Your September Magical Download
The energy of September, according to our monthly Tarot spread, is a much-needed reprieve. Plus, a folk magic spell to cleanse and bless your space!
Happy September!!!! In case you can’t tell by the multitude of exclimation marks, I’m very excited to have reached the -ber months. I am a fall girly through and through, and we are slowly approaching my season.
I love a good pumpkin-flavored anything, and I’ve already purchased two cozy sweaters that I plan to live in for the coming months, but my love for this season is about more than the crisp air and plethora of winter squash on the menu.
I start to feel it in August, but from September through November the Spirits are loud, present, and ready to work with us (through February, really, but we’ll talk about Winter Spirit energy another day). It is always a joy and an honor to participate in the season of the Spirits, and I love feeling their presence on the wind.
Channeling becomes easier this time of year, and I can feel the hand of my Wise and Well Ancestors guiding every choice I make. Suddenly, I am desperate to sit at the altar, and every time I do it feels like coming home after a vacation that lasted just a little too long.
Altars are my favorite way to connect with my Good Spirits. Learn why and get tips for cultivating your own altar practice here.
As we sink into the juicy goodness of this season, I’m eager to share what the cards have to say about the energy of September. Overall, the month ahead has the energy of building a nest with all your coziest blankets, pulling on a pair of fuzzy socks, and binging your favorite childhood cartoons while devouring a bucket of buttery popcorn with the person (people) you love most. Let’s take a look…
A Tarot Reading for the Month of September
I pulled the cards a little differently for September (gotta trust that intuition) so in this spread we have four cards:
At the top: the foundations of the month / the energy we’re rooted in
At the bottom: the energy we’re building towards / where we’re going this month
To the left: the energy to work on / lean away from.
To the right: the energy to work with / lean into.
So what do these cards mean for the month ahead? Let’s break it down and see!
Join us for our next Tarot + Tea Party to experience these readings live and get a personalized Tarot reading about your own burning questions! Sign up for our next Tarot + Tea party and see what the magic is all about.
At the top of our reading we have the Six of Cups. This card evokes a nostalgic energy, hearkening back to the warmest, softest memories of our past. This is telling me that as we step into September, we’ll be doing so with a sense of longing for simpler times. Perhaps Summer was particularly exhausting and you’re dreaming of the days when life wasn’t so much work, or perhaps this is as simple as watching your kids pack their new school supplies while you remember how it felt to open a fresh pack of markers on the first day of school.
The energetics of the past few months brought with them a lot of big change, hard decisions, and level 10 adulting challenges. Often, when we rest in the aftermath of big energetic shifts like these, there is a nostalgia that twinges everything with a sepia-toned light.
This is the foundation from which we are moving through September. As the month progresses, we’re looking at how we bring the warm, easeful energy of our memories into our present realities. With the Ten of Cups, we’re encouraged to build a life that nourishes the soul.
The Ten of Cups shows a family of four in expressions of joy as they rest beneath a shining rainbow. The skies are clear, and while the children dance in joy, the adults gaze out at the abundance that surrounds them. With the “sunshine and rainbows” imagery of this card, I tend to think of it as the card of happy-ever-afters.
Given its position in this reading, the Ten of Cups appears to ask us to consider what our a happy-ever-after looks like. When you think about your most abundant, emotionally fulfilled life, what do you see? More importanly, what do you feel? What steps can you take today to move closer to that feeling with what you have available to you in this moment?
Given the roots of the Six of Cups and the imagery of the dancing children in the Ten of Cups, I’m getting an additional message here that invites us to consider the lessons our inner child might be able to offer in this building. Take time to reflect and sit with the nostalgic feelings that arise this month—there are lessons hiding within that will guide you toward the life that feels as soft and golden as those memories.
In the leftmost position of this reading, we have the Ten of Wands. Two tens in this reading tells me that we’re at the end of a long road in September. We knew this already based on all the big shifts we’ve gone through over the summer, but the tens re-affirm that this is a time to look back at all that happened and consider the lessons we’ve learned.
With the Ten of Wands in our “what to work on/lean away from” spot, right away it’s giving reconsider your priorities. The figure in the Ten of Wands is struggling, due to the burdens they carry, to move toward the beautiful home surrounded by greenery that awaits in the distance (a landscape reminiscent of what we see in the Ten of Cups). When this card arrives, especially in this position, we are asked to reconsider if we really need to carry so much.
