Hello, Good-bye and Hello again

Special welcome back to TaoCraft Tarot offer.

The tiny little sliver of my brain that tries to understand business and marketing and convince people to get their Tarot readings with me thinks that the name changes and re-branding and re-re-branding is…what’s that technical term? Bonkers. It’s bonkers.

Tarot is not a normal business and the best I can do is let you know I do affordable readings, email is my specialty, and I have very affordable prices. Especially for the no appointment needed email readings that are the best thing I do.

It’s true.

The more comfortable a psychic is as they work, the better psychic reading you get. When we are in a comfy happy place we can put all of our bandwidth on the reading and not have to worry about other details, like uncomfortable social silences while we listen to intuition / spirit, for example.

I don’t know what possessed me to make the switch to Sage Words Tarot except as a smoke screen to soften my political rhetoric (Christian nationalism is dangerous, vote for Harris/Walz on November 5) and maybe protect our privacy from said Christian evangelical white nationalists.

Vote as is your life and our democracy depends on it, because it does. That’s fact, not Tarot, not intuition.

Long story short – welcome back to TaoCraft.

One more change before we can settle in and get to some serious coffee sipping:

I’m retiring the old “Modern Oracle ” five card layout and replacing it with the five card “TaoCraft Path” It’s similar, at the same price, but as a welcome home to TaoCraft for you and hearty sendoff into retirement for this workhorse of a layout – the old layout is available for only $10 for the next 10 days

Halloween 2024, like Halloween 2018, is the grand re-opening of our cozy little reading room.

Follow the blog for an extra special 24 hour welcome home on the 31st.

See you at the next sip!


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

Choose Your Card: 21 October 24

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


Ace of Swords: A good omen. You are on the right path. Stay well-informed and stay alert as you move ahead. Persist.

Page of Swords: Avoid impulsive action. Know before you go. Pages are all about learning. There is something to be learned or something you don’t yet know.

This blog and the YouTube channel are not monetized…your message comes first. Please support these free readings! Buy me a coffee, join the members tier, or purchase a private reading on Ko-Fi.

I have a big but non-covid cold. It might take a little extra time to get your readings over the next few days, but private readings are indeed OPEN. Imma go take a nap now.

Thanks!!

Choose Your Card: The Outer World and You

Sage Sips is Tarot for your day (or week) in the time it takes to sip your coffee.

Email private readings starting at $5

Choose your card, left or right

Pause the video if you need time to think. Restart to see the reveal

The Hierophant: The energy is a little toxic this week. Know when to lay low and when to fight the power. Camouflage is a legitimate tactic. Guard your boundaries regarding social norms and institutional authorities.

Three of Cups: You are dealing with the same energy zeitgeist but have more leeway to be direct and open, to take the bull by the horns, so to speak. You do you, but don’t forget to keep friends and support close at hand for validation if you need it.

I don’t know if this is true everywhere, it may be a fairly local read – local meaning the U.S. at the moment. There is an enormously important election soon, there have been natural disasters, the change of seasons (or for some the hot-as-heck summer that just won’t quit), a comet, freakishly southern northern lights: It’s all screaming climate change, both literally and metaphorically. The energy out there is, for lack of a better term, weird.

I think the foundation of both cards’messages is how to deal with that weird, general, Zeitgeist, collective energy. It reminds me a little bit of the run up to the pandemic – big looming energy on the horizon that isn’t a personal or individual crises but can feel that way. Sensitive intuitions may be resonating strongly right now. If you feel like something’s not quite right but can’t put your finger on what it is, or if you feel like you are reacting with more fear, anxiety, or emotion than usual that could be outside energy pushing on your psyche. It’s like when the sound of a tuning fork of one frequency can cause a bell or another tuning fork of the same to vibrate too.

I have logical reasons for this that may be intruding on this intuitive read, but the good news is this isn’t covid related. My guess is that this uncomfortable energy is being driven by the election. There is an old saying that when the US catches a cold the rest of the world sneezes. Lately it feels more like if the meth lab that is the US explodes, the rest of the world will get flaming debris landing on their roof.

If there is a single carry away message for this week – this coming month really – it is to pay attention to your personal energy and where it touches the outside world. Pay attention to how opaque vs transparent the boundary is. Over sharing feels dangerous. Choose your battles, but fight bravely when do engage. Guard your energy, and feed it when needed. Get support and validation when you need. Isolate if that is what you need to be healthy, protected and strong.

During re-entry from orbit, the Apollo astronauts experienced radio communications blackout for a few minutes. I feel like that is where we are in this election energy thing. It feels like we are locked in and whatever is going to happen is going to happen. The cake is backed, the spam is in the can, and we are surrounded by the ionizing atmosphere of re-entry headed toward splash down.

