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Three of Swords: The first step in healing a broken heart is acknowledging it exists. It’s ok not to be ok. You don’t have to be ok. You only need to be. Moment by moment, day by day it slowly gets better. Dharma Drum Mountain gives the best advice I’ve ever seen for dealing with heartache and problems.
Face it
Accept it (accept it is real, not that it is right – more on that later)
Deal with it
Let it go
Nine of Pentacles: It’s a good place. It’s a good day. It’s OK to be OK. You don’t have to be broken. You don’t have to be overjoyed. You might be (or be on the road to being) one of the lucky ones. At the same time, you don’t have to be anyone else’s savior either. You only need to be. The good things around you will take care of the rest.
The Wheel of Fortune: Up or down, we are all riding the same wheel. As the wheel of life turns, your direction up or down depends on which way you look. Shift your perspective and you are suddenly moving toward instead of away from and vice versa.
Even with your choice, this is still a collective energy reading. You get to choose which card was for you, but the card’s message was still drawn from the larger, Zeitgeist, collective energy today.
Choosing to participate at all led you to the three descriptions together. If one of the other interpretations matches you better – that’s OK too!! The process still brought you to a message that resonates with you. That’s what really matters. Keep eyes and ears open and your right message will find you, one way or another.
Want a truly personalized, private, just-for-you reading? Email and recorded video readings are open now – no appointment needed, prices from $5 to $30 total cost, no hidden fees or per minute rates.
Email readings have a picture of your individual real-world card layout. Videos show your cards being drawn. No matter whether I type it or say it – you get the same reading and the same message. It makes no difference to the process if I say it to a mic, type it on a keyboard to tell you live on a phone call. The words are the same regardless of how the words get to you.
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.
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Life is a stress test.
In medicine, a cardiac stress test is where a person exercises with an EKG, an electronic measurement of heart activity. In some kinds of heart disease the problem doesn’t show until the heart is put under stress by the physical activity.
Sometimes in life, our innate strength doesn’t show until it is put under stress by life.
The problem comes when strength isn’t recognized for what it is or if we expect it to be different than it is.
Being sad during sad times isn’t a failure of strength. Acknowledging it and dealing with it is strength, especially when that strength comes in the form of asking for help.
In The Crow movie, Eric Draven said “It can’t rain all the time.”
The sun can’t shine all the time either.
The world would be Death Valley if it did.
Both are essential. Both are inevitable wherever life survives and thrives. There will be times of sadness or suffering. Period.
They come, but they need not steal our strength. If anything, they just might uncover a gift, namely the strengths and foundation that the good times provided.
Sometimes a ‘fading energy’ card is less overtly fading, but a reminder of times past…a reminder to use tools and skills that have worked well in the past. This card is less fading and more reminding, asking us to remember the lessons we’ve learned and bring them forward to apply to current situations. Those lessons learned are a treasure trove – like 9 coins is a treasure, a high number pentacle card.
The Ace of Cups has an abundant, overflowing cup sort of feeling. It confirms what you have – confirms the inner strengths symbolized by the 9 of coins is indeed there, full, at the ready to pour out on any problems that come up.
The five of cups is emotion spilled, but not emotion denied – tears spilled, but not tears denied. It may be a new problem, but it just might be a comfort to find an old skill that still works.
Thank you for reading. Please come back Wednesday, September 20 to start the next “Learn With Me” series when we start to explore the 36 card Lenormand Tarot.
You don’t have to know. All you need is to know how to know, you know?
Hello and welcome to TaoCraft Tarot blog and podcast. I’m glad you are here. Short Sip Tarot episodes like these are Tarot contemplation in the time it takes to sip from your coffee – or whatever you happen to be drinking at the time of day when you read or hear this.
I’m using the Alleyman’s Tarot today. This card is the nine of disks, used as the nine of pentacles, or coins. Pentacles, disks, coins: the name is up to the deck author, but they all symbolize the basic things. There may be other names for the suit, but these three are the ones that I’ve seen. The Nine of Disks in the Alleyman’s Deck is from the Sola Busca Tarot used via Wikimedia commons. This is a public domain deck from the 1400s.
