Tag: TaoCraft tarot

Acknowledge the Bittersweet

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New Year traditions around the world often include literal housecleaning. New Years, whenever on the calendar you celebrate it, is a big ‘out with the old, in with the new’ kind of vibe.

The ten of wands energy that has been around for the past few days or s0 isn’t finished with us yet and has called for reinforcements in the form of the five of cups.

The idea of releasing the broken things that no longer serve us and letting them be repaired, refreshed, renewed or reused by others is still here. The idea of releasing old obligations and giving yourself permission to deeply enjoy scaled-down holidays feels just as strong for the new year phase of the holidays as it was for the christmas part.

Letting go of obligations or dialing down the observance of traditions is liberating, but also wistful. Feelings of loss or grief can come hand in hand with the lightness and release. Change is a two edged sword. The wheel of change moves up and down at the same time. It is OK to acknowledge the emotions of this season just as much as it is OK to release the obligations of the season. Releasing the old is an act of courage and hope, one of trust that the void will be filled with the right thing for this place in time.

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Have an OK Holiday

Happy Festivus to all who celebrate!

Personally, I love a holiday that is open to anyone and everyone and no one gives a flying hootenanny how you celebrate. Good food. A plain pole. A stack of beer cans. It’s all good.

The Ten of Wands speaks to obligations that we put on ourselves, and the blockages, challenges and obstacles of our own making

Releasing holiday obligations that we put on ourselves (and that can kindle resentments) is its own kind of transformative holiday magic. Letting go of the things that no longer serve others OR yourself may be a little emotionally wrenching or guilt-ridden, especially during the winter holidays, but it makes room for something new, something joyous.

It’s been said that traditions are simply allowing ourselves to be held hostage by dead people. There is some truth to that. But there is also a a great truth that sameness and tradition can be extremely valuable and comforting in turbulent times. The more things suck now, the more we need comforting things like favorite movies and holiday traditions.

Especially those traditions that contain more meaning than money.

It’s OK to keep the perfect from being the enemy of the good.

I wish you the happiest OK holiday season.

See you at the next sip!

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Today’s Tarot: In The Quiet

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The strongest people are often the quietest, gentlest, and kindest.

Integrity and power often work in silence.

Listen –

Do you hear the electrons as they move to power the screen you are looking at right now?

An industrial magnet might make a humming sound….but it can lift a car.

Beware the loud and bombastic. Often it cloaks more hypocrisy than integrity.

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Today’s Tarot: Choose Your Ambition

The five of wands has always had a note of success about it. Sure, there is striving, effort, even conflict around the situation on your mind – but the effort isn’t futile. Some sort of progress can be made here.

I’ve always liked the spin that challenges can be met with style, panache, even a little humor. Effort and challenge doesn’t have to mean being up tight, stressed and anxious while you do it.

There is a trace of that old adage that if you do what you love, then you’ll never work another day. Combine that with the notion of choosing your battles. When you choose your battles you are managing your resources. Those resources include your internal energy and mental/emotional bandwidth. Choose your ambitions and your striving in life wisely. If you spend effort on the things you love then stress and striving melt away.

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As always, all readings and blog posts are for personal & spiritual enrichment only, they do not predict the future.

Today’s Tarot: Echoing Silence

It’s a shocker, I know.

I follow a number of Taoist, Buddhist, Accupressure, Traditional Chinese Medicine and other such social media feeds.

This being the waning weeks of the year of the snake has popped up several times over the past few days, associating the end of the year with a metaphoric shedding of skin, as a snake does when it grows and enters a new cycle.

It reminds me of the ouroboros, the image of a snake or dragon eating its own tail that is said to symbolize cycles destruction and rebirth.

Drawing the Star card from the major arcana fits exactly that energy today.

This card is sometimes associated with guidance – like ancient sailors using the stars for navigation. Of course, this winter holiday season, the Christian minded among us might think of the star in the three kings legend. But that isn’t the energy this time at all.

Reference after reference connects The Star with rebirth and renewal.

This is much more cyclic. This is snake skin and ouroboros circles. It’s not about a singular point of guidance. It’s much more complex than that.

When I drew the Star card, I intuitively ‘heard’ “echoing silence” and was reminded of winter nights with a clear sky over snow-covered ground. Even if you are in a city parking lot or a suburban driveway, the night and silence are profound, the quiet echoing behind any noise you might hear.

We are at a cusp. We are at the tail of the ouroboros snake. No one star guides us through this transition.

An entire galaxy of stars promise rebirth.

