zombie – Sage Sips / TaoCraft Tarot

Q&A: Did I make a mistake?

This is a yes/no layout that the recipient allowed me to share with you, so you can see what an email Tarot reading with me is actually like. Instead of a video (that I for the blog) email readings get a static photo of your unique, real-world card layout.

Q: I got a reading with you almost a year ago. The reading said it was a good time to think about a job change. Not long after that, I got an unexpected job offer and took it. It seemed like the right thing to do and everything seems to be going well, but some doubts are starting to creep in. Did I do the right thing?

A: First of all thank you for letting me share your reading with the blog. It is such a positive energy and we could all use a little boost of good news these days.

And positive it is!

This is the most definite YES! energy that I’ve seen in a while. Usually, even in these “Zombie Cat” yes/no readings there is a lot of fluidity and emphasis on the power of choice.

This reminds me of that bitmoji where the energies and your spirit guides just sip a coffee and say YUP.

I apologize for this being a short reading. It always feels like these concise clear answers are too easy, that I’m not giving you your money’s worth. I hope the ‘yup’ is as valuable and reassuring as the energy feels on this end. It feels surprising too. If you ever had any doubts about your personal power, your path of magick, you can set those right on to the side. You are in a good place. All the effort has been worth it and people are starting to see all you’ve put into your growth and building good things for you and your family both in terms of real world, tangible things – but even more importantly for the positive esoteric energies that follow you around like your favorite perfume.

As you probably remember, these yes/no readings work a little like an I ching coin toss. Two aces = yes, but three aces mean a yes that can be easily tipped over to the opposite if you choose to do so. In this case, you are solid, which I’m guessing is just the news you wanted to hear.

Going card by card after the basic answer –

Ten of Cups is just as good as it looks. Cups are symbolic of closest relationships (as well as the element of water, intuition, emotions) This shows that the choice you made is good for you and your family, which you have always said is your number one priority.

Ace of Pentacles is as job related as you can get for this question. Pentacles are Earth, real world, career, finances. This is pure reassurance that work will work out ok.

Ace of Cups moves its focus from family & relationships to the water & intuition realm of the suit. Your instincts were right on target. Again, huge validation energy here. Doubts are normal. Stay on the lookout for any real problems emerging, certainly, but don’t get stuck in the past. The energy is very forward-looking at the same time it is reassuring.

I see blue…like a lighter gemstone, along the lines of blue lace agate or apatite. But that being said, I also feel pushed to say wear whatever crystals make you feel as powerful as you are. Lapis Lazuli steps forward too. In fact that is overtaking the lighter. Lapis, definitely lapis. I’m getting the usual woody scents like the meditative ones that usually come through for you. This time it is a little sweeter like copal or frankincense.

A quick flash of crossed over loved ones of an older generation – parents or grandparents. I ‘hear’ “honor the ancestors” but it is Dios De Los Muertos season. Now the taste of candy, like a vanilla taffy. Does that have any meaning for you?

Again Dia De Los Muertos (I hope I’m spelling that right) images.

And there the energies step back.

I hope that puts your doubts at ease! Gurrrl – you are SO on the right path!

Thanks again for letting me share such a cool-feeling reading!

Cheers and best wishes

Summer’s Zombie

I don’t like August weather with all of that sunshine and heat and humidity and whatnot.

Late August is summer’s zombie. School is back in session, trees are duller but few showing a tinge of yellow, goldenrod and ragweed are everywhere. My face itches just thinking about it. Summer is shambling and groaning along, well past its welcome. Those of us who prefer the Fall vibe are well and truly ready for it.

Speaking of summer shambles – Zombie Cat yes/no readings are still available by email until the Autumnal Equinox on September 20th. After that, it’s back to the usual three layouts on the Readings menu, with discounts for Sage Sip members.

My basic coping strategy this morning is to close the curtains, pour a cup of pumpkin spice coffee and think about a Fall schedule.

The operative word is THINK about it. We both know that in reality, it will all adapt and change and roll with the flow as the season goes on.

