predict – Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot

I’m as curious as you are

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Deck citations: top row Alleyman’s Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund, used with permission. 2nd and 3rd rows Black Cats Tarot by Maria Kurara copyright 2013 all rights reserved, used with permissions granted on llwellynpublishing.com

Tarot readers are as bad as everyone else.

As deeply as we know that the future is fluid, subject to choice, controlled by simple cause and effect and not subject to exact Tarot predictions – we love a good game of magic 8 ball and will instinctively try to peek at the path ahead as much as anyone else.

Back when I used to work as a Tarot reader for parties and events, I would sit and do yes/no readings to amuse myself until the event opened or until guests wandered over to my table. Shuffling and turning the cards would also let people know exactly what was happening at a glance.

In any case, I’d do three card yes/no readings (exactly like the “zombie cat” yes/no readings available for the “summer shamble”) for silly, fun, trivial questions like “will it rain tomorrow” or more importantly (depending on who you talk to) “will the Penguins win the Stanley Cup next season?” or something like that.

The three card yes/no Tarot layout that I use deals three stacks of cards, stopping at thirteen cards or an ace card whichever comes first for that stack. no aces =no, but easily changed; one ace = flat no; two aces = flat yes; Three aces = yes, but easily changed.

For individual private readings, I’ll add any intuitive thoughts the individual card meanings prompt to fill out the total reading, including the usual psychic / intuitive summary paragraph.

The down side to this is that it doesn’t tell you squat for nothing about open ended questions like “who will win tonight’s presidential debate?” You have to break it down into multiple yes or no components to get any sort of insight at all.

In the photo above, the top row of three was the response to “will President Biden win tonight’s (27 June 2024) debate?

The second row is will (the fascist, racist, rapist, convicted felon whose name will never be mentioned) win tonight’s debate

Dealing and shuffling all of this was a little tedious to do much less video, so you are going to have to trust me that after shuffling 7 times each and dealing right to left to each stack these are the end results.

Will President Biden win? – flat yes

The ace of wands hints that the President will express his true self and true character. If he wins the election this would be his last term, he has nothing to lose by making an impassioned, authentic case. The knight of pentacles and ace of pentacles in the artwork used in this deck (a favorite for yes/no layouts) both hint at a journey in progress. Pentacles themselves hint at physical realm success and wealth – perhaps a bump in fundraising but both cards have an energy overall positive outcomes.

Will the fascist, racist, rapist, convicted felon win? – flat no

Interestingly, in spite of re-shuffling the cards seven times and re-dealing the stacks from scratch, both have the ace of wands in the same position. I think it holds the same meaning for both men, that they will show their true colors. How those colors are seen and received will, as always, depend on the lens through which the audience views them. But the Star card is interesting. I think it is directed more toward audience perceptions then evil orangefuhrers debate performance. The Star card is very much a ‘guiding light’ kind of star. Perhaps the debate will have a greater impact on voting decisions than originally thought. Maybe, must maybe, it will dawn on people who haven’t cared before or haven’t followed the news before what, exactly, is going on.

I have too much personal bias to fairly interpret the final card. In my eyes the Hierophant (Pope) card speaks to evangelical support for this candidate and their blind fanaticism for his candidacy, which mirrors their blind, dogmatic following of their religion so they will not be swayed. While not technically a ‘win’ overall or to 2/3 of the nation, his evangelical base will not be lost either.

But take all this with a giant grain of salt. I thought Bernie Sanders was going to win in 2016.

Let’s hope the timeline we land in tonight is a brighter one than we landed in back in November 2016.

Like with Tarot, your choice matters more than any thin attempt at “prediction” – political or personal.

James Carville’s famous quote applies just as much to Tarot and intuition as it does to politics: “…I’d rather not predict, I’d rather affect.”

Same.

I’d rather not predict. I’d rather give you the conceptual tools to make choices that will affect your future, to help you create the future you hope for.

See you at the next sip. Or rather large drink, depending on your political leanings.

Philosophy

Tarot doesn’t tell you what is going to happen in life; Tarot helps you figure out what to do when life happens.