When I first drew the card. I honest to goodness had no idea what it was or what it was about. The little dude getting squashed under a flaming barbeque grill filled with a bunch of pot lids in it could be anything. It is a world apart from that happy, truth-y, good conclusion, earned reward vibes we see from the 1909 Waite Smith Tarot and later decks based on the RWS structure.
Seven Dane Asmund’s interpretation in the Alleyman’s Guidebook is entirely on point for this striking, remarkable card. I can see why he chose to put it in the deck. In the guidebook he, in the guise of the Alleyman, he writes about the cost of success and the crushing emotional and mental burdons of striving for (and maintaining) success, particularly the material type of success and that defined by those outside oneself.
In other words, what price victory? What is true success and is it worth the toll it takes? In my experience, those questions and concepts attach to the five of swords in a typical deck. The Alleyman’s Deck, however, is different. The artwork here is perfectly aligned with the caution against pyrrhic victories. I’m glad he picked up on that. Totally blew by me.
So back to me staring at the card and thinking “heck if I know” I didn’t recognize the deck, I didn’t recognize it as a nine of disks or or nine of pentacles analog, and I sure as heck didn’t have any sense of a message from it.
I think that, in itself, is part of the day’s energy and message. Again it is something I typically get with or through another card, in this case The High Priestess. Mystery and the unknown is, to my way of thinking, under the priestess’ purview. The mysterious is the High Priestess’ expertise. Living with the abstract & unknown is very much a part of the lessons that this card teaches.
The message here is an important one. In my opinion,life’s mysterious, intangible, abstract, and perhaps unknowable aspects are more fitting to a major arcana card rather than the nine of disks. But that’s just me, and that is drawing from other decks, not the Sola Busca.
You know that adage where if you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, but if you teach him how to fish, then you feed him for a lifetime?
The same is true of knowing things.
You can’t know everything, but if you learn how to learn, if you learn how to go out and find what you don’t know now, it’s the next best thing to knowing in the first place. Only an empty cup can be filled. You can only learn something when you know that you don’t know something.
Knowing that the unknown can be learned, takes the fear out of the dark corners of life’s uncertainty. Both Tarot and science shine this light. Neither offers absolute knowledge, but both offer a method of learning about the inner and outer cosmos respectively.
It’s ok to not know what you are seeing or what to do when a flaming grill full of pot lids falls from the sky like some sort of medieval Sputnik. Life is like that sometimes. It’s ok to not know stuff. The trick is being willing to learn what the space grill means to you.
Thank you for reading and listening. Your likes, subs, shares, questions and comments are always welcome and appreciated. The blog and podcast are not monetized, so if you enjoy these readings please support them on the TaoCraft Tarot ko-fi page.
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Be a Superhero. Be yourself. The 9 of Pentacles is today’s short sip tarot reading.
Hi and welcome to TaoCraft Tarot blog and podcast. I’m glad you are here.
Today’s card, the nine of pentacles, is as light and simple as yesterday’s card, the hierophant, was heavy and complicated.
Thom Pham’s Heart of Stars third edition deck was the absolute perfect one to carry today’s message. I don’t know that this energy could come through quite this way with any other deck.
This deck has a lot going for it including Mr. Pham’s raw artistic talent, and excellent guide book writing not to mention the color palette and the watercolor aesthetic. But it’s his use of movie and TV references that drew my attention to the deck in the first place and makes it a favorite deck to this day.
My intuition works exactly that way. If you have ever had a reading with me, chances are that some sort of song, tv show or movie came up. I’m not a super deep-cut kind of media watcher, so if something comes to mind that I actually recognize, chances are that it is popular enough to be relatable to most clients.
Like right now for example. This probably is nothing more than an example, but if it is meaningful to you somehow, that’s perfect, roll with it. Right now the mental image of baby yoda grogu sipping soup comes to mind. Even if you didn’t watch the Mandalorian series, the snippet of baby yoda sipping from a cup has been a fairly viral internet meme. For me, it is symbolic of utter calm in the middle of utter chaos. It is a more recent image that carries the same feeling as that scene in the 1991 version of Robin Hood where the Sheriff of Nottingham comes into a room and starts pacing and yelling and in a brilliant bit of stagecraft Alan Rickman stabs the dinner ham to bits while the sheriff’s witch-sister deadpan asks “something vexes thee?”
