Weekend Oracle: Yin, Yang and Harmony

Sage Sips is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee


Think of any question that is on your mind, or think of the weekend ahead. This “Weekend Oracle” is the premier of my newest layout, TaoCraft Taijitu.

Inspired by the famous yin yang symbol, this three card layout shows yin (energies you are pulling in) yang (energies you are pushing away) and harmony (a way to be at peace and flow with all of these energies)

As usual, I read the cards right to left. This disrupts the deeply ingrained, logic-driven pattern of reading English left to right. That small cognitive shift helps to improve intuition and keep thought-habits at bay.

Of course, if your native language is Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese or other language that reads right to left, then reading Tarot left to right would make more sense.

With today’s cards we get:

Yin, The World. The World from the major arcana is a very positive, hopeful energy. It points to the big picture, the Gestalt, the everything. This is the energy you are drawing in.

Yang, Seven of Swords. This is energy that is moving away from you, or better still, energy you have been empowered to release and push away. The Seven of Swords card is associated with mischief by others and self-serving deception. In the picture a man is stealing away with swords. I intuitively ‘hear’ the old song “Steal Away” – I forget the artist, it is so old.

But in any case, there is a validating energy. You have been taken, deceived or a general victim of our collective chaotic circumstances just as much as you thought.

Harmony, The Fool. Traditionally the very first card of a RWS Tarot deck, this symbolizes fresh starts and new beginnings.

Taken as a whole, the message seems to be very hopeful: Things have been as bad as you thought, but are getting better holistically even if the changes in any one area of life seem very small. To be at peace and to help this transition along, look for any opportunity to start new .

Thanks for reading! See you at the next sip!

Action Decreases Anxiety: Acknowledge

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Left (the current situation or energy) Four of Pentacles: Hoarding out of fear vs budgeting, taking care, setting boundaries. Does the real-world part of life triggering fear or does it need a little practical management right now? Diane Morgan read the four of pentacles as “secret treasure” Sometimes our greatest treasure is to ground ourselves, move past fear and work through the fear.

Right (what to do next, a good next step) Nine of Swords. Whenever the right card is a swords card, the reading is in the title. Swords symbolize action (among other things) Avoid toxic positivity. It is ok to not be ok. There will be dark times. Actively manage your stress. To manage stress or worry or anxiety or any problem, the first step is to acknowledge it exists. That acknowledgement may feel hopeless and overwhelming, but it is just the first step in solving the problem.

Here, my mind is drawn to some of the panic and anxiety management techniques I’ve seen on social media lately. Both cards point to that kind of energy and action today. If you are worried or anxious, ground yourself in the present moment and your environment. Send yourself a clear message that you aren’t in life or death danger in this specific present moment.

Dan Harris, one of the most practical, accessible, down-to-earth, meditation advocates I’ve ever read describes mindfulness as the capacity to notice. Those social media anti-anxiety techniques draw on exactly that. Use your ability to notice. Try naming five things that you can see. Try naming a pleasant sensation you can experience right now (a soft shirt, a cool breeze, the feel of your feet on the floor, the smell of your coffee…anything) Think of one thing that is going right that you can be thankful for (my coffee is still warm, a glimpse of blue sky, a song on the radio…anything) Think of someone, anyone, and mentally wish them well. Think of yourself and wish yourself peace and safety. Buddhist meditators call those last two Metta practice.

Noticing is an action, albeit a mental one. That still counts. Action decreases anxiety.

Thanks for reading. See you at the next sip!

Action Decreases Anxiety Tarot: Strength and Shade

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The ADA (action Decreases Anxiety) layout shows

  • what it is / the current energy or situation
  • what to maybe do next because action Decreases anxiety

Today’s energy: The Tree – growth and stability. Your source of strength might not be obvious, but it there, underground, like roots to nourish you.

What to do next: The Cloud. Stay cool, enjoy the shade that cloudy days offer. Your social mask doesn’t have to high energy all of the time. Turn down that wattage and use some of that energy for your own recharge. Take a minute. Let the clouds clear and the muddy water settle…a pause can bring clarity. The better you understand, the less frightening it is to move forward. Knowledge is power, but make sure you see clearly.

Deck shown: Healing Light Lenormand by Christopher Butler all rights reserved, used with permissions via llwellyenpublishing.com

The Way of I Ching

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Sometimes when I write members-only posts we’ll talk about other forms of intuition and divination. Sometimes it will be something aimed at fun, with no spiritual meaning at all. In this series of member-only posts we are talking about the I Ching or book of changes as a spiritual guide, like Tarot.

Although “Sage Sips” is the more public facing blog name, under the hood the website and such is still TaoCraft Tarot, a name inspired by exoteric Taoist philosophy.  Exoteric or philosophical Taoism is just that, a way of living and understanding, not a religion per se. Esoteric Taoism is closer to what we in the west think of as religion and it is often a closed cultural practice. If you would like to learn more about that part of Taoism and many other wonderful things, I highly recommend The Tao of Craft by Benebell Wen.

And no, I didn’t borrow from her title.  It was one of those things where I’d been climbing the mountain and when I got to the Taoism meets spiritual ritual part, there was Benebel waiting – we took very different paths to kind of the same words. 

Diane Morgan was there ahead of both of us with her book Magical Tarot Mystical Tao, which has been one of the biggest inspirations and influences for my own Tarot work over the years.  But I digress, but still whole-heartedly recommend both books. 