Tarot, intuition, spiritual guidance, personal growth…all that sort of thing …by definition follows the flow of energy. It follows the nature of things, not defines or controls the nature of things. Which is why the philosophy of Tarot and Taoism are so complimentary. And that is, once again, why I’m Taoist at heart.

But that is another story. For now, pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of something cinnamon and I’ll show you what I’m aiming toward. It’s not so much making a plan as it is making the thing that will wiggle and dance when the squirrels of life start the rave.

Private Tarot readings:

Email readings are always open. Order HERE anytime, 24/7, no appointment needed. Most readings get to you within 24 hours. Live phone and in-person readings are by appointment only. Please contact me for details about those.

Sage Sips Blog:

Three ways to read!

on the main website
on Ko-fi
on Substack

Three days for regular (ish) posts

Monday – Choose Your Card (your individual intuition is part of the online reading!)
Wednesday – midweek musings / behind the scenes / Q&A
Friday – Weekend Oracle

Plans. Plans within plans.

Sage Sips membership on ko-fi is still $5 per month and INCLUDES free private one card Tarot readings by email on request, discounts on larger layouts, occasional special offers and exclusive content.

I have an idea for a new layout, inspired by David Skribbens’ mystery novel Eight of Swords. Look for a chance to get a free email private reading with this new layout. Instead of being a test-knitter for a new pattern, anyone interested in being a test-sitter for a new card layout?

It’s coming up on two years, and the whole cozy-comfy Sage words thing has not gotten the traction that TaoCraft Tarot had. Sure, “Sage Words” is easier to explain, pronounce and spell, but I miss the meaning that TaoCraft holds for me personally. The less I think about marketing, the better things seem to be. The more true to me I am, the BETTER the readings I can do for YOU.

I like “sage sips” for the blog, and I’m keeping the pen-name Sage, but am thinking about going back to TaoCraft for the website / private readings /social media name. What do you think? Constructive comments are welcome. You know my spam & troll policy, delete & block.

Ask Me Anything Q&A: Sing

M**** asks:

Should I become a singer? Would people listen to my music?

Hi M___

Thank you so much for your question.

Before we start, I want to let you know that I personally know nothing about music. Everything in this reading is 100% pure intuition. So if I say anything that feels prickly, or makes you feel defensive, or feels just wrong from a musician’s point of view, please pay attention to that. Those feelings are telling and can guide you as much as what the cards say.

I do have several semi-pro musicians & amateur singers in my family. Knowing how important music and performing can be to a person, I could never tell you NOT to sing. But that is the real crux of all of this. Do you want to sing, or do you want to be a singer?

But that being said, let’s look at the second part of your question first, then we can draw cards and get to the real root of this message for you.

Would people listen to my music? – I don’t know. No one knows. Tarot and psychics do not predict the future, or read people’s minds. If I knew what people were going to like and do, I wouldn’t be on social media trying to showcase my readings and entice people to buy them.

It’s like the “choose your card” post that included the “Lightning in a Bottle” card from the Alleyman’s Tarot deck: “If you want to catch lightning in a bottle you have to stand out in a lot of rainstorms.”

The only way to know if people will listen to you is to sing. Even if you find out the hard thing the hard way, you’ll know. If people listen, you’ll know it was the right choice. If they don’t, you’ll know if being a singer is worth trying and trying and trying again until they do – or not. Is singing worth it if nobody listens but you? Is the music and singing your passion? Is singing its own reward? Or is the people listening to you the real reward and it doesn’t matter if you get their attention through singing, or dancing, or acting, or writing, or some other form of artistic expression?

The first part of your question, “should I become a singer” is perfect for for a “zombie cat yes/no” layout. I explain how those are done in the post from back in February “The Way of Zombie Cat“

Your three cards were: Ace of Wands, 8 of Swords, and The Lovers

One ace among three cards is a NO.

If that answer disappoints you, then that is your real answer.

If you were hoping for a ‘yes’ then let’s keep reading with the other cards and see how to change the ‘no’ into a ‘yes.’

Are you willing to be a singer even if no one listens?

Let’s look at this card by card.

Ace cards are the essence of the suit. Wands have to do with your relationship with yourself, your inner world of philosophy and spirit. Wands are associated with the element fire symbolizing passions. This is the ‘yes’ energy of the reading, even if it is outnumbered by the other card energies.

