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.
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The ADA layout, opposite to all of my other layouts is read left to right, just like reading English. There is a reason for both. Reading in a direction opposite of my native language disrupts the logical process of reading and grammar, which makes it easier for intuition to flow through.
In this case, the sentence-like structure is the point of it.
I was listening to a podcast that was talking about Lenormand Tarot, and it echoed my own (albeit limited) experience with the Lenormand deck. It is very language like and better suited to small 2-3 card layouts. These small Lenormand readings are often blunt, forthright, in the present moment with a subject and predicate, noun and verb quality. This layout focuses on exactly that: the energy thing that is and what to do.
Today’s energy: Clover. Just like the famous four leaf clover, this is a card of growth, luck
What to do: The letter. Communication is key. Take care to listen and not jump to conclusions. Take care about what you say and speak into being.
Deck: Healing Light Lenormand by Christopher Butler c 2021 all rights reserved. Used with permissions on llwellynpublishing.com
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Sage Sips is Tarot for your day in the time it takes to sip your coffee
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Left (what is going on, the current energy): The Empress. Nature is calling. Deep solutions for small problems are closer at hand than you may think.
Right (a good next step, an idea for what to do next): Nine of Wands. Whatever you are feeling right now is valid and worth your attention, even if it is a whole lot of tired. Tend to your needs for a minute so you can regain your strength and persist for yourself and or others.
Sage Sips is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee.
Choose your card, left or right. Pause if you want more time. Restart to see the reveal and get your reading below
Four of Cups: You can offer every drop of all you feel, but you can’t control if another person will receive it. There is emotional truths in the adage “You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make them drink.
Page of Wands: Sometimes life’s biggest lessons are a baptism by inner fire. Your passions will teach you. Wishing health, safety and peace for all in the Los Angeles area disaster
Sage Sips blog is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your emotional support coffee
On Fridays, I want to get back to writing “Weekend Oracle” and draw an Oracle card to get a feel for the weekend energies and maybe get a hint how to best navigate this liminal time. Not everyone gets a work break on the weekends, and they may enjoy the same heads up the rest of us like on Mondays. Plus, with the vast majority of folks on a weekday schedule, weekends have a different vibe, they are the space between work week for the majority of us. Weekends have a different vibe, and a touch of that liminality where magic lives.
I started to do that today, but still got the intuitive ‘nope’. Halloween last night might have been a pressure valve. The collective energy here in the US may have taken a deep breath, a long drink of a cold beer and a hefty dose of chocolate last night, but things may re-ramp up as we sprint to the finish line with this election thing as far as the actual voting goes.
So nope.
I’m still going on meatspace sabbatical for collective energy readings. Y’all on your own with whatever coping skills you already have on board (reaches for coffee and emotional support Doritos)
Private readings, however, are a whole different story.
I’ve been doing those all along, and last night was the first time in a while they layouts weren’t all supercharged with big time major arcana energy. There were major arcana cards all around, so no stagnant or stuck-energy messages, but nothing over the top either. All very pleasant and positive, actually.
Encouraged by that, I drew a “weekend update” Tarot card this morning for myself rather than the collective. It may apply to a broader audience – In fact, I hope this is a collective reading even though I’m not inclined to really read it that way.
Eww – no – still too sticky mess melange of right wing-y nazi-ish nastiness out there, despite it being a sunny, cool, pleasant morning where I am…
So still no on the collective energy read, but in a good way.
The card was the Sun which is about as all-good as Tarot gets. It is a card of happiness, optimism, joy, success and all of those things we like to hear. I’m not so overly optimistic as to think of this as a good omen for the election outcome, but it is going to be OK between now and Tuesday.
There is just as much chance of happiness as there is of anything else.
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.
Sage Sips blog is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee
I am LOVING this cooler weather, which means its cool enough to fire up the oven and bake something.
Believe it or not life isn’t all Tarot and out there in the world is where the rubber meets the road with intuitive and psychic learning. What’s the good of it if it doesn’t make everything else a little better? And Tarot can’t make other stuff better if there is no other stuff in the conversation.
I promised you occasional exclusive content, and I want to make good on that promise…with some non-Tarot fun stuff. This month’s “ko-fi challenge” is to share things that give you creative joy. You already know the creative joy of Tarot. Now I’d like to share some of the other little things that bring joy – creative and otherwise – to life for me. It may bore you to tears, and it certainly isn’t the right thing for everyone. I’m sharing these things not because you should do them, but as a little incantation – a little wish that you find the things that bring the same joy to you whatever that joy-bringer is for you. Today, my joy-bringer is baked tater tot hot dish
Y’all know my politics, especially if you follow me on Threads (also reverted to the @TaoCraft handle) And if there is any way on earth to entice me to donate to a political campaign it would be to offer a recipe in return. So who am I to turn down a chance to peep Tim Walz’ hot dish recipe.
Not disappointed in the donation one bit, but the recipe needed a little work. Sorry Tim, but if I have beer in the house Imma drinking it, not boiling onions and brats in it. But it does have plenty of cheese which is the important thing.
Every time I hear them give a speech or see them interact with the public, the more I appreciate, respect both Vice President Harris and Governor Walz. I mean listen to them and LOOK at their eyes and faces. This is real deal compassion and leadership. Governor Walz is amazing and does a million things super well, but I suspect cooking isn’t one of them. Hopefully Kamala will sort that detail out. I am 100% down with her turkey roasting method that went social media viral in 2020. Put those two in charge PRONTO.
Please donate if you can while you are there. It truly is existential. If you have any regard for spirituality or Tarot or ANYTHING other than authoritarian white Christian nationalism, you are in their culture war cross hairs. It is my deepest wish that we all have a happy, healthy, prosperous, well-fed future from this present moment on.
Watch the video. Choose your Tarot card for the week. Pause if you need a little time. Get your Tarot reading in the post below.
The ko-fi page is back to TaoCraft Tarot!
Three of Pentacles: “Team work makes the dream work” is cliche and cringe, but this is a good week to be open, give a fair listen to other ideas. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Adaptability can help you thrive.
Ace of Wands: Inspiration CAN come from anywhere, but for you, Don’t forget to filter, use discernment. Look at other ideas in the firefight of your own passions.
Interactive Tarot: use your intuition to make your card choice and get your Tarot message for today
High Priestess: Read between the lines. Look for the mysterious wrapped up in the obvious. Know the real story before snapping to judgement or jumping into action.
Seven of Wands: Life isn’t all smooth sailing. Conflicts happen, so this card is as much about HOW you handle them, not if they will happen. When the inevitable hiccup happens, handle it with compassion, humor, and style. Bring the logic, kindness and all the rizz you can muster.
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