Openness and inclusion are so fundamental to the exoteric, philosophical type of Taoism that any book written about it is basically accepted as canon...

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On Brand

Sage Sips is Tarot for your day in the time it takes to sip your coffee.

ADA (action dissolves anxiety) Tarot is a daily meditation style reading that helps us understand whatever is going on and get an idea about what to do next. If these are helpful at all, please support Sage Sips with private reading orders, memberships and virtual coffee all HERE.


Left, current situation: The House (stability, foundation)

Right, action: The Moon (intuition, creativity, reputation)

Stay true to your “brand” in other words stand strong for your true self. Either stay with the reputation you’ve built or build a reputation that you can stay with.

In dream interpretation, a house is often symbolic of self. In both Lenormand and traditional Marseille, RWS tarot, the moon is connected to cycles, intuition, spirituality or our spiritual journey.

Life may not feel one bit steady now, but this may be a clue that is ok to lay a few foundation stones for the future. It’s an ok time to think about the kind of person you want to be, the kind of presence you want to be in the world.

If you are happy with who you are, it’s ok to think about how to keep that foundation strong, and fold in the moon’s creativity to keep doing what works. More importantly it is OK to be OK and happy with who you are regardless of a world filled with social media and doubts.

What your “true self” is, what your genuine inner home and foundation is -only you can say. That’s also where the Moon comes in.

Mental action, contemplation, deliberate decisions and making a plan to move forward are all actions, albeit internal mental ones. Those all count when it comes to action dissolving anxiety.

Thanks for reading! See you at the next sip!

ADA (action dissolves anxiety) Tarot 001

Sage Sips is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee (or tea or adult beverage or whatever you have this time of day) – Action Dissolves Anxiety

Thank you for watching the very first ADA (Action Dissolves Anxiety) Tarot post here on Sage Sips. This feels like the reading layout we need.

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Left (what it is, current situation, current energy environment): The Stork – change, upheaval, cycles, deep cleaning

Right (what to do, a good next step): The Tree – Your stability depends on your growth. Increase your awareness, presence, and spiritual center of gravity. Be deliberate. Don’t sleepwalk through the chaos. Do what you can with what you have to grow, to put down roots, to stabilize things as best as you can.

Deck: Healing Light Lenormand by Christopher Butler copyright 2021 all right resserved. Used with permission via https://www.llewellyn.com/about/permissions_tarot (free tarot education, electronic tarot readings)

Week Ahead Tarot 23 Feb 25

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What the energy is: THE LILIES – folks are tired. It’s the end of winter, not quite spring. The energy environment is craving sincerity and stability. Provide that where you can to make the week better, but also protect your own peace of mind.

What to do about it: THE CHILD – the bear in Christoper Butler’s artwork here is key. Kids tell it like it is, so give your fullest honesty and authenticity as you can, but hold on tight to your teddy bear. The deck author writes that the bear symbolizes protection and empowerment. Being authentic is a place of strength. Protect your inner true self: from others, but also from your own inner critic, and let the real you shine.

Deck: Healing Light Lenormand by Christoper Butler copyright 2021 all rights reserved Llwellyn Publishing, used with permission (free tarot education)

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Other Oracles

New exclusive content for members today: “Other Oracles”

Believe it or not, Tarot isn’t the only intuition amplifier in town.

No matter what kind of Oracle or divination technique you use, the real engine underneath it is your human connection to universal energies – your intuition.

We all have that natural intuitive connection, but sometimes spirit speaks in whispers. I’m here to help you turn up the volume and translate those whispers into actual English sentences that you can use.

Email Tarot is my specialty. As a writer by nature, I can give you a very convenient and enriched Tarot reading at a distance through email – the same or better than an in-person reading. We can talk about all of the advantages of that another time.

Today, on the members only blog we are starting a series about other oracles, other tools and techniques for accessing and amplifying intuition.

First up: I Ching. Join Sage Sips members on ko-fi to learn more about this ancient divination technique

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Click HERE to join and read more about the I-Ching and other oracles over the coming months


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Weekend Oracle (6 Feb 25)

Choose your card, get the Oracle card reading below.

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Think of a question, a topic or the weekend ahead. Choose your card. Pause the video if you need time to think, then restart to see the reveal.

PAY ATTENTION (reversed): something important has flown under your radar. Pay attention now and you can figure out the situation. It is just more urgent now than it was before.

THE GAMBLER: Wayne Gretsky said that we “miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” If you don’t try, you have 0% chance of success. Trying, failing, re-thinking, trying again might be a more valuable experience in the long run than an easy success could ever be.

Deck: Alleyway Oracle of Secrets by Seven Dane Asmund. Used with permission from  @publishinggoblin1072 

NEW! Automatic Discounts for Members!

Don’t forget!

As a member you never pay for one card Tarot readings by email. All you have do is DM me on ko-fi or email TaoCraftTarot@gmail.com to request your reading. Please don’t use the readings/commissions menu to order your one card readings, or it will charge. Non-member price is $5 per one card reading.

BUT as a member you ALSO get a discount on all larger readings. 

NEW: the discount applies to video and pen and ink readings too

ALSO NEW: A 30% discount is automatically applied to all readings for members! No code, no separate listing…just order and POOF members get 30% off of their order.

Sage Sip Members receive:

  • Free one card Tarot readings by email available upon request
  • 30% automatic discounts on all larger layouts available on the commissions / readings listing
  • Random other special offers
  • Exclusive content on the members-only blog on ko-fi.

Click HERE to join!