My hunch this means that the ‘no’ is more of ‘not right now’ than a flat ‘never.’

Something inside needs to change before being a singer is the right thing to do. You need to know how important it is to you. You need to understand the reasons why you want to be a singer and decide if it is worth it, even if it is hard, even if it doesn’t work out the way you want it to work out. Does your fire burn bright enough to endure if endurance is needed?

Eight of Swords: something is holding you back. It’s like that old saying “if you have to ask you can’t afford it.” If you have to ask if you should become a singer, then something is holding you back. What is causing your uncertainty?

By the same token, never wait for perfection. If you wait for the perfect time, the right time will never come. Waiting for the right time can be smart, but it can also be a prison. If you want to be a singer, why not? If no one listens, so what? The experience will always be a part of your story. In the long run what will you regret more – trying and failing or never trying and never knowing if you could do it?

Whatever the mental trap is, this card also means it is escapable. Whatever problems can be solved, but you have to think outside the box. Creative problem solving is key.

The Lovers is a major arcana card, and as such can carry two messages sometimes. That is the case here.

The Lover’s isn’t about romantic relationships as much as people like to think. It is about deep desire for anything, regardless of what that may be. When it comes to being a singer, think about what it is you really want. Is your heart’s desire to be involved with music? Or is performance? Or is it communication? Or self-expression? What is it you really want from being a singer. Focus on that – and the path to and through singer-hood will be easier to find.

The second message this card carries is a nod to the popular reputation that the Lovers card has. It is just a reminder to think about how being a singer will fit into the big picture of your life. What effect will being a singer have on your family relationships, your work relationships, friendships, and yes, any romance that may be in your life.

So, will anyone listen to your music. There is no way to know except to perform or have your music performed and see.

Should you be a singer? If you are asking the question, the answer is probably no. BUT after you look inside, after you become clear about your motivations and desires and true goals, then you’ll know the answer for yourself, no tarot cards required.

That’s when the answer could easily turn into a YES. One you know in your heart if you should be a singer, then nothing can stop you from finding your path.

Good Luck!

Would you like a question answered for free in the blog, possibly with a full free Tarot reading like this one? Click the “ask me anything” tab in the menu at the top of the page. Take a chance. All “Ask Me Anything” questions are answered for free with a blog post.

If you would like a private yes/no reading like this, you can order it HERE. Zombie Cat will be on the order page until the autumn equinox for $15 ($10 for members) After that, they return to ‘special request only’ status.

drawing of a white zombie cat holding a tarot card.

Members only post 7-15-24

New members only post featuring the Lenormand Tarot cards the house and the coffin is available to Sage Sips members on ko-fi.

Members receive:

Free one card Tarot readings by email upon request up three readings per calendar month
Discounts on larger layouts
DM access
Member exclusive content and random special offers

Non-members can order affordable Tarot readings HERE

Three readings always available, in your choice of email or video:

Sage’s Sip (one card) $5
Pathway (three cards) $15
TaoCraft Tarot (five cards) $30

Available seasonally or by special request, by email or video:

Modern Oracle Tarot (seven cards) $40
Seasons of the Year (five cards) $30
Find Your Flow (four cards) $20
Zombie Cat’s yes or no (three cards) $15

Zombie Cat is shambling! Order a yes/no reading with the cat now thought the Autumn Equinox at the link above!

Zombie Cat’s Summer Shamble Starts this evening.

Private Tarot readings are open this weekend. No appointment needed for email.

After stepping back and sending love and support to Pride Month, Zombie Cat will start to Shamble for the summer.

Ask Zombie Cat Anything on the AMA page OR order a private three card yes/no Tarot reading by email.

As always, Zombie Cat tells it like it is. All of Zombie Cat’s readings are 100% guaranteed to contain words and have a 50% chance of being dead wrong.

ps – I NEVER use AI in your readings. This is the first time I’ve tried it just because dammit I’m a writer not a cartoonist.

Ask Zombie Cat: Calm Will Come…Eventually (2024)

Zombie Cat Yes/No readings are 100% guaranteed to contain words and have a 50% chance of being dead wrong.

