Six of Pentacles and quote from freethinker Rober Ingersoll
Quote via goodreads.com
Robert Ingersoll was a nineteenth century writer, speaker and lawyer famous at that time as an agnostic and freethought advocate.
The Six of Pentacles is about the flow of abundance and generosity. It often speaks about generosity of spirit as much as it talks about money or physical things.
A big thank you to alert reader L.K. who caught that the dice from yesterday’s Learn With Me post was hard to see because of the video text!
See? I don’t bite. The comments are open, let me know whatever questions or feedback you have. Then I’ll post answers and make adjustments so that Sage Sips can be as relevant and useful as possible.
Ask me anything! Get an answer here! In true Zombie Cat style, all answers are 100% guaranteed to contain words!
Publishing Goblin’s Oracle Dice are used with permission by Publishing Goblin, LLC
Please remember me if you ever want a Tarot Reading.
My private readings by email are affordable, professional, ethical and available to order 24/7 no appointment needed – order HERE.
Learn With Me as I explore the new Publishing Goblin’s Oracle Dice from Seven Dane Asmund
I’m a big synchronicity fan (The Police album AND the Jungian concept)
Even after all of these years, I’ll still have days where I pull a card for the blog and get a whole lot of nothing intuitively. Luckily, thanks to the extra boost of energy from a client’s name and question / permission for an open reading – that doesn’t seem to happen for private readings. Even if it did, the solution is the same: prompts.
Have you ever seen those antique hand pumps for water? I’m not sure of the physics of the whole thing, I think Archemedes Principle has something to do with it – he was that ancient greek dude that was into sloshing water – but for the hand pump to do its thing sometimes you had to put a little water in it before you could use it to pump more water out of your well. “Prime the pump” came to mean anything that you put into something to make it work.
It’s kind of like lubrication too – oil changes for the car, oil on squeeky hinges or stuck locks – that sort of thing.
When intuition feels stuck, it is perfectly ok to prime the pump. It’s ok to look for a little extra inspiration outside of the dice or cards or whatever you happen to be using.
Look, listen and read works for me.
Look around you – does anything in view grab your attention? That might be an extra help for your intuition.
Listen – is the intuition coming through as a sound or bit of music instead of the card or dice or in place of anything visual at all? If listening doesn’t work pay attention to any scents or physical sensations that pop to mind.
Read – if nothing else works, pick up the guide book for the oracle your using or any other guides that are relevant. I have a whole collection of Tarot books, so if I’m not getting anything intuitive right off the bat I’ll browse through several to see if any of the key words hit as the right one.
Today’s dice toss was a little bit of both
My impulse impression was “infinity” because of the sideways it landed. Had a few quick thoughts that you can see in the video. After that nothing except the nagging feeling that I was missing something. The heart shape is obvious and shows Seven Dane Asmunds genius in designing these things.
Here is the Jungian kind of synchronicity here. I haven’t read the dice guidebook yet. 138 dice faces is a bit much to take on all in one go, so I’m learning the oracle dice little by little right along with you in these posts.
Just by pure but meaningful coincidence, the die lands with the image sideway, prompting the association with “infinity.” Combine that with the obvious heart shape, gives us “infinite heart.”
Go to the guidebook an the die itself is “elements” and this face means -SOUL!
(Doh! Why didn’t I think of that right off?)
Beautifully designed and communicative image – yeat again.
To quote the book “Soul, as an element, speaks to the human element of the world, and its positive and negative affects.”
Although “effects” would work there too.
The image has a light side and a dark side which also perfectly reflects human nature and warms the cockles of my Taoist philosophy loving heart.
This is the dice-face of humanity and the infinity of the human heart.
Thank you for reading!
The Publishing Goblin’s Oracle Dice is used with permission from Seven Dane Asmund (author of the Alleyman’s Tarot) and Publishing Goblin LLC
If you enjoy Sage Sips, please remember me for your private Tarot readings too.