As dark as this night may be, as anxious and terrifying as the echoing, frigid silence may feel, the stars burn on.

Even the stars move. Everything changes. And that includes changes for the better just as much as the tragedies our fears so often imagine.

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Today’s Tarot: Look

This is the Normal Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund, the brilliant creator behind my favorite Alleyman’s Tarot deck. Used with permission by ‪@publishinggoblin1072‬

The Waxing Crescent Moon symbolizes a silver lining or unexpected benefit. The card being reversed gives the impression that the silver lining is buried deep, any benefits to the current situation being hidden – but worth finding.

Richard Back wrote (in Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah, if memory serves) that “There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in your hands.”

Buddhist wisdom and common aphorisms like “every cloud has a silver lining all advise the same thing: There is always some small way to turn some small part of a problem into some small benefit. It’s wise to do that whenever you can.

The waxing crescent card is a cue that there is a silver lining there for you. There is some gift from some problem around you. The card’s reversal is a hint that you might be missing the good thing, or have to dig for it – but it is there.

Look for your gift, look for your silver lining, whenever you can.

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A Beginning

Heart of Stars Tarot by Thom Pham, used with permission
If the first step in solving a problem is acknowledging its existence, then perhaps the beginning of wisdom is acknowledging it exists within you already.
Wisdom doesn’t come by striving. It comes by living what you already know while remaining willing to learn some more.

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Consequences and Time

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Think of your question or the week ahead. Choose a card.

Pause and choose the card before they are revealed. Choose after. Choose both. There is no wrong way to do this.

Full Moon, reversed: Take advantage of the shift in energies or the shift in energies might take advantage of you. Read the room. Be responsive to the vibe around you, and things can get better. Ignore it, and problems could continue.

Three of Autumn: Things long forgotten now work their cause and effect magic. Something you thought small, beneath notice has grown into something good. A very seven of pentacles type of energy. Enjoy the good investment that you made.

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Deck: Normal Tarot by Seven Dane Asmund

Snow Day Six

This week we had our first snowy day of the season.

It’s one of those things where you just have to roll with it. You can’t stop it. Not much you can do about it except brave the bread and eggs crowd at the grocery store and shovel when it’s all said and done.

Life is one big snow day in that respect. Do what you can when you can and roll with it otherwise.

The six of swords is giving that energy today. Go with the flow is the best way through. All is not always as it seems anyway.

The swords are on the boat…not blocking the boat;s way.

The figures behind the swords seem huddled and seem miserable while the standing (and steering) figure sees the way ahead, the direction the current is flowing, and can nudge things toward a brighter horizon.

Why fight the current if you can use it to your advantage? Why huddle behind imagined blockages when the natural flow of is taking you in the general direction that you want to go?

Mindfulness and being aware of the present moment is like standing up for a minute and seeing the current flow, the bigger picture, and the way ahead.

The six of swords is a reminder to enjoy unexpected snow days, so to speak.

See you at the next sip!

When the pumpkin pie tastes just as it should

It takes a certain courage and generosity of spirit to be kind to yourself. It is OK to be grateful to yourself for that kindness.

What seems flawed on the surface can contain great beauty when we look at it as a whole. Scars are lovely souvenirs of the life you have survived. Removing yourself from unhealthy environments and toxic relationships can cause an ever changing mixed bag of emotions. It can make you exponentially grateful for the good ones. Yeah, this is a time for family…but hopefully it is family defined by love and relationship – shared DNA is optional. Personally, I think the whole Friendsgiving thing is kind of brilliant now that we are years into being a country divided by bigotry, racism, religion, politics and more. I don’t know that it is entirely a bad thing – many have learned the hard lessons that come with living fully, authentically, and protecting your peace.

Expectations are the enemy of a happy holiday. You don’t expect the pickles to taste like pumpkin pie. Smile when vinegar tastes sour because that just means it tastes just like it should. Life can be both bitter and sweet, but it always is as it is. The bitter times make it all the nicer when the pumpkin pie tastes as it should, too.

I’m thankful for all of you, and thankful to still be able to read Tarot for you.

Please like, follow, share and all of those good blog and social media things. We will be circling back to the beginning for a while, focusing on daily meditation Tarot. Some might have videos, many will not. Some might be morning, others will be evening or night. Private readings by email are OPEN and available on the ko-fi page. All proceeds support Sage Sips blog going toward the cost to create it and to keep it ad-free with no paywall.

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Back with a card for tomorrow. See you at the next sip!