I just hope it is a good landing that we can all walk away from.

Take care of yourself, and each other.

Watch this space. I plan to be back Wednesday with something much happier and more fun for Spoopy Season.

See you at the next sip!

There! I fixed it for him.

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

I am LOVING this cooler weather, which means its cool enough to fire up the oven and bake something.

​Believe it or not life isn’t all Tarot and out there in the world is where the rubber meets the road with intuitive and psychic learning. What’s the good of it if it doesn’t make everything else a little better? And Tarot can’t make other stuff better if there is no other stuff in the conversation. 

I promised you occasional exclusive content, and I want to make good on that promise…with some non-Tarot fun stuff. This month’s “ko-fi challenge” is to share things that give you creative joy. You already know the creative joy of Tarot. Now I’d like to share some of the other little things that bring joy – creative and otherwise – to life for me. It may bore you to tears, and it certainly isn’t the right thing for everyone. I’m sharing these things not because you should do them, but as a little incantation – a little wish that you find the things that bring the same joy to you whatever that joy-bringer is for you. Today, my joy-bringer is baked tater tot hot dish

Y’all know my politics, especially if you follow me on Threads (also reverted to the @TaoCraft handle) And if there is any way on earth to entice me to donate to a political campaign it would be to offer a recipe in return. So who am I to turn down a chance to peep Tim Walz’ hot dish recipe. 

Not disappointed in the donation one bit, but the recipe needed a little work. Sorry Tim, but if I have beer in the house Imma drinking it, not boiling onions and brats in it. But it does have plenty of cheese which is the important thing.

Every time I hear them give a speech or see them interact with the public, the more I appreciate, respect both Vice President Harris and Governor Walz. I mean listen to them and LOOK at their eyes and faces. This is real deal compassion and leadership. Governor Walz is amazing and does a million things super well, but I suspect cooking isn’t one of them. Hopefully Kamala will sort that detail out. I am 100% down with her turkey roasting method that went social media viral in 2020. Put those two in charge PRONTO.

All politics aside (sort of – vote Harris/Walz!!!!) here is my tweeked-up practically unrecognizable version of his hot dish recipe available on https://store.kamalaharris.com/tim-walzs-new-ulm-hotdish-recipe-digital-download/ 

Please donate if you can while you are there. It truly is existential. If you have any regard for spirituality or Tarot or ANYTHING other than authoritarian white Christian nationalism, you are in their culture war cross hairs.  It is my deepest wish that we all have a happy, healthy, prosperous, well-fed future from this present moment on.

Join Sage Sips on Ko-fi to read more, including my slightly tweeked-up recipe

Members recieve:

  • Up to three FREE on demand one card email Tarot readings per calendar month for the price of one
  • Reduced prices on all larger layouts in the private readings menu
  • Random special offers and exclusive content

Sharing Tarot AND recipes with Sage Sips members brings me #KofiCreativeJoy

Solitude doesn’t have to be lonely

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

“There is a difference between solitude and loneliness”

Maggie Smith

“There is a difference between solitude and loneliness” – Maggie Smith

The source wasn’t cited, but recently on social media someone posted a meme that said something along the lines of “Loneliness is the price you pay for personal growth.”

Yes and No. 

On one hand, it is a very common thing that I’ve seen time and time and time again in Tarot clients – and have experienced myself…

When you heal or grow as a person, old connections often fall away. Sometimes you simply outgrow old friends or family members. Sometimes you all are growing in lovely, healthy, beautiful ways – but in entirely different directions. Whatever the reason, that change can feel very lonely. 

Your path to wisdom, autonomy, and emotional maturity is uniquely your own so yes, your spiritual path is one you by definition must walk alone. 

But no, it need not be lonely. Not at all. 

“There is a difference between solitude and loneliness.” We walk our spiritual paths alone, but it can be a journey of peaceful solitude rather than painful loneliness. 

As old friends fall away, we can hold space for new ones to come along. When we are true to ourselves and learn to make peace with our path, we often find ourselves in more company than we expected. “Your vibe calls your tribe” as the saying goes.

If our path is lonely rather than peaceful solitude, it begs the question of who are we lonely for? Are we lonely for other people or are we lonely for a happier version of ourselves? Being at peace with outer life can only begin with accepting and making friends with our inner selves. When the Hermit on the card holds his lantern up to a mirror, what does he see? 

The beautiful part of walking a solitary path is that it is still progress. If you don’t like what you see in the Hermit’s mirror, change it. In the words of Alan Watts “You are under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago.”

This kind of change is well within your power to do, but it has risk. 