Your likes, subs, follows, shares, comments and virtual ko-fi coffees are all greatly appreciated!
See you at the next sip!
A Tarot reading for the week ahead, depending on your point of view
Most of us have seen Star Wars. If you haven’t, stop what you are doing, put this post down and go watch. Then go read Joseph Campbell’s book The Power of Myth and you’ll understand why Star Wars is a classic, epic movie that shouldn’t be missed even if you aren’t typically a science fiction fan.
Point of view comes into play with Tarot readings too.
I’m happiest when I take the most gestalt, holistic point of view that I can muster, Tarot readings included.
Was feeling the Alleyman’s Tarot Deck this morning (used in the video with Publishing Goblin‘s permission) We’ve talked before about reversals, which is when a card turns over upside down relative to the person doing the reading. The Alleyman’s deck tends to feel a little wild and woolly and slippery and a little chaotic and prone to reversals – which makes it perfect for capturing the cacophony of big picture humanity and that collective big picture energy we read in these weekly posts.
Today, all three cards are reversed.
You could take that to mean we are heading into a gnarly catawampus upside down kind of week (which is entirely possible.)
Or you could take it as a reminder that if we walk around to the other side of the table and look at this from a different point of view, then everything is right side up, just as we want it to be.
I’ve said it dozens of times, but it is worth repeating when ALL of the cards are reversed. In a private reading, I’ll follow intuition about any given card’s reversal. It might just be happenstance, the by-product of slippery cards and lots of shuffling. Or it might be a real clue about something that is blocked, turbulent, challenging, stagnant or otherwise complicated.
My hunch today is that it really doesn’t matter. It is like a double negative that gets you right back where you started. The reverse of fading energy is growing energy and vice versa.
I get the mental image of a seesaw. The yin yang symbol strongly comes to mind. Balance whatever turns up this week with its opposite. The yin yang symbol, the taijitu, is actually intended to be dynamic. The balance is in constant motion, like we’ve talked about so many times before with the Two of Pentacles (you can use the search in the right hand side of the page or scroll down on mobile to browse the 2 of pentacles archives)
My hunch is that the real carry away message for this weeks reading is to be adaptive. Be light on your feet and in the moment, willing to change and balance a situation. In order to do that, we need to remember there are 360 degrees in a circle around these cards and many points of view to any given situation.
So chalk one up for Old Ben.
Let’s look at each card. But this time I’ll let you decide the point of view. You decide which side of the table you are on. The center card is the dominant, current energy either way you look at it. But you can decide if it is blocked or not, reversed or not, complicated or not.
Fading energy reversed / growing energy upright: Two of Swords
In the classic Pamela Smith artwork and the many decks based on that, the two of swords reverses. This card, made by Sean S. LeBlanc, looks and means the same thing either way. It fits right in with the gestalt thinking and adaptive balancing that the reading as whole is giving us. The classic meaning is being “of two minds” about something. Swords are associated with mind, intellect, and action. It is hard to act when we don’t know what to do and the mind is locked into a “six of one, half dozen of the other” stalemate. The image on this card is a guillotine. Right side up or up side down, fading energy or growing energy, the message of this card is cut to the chase. Get to the point of points. Strip away all of the fluff and nonsense and distractions and get to the real heart of the matter. THEN you can decide, act and find balance as needed.
Central Energy, reversed or upright: The Sun
Sunrises are beautiful.
But so are sunsets.
The sun card is about warmth, beauty, positivity and happiness. I am reminded of that quote of unknown origin (although often credited to Abraham Lincoln) that “Most folks are as happy as they make up their mind to be.”
Although the card is overwhelmingly positive, the reversal component reminds us not to go overboard in either direction of our chosen happiness.
Forced happiness doesn’t count. Walking around in a sparkly cloud of self indulgent toxic positivity doesn’t help anything. Forget happy. Take off those rose colored glasses, see things as they are and find a way to be content in the here and now. That’s the happy that lasts.