It’s almost that time of year.

Life and the squirrel rave have finally forced me to get a little organized and simplify for 2024

Short and sweet: I have THREE layouts and THREE prices all of the time

Modern Oracle (5 cards, $30)
Eclipse (3 cards, $15)
Sage’s Sip (1 card, $5)

BUT I have lots of other layouts that are only available seasonally by email only.

June 1, 2024 is the start of ZOMBIE CAT’S SUMMER SHAMBLE

June 1 to September 1 Zombie Cat Yes/No readings are $10 for members, $15 for non-members. This layout gives a yes or no answer to ANY question (see disclaimer) plus insights based on the three cards we use to get your yes/no answer. What follows is an actual reading, used with permission, but lightly edited to protect privacy. More about yes/no readings coming soon.

Witches Tarot by Ellen Dugan and Mark Evans copyright 2012 used with permission Llwellynpublishing.com

Q: I’ve been going through a lot lately. Things are changing fast and I’ve been learning so many things the hard way. Are things ever going to calm down?

A: Maybe but leaning yes.

My hunch is that it is actually more yes than maybe, but with the downside that it won’t kick in for a few more months yet. In my minds eye I see the dogs howling at the moon that you see on some many Moon cards. For some reason that says “dog days of summer” to me. Maybe this is pure projection on my part, because this time of year with the sun, heat and humidity makes my fur more gnarly than usual. It feels like the current energy pattern is going to hang around at least as long as the hot weather. “Things will turn with the weather, bluer skies and sweaters.” Knowing where you are, I’m remembering painting outside on a 80 degree November not so long ago. I’m thinking don’t hold your breath for any real relief until a serious, growing season ending, killing frost. Sort of a big harvest moon, October–December vibe. That would go along with the 4 of Wands, which is about foundations, and community celebrations.

The 4 of Wands also speaks to the new place to live. Yes, it will become foundational, in time. I ‘hear’ “make a house a home” plus something about grounding or earth…this is gonna sound more nuts than usual. I don’t know what the issues are around the new address, but it feels like the energy there needs both cleared and grounded, swept of a lingering funk that pre-dates you and rooted and grounded … settled if you will… on an energy level to make a way for more literal grounding and calming to manifest. This is weird, purely intuitive, and has no basis in science or tradition that I know of on a conscious level. I get the image of sprinkling a 50/50 mixture of salt and diatomacious earth….literally just by pinches at a time…along the baseboards, along the perimeter walls of the house. Don’t worry about inner walls, or specific rooms, just the walls that join the outside. No need to make a big mess, just a ceremonial line using little pinches and clear intention. Sage and smuding are too airy and ethereal. This calls for a tangible bam of something.

The Ace of Swords is associated with air. This feels a little more cautioning than reassuring / advising like the 4 of wands was. Swords and air have to do with intellect. Don’t overthink during this upcoming season, now through the end of the year in any case. This also would go along with the literal grounding / clearing house thing, as being needed to balance the airy creative energy.

The Ace of Swords also reminds me of something you said when we were talking about which deck you’d like to use for this. You were talking about being more “ethereal….like a good spiritual student” with the other deck, but went with this one because it was “bubbling up inside.” I warrant that listening to the stuff that bubbles up inside IS what it means to be a good spiritual student. It is easy to equate spirituality with ethereal, good with serene and so on. This card, this part of the yes/no reminds me of what we were saying yesterday, if it seems like life is beating on you…it is. And that is ok. It first of all is probably because Life knows you are badass enough to deal with it, and second of all, chaos and pains in the ass are just as spiritual as rainbows and unicorns. Remember that article you sent, and that Alan Watts quote? “You are a function of what the whole universe is doing just like a wave is a function of what the whole ocean is doing.”

In other words, don’t sweat it, you GOT this. The ocean of life, love and spirituality touch the great white shark the same as the angelfish. Rest will come in its time. Meanwhile, enjoy the swim. You wouldn’t be in the deep end if you couldn’t handle it. This is a chance to discover your inner orca, have a glass of wine, watch Shark Week on TV….that kind of thing. Recharge? Sure. You eat stress for breakfast. You got this.

