Weekend newsletter card: The Hanged Man. Want a weekly digest instead of every post in your inbox? Subscribe to Sage Sips on Substack!
I adore Hawaii.
And I adore the shaka, you know, that “hang loose,” all good, take it easy, right on thumb-and-pinky hand sign from surf culture. I don’t surf. I’ve only spent a single, glorious week on Maui. But I adore the feeling and attitude of the place and culture just like I adore Tarot, Taoism, Tai Chi, Reiki, Witchcraft and all the other things that have made my life so so so much better just for knowing about it. Just thinking about the shaka sign and all it means while I’m writing this makes me feel just a little bit better.
All of those things, unfortunately aren’t typical to southern American culture. They aren’t typical to the usual Anglo-European connotations that go with the Hanged Man major arcana card. With the Hanged man with think about “stagnation” with the connotation that it is a bad thing. That in turn implies some inherent value to striving, achieving and moving forward.
Not so, bruh.
Today’s energy around the Hanged Man card is more like a kind reminder, a friendly shaka, to take it easy.
Slow your roll.
Stop even.
Take a doggone minute, take a deep breath and be where you are.
Announcements: No COTW in observance of MLK day.
Email private readings are OPEN and the listings now include the VIDEO option. If you order, please let me know which version you want. If no selection is listed, I’ll just do an email by default.
Email readings come to your email as an attached .pdf document that includes a photo of your real-world card layout, typed card interpretation and an open psychic summary that often includes crystal and aromatherapy suggestions.
Video readings come to you as a link to a PRIVATE-share video on the Sage Words Tarot YouTube channel. You are the only person with the link to access the video. The video shows your cards being drawn, a spoken card interpretation and an open psychic summary that often includes crystal and aromatherapy suggestions.
INKMAGICK pen & ink readings are available in 1 card and five card versions, sent by mail (US only.) Handwritten and hand-doodled with a fountain or dip pen on high quality paper, these readings include card interpretations, my terrible sigil and glyph-likd doodles that show you what intuition shows me and the open psychic summary with crystal and aromatherapy suggestions. Feel the potent magick of physical paper and ink.
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Let’s do a few more two card readings to get back into the swing of things after the holidays
Today we have the key with an 8 of diamonds inset, and the ship with a 10 of clubs inset.
The author, Christopher Butler, connects this with locking vs unlocking, security vs openness, secrecy vs transparency. I associate the 8 of diamonds with the eight of pentacles, which is prospering through work, effort and craftsmanship.
The ship, logically, has to do with journeying and has undertones of prosperity (ships are connected to trade and transport, after all) The 10 of clubs resonates with the 10 of swords, which connotes defeat…but also the “fall seven times, get up eight” proverb. It could be read as “perilous journey” but the peril here feels connected to the unknown, the things locked away.
“Keystone” and “cornerstone” come to mind.
There is no logical reason for it, but I’m getting that finding the key, finding the cornerstone, finding that one thing that makes everything else fall into place THAT is what is needed for a successful journey with regard to career or finances.
Next up: Freeform Friday. Not sure what I’ll post, but it will probably be a re-introduction posts that I wanted to do in blurry time that never actually happened. Either that or a cookie recipe, I dunno.
Welcome to 2024 and the first Card Of The Week of the new year.
Since the New Year reading, I’ve gotten some nice feedback about the ‘you choose’ format we used.
With all of the fast pace question-in-the-comments live readings that are available now, it seems the slower, more contemplative, interactive readings aren’t as common as they were a couple of years ago. These kind of pick your card / slow reveal readings used to be all over the place.
I’m bringing them back.
It feels a little more intensely personal than quick comment/live readings or purely collective energy readings. Let me know what you think. If you like it, we can keep it. If no one says anything, I’ll decide in a few weeks which format to use most of the time. It’ll either be a you-choose card for the week like this or back to random collective energy card for the day posts.
Watch the video, pick your card. In the future, I expect that you’ll be able to scroll back down here and read a longer, more eloquent, dammit I’m a writer not a YouTuber interpretation for the card. Today, it was all I could do to get back into filming at all. Even in low-tech, lofi, laid back mode. I don’t have anything to add to the video this time.
But seriously – comment or email or use the Ask Me Anything page to let me know what you think of the you-choose format.
You choose and I won’t have to.
Next up on the squirrel-rave playlist* Learn With Me: Lenormand returns, hopefully on Wednesday
Thanks so much! See you at the next sip!
*Squirrel Rave Playlist is my nickname for the no-schedule schedule and not-plan plan for 2024.
*Inspired by the internet meme “I don’t have ducks, I don’t have rows – I have squirrels and they are hosting a pagan rave.”
*The general not-plan for the blog is a COTW in some format or another on Mondays and Learn With Me posts on Wednesdays, weekly digest newsletter on Substack on the weekend, and everything else being just pure random intuitive inspriation.
