Tag: spirituality

Get the most from your holidays – or not.

Sage Sips is Tarot in the time it takes to sip your coffee. Private readings are OPEN for the holidays.

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I doomscroll way too much.

Still, it’s amusing how you can read social media a bit like you read the cards to get a sense of the big picture, zeitgeist, collective energies. To do that you have to keep a meta-analytic mindset and look to the biggest big picture you can intuitively see. To read this level of energy, you have to look at the big picture.

Today’s big picture Zeitgeist is – the big picture. Perhaps perspective would be a better word. I wish I could give credit where credit is very much due, but as always, I can’t find the post I want to tell you about now that I’ve scrolled away from it.

I can’t even remember which platform it was on. Probably BlueSky or Threads (I’m @Sage.Sips on both) In any case the original post that caught my attention was from a small business owner who is stressing over the holiday rush and was told by her friend “It’s a craft show. In CLEVELAND” not to belittle this person’s efforts, but to in that oh-so-bestie way remind her that it wasn’t so earth-shaking when you keep it in the big picture perspective.

German has given the world some very fun and useful words. Zeitgeist is one. Shadenfreude is a personal favorite. Another is gestalt, the whole seen as the sum of its parts and occasionally more.

Mindfulness is like that.

Mindfulness is not just a supreme focus on the present moment or small detail of our current experience alone. It is awareness of the present moment AND the backdrop of the connected everything in which our current present moment experience is happening. Mindfulness and gestalt are connected. Small and large, this moment and eternity, yin and yang…now you know why I named my website and potential book “TaoCraft” in honor of the Taoist philosophies that have so enriched both gestalt and present moment for me over the years.

In her book Magical Tarot Mystical Tao, Diane Morgan reads the World major arcana card as being the gestalt, or a big picture point of view. That has always been my favorite interpretation of the card, even though as a practical matter that isn’t the meaning the World card most often brings. Most of the time it resonates with completion (World is the last card in the major arcana series) good omens, success, generally a “the world is your oyster” feeling. Major arcana cards carry more energy, and to my way of thinking, they all carry two or more potential threads of message. They can mean different things, and can bring one or more of those varying meanings to any given reading.

Every now and then, the World card carries its reminder to look to the gestalt, to remember the biggest picture. That is its energy today.

I want to connect that to the holidays. Usually this time of year is full “Elfcon 1” as they called it in the Santa Clause movie. For reasons beyond my control, it isn’t like that this year. This year the mood is less festive and more middle age INTP genX fresh out of fucks to give. But I’ve learned something important here. Getting the most out of the holidays isn’t about full throttle festivity, unless that is the thing that sparks full throttle joy for you.

It is just as fine to make the most out of the holidays by not making the most out of the holidays. Small, meaningful and thoughtful things ARE making the most out the holidays.

Mindfulness aware of and within the big picture is an excellent holiday gift to give yourself.

Happy Thursday. I hope it is a good one for you.

-Sage

Private readings are OPEN to order 24/7, no appointment needed. Starting at $5, a Tarot reading is an easy moment of mindfulness for you during the holidays, or any season.

“Seasons” look ahead at the coming year are now available. Happy Winter Solstice everyone!

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The Layouts Explained

Tarot behind the scenes. Private readings are OPEN throughout the holiday season.

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When we talk about the “layout” or “card spread” in Tarot, it literally means how the cards are placed on the table during a reading. The photo above shows a three card layout.

Anything beyond that becomes arbitrary, symbolic and part of the internal intuitive process of doing a reading. In this three card example, the cards could mean past, present and future. It could be read left to right or right to left. It could be a yes-or-no layout (a “no” in this case) Owl and Bones on Instagram once posted a layout where three cards like this could be read as “embrace, face, erase.” The possibilities are endless.

With layouts, the most important thing is the position meanings.

For the layout and reading to be helpful, it is important to have a clear, set idea about what each card position means. If we think of the cards in the picture as a past-present-future reading, before you even shuffle, know for sure which card will mean which thing. Are you reading right to left or left to right? Is the high priestess being read as past or future? Know before you go as they say.

You can write a layout to have as many cards with whatever card position meanings that you like. It is all perfectly fine, as long as you decide before you begin. That decision is a key thing that helps the right message and meaning to come through your reading.