Today’s post is my philosophy about Tarot in a nutshell. It’s still kind of a big read, but I hope you will stay with it. By the end you’ll know if I’m the right intuitive Tarot reader for you or not. The full version of TaoCraft Portfolio will cover all of this in detail. The free download version tells you about the practical side of readings (formats and such.) You can get the free download HERE and visit the other links on the “about” page for more details

Predicting The Future

It’s impossible.

I’m not going to hand you a platter of easy answers. I’m not going to blow a lot of feel-good smoke at you. This is advanced Tarot and spiritual work intended to inspire you, to empower you, to expand your horizons or best of all, to validate the things you already know.

If all you want is 100% accurate predictions, then you should find someone else. If you want razzle-dazzle mentalism and someone to fix everything then [Jedi hand wave] I’m not the psychic you are looking for.

BUT if you are ready for growth and self-discovery, if you are ready for imagination and exploration and possibilities, then this style of Tarot can help. I hope we can work together soon.

Relationship Questions

Your reading will focus on you, and you alone.

Why not? You are paying for it. A reading should be something special just for you.

Tarot can’t read minds or tell what other people will do. Tarot doesn’t know what other people think, feel or want. Out of respect for everyone’s privacy and personal dignity, I never read anyone’s energy without their direct knowledge and consent. So no, my readings can’t tell if you and your ex will get back together. Instead, a reading can explore how you can heal, if that is what you need. It can help you discover the path to being your best and happiest self. Loving life and feeling at ease right here, right now, is the most powerful way to the discover the right relationship for you.

In some very rare and very special times, the other person will lend a little energy to the reading and give us some vague sense of them. Again, it is very rare and a loving gift from them to you. It is a special experience that should always be respected but never expected. If it does happen for you in a reading, please be careful about talking about it with the person who sent the energy. Many times they are unaware of what happened on a conscious level. Finding out about the reading after the fact is a pretty big intrusion. It may make them feel uncomfortable or hurt. Discretion and kindness are always the best way to handle such things.

Medical or Pregnancy Questions

No. Nope. uh-uh. Not happening.

It isn’t about some fancy Tarot “ethics.” Taking medical questions is a big liability in a litigious society like ours, but that is only part of why I won’t touch medical or pregnancy questions. The main reason is that Tarot is wildly ineffective at dealing with medical concerns.

It. Just. Doesn’t. Work.

I’ve worked in mainstream medicine. I’ve worked with holistic and natural health. You have to have the right tool for the right job. You wouldn’t use your cell phone to hammer nails. You wouldn’t use a hammer to make a phone call. By that same token, you don’t use Tarot to deal with health and healing. There are lots of tools in the wellness toolkit: Diet, exercise, Reiki, meditation, aromatherapy, herbs, acupuncture, acupressure, ayervedic medicine, hypnotherapy, physical therapy, art therapy, music therapy, and yes, mainstream medicine too.

Tarot is not one of these health tools. It is true that some physical ailments heal quicker once you discover their emotional or spiritual roots of the disease IF there are any. Tarot might help that process to a limited extent. Sometimes there is no deep spiritual connection. Some health issues are random and out of our control. Medical issues might be a product of injury, environment or genetics. Tarot can help manage the stress these kinds of problems cause, BUT AGAIN, Tarot is not the best option. Reiki and meditation are more effective tools for discovering the spiritual roots of illness and managing the stress health concerns can cause. As for Tarot….

None of the books, blog posts or services offered on TaoCraftTarot.com can diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or illness whatsoever. Nothing offered here can take the place of professional health or mental health care. I accept no liability of any kind real or implied. Use these books and services entirely at your own risk. Scheduling any session with me indicates that you have read, understood and accept these terms and the policies listed HERE.

All Are Welcome

I want my readings to be comfortable and welcoming for everyone.

To do that, I avoid divisive topics like politics and religion. If anything like that comes up in a reading, I will give the message as I get it. Beyond a few references to religious rituals and practices, I have never had religious or political ideology come up as a message in a reading. I will not allow antagonistic or inappropriate conversation to mar a session. I reserve the right to terminate a reading at any time at my sole discretion with no refund in order to maintain a safe and respectful reading environment.