The Ace of Wands continues in that vein with a more inward turn. Knowing that spirituality takes all forms, so does self-care. Like the human has said before about this card….carry a torch for yourself. Accept your passions and desires, strengths and weakness for what they are…both your increadable resiliancy and your sincere desire for a day off. Need a break? Take it! With gusto and passion! Tell it all to leave a message, and take a spa day. Which I guess takes us back to wine and shark week, but you get the idea. Let your passions shine, even if it is a passion for kicking things to the curb and carving out the peace and quiet you want. Want peace and quiet with burning passion! Or something like that.

So YES things will settle, but that process can be helped along. You have been answered “the hard way” because you can handle it. Rest hasn’t come yet because you still have a bit more to do. It may not feel like it, but you can keep on keeping on. Plus maybe this is a time to explore the gritty, gnarly, not–so-ethereal side of spirituality. Don’t ask me why, but Sam Elliot style movie characters come to mind…the grizzled antihero, Deadpool kind of thing. Not saying that you are that way, just that might be a good mental cosplay, a way to find a way to have a little fun with the chaos until the rest really does come, which it will, but later. Kind of like when the human let’s me come out and play and unleash a little Zombie snark on the world. It’s all just in good fun to get you through until that change in the literal and energetic weather.

Braaaiiiiinns!

Zombie Cat

Entertainment only. Zombies don’t exist and these readings don’t predict anything. Use with caution – the ideas here might change your perspective and improve your life choices.

The Way of Zombie Cat

Zombie Cat’s unique way of yes/no Tarot readings. Order your private yes/no with Zombie Cat, no appointment needed

There are lots of ways to do a yes or no reading.

In my experience, the most essential thing is to have a question in mind and keep it mind throughout whatever process you use. It’s the same intention-setting process that Tarot readers use to write a layout. Throwing cards willy-nilly isn’t as helpful as having a clear layout and layout meanings clearly in mind before turning the cards.

For yes/no readings, there are lists of cards that are yes or no, and you do a single card draw for a succinct answer. Some of the lists I’ve seen don’t have much rhyme or reason for the yes or no connotations assigned to each card. I’ve seen some methods that say swords and wands mean no while cups and coins mean yes, which leaves a much shorter list of yes/no associations for the major cards.

Years ago in an intuition development class led by Joy Star, I learned a more complex, interesting and (in my experience) helpful three card method:

Deal the cards into three stacks. Stop dealing to a stack when it gets an ace or 13 cards, whichever comes first.

Three aces means yes

Two aces means maybe, leaning yes

One ace means maybe, leaning no

No aces means no.

Of all the possible yes/no methods, this was my favorite. It’s the only yes/no method I use, but with a couple of minor twists.

Most of the time, once you’ve determined the yes or no, the reading ends there, kind of like one of those Magic 8 ball toys. I add an extra layer of depth to take this reading over and above a simple yes, no, or maybe. I look at the three cards that are showing, whatever the yes/no answer turns out to be. That extra layer of meaning can either help you to support the answer if you are happy with it or give clues on how to change it if you aren’t.

Just like with the five card layout that I wrote in 2003, I want these readings to empower your choices and empower your control over your future through basic cause and effect. I changed the number of aces meaning to align with a three coin toss from Chinese I Ching divination.

The I Ching (Book of Changes) is rooted in Taoist philosophy, and the principle of yin and yang. In the taijitu, the familiar yin-yang symbol, the opposite color dots remind us that anything in its extreme holds the seed of its opposite. In I Ching, three coins are used to determine if any given line is yin, yang, yin “changing” or Yang “changing.” A changing line is one believed to be so strongly yin or strongly yang that it is in the process of changing into its opposite. We can do a “learn with me” later to describe the rest of the I Ching divination process, but the changing line is the only part we need for now.

To bring the changing line concept into Tarot yes/no, I adapted the meanings connected to the number of aces that wind up showing at the end of the three-stack dealing process. If the pattern is akin to a changING line in I Ching, I read it as a changABLE result in the yes/no Tarot layout. A yes-but-changable or no-but-changable answer puts the ball most strongly in your court so to speak. The time and place and energy is extra amenable to you making a real impact on the outcome.