As much as I love a healthy dose of cynicism and good old GenX style sarcasm, the Sun card flows in both directions. Sometimes you have to take off those jade colored glasses and allow a little unprovoked unreasonable joy into your life.
Growing energy in reverse/ fading energy: Four of Swords
Alleyman deck creator, Seven Dane Asmund, reads this card as “the many angles of our self doubt” … again perfect for the point of view theme of today’s reading.
I ‘hear’ “how do you heal?” Basically the feel is to do something restorative for yourself especially where self confidence is concerned. That area may have taken some dings lately and you might need some repairs. I see the mental image of that social media picture of a little kid who stuck colorful stickers all over themselves (and the puppy next to them) The phrase “bandaids for the soul” springs to mind too.
Also the word “normative” comes to mind, but not in the sense of imposing norms of behavior. It feels more like adaptogenic herbs or essential oils – something that brings a thing back into normal range from either direction. Jojoba oil is an example from aromatherapy. It can moisturize excessively dry skin while helping oily skin to produce less oil.
In short this card encourages you to take care of yourself with meaningful little things as you hit the inevitable little bumps in the road this week.
Again the word “adaptogenic” comes to mind.
I see labradorite, which is a classic stone for easing transitions through life stages and adapting to change.
If you’ll allow me a little rando fangirling, my friend Amanda (Universal Crystal Love on Etsy) makes beautiful wire wrap jewelry and has a particularly good eye for labradorite. The pictures can’t do it justice.
And there the energy steps back.
If you want something like this only much more personalized, private email readings are open 24/7 no appointment needed.
It’s just me, my cards and my chromebook, so delivery times vary, especially nights, weekends and holidays here in the eastern US. They may be slow at times, but my readings are authentic and secure and real and just for you.
See you at the next sip for another oracle dice Learn With Me.
Psychic ability, intuition, “weird ass mystical shit” as the one Alleyman Tarot card calls it – whatever you name it, it’s a normal human thing. It’s a sense, like warmth or sight or hearing. In my experience, that psychic intuition exists as a mental echo of the five physical senses.
That is where we get the word clairvoyance. It means “clear vision.” There is a “clair” for each sense. The vast majority of the time my intuition works with mental images or sounds, songs and words (clairaudience.) I always explain in a new private reading that is what I mean when I say “see” for the mental images and “hear” when the intuition comes to mind as words or songs.
I love it when intuition works with popular songs, TV and music. It is a shared experience for a lot of people so it is an easy way to communicate a concept.
I’m a bit of a foodie, and I’ve studied a little aromatherapy, which has opened taste and smell as an intuitive prompts, but they much less common than the other two.
Today we went straight to the classic rock radio station. Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” was the very first thing that came to mind when I saw today’s dice image. That was quickly followed by a snippet of The Doors that says “break on through to the other side.”
I didn’t have old 60’s (or was it early 70s) classic rock on my bingo card for today, but there it is. If you don’t know the songs I’m not surprised. I only know the Doors from snippets in movies and TV and The Wall was Junior High at the latest.
Ugh…I just realized that I was not only alive but in second grade when friggen’ Dark Side of the Moon was released. Damn. I’ve earned the GenX Tarot Xpert title just by kicking around this long.
Back to the dice. Put the image and the intuitive “wall” and “break through” prompts, I would read this image as being about mental blocks, overcoming challenges. The Ten of Wands comes to mind as a Tarot analogy. Granted with over 90 dice images, there may not be a good Tarot analogy for each one, but with 78 Cards in the Tarot deck, there is bound to be overlap.
When you are very first learning any oracle at all, you may not dial into intuitive sense or impressions right away like this. It comes with practice and that is exactly what we are doing here. Let’s use a brick wall as an analogy. Walls don’t just spontaneously appear out of nothing. They are assembled, board by board, sheet of drywall by sheet of drywall, brick by brick. Not every brick is going to trigger a spontaneous impression. That’s when you go to the guide book. That’s why it is there. Two heads are better than one. Start with the guide book, then add your own impression to get your message for the day.