Or, if you are middle aged gen x vanguard like me, you might remember that Hawkeye quote from the TV series MASH “if you can keep your head while those about you are losing theirs, then you probably haven’t checked with your answering service lately.”
Whichever pop culture image you most resonate with, it carries the advice to stay chill no matter how chaotic it gets. Be the cooler head that prevails.
See how that works?
But back to the nine of pentacles. Thanks to the Heart of Stars deck, it has a superhero vibe to go with the picture of Wonder Woman. Classically, nine of pentacles is associated with truth, happiness and, as the artist himself put it , quote This card represents self-reliance and the need to question your biggest assumptions in order to challenge the status quo and things that seems so normal because everyone around you is accustomed to the same beliefs. End quote.
Raise your hand if you see the connection to yesterday’s card.
Some people, for their own health and safety, cannot express their authentic selves. It is a harsh reality and necessary choice. When someone does that, they do so in quiet service to their own health, safety and sanity. That choice is as worthy of our love and support as any other.
Today’s card is the opposite side of the same coin. If you have the wherewithal and opportunity to live your truest most authentic self (and only you can decide what that is) then you have the obligation to do so.
Here, instead of a clairvoyant mental image, I’m getting a clairaudient mental snippet of a song. It’s Odd Future by Uver World that was one of the opening themes for the anime My Hero Academia, although I forget which season.
So there you have your soundtrack for today’s Tarot. Be a hero by being yourself. Be a hero by living and speaking your truth. Without even trying you might inspire someone who can’t do the same thing right now. If you are heroically out there living your best life, you might just heroically comfort someone who really needs to see someone like them.
Or if anime themes don’t convince you, maybe psychologist Carl Jung can. He once said that quote the privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are end quote.
Today the nine of pentacles is asking us to exercise our privilege, be our glorious true selves and maybe inspire other people to become the same kind of hero too.
Thank you so much for reading and listening! Any likes, subs, follows, shares, questions or comments are always appreciated. If you enjoy these free to access tarot readings, please visit the TaoCraft Tarot Page on ko-fi. There is a link in the episode description. The shop, memberships and virtual coffees all support the creation of the blog and podcast.
Thanks again. See you at the next sip!
Speaking of the next sip…that will be in two days. Like the meme says, I don’t have ducks, I don’t have rows, I have squirrels and they are hosting a rave. The squirrels are a little out of hand tomorrow so short sip will be back on Thursday June 9
Today’s YouChoose works the same as always: pick a card. You choose the card, you choose how to apply it. Pause the video if you want a minute to think about which card you want, then restart to see the reveal and hear the card interpretation.
To keep the reveal a surprise (because I know you have good instincts and will pick the right card for you) the video will stand alone without a transcript so there is no peeking.
Stay tuned for more short sip Tarot reading posts and an update about Spring ’22 hours.
Thanks for watching!
Comments and questions are moderated but welcome below. Select replies post in the blog.
It’s still summer allergy season, and my voice is showing it today. This week, the YouChoose Interactive reading is going to be a hybrid of blog post and YouTube video like we usually do during the week for the “Today’s Tarot” posts.
But it works the same. Pick a card. Choose on impulse, or if you want more time, pause the video then restart to see the reveal. Try not to read ahead if you want the full interactive, just-for-you experience.
Either way, even if you get a glimpse of the writing below, at least you know that this post, like all of them, is a reflection of a real-life, real-cards, random card drawing. Just like my InkMagic handwritten pen-and-paper Tarot readings, you get the best of both worlds: old school physical cards meets the convenience of internet access.
It doesn’t happen often, but two of the cards are reversed. If you pick one of them, please read this post about card reversals along with the short reading about this week’s energy for you.