Here are the layouts that I’ve written that I use for my private Tarot readings:

Seasons

  • five cards
  • layout intended to give advice about how to best navigate the energy environment for the upcoming year
  • four cards for each upcoming season, read left to right in calendar order beginning from the current season when the reading is ordered
  • One card above the others to summarize the year as a whole

TaoCraft Path

  • Five cards
  • intended for understanding the current situation and guidance navigating the near-future path at hand
  • read right to left: the past’s influence, the current energies, the best way to move forward, the ‘greater path’ (the direction things are headed, the most accessible path forward) and the lesser path (a path forward that is open to choose, but holds more challenges)

Yes / No

  • Three cards
  • elaborate shuffling and dealing method to reach the final three cards
  • uses all three showing cards to determine a simple yes or no answer
  • each of the three cards is then used to give a message relative to the question that was asked

Sage Sip

  • One card
  • general guidance, daily meditation, or focused follow-up to a larger reading
  • Ancient and ubiquitous, no one knows the origins of the one card layout.

Sage Sip members on ko-fi get free one card readings by email (at your request only) up to 3 per calendar month, discounts on the larger layouts, exclusive content and special offers. JOIN HERE.

Image credits: all photos by the author using public domain Waite Smith cards except “seasons” layout image, also photo by the author using Witches Tarot deck by Ellen Dugan and Mark Evans copyright 1996 used with permission Llewellyn publishing

Choose a Card / Holiday Hours

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

Holiday Hours: all of them!

Need a minute to yourself this holiday season? Spend a little quiet time with a Tarot reading crafted just for you. Cozy, down to earth, no-drama spirit / energy guidance at stocking stuffer prices.

Order anytime, no appointment needed. Most readings are to you within 24 hours from the time that you receive your order confirmation.

King of Pentacles: As always, the pentacles are real-world and practical. Think of the king of pentacles as a steady, reliable, trustworthy protector of the kingdom who has done the hard work to succeed. Perseverance and practicality win the day.

Four of Swords: Wait. Watch. Meditate. Contemplate. Rest while you can. Now is not the time for impulsive or radical changes. You are not alone in this energy. This card has been popping up a LOT lately.

Don’t comply in advance, but don’t panic either.

Both cards together give a sense that it is important that cooler heads prevail.

Into the Happiest Life

Pick your tarot card for today from the video and get your reading in the post below.

Pick a card, right or left. Pause the video if you need a minute to think about it, but don’t think too hard – follow your instinct to the card that feels like the right on for you for today. As always, this isn’t a prediction, just a read on the moment’s energy to help you navigate better.

As always, tarot readings never tell you what will happen in life, they help you figure out what to do when life happens.

Three of Swords: Pricks and jabs of sadness come into the happiest life. Communicate, honor your healthy boundaries so that the jabs don’t become wounds and so that the wounds won’t linger.

Page of Cups: Moments of absurdity come into the happiest life. Learn to laugh at all of it, even at yourself.

Commissions for private readings by email are open 24/7 no appointment needed

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

Meet Your Reader Fall & Winter ’24

The seasonal hello: reintroducing myself, the website and the blog

The holiday season is zooming in and our first glimpse of snow is forecast for tomorrow. Time flies when you are having fun – or having occasional existential crises as the case may be. I hope it is the former and not the latter for you.

I‘ve recently restarted the Substack again. They say third time is the charm. I’m not charging for it, but at the same time I’m hoping it will appeal to people who don’t care for algorithm driven social media or the traditional blogosphere.

Speaking of social media, I’m Sage.Sips on Bluesky now too. Still on the meta platforms, Tumblr and YouTube with no plans to leave. Bluesky is the most enjoyable at the moment and the best place to actually interact if you want to say hi.

Given the new-ish newsletter, new social media and impending new season it seems time to do yet another refresh and re-introduction. If you are new, welcome. If you’ve been here – you have my deepest thanks.

Hi! I’m Sage.

I’m also the author of Sage Sips blog, PeaceTarot and TaoCraft Portfolio

I’ve been reading Tarot cards since around 1992 which adds up to 30 years of experience with intuition development (!)