Day after day, brick after brick. Next thing you know you can tap right into your own psychic skills and read dice like a champ.
OK – that being said, let’s go see how far I am from Seven’s original intent for the dice.
And in case you are wondering, no I’m not looking ahead. I did this when my copy of the Alleyman Tarot first arrived. I’d read the card then go to the guidebook and I wound up even more head over heels for the deck than I thought I’d be.
What I’m trying to say here is don’t get your underwear in a bunch over which comes first. It doesn’t matter if you go right to the guide book then add the impressions the dice plus guidebook inspires OR start with your own impressions and go to the guidebook to expand them and maybe spark some more. What matters is engaging with your intuition. All the dice and cards and guidebooks are here to help that process. All of those things “Pump Up the Volume” on your intuition if you want to throw some late 80s in with the 60s and 70s music references.
To the guide book:
The whole cube is the die of obstacles. No surprise there. The name of this individual face is “Ruin.” But wouldn’t you know it? I have it exactly upside down in the video. I don’t get the feeling there is any significance to that, as there might be with a reversed Tarot card. That is just me not knowing the dice.
Turned upright, it is easy to see the classic Tower image from the Tarot with the bolt of lightning and falling bodies. But there is a little more to this. This is about “calamity” as much as the suddenness. Seven writes it as being an irreversible life changing event…so shades of the Death and Devil card to go with the Tower card.
Which means little if you aren’t a Tarot card reader…we are here to talk about the dice.
So sudden, life altering disaster.
It happens to the best of us.
It happens to all of us.
And life altering chaos and disaster is a wall of sorts. How do you get back to living when your old life is no longer an option? How do you move past the pain and chaos?
The thing that caught my attention was Mr. Asmund’s reminder that it is ok to feel the pain of the things in life that hurt us. Numb isn’t necessarily better.
Pain is important. Both physically and emotionally it alerts that something is wrong. It lets us know when attention is needed, possibly action too.
Pain and loss and irrevocable change is inevitable during the course of a lifetime. But that doesn’t mean that this dice or any of those Tarot cards are predicting imminent disaster for you any time soon. Don’t talk yourself into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead allow this to be a gentle reminder.
If disaster has happened, then you can continue, brick by brick, to recover. Things may never be the same, but they can be made better. You survived.
If disaster is happening now…why are you reading this? Go do what needs done. Take care of yourself and matters at hand.
If you are ok now, drink it in. Savor it for as long as it lasts. Right now, this present moment is precious.
Momento mori. Momento vivere.
Remember all things die. Then go, remember to live.
On that blissful note…
Thank you for reading.
Please subscribe to the Sage Sips blog (opt in with your email in the right hand column of this page or scroll WAAAYY down on mobile). Sage Sips is also free on ko-fi and substack. The blog free Tarot and other content (like this post) every week. The free content is fueled by paid memberships, private reading purchases and a cup of coffee. Any likes or shares are greatly appreciated, especially on the socials.
Ko-fi members get extra benefits including discounted private email Tarot readings, access to free one card Tarot readings in the shop, plus random exclusive content.
If you like what you read in the blog, please remember me if you ever want a private Tarot reading. Email Tarot is open for orders 24/7 with no appointment needed.
Delivery times vary. It takes longer to get your reading if you order during nights, weekends or holidays (US eastern time zone)
Feel better? Did a little shameless self promotion lighten the mood after all the talk of that chaos and calamity?
See you at the next sip!
*Publishing Goblin Oracle Dice used with permission of Seven Dane Asmund and Publishing Goblin LLC
Sage Sips is intuition and contemplation in the time it takes to sip from your coffee. Today we continue to explore the Publishing Goblin’s Oracle Dice
Albert Einstein famously said that “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
That is as true of intuition and esoterica as it is of physics.
78 Tarot cards is daunting enough to learn. 22 dice multiplied by six faces each – no, wait – the one is a D12 so that is like a bonus – 23 times 6 is 138. And that’s just the symbols. I’ve been reading Tarot for 30 years and 138 new symbols and goodness knows how many combinations – I feel a little boggled by the whole thing.
