2nd: Solar Eclipse and New Moon in Libra
3rd: Bacchanalia (modern)
17th: Super Hunter’s Moon in Aries
31st: Samhain, Day of the Dead
Note: In October, we’ll be using the Weaver Tarot Deck, which has black and silver shimmery cards. Its main symbol on the box is the ouroboros, the snake that eats its own tail. Every end is a beginning in which we redefine ourselves as our most present form. Intertwined snakes grace the back of every card and bite into two eyes–suggesting the interconnected nature of accessing internal with the external, the present with the past and the future. The spread below is called “Compass Rose,” by Iyshia Walker Altu. It walks us through our present potential via the cardinal directions and five elements, as we will see below.
October brings us the first month of fall. In it, much like the snake, we shed old skins. No longer defining us, they fall away to reveal our truest and most present form underneath. The month begins with a dual solar eclipse and New Moon in Libra. The solar eclipse presents us with potential chaos, caused by the obscuring of conscious solar egocentric beliefs tied to our sense of identity. At the same time, the new moon presents a new possibility, a balancing of ideas that may have been previously biased in how we’ve perceived ourselves and others. We find true balance not by standing firm in place, but by strengthening our ability to pivot on a central axis. As we flow through space, we consider the bigger picture of all sides of the equation, while holding true to justice and fairness. Modern reenactments of Bacchanalia, the festival of Bacchus, take place on the following day. This energy encourages us to explore the energy of chaotic expression beyond the negative light of a dualistic system: freedom, passion, ecstasy, fun, wine, festivities and a release of inhibitions.The Super Hunter’s Moon in Aries requires us to kill what doesn’t serve us so that we can hunt after what we really want. Finally, on the 31st we experience a thinning of the veil, which is an ideal time to honor the ancestors and communicate with them. The wisdom offered prepares us for the long months ahead and can be used to sustain us.
0: center- ether - initiating spirit: Fool and Magi
Two cards came up to describe our center: the Fool and the Magi. These can be defined as the zero and the one, the basis of all information. In the Fool we experience limitless potential, in the Magi we distill this into a single choice. We step confidently into the unknown, day by day, and revise our path as we learn. We especially step into this crux around the Super Hunter’s Moon in Aries, as the Fool is symbolized by an upside down crescent moon, and a ram’s horns adorned with flowers, symbolizing our potential for growth and regeneration as we allow ourselves to wax and wane into different shapes. This same moon is mirrored in the crystal glass (symbol for water) of the Magi, above which float the remaining elements: fire, sword, and club. At the center is nothing and everything, the absence that illuminates and differentiates all interrelating elements. In this space we learn we are makers, endowed with the responsibility of creation. Our endings prompt beginnings, which we must wander through to reveal their unfolding.
1: east - air - the realm of thoughts, beliefs, intellect, communication: Conqueror (Knight) of Swords
In the element of air, we are asked to consider ourselves as warriors of the mind and the word. These are tools we have sharpened over the years that give us the confidence that we can come up with the necessary solutions to any problems that can present themselves. We know we can bring ourselves to safety, fight fiercely for our cause, and protect what’s dear. A jeweled hilt on our swords suggests that our cause is noble –which we achieve through noble means and deeds. It is important to wield our power responsibly. Our words can soar, cut, prod, and unite. Our sword can conquer and topple. We have the ability to cut ourselves down, to cut away at old skin, keep in or out, and establish boundaries. This is the realm through which we feel most inclined to create, and the path to which we feel most inclined to devote ourselves.
2: south - fire - wands - the realm of connectivity, passions, willpower, drive, desire: Reverse Four of Coins
The reverse four of coins appears in the element of fire to remind us that our power lies in what our hands can do, not in what or how much they hold. The imagery of this card presents us with two roses crossed, their petals falling on our bound up hands, like spiders that got caught in a web of their own making. We stay there because that is where all our trinkets and everything we deem to be of value lies. In reverse, gravity does its work–all we have to do is let this concept fall away. Love is the final petal that falls and transforms. In it, we discover our passion, and a connection to our primal being. Once, as people, our curiosity drove us to discover and create, and thus we gained the Promethean knowledge of how to make fire. Our hands grasp, weave, manipulate and create. The act of creation itself is our power, our drive and desire reveals our personal values – this is what forms our being, rather than what we passively possess.
3: west - water - the realm of intuition, emotions, relationships, psychic energy: Reverse Six of Coins
Our hands are free in the reverse six of coins, and from them we spill resources into an adorned, prosperous hand that possesses more than we do. We are reminded that a depletion of energy and uneven exchange can throw us off center just as much as bound up hands. We may be undervaluing what we have to offer, or feeling stuck in this pattern of energy flow. Abundance, expressed in this card as diamonds, extends beyond finance–it looks like time, energy, experience, refined talent, connectivity, growth, freedom of movement, and more. Are we seeing these things for their true worth, when we have an exchange? Do we feel happy, satisfied and cherished, or are we feeling drained and resentful? These feelings are a good indicator of whether the scales feel balanced, or whether they need to be evened out or replenished.
4: north - earth - the realm of resources, home, security, finance, career: Reverse Five of Coins
In the realm of the earth, a reverse five of coins appears. Two hands seem worse for the wear, bound at the wrists by thorns. In the center of the hands are half opened eyes - a sign of awakening from suffering, and of protection. The things we seek are falling towards us - wisdom, a key, love, joy, pieces of ourselves returning to us and more. It is not a matter of whether what we need is out there, but whether we can see and access it. Sight is the ability that needs to be honed, rather than the availability of resources themselves. To see, we have but to open our eyes. Our eyelids, half closed, serve as shields and so we must lower our defenses. It is as though we are trying to keep salt from getting into our wounds even as we hold our hands out. If we allow, we can test our newly formed beliefs and capabilities, to shift our dynamic of receiving.