I didn’t originally start out to be a Tarot reader (who does?) At first I did readings for friends (why PAY for it when you can DIY it?) A close friend suggested I go online with my readings (forever grateful!) I’ve offered professional psychic Tarot readings through Keen, Advice Trader and AllExperts under my old internet handle, Baihu. After doing hundreds of online readings (I stopped counting at 400 and that was a long time ago) I opened my own Tarot practice with 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 things over the years. In 2018 I leveled it all and re-branded everything as TaoCraft Tarot featuring the Sage Sips blog.

The TaoCraft name is drawn from my love of Taoist philosophy. My work will always be guided by the principles of simplicity, authenticity, and kindness. The name is also a nod to magical craft and my favorite hobby, knitting.

Sage is a pen name, which protects both of our privacy. White christian nationalism and evangelical bigotry are a reality here in the US. I want this to be a safe space for you. While religion and certain politics are not permitted in readings, I want my writing and online presence to feel warm and welcoming to anyone interested in the subject of Tarot. My strict privacy policy and use of a pen name is a part of that.

The herb sage has a comforting, familiar scent and flavor that most of us know from breakfast sausages and holiday turkeys.

In aromatherapy, Sage incense and essential oil can clear negative energy, calm anxiety and promote a feeling well being.

Most of all, the word sage means something or someone who is wise. The word sage speaks to all of the wisdom that Tarot can bring to our lives.

Comfort, calmness, wisdom and a feeling that things are going to be alright are all qualities that I hope you’ll experience when you read the blog or read your personalized Tarot email.

I’m Sage Sips on Substack and some version of Sage.Sips or SageSipsBlog on all of the usual socials. Party, phone and in-person readings are currently closed, please follow the blog for further details.

Click HERE if you would like to order a private reading by email, no appointment needed.

Marriage Q&A: What love language do you speak?

Sage Sips is tarot inspired meditations in the time it takes to sip your coffee

Use the “Ask Me Anything” page to ask any questions on your mind. I’ll answer it here, with a post like this one. Names and everything will be changed to protect your privacy. Most of the time a Tarot card will be involved, but not always. My readings are a folk art form intended for meditation, contemplation and spiritual guidance, NOT to predict the future.

Q: What will be the primary love languages of my destined wife for me after marriage?

A: There are at least two important parts to your answer.

There is a deep spiritual law at play here: “Like attracts like.”

If you want to know what kind of love language your future wife (assuming you get married) you must first ask what love language will you speak to her?

True conversations, true communication, love languages and true love can only exist when it flows both ways.

Another way of thinking of this is embodied in the Six of Pentacles Tarot card which is sometimes read as “reciprocity” – you get what you give.

If you first speak the love language you want to hear, not only does use the spiritual law of “Like attracts like” in your favor, it helps you to find the right partner for you in a real-world way by helping you to find common interests and common bonds with a potential life-mate.

For example, if you love food and would like for good cooking to be your future wife’s love language, then cook for your potential mate or take her to nice restaurants as your love language to her.

An excellent way to find your wife’s love language – and a wife – is to speak your love language first.

Here we go – again.

Sage Sips is tarot meditation in the time it takes to sip your coffee.

Welcome to my childhood: eyeballs deep white Christian nationalism everywhere you turn.

I wish I had words of wisdom for this.

The best I can offer is that we are surrounded. As in 2016, we are again faced with the terrifying and heartbreaking reality of just how many racists, fascists and bigots actually exist in America in 2024: one precise metric fuckton.

As with the 8 of swords, the situation is dire, but we have to find the way forward. It IS there. We just have to find it the hard way with persistence, courage, and out-of-the-box thinking. It’s a giant problem that will require an equally giant amount of problem solving, creative and otherwise.

Evangelicals hate Tarot readers (and honestly, speaking for myself, the feeling is pretty mutual). WHATEVER your identity may be, unless you are a wealthy, white & christian, you are on the outs with the people in power. It feels like we are the minority but if you define “them” that way, then ALL of the rest, ALL other identities besides that particular combination, becomes “us” That feels like an “us” large enough to maybe, just maybe, mutual aid our way through this catastrophe.