Left: King of Swords. The energy here matches with the air-element, mentality & intellect connotations of the card. There isn’t as much of an outward leadership energy. It is more of inward sense of responsibility. Be a leader of yourself, for yourself…the king of your inner world. The cutting edge of the sword comes to attention and I hear “cut away the chaff” Cut through the noise and unnecessary details “cut to the chase” and get to the heart of the matter this week. It’s a good time for root cause analysis.
Center: Queen of Wands (reversed). Don’t hold back the joy. Celebrate your authentic self, and be joyful in other people’s authentic self expression too. Related post: Something Fabulous This Way Comes.
Right: Nine of Pentacles (reversed) Don’t draw things out past their prime – bring this puppy in for a landing. There is an energy of wrapping up, gathering up or gathering in. Pick up the leftovers and fall out and take inventory of all you have on hand. Sweeping up the confetti, and seeing how much glitter is left can help you plan your next parade. Finish, put the final touches and polish on a project. Finish something well and on a high note in order to build a good feeling and strong foundation for your next project or the next big phase of something in progress. Lots of career and work energy around this card.
Pick a card, left, center or right. Pause the video if you need a minute then restart for the reveal. Or just go with your first impulse. It works find either way. Then scroll down for the full reading. After that, I’ll be making a ranty announcemet un-announcing what I previously announced. Feel free to click away if you aren’t in the mood for it. I won’t swear. Much. I promise.
Left: Page of Pentacles. Learning is the elixer of youth. A little exercise doesn’t hurt, either. Pentacles are associated with earth element and the physical realm, often with career or wealth. If you are involved with any sort of training for work, this is a good week to focus on that. Energy put into aquiring new skill will be productive at some point. The Page of Penticles often hint at new opportunities. If you are well along in your career and an expert in your field, then write or teach. That is a learning experience too. If you have to understand something very well in order to explain it clearly and simply. No matter which end of the Socratic log you are sitting on, this week’s energy is flowing toward communication and new ideas.
Center: Page of Cups. I love this card. Life can be ridiculous. Some days you just kind of find yourself standing in the surf staring at a fish. Weird things happen. Life can be random. I feel a funky mojo week coming on. We can let it get to us – stew, brew and give it energy OR we can surf the waves and bring our new fishy friend. Other people’s harsh can be soothed by the waters of our sense of humor. Sure, 2020 has been a hot toxic dumpster fire in the U.S. for a lot of people. It’s hard to keep a sense of humor about real problems, but it helps.
Right: Nine of Pentacles. This card is associated with “truth” Of course everything is relative and there always seems to be that famous addendum that something is true “from a certain point of view.” This week, you may be asked to see the difference between subjective ‘truth’ and objective facts. Be clear on the objective and measurable. This is a week to remember that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. Objective, observable, prove-able facts can be your tether and gaslight gas mask. Stay rooted and grounded, and be the voice of reason as best as you can in a week that might seem a little off kilter all around you.
You know that new subscription tier for the blog with the extra content and the one card tarot reading for each subscriber? Not happening.
Stripe, the payment processing service used for the premium blog arbitrarily excludes legitamate businesses on the basis of their content alone. To my mind this constitues outright discrimination against non-mainstream spiritual expression, like Tarot. I caution against working with this company in any capacity.
That being said, there will be no change in the blog or youtube channel. Both will remain free and unmonetized. Your reading purchases will still be processed through secure, reputable PayPal buttons.
I have over 25 years of experience. I’m really good at this – distance readings have been my specialty for years, so you are getting the benefit of that experience with each session. I’ve said time and again that Tarot does not and can not predict the future. That, as I see it, puts Tarot clearly in the realm of customized folk and first amendment protected speech and spiritual practice. My business practices are tranparent and expllicity published here.
As are prices. They are explicit, flat rate fee for service except large parties will charged hourly whenever they return. You know your full cost up front before you ever place the order for your distance reading or live phone session. No per minute rates that keep you talking and no hidden fees, ever.
Long story short, your blog follows, shares, likes, and reading orders are more appreciated than ever, particularly while in-person and party readings are closed during the pandemic.
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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