Weekend Substack: The Sun Tarot card, Lincoln, and Lau Tzu
He probably didn’t actually say it, but Abraham Lincoln is often quoted as saying “people are as happy as they make up their minds to be.”
I find it true, but more nuanced than it seems.
It isn’t about conjuring up pleasant feelings from nothing in a rose-glasses toxic positive kind of way.
Oh no, my friend. It is much worse than that.
Making up your mind to be happy is more likely about accepting your circumstances for what they are and allowing the natural contentment and happiness come out. Happiness is allowed, not created.
Time and again life points back to one painting for me. Not one painting but one allegorical theme in traditional Chinese paintings: The Vinegar Tasters.
The painting shows Buddha, Confucius and Lau Tzu (author of the Tao Te Ching, the originator of Taoist philosophy) Buddha and Confucius are making faces while Lao Tzu smiles. It’s been said that they think they vinegar tastes sour, bitter and sweet respectively.
That’s not quite it.
Lau Tzu isn’t just magically or delusionally conjuring up a sweet flavor without the help of any magic berries any more than we conjure up blissed-out happiness out of thin air. Lau Tzu is tasting the exact same thing as the other two. He’s just smiling because that sour and bitter vinegar tastes just exactly how vinegar is supposed to taste. He’s smiling because the vinegar is being true to its authentic nature. He’s smiling because life is what it is.
Lincoln’s making up your mind to be happy is similar. Making up your mind to be happy isn’t making happy out of thin air. Making up your mind to be happy is making friends with life and the people and the things in your life…even the parts are like a big old barrel of sour, bitter vinegar. Smile because they are being exactly what it their authentic true nature to be. Then smile because you, just maybe, can be that way too.
Sage Sips blog is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee. Tune in tomorrow for a new Monday thing. See you at the next sip!
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Happy New Year! Re-introducing the re-introductions
Happy 2024 everyone!
We’ve made it to the other side of blurry time and it was, well, blurry. Did you make any resolutions for the new year? Mine is resolution is to give up on resolutions.
One of the reasons I flirted with the “TaoCraft” name for a while is because year after year, time and time again Taoist philosophy proves itself right and useful. I’m gratefully at a point where I can let the nature of my Tarot work be what it is.
“The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.” – Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Intuition, like the universe, is under no obligation to make sense OR to follow best marketing practices OR to follow any calendar or schedule. I’ve been doing this professionally since 2003 and it hasn’t fit into a set schedule yet.
It’s time to be in harmony with the nature of Tarot. I’m willing to be at peace with the fact that the schedule for 2024 is that there is no schedule at all.
Do you have anything that is free form and flows like water into the empty spaces of life? It’s really relaxing to have SOMETHING like that. Tarot, by its naturea, is one of those things.
Here, now, as we look at this screen together outside of time – thank you for reading this blog. I hope we can go on through 2024 flowing as a river of peace and relaxation in these moments together. That is what Tarot is really for – finding moments of peacefulness in life’s torrent of emotions and bustling activity.
I’ll be the first to admit that blurry time got the better of me this year, although the cookies were really very good. (More about stuff like that on Sage’s Other Words blog.) I had originally intended to use the holiday time to “reset” as they say in broadcasting. I wanted to pause for station identification and to re-introduce my work, the new name, the website, Tarot in general – all of it – to everyone. I introduced myself and the Sage Words / Sage Sips name in
Just because we ate all of the cookies doesn’t mean the guided tour has to stop. You can still expect those re-introduction posts to filter in over the next few, slightly less blurry weeks.
For clarity, let’s start with the easy stuff like the 2024 schedule.
There isn’t any.
For the whole year. Nada. Zip. Zero. None.
I have a general plan, but absolutely no promises about consistency. I do, however, promise to keep the blog up to date. If you ever want an affordable, convenient Tarot reading this is the first and best place to look. All the socials are @SageWordsTarot (add a YT on YouTube) and they are pretty caught up as well. I’ve been enjoying Threads a lot lately so that’s the best place to catch me for an actual conversation.
In any case, I’m aiming for a loose structure but letting it do whatever it is going to do in the end. I’m not forcing my Tarot to fit a schedule or forcing the rest of my schedule to fit Tarot.
It is what it is.
There are reasons why Lau Tzu, purported author of the Tao Te Ching, is the one looking smiley and chill in the classic motif of The Three Vinegar Tasters. The others are reacting to the bitterness and sourness that they taste. Our buddy Lau Tzu is just happy that the vinegar tastes just like vinegar should.
You may or may not like the taste of vinegar. You may or may not like an unpredictable blog or social post schedule, but both are true to their nature, just as they should be.
The not-really-a-plan plan:
Blog posts are mostly going to be Monday and Wednesday but other random times too.