Maybe that is just my tendency to overthink a little bit. There are reasons why I don’t use the Celtic Cross or any other larger layouts. Other readers – that’s up to them – but for me, I’m with Einstein. Simplicity and clarity is the key. We come to oracles to gain clarity. Oracles distill the human experience into a finite number of vague but potent symbols.
Oracle help us un-boggle life. So let’s un-boggle this new oracle. I’m feeling more teacher-ish than student-ish about this. I’ve done my student work with other oracles. Now it’s my turn to be the professor and here is our lesson plan:
Each post we’ll “pull” a new dice, by randomly jiggling it out of the pouch which I gave a good shake right before I started the lofi one handed video that you see above. The dice will be put in a row above the symbol for the day so there are no repeating dice over the next several weeks. When we have 7 of these randomly selected dice, we’ll work through each of them one side at a time until we’ve looked at all the faces of all the dice.
Then we’ll use that abbreviated set of 7 dice to explore tossing multiples dice at a time, finally putting all seven onto the reading cloth that came with the dice. Ultimately I’d like to try a reading or two hurling the whole 22 dice set at the reading cloth and see what we come up with.
Daunting? Not really when you go step by step. Simple? Yes, for the same reason. Brilliantly adaptable, customizable oracle tool? Absolutely.
Now on to today’s symbol, “The Scavenger” face from “The Alleyman” dice. (Used with permission of Publishing Goblin LLC)
Why do I still do Tarot readings?
I’m really good at it.
Plus it gives me pleasure to write about the deep spirituality and unending fascination that Tarot provides.
I like to think my readings help the people who get them.
And it is all fueled by your private reading purchases, membership/subscriptions (psst! Hey! join Sage Sips on Ko-fi for $5/month and get DISCOUNTS on Tarot readings by email plus access to FREE one card readings in the ko-fi shop)
Not to mention coffee. Both real and virtual. If you feel so moved, virtual coffee is gratefully accepted. Click the mug on the right side of the page ->
The day job* is the main focus today, but I’ll be back on the blogs tomorrow with a “Learn With Me” post and another Oracle Dice throw.
Thank you so much for reading and following along with this all. See you at the next sip!
*Email readings are always OPEN, no appointment needed, no matter what the ‘day job’ is doing.
It’s memorial day here in the U.S.
Private Tarot readings by email are OPEN but the blogs and socials are closed today and tomorrow.
Self care people…even if it’s not a holiday for you.
See you Wednesday. Be good to yourself.
The Tarot content on SageWordsTarot.com, Ko-fi, Substack or YouTube is NOT ad monetized. I don’t see a penny from any advertising you may see. These blogs are fueled by your paid subscriptions, your private Tarot reading purchases and coffee. Lots of coffee. If you want to buy me a virtual coffee, I am grateful for those too. Just click the mug on the right of the page ->
Thanks!
Learn how to learn an oracle method along with me as I explore the new Publishing Goblin Oracle Dice
Hi and welcome to Sage Sips: a contemplation for your day in the time it takes to sip from your coffee. Thanks for being here. This free content is fueled by your private reading purchases, paid subscriptions and virtual ko-fi coffees and plenty of real coffee too.
Figures.
Second roll of the dice and I get my old nemesis, Judgement.
I have to admit, I like this one a lot better than the religion influenced Judgment card from Tarot major arcana. Almost giggled when I saw it, because for a split second I thought it was a muppet face.
Luckily the energy today is on the “use good judgement” side of things and not the Judgey McHubrispants side that pushes my religious trauma buttons.
Off the cuff intuition is on the order of … once you make a reasoned decision, it is pretty worthless without some sort of action. It might be one task, or a million little nuanced lifestyle decisions, but good judgement is tied to action nonetheless.