So Zombie Cat does a yes/no Tarot reading this way:

The cards are shuffled holding the question clearly in mind

The cards are dealt into three piles, stopping when there are 13 cards in the stack or an ace appears, whichever comes first.

One ace is a hard no, it may be very difficult to change course

Zero aces is no, but things are easier to change

Two aces is a hard yes, this is the way things are likely to go if you do nothing

Three aces means yes, but can change if you act.

I write these under my Zombie Cat persona, which means the reading takes a more lighthearted, playful tone with plenty of cringe attempts at humor.

Zombie Cat is going to be the member’s special for March. Between now and March 31, 2024 Sage Sip members can get an upgrade to Zombie Cat readings as a substitute for any of the one card Sage Sip readings that are included in the monthly membership.

Non-members can order a zombie cat yes/no readings anytime HERE, no appointment needed. Scroll down through the menu list of readings to find the Zombie Cat layout.

Have a good weekend everyone! See you at the next Sip!

Sage

Zombie Cat doodle – by the author

Cat image from the public domain, modified by the author

Ask Zombie Cat – get a Tarot reading (ends midnight Halloween 2023)

Leave a question for Zombie Cat in the blog comments and the undead feline will answer with a full yes/no Tarot layout in the blog.

Zombie Cat Tarot readings are 100% guaranteed to contain words and have a 50% chance of being dead wrong.

Valid for sagewordstarot.com blog comments only. Questions anywhere else will be totally ignored. Offer ends midnight eastern time 10-31-23. Entertainment only, does not predict the future.

Short Sip Zombie Cat Tarot: Nope

Honesty is healing even when it is harsh.

No. uh-uh. Cards say noooo.

Hi and welcome to TaoCraft Tarot blog and podcast. I’m glad you are here. Short Sip episodes are Tarot contemplations for your day in the time it takes to sip from your coffee.

Yesterday we had a whole mug full with the rewrite of “Meet Zombie Cat.”

Today we are to sounding like that insurance company commercial that knows a thing or two because they’ve seen a thing or two. I’ve done a lot of Tarot readings. I stopped counting at 300 plus way back in my online “Baihu” days.

Tarot is best suited to answer”Am I doing the right thing?” but Tarot is most often asked things like “Will we get back together?”

Not, mind you, that it’s a bad question.

There are a billion different circumstances that are bad and worse that could lead to this question, but for now, let’s think of in terms of a non-married shorter term romantic break-up.

These types of break-up questions, while common, are the best and worst of Tarot all at the same time.

The bad part is the “will…” Can Tarot predict what will happen? Nope. Can Tarot read your significant other’s heart or mind or feelings or intentions or know what they will do? Big nope.

On the other hand, this is exactly the kind of situation where Tarot is at its best.

Have you ever noticed that criticisms of Tarot and psychic work are all laser focused on the prediction part and ignore the rest, which is missing the point as completely as you possibly can? Nothing is ever said about the real value of Tarot and Psychic readings: personal development, personal enrichment, spiritual expression, facing and understanding emotional distress, brainstorming creative solutions and spitballing ideas about how to CHOOSE and to ACT to make things better.

Nothing else in the human experience can make you feel like every bone and vital organ has been shattered into a million pieces like the loss of a beloved relationship. If Tarot readings can help soothe that kind of hurt for a moment, it is more than worth it, no matter what the critics say.

But it has to be a sincere reading, an authentic reading without the onus of accurate predictions. So-called accurate predictions are impossible to make anyway and only open the door to greater hurt. As with physicians, we must do no harm.

There is a big difference, however, between doing harm and uncovering anger. Anger is an honest emotion that may, if faced, lead to better things.