For good or for bad, other people might not like the changes you make. The change, like the Hermit’s lamp, brings the problems to light. Those who never respected you in the beginning, those who take advantage of you or project their issues on to you are probably the only ones falling away. The unhealthy relationships are the first to go. The people who need you to be at your worst are often the first to fade away when you are at your best.

Alone need not be lonely. Sometimes alone is freedom. Time alone often gives your spirit the space to heal. No one can do that for you. The key to transforming loneliness into peaceful solitude is not other people. It’s you, making peace with you.

Loneliness isn’t a call to fill an empty spot with another person. Loneliness is a call to fill the emptiness with the best version yourself. 

Tarot Soup

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

Like books? Like to read? My email private Tarot is a reader’s reading. No appointment needed. Order HERE.

Good soup has layers of flavors. The best soups build over time. You start with root veg and aromatics. Then meats, spices, seasoning and garlic. Then broth. Save any added salt for later – you get the idea.

Tarot readings have layers too.

Just like a well stocked spice rack in your kitchen lets you create a delicious meal, having a variety of Tarot layouts at your disposal lets you create a satisfying reading perfect for the time and question at hand.

I like to combine traditional layouts with some that I’ve written to create my Tarot spice shelf, so to speak. Choosing the best layout for the question is the beginning. Looking at the pattern of the cards and the layout as a whole is the base. The individual position meanings within the layout is one layer of meaning. Each individual card’s meaning is another layer. The connection, the way a position can subtly direct our attention and modify the card meaning adds depth and complexity to the reading. Using pure intuition throughout the reading and to summarize at the end is like the pinch of salt that brings the whole soup together in the delicious end.

I had hoped to post a “you choose” video yesterday, but clearly I’m going to have to shift gears again and adapt a little bit. For the next two weeks, I’m going to focus on how-to and behind the scenes posts. THEN we’ll get back to general audience and interactive Tarot readings.

Please subscribe to this free blog, or follow me on ko-fi, Substack, Threads, Facebook or Instagram so you don’t miss anything. Please visit tomorrow and we’ll start taking a deeper look at all of the layouts and more. Stay tuned!

Private readings are OPEN. There might be a few delivery delays around the weekend of September 27-29

You Choose Tarot Card of the Week: Work and Ponder

Watch the video. Choose your Tarot card for the week. Pause if you need a little time. Get your Tarot reading in the post below.

The ko-fi page is back to TaoCraft Tarot!

Three of Pentacles: “Team work makes the dream work” is cliche and cringe, but this is a good week to be open, give a fair listen to other ideas. Inspiration can come from anywhere. Adaptability can help you thrive. 

Ace of Wands: Inspiration CAN come from anywhere, but for you, Don’t forget to filter,  use discernment. Look at other ideas in the firefight of your own passions. 

Alleyman’s Tarot deck by  Seven Dane Asmund  used with permission

You Choose Tarot: your choice, your card, your reading is below

Interactive Tarot: use your intuition to make your card choice and get your Tarot message for today

High Priestess: Read between the lines. Look for the mysterious wrapped up in the obvious. Know the real story before snapping to judgement or jumping into action.

Seven of Wands: Life isn’t all smooth sailing. Conflicts happen, so this card is as much about HOW you handle them, not if they will happen. When the inevitable hiccup happens, handle it with compassion, humor, and style. Bring the logic, kindness and all the rizz you can muster.


The website might be a little redecorated, BUT email private Tarot readings are OPEN. Private Tarot readings by email are my specialty and I have 30 years of Tarot experience to bring to YOUR private reading.

Order HERE 24/7, no appointment needed. Most readings get to your inbox within 24 hours.

Sage Sip Members get FREE one card email readings at your request (up to 3 per calendar month – $15 value for $5 monthly membership) PLUS discounts on larger layouts and exclusive ko-fi blog content.

Things are already looking a little different.

It’s 9-9, September 9th. I read somewhere that 99 is a good fortune number in multiple different traditions. In numerology, someone wrote that it combines “inner wisdom and endings.” And naturally where there are endings, there are also beginnings. It would make sense that is why the Death card from the major arcana is actually symbolic of change.

Change is one thing you can count on.

Adaptability is a survival skill. Only dead things don’t change, which is kind of ironic given that the Death card from the major arcana is all about change.

The old you must cease to exist if the new you, your new life, can come into existence. Change is the only way anything can get better. Sure, it might get worse, too. That’s the chance you take with this crazy squirrel rave we call life.

Sometimes change means a heart rending good-bye to something you really, REALLY wanted. Other times, like this one, it means happily, gleefully, joyfully long-distance punting a stupid mistake into the stratosphere.