Like Obi Wan, we may have to hide in a desert cave for a bit. I feel compelled to redecorate around here again, bringing the nice, whitewashed, safe sounding “Sage Sips” and coffee theme to the forefront. The word Tarot may have to go hide in a cave for a while, but TaoCraft is still in here, same as always. Same stuff, different paint job. Again. Dammit.

This is exactly the lesson of the 10 of swords. Stay put. Plan. Heal. Stay frosty. Prepare. Become stronger. Become willing and able to get up again. And again. And again if needs be.

“You are not defeated when you lose. You are defeated when you quit.”

Paulo Coelho

Still no, but in a good way

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.

Thanks for reading! See you at the next sip!

Layouts and Prices updated

Affordable, convenient, cozy and kind: Email readings are my specialty and most arrive to your inbox within 24 hours. No appointment needed for email readings.

effective now:

order Email Tarot
  • “Seasons”: 5 cards to look at the energy year ahead – $30
  • “TaoCraft Path“: 5 cards to guide decisions, open advice – $30
  • “Zombie Cat” Yes-or-No: 3 cards for a short, focused answer $15
  • Sage Sip One Card Meditation: specific clarity or open guidance – $5
  • Email Sage Sip readings are FREE for Sage Sip ko-fi members

Order recorded video Tarot
  • Spoken word, pre-recorded reading
  • See your unique, real-world cards being drawn
  • private share video
  • Seven Cards – $40

Order inkmagick Tarot
  • Experience the ancient magick of real ink and paper
  • Includes hand drawn sigil representing your reading’s intent
  • Available to US Residents only
  • postage and handling included
  • 4 card TaoCraft Path $30
  • 1 card Sage Sip $6

Private In-person or live phone/online readings

  • by advance appointment only, limited availability – contact me to schedule
  • Phone: 5 cards – $30
  • In-person: 7 card – $40
  • Pre-pay with PayPal invoice
  • Live readings average 30-45 minutes but please allow up to 1 hour if needed
  • in-person: we meet in a quiet public place. I don’t keep a physical office and pass the savings on to you.

All Tarot readings are customized ephemeral folk art intended for entertainment, enrichment and spiritual expression. These advice style readings do not predict the future. No medical, legal, or third person questions

All policies apply.

October / November ’24 Announcements

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

Private Readings are OPEN

Even during the holidays. There may be some off and on delivery delays between now and New Year. It’s just me, by myself, doing this part time, so you’ll have that. For the most part if you order a reading, it will be in your inbox within 24 hours of my receiving the order. I’ll email you to confirm the order has arrived and give you any updates.

TaoCraft Tarot is OPEN

Call it the re-grand opening. TaoCraft Tarot’s online “grand opening” (basically changing the name on everything from Modern Oracle to TaoCraft Tarot) was October 2018. It’s perfect to come back home to that name in October 2024. The blog & substack is still “Sage Sips” but everything I can think of with “Sage Words Tarot” on it is back to TaoCraft. Why? Because I like it. It tells you who I am and the kind of Tarot reading you get with me. Mostly. A little cagey mysteriousness isn’t necessarily a bad thing in this business.

The New-New Stuff

I’ve re-worked the old five card reading to honor YOUR path and YOUR choices even more than before. The old layout is available 60% off until Halloween (a return to TaoCraft treat for you). The new TaoCraft Path layout will be available by email and zoom / phone for the same price as the old five card layout.

Meatspace Sabbatical

I don’t know how you are feeling, but the collective energy here in the US has gotten pretty radioactive lately. Every single private reading I’ve done for the past two weeks has been major arcana dominant to one extent or another. Private readings are definitely OPEN, but I’m taking a break from collective energy & social media readings until after the election results are in. If you need a reading you can order HERE. Otherwise I’ll be in my corner rage knitting and having stress doritos (this is WAY beyond popcorn, people!)

And above all, US eligible people, VOTE

Like Tarot? Vote Harris/Walz.

Like having civil rights and bodily autonomy? Vote Harris/Walz? Like the idea of not going extinct due to climate change? Vote Harris / Walz. Like access to healthcare? Vote Harris/Walz. Like basic human decency? Vote Harris/Walz.

See you on the other side.