I shouldn’t have to say these things, but I want to be very clear about a few things: I am a LGBTQIA+ ally, and all are absolutely welcome with me – as are secular people and those of non-mainstream religions. Like I said, I don’t do religion and politics. I believe humans are wonderfully complex, like a faceted diamond. Many facets coexist just fine, in all of us. I’m atheist, spiritual, Taoist, Buddhist, witchy, and Reiki-y all at the same time. All the parts of you are welcome here too.

Interested? Please visit the home page to order a distance reading or please contact me at TaoCraftTarot@gmail.com to schedule a live phone or skype reading.

NEW: FAQ page

Have a question about the inner workings of Tarot? Wondering what the heck Reiki is? Curious about mindfulness or meditation? Read the new FAQ page or ask a question of your own HERE

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Q: Aren’t you supposed to tell me things about myself that happened, like “you just bought a new car.”

A: Wait. What?

I have to admit, this one stopped me in my tracks for a minute.

I mean, how is THAT going to help anything? Who pays good money to have a psychic predict the past? Weren’t you THERE when it happened to…. you?

Obviously, this person wanted me to “prove” my “psychic ability” with her notion of “psychic” being pulling impressive random facts out of thin air.

This is the kind of thing that gives actual spirituality a bad name. Sincere intuitives get lumped together with stage mentalists and performance psychics all too often.

We stopped the reading on the spot. Clearly it was a mis-match. She didn’t want anything to do with my style of advice, personal growth or spirituality and I don’t want anything to do with razzle dazzle trickery.

That isn’t to say razzle dazzle is bad. There is nothing wrong with some good old Vegas style entertainment. Especially since outdated blue laws keep so many of us chained to the “entertainment only” disclaimer. The problem comes, as I see it, when people confuse the two. Things go pear shaped when people expect the two totally separate practices to be exactly alike. If you think all intuitive work is scammy stage shows, then you miss out on the chance for personal growth and genuine insights. If you think all “psychics” are serious spirituality, then you risk being taken in by a scam.

So let’s do what all good academic types do at times like these. Let’s define our terms so we don’t get stage magic and sincere spirituality confused.

Stage Magic: See Penn and Teller. No, really. See Penn and Teller. The way they debunk things and encourage healthy skepticism is a good thing.

Cold Readings: Cold readings take subtle clues like body language, appearance, and verbal cues to steer the conversation so that the sitter (person getting the reading) to think the reader knew all of the details through supernatural means. An obvious example would be noticing someone wearing an engagement ring and asking them if there was a wedding coming up in their family. A fast series of questions going from vague to specific is a good indication that a cold reading is in progress.

I use cold reading to a lesser degree, with one important difference – I TELL you when I’m doing it.

I say things like “I noticed _________.” Or I’ll straight up bald faced ask you something, like what you do for a living?” Then we’ll use that as background context. “In that case” X card meaning is probably more likely than Y card meaning….that sort of thing.

Mentalism is slightly different. Instead of gleaning subtle information from questions and clues, a mentalist will actively insert ideas and deliberately lead the conversation to a certain conclusion that also seems supernatural. One is derivative, the other is manipulative but both lead to a similar illusion.

I don’t use mentalism. I don’t know how to use mentalism. Honestly, it seems like WAY more work than it’s worth. The direct information spirit/energy/intuition gives may resonate with you now, it may resonate with you later, or it may never resonate at all. I give what I get as I get it…the rest is up to you. If a reading empowers you to move along your life path with a little more ease and mindfulness, then the reading has done its job, no manipulation required.

Do I tell you what has already happened to you? Um…no.

Do I tell you what is going to happen to you? Nope.

Do I lead the conversation or take tricky cues to make you think I’m the second coming of the great Carnac? No and no.

What do I do? Read the new “About Tarot Readings” page and see the 5 card reading example and you will know exactly what to expect from your reading time with me.