Sage Words Tarot was a relapse into masking and smoke-screening from the evangelicals and their ilk. No more. I won’t go back.

Returning to TaoCraft Tarot is an incantation, a spell to manifest a universe of safety where we can all be our authentic selves. I am reclaiming my time and my web name. My website is reverting to its original address and the Facebook page is set to change its name to reflect the blog “Sage Sips.” I’ve added a TaoCraft Tarot page back to Facebook too. That one might have a little bonus woo woo content on it.

But in any case, hi! I am Sage, and I write Sage Sips Blog on www.TaoCraftTarot.com

PS Tumblr you’ll get your turn soon.

Q&A: Work & Retirement

Visit the “Ask Me Anything” page to get a free Tarot answer as a blog post like this one

Related posts:

Q: Will I be at same job and company I have now til I retire? At what age should I retire?

Hi ****

Thank you so much for your question. I hear you. Career and money is such a huge part of our lives. It occupies an enormous chunk of our time and mental bandwidth so I applaud you for giving it this kind of care and attention. Work and retirement are a big part of life as a whole. The happier you are as a whole person, the more present you can be in all the non-work aspects of life too. When work and career are in a good place, then we can turn our best attention to putting or keeping the other parts of life in a good place, too.

Unfortunately, the honest answer to your question is that Tarot can’t give you a fair answer to this at all.

“Will” is always a problematic way to think of things when it comes to psychic and Tarot readings because, as I’ve said a zillion times, Tarot can’t tell you what will happen in life, Tarot helps you figure out what to do when life happens.

It is all up to you. The answers to your questions are already in your hands and always have been.

Will you stay I this company? I dunno.

Are you planning to quit? Are you looking for other work? Have you done anything to get fired? Is there any risk of layoffs? Is the company solvent enough to last until you retire? Tarot can’t predict these things so Tarot can’t tell you if you will be at this job until you retire.

More importantly – do you WANT to stay at this company until you retire? If so, why? What about the job do you want to continue as part of your life? If this particular company or job goes away due to unforeseen circumstances beyond your control, what about this job would you want to replace? What about this job could you replace?

Now dig a little deeper. Why are you asking this question? Are you worried about the job’s stability? If it is unstable, do you need to make a backup plan instead of asking Tarot about it? Do you hate it and want to change? Worried about making enough income to live? How can you best meet this real, deep underlying need? Answer that and the need to know “if” or “will” this job last until retirement goes away and puts the power squarely in your hands. Think about why you want to know if the job will last to retirement, then you know what to DO. You can think about ways to keep the job if you like it and what you need to do to replace it if it goes away.

When you should retire is absolutely positively up to you, your individual situation, and your actual financial resources. Retirement timing is 1000% NOT a question for Tarot. That calls for real-world logic and financial know-how. If you don’t know what you need, then it is important to talk to a financial advisor, or someone knowledgeable about retirement planning. Assess your needs logically and crunch the numbers and get real, expert guidance if you need it. Asking me, an artist, what age you should retire is like asking a plumber about your coronary bypass.

All of that being said, let’s pull a card that should give you one of two things:

Either it will give you a place to start thinking about these work related things, OR it will nudge you to look at something outside of your career that needs your attention. If your career path is unclear right now, that might be a hint from the universe that something else needs your attention first, and getting that something in order might, in turn, make the job and retirement question come into better focus for you.

Your card today is JUSTICE

This is from the major arcana portion of the Tarot deck. Major arcana cards typically carry higher energy, a bigger emotional impact, big life lessons or an important turning point in life. Retirement decisions certainly qualify for that!

The old fashioned way of reading cards connects Justice with literal legal concerns. So be on your guard, get good advice, don’t fall for anything scammy or shady out of fear or concern for retirement. This is not a time to “call Saul” as the television series goes.

Justice also points to wisdom, integrity and balance.

This is another reminder that retirement planning is a ‘use your head’ logic and fact driven decision primarily but also a reminder to keep the big picture in mind. “Work-life balance” comes to mind. Don’t sacrifice quality of life NOW with regards to health, family, relationships, friendships and the like for the sake of some arbitrary point in the future. That isn’t to say go all YOLO and be reckless or selfish now, that is to say to be mindful, appreciative and get the most emotional and spiritual connection out of this present moment as you can while at the same time you make reasonable plans for the future.

In other words, don’t sacrifice current quality of life on the alter of some arbitrary future point. Be adaptable. Keep the big picture in mind, making sure the big picture contains both the present needs and reasonable, logical future planning.

I hope that helps a little bit.

Best Wishes to you!


Would you like a one card private Tarot reading by email similar to this public one for only $5? Order private email readings, no appointment needed HERE. Most readings come to your inbox within 24 hours.