If you are the one hearing the “nope” then it is normal, natural, even expected to get angry when you get the answer that you’ve been dreading the most. In the long run a harsh truth is more healing than a sugar coated platitude. I’ve gotten nopes like this before and stomped off angry like the self-involved early twenty-something brat that I was. But looking back it was one of the best readings ever. Honesty heals even when it hurts. More so when it is given kindly and with the sympathetic tone of someone who has been through this kind of experience before – which is pretty much everybody. Calling you on your -ah -stuff – is what people who care about you do. It’s like telling someone when they have food stuck in their teeth. It might zing a little in the moment but it spares them greater embarrassment later on.

WILL you get back together? A better question would be SHOULD you. WHY did the relationship end? Has any of those things changed one iota? Has the past itself changed? Nope. Unless you’ve talked things through, time has passed, and trust has been re-built, it’s still a nope. Even if you wind up back together, unless something has changed, from the “should you” perspective it’s still a big no. Without those changes, what good is it for you to return to the same situation all over again?

Will you get back together? According to a one ace layout, no. Should you get back together? Still not a good idea.

Consider the Queen of Wands symbol of nurturing leadership and inner passions. How are you owning this breakup? What role did you play? What have you learned. Are you willing to lead the relationship part of your life in a new direction? Or not? What feeds and protects your inner flame: trying to rekindle a failed relationship or being on your own with a passion for the life you have (as opposed to obsessing over the life you don’t have.)

Consider the Ace of Cups. This is about emotions. Are the emotions that ended the relationship healthy or unhealthy? Are the emotions driving your desire to get back together healthy? Or, on the other hand, are emotions that make you want to never ever ever get back together the healthy ones?

Consider the Temperance card. Are you in a balanced state of mind when you ask this question? Are all parts of life in balance or is the break-up taking all of your mental and emotional resources? Are you obsessed with romance and ignoring all the other good things in life? What do you need to release to re-balance the scales? What is missing OTHER than the relationship that may be throwing things out of balance?

Zombie Cat tells it like it is. Will you get back with your ex? Nope. BUT there is a lot of good advice under that big, fat NO. Balance this loss with other happiness and other relationships, and other parts of life. Be the leader of your own inner life. Take ownership of your own emotions and our own role in the thing that happened. Be honest about your emotions.

Then the the big, fat nope might not sting quite so much.

Thank you all for reading and listening.

I appreciate you and any likes, subs, follows, shares, question or comments that you can spare.

The blog and podcast are not monetized so your spirit message comes first, not the advertisers’. Please visit the TaoCraft Tarot page on ko-fi where the shop, memberships and virtual coffees all support the creation of this (almost) daily Tarot content

Thanks again! See you at the next sip!

Get your own private Zombie Cat reading HERE (only available by email) – no appointment needed.

Proceed

Use Yes or No Tarot to answer the question “Am I doing the right thing?”

Sometimes the very best thing a Tarot reading can do is confirm what you already deep-in-your-bones know.

Hi and welcome to TaoCraft Tarot blog and podcast. I’m glad you are here.

Yesterday we talked about Zombie Cat’s Summer Shamble. Zombies in general and Zombie Cats in particular are kind of a Halloween thing. Here in the Pittsburgh area where they filmed the classic Romero movie Night of the Living Dead and its sequels, we have a soft spot for the zombie genre any time of the year. I also have a soft spot for Halloween any time of the year, both of which fuel my fondness for the whole Zombie Cat mascot slash alter ego slash persona thing.

Yes or no Tarot readings have been around for as long as fortune telling whatever oracle they use. I like Tarot because it lends a TON of subtlety and nuance and layers to a reading. I’m kind of hardwired to like that. It is part of what makes me good at this.

Nuance isn’t always the best thing. Sometimes you just need a quick check-in with a topic that has already had a full reading. Doing full readings over and over and over again on the same issue is worse than just not helpful. It can be counterproductive and make things worse through the confusion. A one card meditation or a simplified yes or no layout like this one.

The more I think about it, the more I like this layout. No wonder Zombie Cat Shambles through every summer with some iteration of a special offer. It gives a smack-down of in-your-face clarity with a reassuring hint of nuance in the card by card part.

Yesterday we talked about the spin I put on the ubiquitous, timeless, been-around-forever yes or no layout. I took out maybe and put in “changing lines” …a changeable yes or no. It’s an I Ching concept that we can talk about some other time. When I do the three card “Zombie Cat” readings, I also add an intuitive card by card comment to give you ideas how to either keep or change the yes or no that you got – whichever you prefer.