Quick note before we move on with this post – or this series of posts, actually. I know the singular of dice is die. But this is cyberspace and America in 2023. There is a pretty good chance that something automated is going to confuse the singular-dice word with the become un-alive word. Grammar be damned, I’m calling them all dice. I’m out here trying to help (and hopefully entice you to get a private reading) I can’t do that shadow banned. Talk about your Judgy McHubrispants.
Now – back to the Judgement symbol.
You know that light bulb that has been on since the early 1900s at that fire department?
According to wikipedia, the Centennial Light has been in almost continuous operation since 1901 (longer than the RWS Tarot has existed!) with untold shifts of first responders who can attest to it. It has never burned bright – maybe 40 watts when it was brand new – but it has burned long.
That is the kind of energy this week seems to have.
The here and now deserves our love and attention just as much as our dreams and aspirations do.
The four of pentacles is the fading energy card. Pentacles have to do real world practical things, often money, wealth or career. The four in particular has to do with watching the budget and minding your money, always a good thing. But taken to extreme, it can also symbolize greed or hoarding based in fear. The fact that this card is in the fading position hints that the issue around physical things or monetary / budget issues are likely to be short-lived. The advice is to not let fear drive decisions this week. Logic and practicality is always the primary advice for money matters.
In other words, be careful with the budget, use logic and practical knowledge and don’t take financial advice from Tarot cards.
The Chariot is our current energy card, and the core of this week’s message. It is from the major arcana so even if it is a low-wattage kind of week the ideas here still carry importance. The message may speak softly, but it really really means what it says.
The Chariot card is classically about focus and attention to the present moment. I typically see it during more high energy, high intensity times, but the message today is still the same: Pay attention.
I often call this the ‘test pilot’ card. If you are flying a supersonic jet, you have to keep your mind on what you are doing as you are doing it or bad things are going to happen and happen fast. Whenever you see the Chariot card pull your head out of the past or future or wherever else your thoughts are lingering and be mindful of the present moment. Be as fully in this moment as you can be.
As I write this I am reminded of Polnareff and his Silver Chariot stand from the JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure anime. I have no remote idea what that has to do with anything, but if it resonates with you, you are welcome to the connection.
There we have body and mind. The four of pentacle makes a point about the physical realm. The Chariot makes a point about mental focus. Now the Hermit, also a major arcana card, brings spirit and emotions into the mix.
The Hermit card almost always has a lamp or light of some kind on it. It can symbolize enlightenment or wisdom in a high spiritual sense. In this time, it feels like the wattage is turned down on that too. The Hermit’s light is not aiming for ultimate truth, but rather simple illumination.
Whatever your emotions are, point the light at them and see them for what they are. Accept them as they are. You don’t have to act on them. You don’t even necessarily have to express them, unless you want to.
Whatever they are, let them see the light of day. Are you happy? Enjoy! Are you angry, anxious, afraid, or stressed? That’s OK too. Let the so-called negative emotions have their moment in the light too. Accept that they exist and are what they are. Abide with the tough stuff for a little while. You may be surprised how simple acknowledgement and allowing them to be will help uncomfortable emotions to simply dissolve. Or at least lessen intensity for a while.
The trick is not to let that turn into dwelling or energizing them. That’s where we get back to the central message of the Chariot again – of bring our mind back from whatever caused the difficult feelings and refocus on the present moment.
In this present moment, I have a few fast reminders for us. The comments are open to everyone here on SageWordsTarot.com plus there is the contact form on the Ask Me Anything page where you can, you know, ask me anything. There is a chance you might get a one card Tarot reading in reply or that your questions might inspire a Q&A blog post. Of course anything that goes into the blog is always very, very edited to protect privacy.
Also a reminder that none of this is monetized. I don’t see a penny from any advertisements you see, so these free Tarot readings are fueled by you through private Tarot reading purchases, paid subscriptions and virtual coffee tips not to mention plenty of real world coffee too.
Thanks so much for reading! I’ll see you at the next sip!
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
You must be logged in to post a comment.