Tag: TaoCraft Tarot by Ronda Snow

Every Year Has a New One In It

A bunch of new ones, actually.

When something is a circle, it doesn’t particularly start or stop at any one place. That is true of a year. Not only is it a circle, it is kind of an arbitrary way to chunk up time into manageable pieces. People invented the year as a way to describe time. Naturally, one of the best ways to do that is, well, nature. Seasons turn in the great circle of a year (yes, I know seasons are caused by planetary tilt and orbit which is actually an elipse, but I’m in no mood for pedantics)

Either way, when and how you mark the new year is pretty arbitrary. Celebrate it any time you like…or multiple times. Perception and emotions change in a blink. Each new moment can be a fresh start. Any day can be New Year’s Day.

This is that new school year time of year. We parents, I suspect, are a bit sentimental at the passage of time. Students, I suspect, are a mix depending on how they feel about school. I’m not sure what anyone is feeling or doing with the pandemic sized wrenches that have been thrown in everyone’s schedules.

I’m a fan of Fall, so I always look to this part of the year with a fairly high degree of anticipation. Even now that I’m no longer connected to the school year per se, I still feel a sort of anticipation. It brings the hope of cooler weather, back to business and a more predictable work flow, and of course, pumpkin spice everything. Harvest and Halloween as the mark of a new year resonates with me as much as confetti and champagne in January, maybe more so.

It felt right to do a Year Ahead reading today.

(I’m still trying to think of a better name for the layout. If you have any suggestions, please drop it in the comments. I’ll do a ‘year ahead’ email reading for you if I pick your name for the layout.)

By any name – any day is a good day for a new year. All you need to do is choose your moment and begin. Two “nine” cards is particularly draws my attention to September. Whether you are connected to the American school year or not, it feels like September might be an opportune energy environment for productivity. The song “Danger Zone” comes to mind, especially the part about “overdrive” In all fairness and full disclosure, that is when I’m planning to let some schemes out into the wild, so this bit might be projection on my part…take all of that with whatever size grain of salt you’d like.

Like the year ahead layout says, let’s begin with right now.

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Speaking of seasons and the equinox – That’s when the $10 off special price (website only) for the 7 card email Tarot reading disappears. Until then, you can get a full 7 card reading (the same layout used for in-person sessions) by email for only $1 for each year I’ve been reading Tarot cards.

TaoCraft Tarot Credo

Wabi sabi is wonderful

Of course, the first time I heard the term, my first thought was the green paste that comes with sushi, which I also adore.

As I understand it, Wabi Sabi is a Japanese aesthetic style that embraces the rustic and imperfect. Kintsugi is an art form based in that style (and philosophy, really) where broken things are repaired but the joint are accented with precious metals.

Beautiful!

I’ve admired Japanese and Chinese culture for ages. Time and time and time again Taoism and Zen (Ch’an) has proven true for me and added to the quality of my life. I’ve gone back to it so many times, Imma stay right here (hence the re-branding name change thing.)

To my mind, wabi sabi is very much akin to the smiling Lau Tzu in the classic print “The Vinegar Tasters.” Sure, vinegar tastes sour and bitter, but OK…that is exactly how vinegar is supposed to taste. Sure, things get broken, but OK…we can fix it as best as we can and maybe make it into something better. Sure, life has its bumps, lumps, asymmetries, cracks, hiccups and outright disasters, but OK….that is what life is. As @officialmadamadam said on Instagram, “Shit doesn’t happen to you, shit just happens” or as Ajahn Sumedho titled his book Don’t Take Your Life Personally or as Duane Toops and Jim Martin have said in The Unusual Buddha podcast and social media “embrace the suck.”

Big recommends for all three sources.

But, as always, it begs the question of what does THAT have to do with Tarot. This is a Tarot blog for goodness’ sake.

It is about the pop culture perception of a fortune teller’s predictions vs the true spiritual nature and practical use of our native intuition (and the tools like Tarot that helps us to access that intuition)

Tarot can’t make the sour taste sweet, but it can help us to appreciate a good pickle every now and then. Tarot can’t tell you what is going to break or when, but it can help you put it all back together in time.

In-person readings and party Tarot readings are closed due to substantial delta covid community transmission. In-person services will re-open when community transmission returns to low as reported in CDC data. Because science.

Meanwhile, email no appointment needed distance Tarot is available to order 24/7 and LIVE online/phone readings are available by appointment

Zombie Cat is still in a mood: free Tarot reading for the first person to follow these instructions correctly

  • Free Yes/no reading in the blog for the first question in the comments on this webpage.
  • Yes – it’s really free. It’s really for you. I’ll write it so redacted that only you will know for sure that its you.
  • No….social media replies, email, messages or any other damn thing. ONLY the comments ONLY on this page ONLY until midnight eastern time usa August 17, 2021
  • your reading will post in the blog, so keep it somewhat civil, k?
  • all policies and disclaimers apply
  • Get vaccinated, wear a mask when you go out and wash your damn hands.

Friyay Tarot

This weekend is going to be a busy one here, so Today’s Tarot is a Friyay Tarot looking at the weekend vibe.

Lucky you if this card is in your path! The nine of wands is about endurance, persistence, recovery. In some instances it has to do with setting boundaries but I don’t get any sense of that sort of thing here.

If stamina and persistence is thwarted or blocked, as the reversal would hint, then the next 72 hours might be a good time to stop struggling. Just stop. The struggle and persistence will still be there on Monday. Pick it up again later, but give it a rest for now.