This isn’t the only yes/no layout in existence, either. There are probably as many iterations of it as there are Tarot readers. Over time positive and negative, a yes or no quality has been given to each card, so you can take that into account as well if you have a mind too.

Nuance, I like. Gestalt, I like a lot. Pedantic detail – not so much. I’ve never really done the academic research into the yes or no connotations of each individual card. I’d rather have the flexibility that an intuitive read at my disposal. I like having the hard yes or no come from the layout and let the individual cards do their thing with empowering you and your choices.

The traditional version of a yes or no layout is really simple. I learned the basic format from intuition coach Joy Star who learned it from a rural spiritualist minister in South Carolina who had no idea what its origins were. You could easily do this at a party with playing cards. At that point, it is about the level of one of those magic pool ball toys and absolutely just as much fun. I encourage you go give it a try, and see what your intuition brings to the experience. If you use playing cards, my ebook Peace Tarot teaches you how to get those nuanced Tarot meanings with the playing cards, so that might be helpful to you too.

It goes without saying that it should be a question that can be answered with a blunt, one word yes or no. If you really really REALLY can’t put your question that simply, then see me. It may be time for a full reading or an intuition driven one card meditation. Some things are hard to do for yourself and we professionals are here to help.

The process is the same for both Tarot cards and playing cards. If you use playing cards, it doesn’t matter if the jokers are left in the deck or not.

The first step is to decide what pattern of cards means what. In the classic style, no aces is a firm no

One ace means maybe but leaning no

Two aces means maybe but leaning yes

Three aces is a firm yes.

Shuffle the cards while you say your question. You can say it out loud if you want, but if you don’t try to keep the question as clear in your mind as you can while you shuffle. I think it helps to repeat the question a few times while you shuffle for extra clarity and connection to your intuition.

Then start dealing the deck face up into three piles. Stop dealing to a stack whenever it gets an ace or gets 13 cards, whichever comes first.

If you feel weird about the number 13, pick another number. Something between 10 and 15 would probably work best.

When you are done, look at the aces that are showing on your three stacks of cards. That gives you your answer.

As you can guess, most of the readings are going to fall in the “maybe, but….” category. “Maybe” isn’t a super helpful answer when you are looking for specific guidance and clarity. That’s part of my reasoning for blending the yes/no with I Ching fortune telling.

The I Ching or Book of Changes is advice and insight divided into 64 chapters with each chapter corresponding to a hexigram. A hexigram is a pattern of six lines made up of a combination of broken or yin lines, and unbroken or yang lines. One way of finding the hexigram to guide you involves tossing three coins six times to get the line pattern. When you throw the three coins, two heads means a yang line, two tails mean a yin line. Three tails means a yin changing line and three heads means a yang changing line. When a line is “changing” that means it is SO yin or SO yang that it is read to tip over into its opposite. Reading the hexigram that includes those lines as their opposite might give additional relative insight.

I’ve applied that same principle here. One ace is a simple no. Two aces is a simple yes. A three ace yes is SO yes it could be easily nudged into a no. Absent aces is SO no it could be tipped over into a yes.

In this case we have a very common but fictional question “Am I doing the right thing?” The answer is yes. To keep it yes, a focus on creativity and creation is helpful. The Empress is often shown as an expectant mother. Ace of wands has to do creation and creativity. Ace of Pentacles hints at success, a pay-off, something coming to fruition. Intuitively I hear “bring something new into the world” and see a fancy maitre d’ making a little bow and that sweeping arm “after you” gesture. Two aces are a solid yes. A little affirmation and validation from a Tarot reading can go a long way. Maybe even long enough to encourage someone to persist, to proceed and ultimately succeed.

Thank you so much for reading and listening. Please check back tomorrow when I’ll be re-posting the original Meet Zombie Cat post that started this whole yes/no thing.

Hello and welcome to all new followers. Thank you. I appreciate you and I appreciate any likes, subs, shares, questions and comments any of you can spare.

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Thank you again for reading and listening! See you at the next sip.

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