Social media will post whenever there is something new on the blog, but other random times too. Fair warning: I’m a bit of a rage re-poster so look out for that.
Member exclusive content on the ko-fi blog is going to be totally random (the main membership benefit is FREE one card private readings by email upon your reqest)
Good or bad, I’ve been enjoying Threads lately. If you want to actually communicate, that’s the best social media place. Email is the fastest and most reliable contact otherwise.
NO APPOINTMENT NEEDED: Private Readings by email (with photo) video or pen & ink can be ordered anytime, 24/7 in the shop. Delivery times vary depending on when you place your order.
Live online and in-person Tarot readings by appointment only are very limited this year. Please contact me for details.
So much is up to you – it’s your choice what you do with what you are handed. Emotions bubble up, but you choose what you do about them.
Sorry about the shreddy sounding voice and disorganized presentation (there are reasons why I’m a writer type Tarot reader and not a social media influencer) but watch the video, pick a path.
This shows some of my choices for 2024.The YouTube channel is all companion videos showing the real world card draw for the day. The video has short commentary in the description, but the full reading is here in the blog. I don’t like talking on video, so there you are. I hope you’ll watch and read to get the best of both worlds.
Looking at all the rows together we see lots of major arcana and court cards. I think that is hinting at a big energy year. Lots of change, a real roller coaster ride. Plant good seeds, set a good foundation now so our roller coaster ride ends up in a good place.
Top Row – Quartz
Clear quartz is the universal amplifier. It turns up the volume on your connection to universal energies and the effects of other stones and crystals. This may be your year to be the helper. Speak your truth and let it be heard.
Fading Energy: 10 of Swords. I’m guessing that 2023 was a heckuva year for you. This card isn’t hinting that anything dire is going to happen. It’s hinting that it already has. HEAL. Let yourself be down, make a full assessment of everything that has happened so you can stand up again. I always connect this card to the proverb “fall down seven times but get up eight.”
Current Energy: Queen of Swords. This is a card of accepting your power. Give yourself a little dose of confidence. It isn’t arrogant to do the things you are good at doing. If you don’t want to think of yourself as being good at something, then do the things you LOVE to do. Often they are the same thing.
Growing Energy: Strength. This card is just what it seems. Heal from what has happened, get up again, claim your strengths. Confidence and strength can grow as time goes on.
Middle Row – Orange Calcite
Calcite comes in a variety of colors, but the orange calcite here is especially associated with the second chakra, below the navel. Orange is the opposite of blue on the color wheel, so orange calcite can poetically speaking “chase away the blues.” Of all of orange calcite’s properties cleansing and uplifting step forward here.
Fading energy: Judgement. This also gives me the feeling that you center row folks had a heckuva year, but more on the mental and emotional level than in the physical / career realm. Let go of other people’s judgement of you and give yourself a second chance whether anyone else does or not. Humans are a diverse lot. There is someone, somewhere who accepts you just exactly as you are, no judgments or second chances required.
Current energy: Hermit. Nothing is better for letting go of old hurts than a little alone time. Give yourself the space to shut out all the judge-y voices. Set some boundaries, find your one guiding light. When you come out of your hermit cave, a fresh start will be right there waiting for you. Any day can be the first day of a new year.
Growing energy: Queen of Wands. This is a card of self care too, but it has an element of claiming your own time, skills, strengths and powers. The energy feel of this card is very much like the queen of swords and it feels like the queen of wands is standing in as surrogate simply because the queen of swords can’t be in two places at the same time. Putting it in those words, I get a sense that the year may be growing in activity. It could get busy. Whether that heaping plate of things to do is a good thing or a stressful thing is up to you.
Foundation Row – Red Carnelian
Red carnelian is a stone of courage, endurance and leadership. You never know what you have inside until it is put to the test. One way to discover your comfort zone is to step outside of it. But don’t worry, if you can’t step back in to the old zone, it will grow out to meet you. You got this.
Fading energy: The High Priestess. This is a card of mystique and mystery. When mystery fades it often leaves certainty in its wake. This card reminds me of a quote by scientist Richard Feynman “I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” Know with confidence, but question everything with equal energy.
Current energy: Five of Swords. Sword cards often denote action. Now that I think about it, the word aftermath is stepping forward here. The past three years have been pretty unhinged on the macro scale, if not on your individual one too. This card is validating what you feel, but also challenging you to rise to the circumstances. “Yeah, that sucked, but now what are you going to DO about it?” is the vibe.
Growing energy: The Empress. Get back to nature, baby. This is a big reminder to touch some grass this year, literally and figuratively. Somewhere I read about a study where people’s blood pressure came down a little bit whenever they looked at pictures of nature. That isn’t to say pictures of nature cure high blood pressure, but that objective, measurable change showed that we associate nature with relaxation and even that tiny bit of contact was enough to elicit a tiny bit of measurable, physiologic stress reduction.
