that may be. When it comes to being a singer, think about what it is you really want. Is your heart’s desire to be involved with music? Or is performance? Or is it communication? Or self-expression? What is it you really want from being a singer. Focus on that – and the path to and through singer-hood will be easier to find.
The second message this card carries is a nod to the popular reputation that the Lovers card has. It is just a reminder to think about how being a singer will fit into the big picture of your life. What effect will being a singer have on your family relationships, your work relationships, friendships, and yes, any romance that may be in your life.
So, will anyone listen to your music. There is no way to know except to perform or have your music performed and see.
Should you be a singer? If you are asking the question, the answer is probably no. BUT after you look inside, after you become clear about your motivations and desires and true goals, then you’ll know the answer for yourself, no tarot cards required.
That’s when the answer could easily turn into a YES. One you know in your heart if you should be a singer, then nothing can stop you from finding your path.
Good Luck!
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Sage Sips is Tarot for your day in the time it takes to sip your coffee.
The Heirophant (right): Anchor. Find your footing. What is your foundation? Go with what you know and take comfort in traditions to get through the next few weeks.
Six of Swords (left): Go with the flow. Now is not the time to fight upstream. Choose your battles, this is not the day for conflict. May mean travel for some who chose this card – a leisurely vacation is a better choice that an active, over-scheduled one.
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CHOOSE your card from the snapshot above, then watch the video to reveal your card and get the reading in video description or below.
Strength: Never confuse blind fanaticism with strength. The strength you need requires a presence of mind and compassion not just brute physical endurance.
“Digger” Death: Change is not only inevitable, sometimes it is a relief. Bury that thing and walk away. Let it go.
“Bones” Death: Look for what lies beneath. Knowing the whole story can change your perspective, your feelings, your decisions. In other words, knowing the whole story changes everything.
Deck: Alleyman’s Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund used with permission
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I know what to do with weekends! (as far as cyberspace and Tarot goes, anyway)
Nothing! The schedule is that there is no schedule. Family is first priority all the time, but even more so on the weekends. Paid private email readings always get priority over the rest of cyberspace so sometimes there will be free Tarot content during the weekend, sometimes there won’t
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This free blog has its exclusive posts, The Daily Sip subscription has its exclusive posts, both together gets you everything. I post to a variety of social media, but Instagram is the only one I really interact with so if you want to say hi – that’s the place. Simple!
And it all begins tomorrow.
Monday mornings are earmarked for three card pathway readings for the week ahead for everyone: members, free blog, and free podcast. The YouTube channel, Instagram Reels and TikTok will show the real-world card draw for the reading. Facebook and Tumblr will get links to the free blog when it publishes.
Only The Daily Sip membership will get daily Tarot for the rest of the week.
Some days will be a Tarot contemplation with a public domain vintage RWS card image:
Some days will be cards from a different public domain RWS deck that I own, photographed by me and paired with a relevant public-source quote:
Some days will be my card photo and my original card interpretation for the day:
Frank Herbert wrote that beginnings are a time for taking most delicate care. Or as the 1984 movie version put it “A beginning is a very delicate time.” That may be especially true in the planning stages…in the beginning of the beginning. Now it feels more like kicking in the door and getting the party started.
Tarot for your day in the time it takes to sip from your coffee
Some days you just call it a day
Hello and welcome to Sage’s Short Sip Tarot. I’m glad you are here.
Today’s card is the five of swords. It’s one of those cards that gives the swords suit its reputation for being doom and gloom bearer of bad tidings. Not everything in life is all cotton candy and unicorns. It’s Tarot’s job to get in our face about the messy parts of life as much as it is to inspire us with the pretty ones. Tarot’s symbolism is both because life and nature is both, to borrow the sentence pattern from that line in that movie The Craft.
The five of swords is, at least in part, about winning at all costs and when the costs are too high. Hannibal and the elephants he used to cross the alps and win a victory in one battle against the Romans, but ultimately lose the war is the classic example of this. He started with 37 elephants and only one survived or some such thing.
Of course, my favorite telling of the Hannibal story is Eddie Izzard’s brilliant stand up bit about the Latin language including something about elephants looking like squirrels in the front and pigs in the back.
Thinking of that favorite piece of video (it’s on the internet, and I recommend it) might be a little carry over from yesterday’s Tarot Turnover where we talk about how to read Tarot on the members only blog. Yesterday’s card was the Page of Cups, which always carries a little bit of humor and absurdity. I mean, it shows a dude on a beach staring at a fish in a cup. Whatever other symbolism that may hold, it is on its face a little silly.
So are pigs and squirrels.
When we combine the two cards we get a reminder very apropro to a Monday morning like this.
Ridiculousness and absurdity might be a clue.
When things are dramatically not going your way, when you run headlong straight into a wall, it might be time to pack up your pigs and squirrels and cross the Alps another day.
Winston Churchill may have equated victory with survival, but is that really the victory we are stressing over? If this card speaks to you today, it may be time to stop and evaluate your goals. If it is survival, yes, by all means do that.
If your goal is a quick mocho-choco -frozo-latte when there is a line at the coffee shop, then this is your cue to ease up, and define victory a little differently. Be kind to yourself AND the local barista. Is this really as big of a deal as it feels? Is it worth it? What do we define as a success? Do we need to re-visit and change our goals and our definition of success? What is really, really worth every bit of your persistence and resources and what should be left for another day?
Thanks so much for reading and listening. I wish you and all of your pigs and squirrels a lovely Monday.
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If there is an overarching idea to all three cards together, it would be that your choice matters, which is the core essence of all of the YouChoose video posts. These readings are designed to cut through the noise of social media and let you personally touch your reading. As Mat Auryn said in Psychic Witch “What you touch, touches you” or something very akin to that.
If you like this personalized touch to the readings please let me know! If you tell me the kind of Tarot content you would like to see, I’ll do my best to create it. Talk to me! Ask me anything* and I’ll do a Tarot reading for it in the upcoming season of Clairvoyant Confessional podcast (new episode expected Sunday, September 26) Drop a comment below or email your questions to ClairvoyantConfessional@gmail.com.
Six of Swords: Go with the flow, but choose which current you float in. The dog you feed is the one that grows strong.
Page of Cups: find wisdom and inspiration in the absurd. Laugh your way into a better frame of mind.
King of Pentacles: Control what you can – but remember that control seldom occurs in the physical realm. Most of the time your only dominion is over yourself. How you react to things is where you greatest power and most impactful choice can be found.
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Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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