That isn’t to say it is all fun and games. While playing as hard as you work can be healthy and healing, healing in itself can be hard work, especially on the emotional or spiritual level. Wands cards are associated with the element of fire, the inner world – spirituality, philosophy, your relationship with yourself. Outward battles may need a rest, outward progress and persistence may be blocked or slowed, but the hard work of inner growth and facing yourself is very much at hand. It is a weekend to give it all a rest while you do inner work that will, by comparison, make the external stuff seem easier later on. Witch Instagram tends to put this kind of thing in terms of “shadow work” or “breaking generational curses.” Whatever your tradition, whatever terms you put on it, it is a weekend to look yourself in the eye, and then be kind, nurturing, teaching and healing to the person that you see.

Today’s Tarot: It’s Essential

Things can’t get better if they don’t change. Without change, there can be no hope for improvement or problem solving.

It’s not change that we fear: it’s risk.

When things change, there is a danger that things can get worse. When things change, there is a risk of something precious ending or being lost.

If you remember it, it lives on.

We can’t control change. Life brings change and all the risk that entails – but it brings the possibility of brighter days right along with it.

Today’s Tarot: Squint and Stare

“You reap what you sow” is both the threat of consequences for the bad choices you make and the promise of the good things you give coming back to you. Sometimes you have to stop, lean on your garden hoe, squint and stare at things a bit to figure out which is which.

“To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.” – Nicolaus Copernicus

“And I know what I know girl. But I don’t know what I know when I know it” – The Kongos

Today’s Tarot: From a Certain Point of View

Deja Vu. Have we just had this card and this energy recently? There is something out there, in the general zeitgeist energies that is a bit of a flashback replay.

I try to be vigilant about blaming my own issues or emotions on energy, spirit, or any of this psychic intuitive thing…true enough, this could be my annual ‘I don’t like August’ funk, but the volume is turned up higher than usual. I’m not sure what or why, but there is some abstract something that feels like March 2020. Yes, I have my own stuff that probably accounts for a big part of it, and no, I’m not going to share any of it here because I’m very protective of everyone’s privacy, but still, there is some something in the ethers that’s ringing the old intuitive-sensitive bell too.

Has anyone else noticed anything like that or is it just my need for another cup of coffee and a nap? Seriously. Comments and email are open.

For whatever reason, this card and its energy today seems all too familiar.

There were a few ideas so equal, it was hard to pick one for the video caption. First there is the boilerplate “it all depends on your perspective” idea. Think about the view from the standing person’s perspective vs the seated person’s perspective on the card. The standing person can see the way ahead is actually clear and can see the landscape fully for what it really is. If the seated person sees anything of the landscape or the water, it is through sharp edges, gaps in a wall of swords.It is very much reminescent of that Obiwan line from Star Wars about what he told Luke being true “from a certain point of view.” or the parable of the blind men and the elephant. Small shifts in perspective can create big changes in feeling and understanding.

Equal with the idea of perspective, the energy idea of obstacles steps forward. Funny thing, obstacles. Seems like you will either crash into them, crash through them, or figure a way around them. If an obstacle is perpetually floating just in front of you, like swords stuck in the canoe you are riding in, is it really an obstacle at all?

YouChoose Interactive Tarot August 9-16

Interactive Tarot videos might be away for the second half of August, but I won’t be. I’m right here and available for email readings anytime. Order 24/7 and I’ll get the reading right to your inbox, usually within 12-24 hours (weekends and holidays are slower) And there is always new blog-only content trickling in. It pays to follow the blog. It’s the only way to get ALL of TaoCraft Tarot content one convenient place.

So I’m not on hiatus one bit.

I’ll be right here winding some things down from summer and spooling some other things up for fall. You can preview some of it now at https://ko-fi.com/taocrafttarot. Your support goes toward webhosting the blog, and producing more posts and podcast episodes.

I am, as always grateful to you for sharing some time with me and reading this. You rock!

Bitmoji

Today’s Tarot: Pound Foolish

“Penny wise and pound foolish” came to mind with this card today. Like any ‘Murican, I naturally thought Benjamin Franklin wrote it, but a little Googling shows that it was actually a phrase coined by Robert Burton, England’s 16th century aphorism machine. He also said stuff about greasy books and proud humble people. He’s worth a look if you are into the quote thing.

If there is an energy vibe to the card at all, it would be something like “quit screwing around with all the woo woo stuff and use your head.”

Reversals, we’ve talked about. It just means the energy or area of life the card evokes is blocked, slowed or problematic. It doesn’t have to mean something negative or bad, it just gives background context to the overall message.

Often these kinds of head over heart messages come from sword cards. Pentacles is close behind with its association with the earth element. That is the feel today…this is a time to be solid, steady, grounded. Not the day for flights of imagination. This is the roll up your sleeves and work part of working magick.

It make sense, too, in the context of Pentacles’ association with money, career, wealth, work, and all aspects of the physical realm. Those sorts of things scream out for logic, and down to earth practicality. In short, this card is telling us to be “pound wise” to paraphrase Burton. This card is reminding us that money matters should always be goverened by logic and knowlegde.

Page cards are often about learning…they were the knights in training. What is it that you don’t know that could be hurting your long range planning, whatever that planning is about…but doubly so if career or money has been top of mind lately. This is a good day to make sure you have all your ducks in a row, cross your Ts and dot your Is and any other proverbs you want to throw in the mix. Look for any gaps in your knowledge that might cost you later, be it monetary or otherwise.

Just a reminder: the quickest way to reach me for questions or scheduling is through email, TaoCraftTarot@gmail.com.

NEW: you can purchase an email reading through my profile link on instagram

Please follow/subscribe to the blog. I’m scheming a few changes for fall, and this linktree/instagram is the first soft release. “Meet Me On The Equinox” as the Death Cab for Cutie song says. That’s when the $10 off special price ends for 7 card email readings (website only) and when I’ll let you in on the rest of the scheming…although I won’t promise it will survive first contact with implementation.