Whether it is a new computer wallpaper, a walk in the park, a day at the beach or a week long camping trip…anything you can do to connect with nature is nothing but good this year. For goodness’ sake get outside and breathe some fresh air, will you?
And everybody wash your hands, wear a mask when you need to, get enough sleep and eat an occasional vegetable while you are at it.
I wish everyone a safe, happy, healthy and prosperous new year.
See you at the next sip!
Sage Sips is Tarot contemplation in the time it takes to sip your coffee.
Using blurry-time to reintroduce myself. Hello & Happy Holidays!
Happy Festivus to all who celebrate! Welcome to what I’m calling Blurry Time ’23. Elfcon is over, the preparations are done. It’s all cookies and coffee from here.
I subscribe to Outlined, the web comic by Chaz Hutton. My favorite comic is the drawing of a December calendar page where the second half is basically a bunch of wiggly lines.
That perfectly captures the feel of the season. Even for those of us working a normal day job schedule, there is a sense of shared down time and camaraderie among those out and about actually doing the things for that week between Christmas eve and New Years day.
It’s truly liminal space and time. It is magical time. It is time disconnected from time – or something like that.
2023 as a whole felt very liminal and transitional. It was a blurry-ish year moving from the extended pandemic / dumpster fire years 2020-22 (2016-22 if you live in the U.S.) We’ll get back to how 2024 is looking when we do the annual just-for-fun (and wishful thinking) year-ahead Tarot reading next weekend (-ish)
In the meantime, I want to use blurry time to bridge years.
2023 was the first full year of Sage Words Tarot. I want to circle back around and use the blurry time re-introduce it all for the bright, shiny new year on the way.
I don’t know why – probably no reason at all – but it always seems to start with musing about names.
Hi! I’m Sage.
I’m also a Tarot reader and author of Sage Sips blog with its “Tarot contemplation in the time it takes to sip your coffee.”
I’ve been reading Tarot and oracle cards since around 1992 which adds up to 30 years of experience with Tarot and intuition development (!)
I didn’t originally start out to be a Tarot reader (who does?) At first, I did readings for myself and friends (why PAY for it when you can DIY it?) After close friend suggested I go online with my readings (eternal gratitude!) I offered psychic Tarot readings through Keen, Advice Trader and AllExperts under my old internet handle, Baihu. After doing hundreds of online readings (I stopped counting after 400) I opened my own Tarot practice in 2003 which grew to include ModernOracleTarot.com, the Tarotbytes blog and the now-defunct Quirk & Flotsam shop on Etsy.
It was all good, but had become a hodge-podge of names and logos over the years. Then along came the Covid pandemic and changed things even more. After a short interim as TaoCraft Tarot (2018-2023) I’ve been working as SageWordsTarot.com and writing Sage Sips blog ever since.
TaoCraft lingers in layout names. TaoCraft was drawn from my love of Taoist philosophy. My Tarot work will always be guided by the principles of simplicity, authenticity, and kindness. It was also drawn from my affinity for solitary eclectic witchcraft. The TaoCraft name means a lot to me, but not so much to anyone else who sees it and that’s a problem because these Tarot readings aren’t about me – they are for YOU and about YOU.
Sage is a pen name, which helps to protect our privacy. Christian nationalism and religious bigotry is a very real thing here in America. I will do all I can to make this a safe space for everyone, especially for the lgbtquia+ community and those of us who are not Christian.
The herb sage has a comforting, familiar scent and flavor that most of us know from home cooking and holiday turkeys.
In aromatherapy, sage incense and essential oil can clear negative energy, calm anxiety and promote a feeling of general well being.
The word sage also means something or someone who is wise. The word sage describes the wise advice Tarot gives.
Safety, comfort, calmness, wisdom and a feeling that things are going to be alright are all qualities I hope you’ll experience when you read the blog, visit my social media or best of all get a private reading of your own .
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Things here are as ready for the holidays as they’ll ever be. I love my pagan/heathen/secular Yuletide. Verrrry low key compared to the frenetic family xmases past.
What about you? How is your December decembering? I hope it is heavy on the holly jolly and light on the drama and stress.
I’m of two minds about eggnog vs gluhvein this year, but there are a variety of homebaked cookies at the ready, a sweater on the needles, a couple of good books on the side table and I am READY for a few days off from the day job.
Which translates into some quality family and Tarot time. With cookies and eggnog (or maybe gluwein, in honor of my Dad and his amature geneology discovery of our German roots, which explains our shared love of gingerbread, and, well, gluhwein at the holidays.
Yeah, break out the cinnamon sticks. The mulled wine is winning this year. Happy Festivus!
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Some new readings and blog posts are on the horizon. Social media will be random as heck during blurry time until January 2.
Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot 
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