What are you holding onto that’s keeping you from moving toward the joy and fulfillment of the Ten of Cups? What can you let go of to lighten the load? The Ten of Wands comes when we are spread too thin, and Virgo season in general encourages us to take a red pen to everything in our life, which tells me that we’re being invited to lean heavily into the Virgo energy of September and clear out what we can to make room for what’s to come.
Lastly, on the right, we have the Knight of Cups in the position of what energy to work with/lean into. With so many cups in play, it is clear that this month is about emotional fulfillment, nourishing the self, and embracing the guidance of your intuition. The Knight of Cups in particular is inviting us to listen to our heart this month.
Knights are cards of action, and the Knight of Cups is one who moves forward by listening to their intuition, their emotions, and the guidance of their Good Spirits.
So much of this reading is talking about what we are building as we move toward our ideal future, and the Knight of Cups asks you to consider how you are building this. How would it feel to let intuition drive the car this month? What would it look like to connect with your Good Spirits and hear the wisdom they have to share? As you reflect on what your best life feels like, the Knight of Cups invites you to let your inner knowing be the guide, and to take forward action by listening to your heart.
Want to get in direct contact with your Good Spirits? Join me for a guided trance journey at the end of September to connect with your Spirit Guides and receive their wisdom!
Embracing the Energy of September
Reading into the energetics of September has me feeling particuarly excited about our Down & In Mini-Retreat at the end of the month. When Jess Floum and I came up with the Down & In Retreat, we wanted to create a space where folks could experience deep embodiment and connect with the wisdom of their inner knowing.
Now, seeing how much the cards want us to focus on listening to the wisdom of the self, I’m more excited than ever to hold this space. Plus, we’ll be at the river, and what better way to connect with the energy of the cups cards than to get in the water??
On Saturday, September 28th, we’re heading down to the Sierra Foothills to get into our bodies and reconnect with our intuitive wisdom. During this one-day mini-retreat, we’ll gather at a local farm for an embodied yoga practice led by Jess. After a nourishing, farm-fresh meal and a land talk to better understand the land on which we’re practicing, we’ll head to the Yuba River for an opportunity to deepen our connection even more.
At the river, I’ll lead us through a guided meditation to help strengthen our connection to the Spirits of the Land and hold space to receive their wisdom. Then, we’ll enjoy the beauty, joy, and expansive wisdom of the river as she helps us emobdy all we’ve experienced.
Looking at the Tarot reading for September, this retreat feels perfectly aligned with the call we’re hearing to reconnect with our heart’s longing, our intuition, and the dream of our best life. Together, we’ll explore practices that help us to strengthen this connection so we can take that Knight of Cups action from a place of deep soul alignment.
Ready to dive in? Click the button below to learn more and reserve your spot! Registration closes around September 15th, so sign up before it’s too late!
A Folk Magic Spell for Clearing Your Space of Unwanted Energies
Two weeks ago, I shared a cleansing ritual that uses half of a lemon and promised that I would share a practice using the other half soon… then promptly forgot. But I have remembered! So, here is a little folk magic to energetically clear your space and call in supportive energies using the other half of your lemon.
What You’ll Need
1/2 of a lemon
A small dish
1 star anise pod (unbroken)
What You’ll Do
Collect your spell ingredients and head to the place you consider the heart of your home. For me, as a hearth witch from a long lineage of kitchen witches, that is the kitchen, but trust your intuition on this one.
Take your star anise pod and break it into 8 individual slivers, snapping of each prong of the star.
Consider the wishes you have for this space. As you clear out unwanted energy, what are you hoping to draw into your space in its stead? Some wishes I’ve used in the past include:
May my home be a place of safety and comfort
May I call in abundance and prosperity to this home and its inhabitants
May this home and its people be blessed with good health
May this home be filled with peace, love, and joy
You’re going to want eight wishes for each of the eight prongs of your star anise. Once you have your wishes, say them out loud one at a lime, piercing the star anise into the juicy part of your lemon half as you speak each wish.
Next, place the lemon juicy-side-down on your dish and put it somewhere it will go unbothered. For me, this is on top of the fridge. Leave it here for 3, 5, 7, 9, or 11 days (your intuition will tell you when the spell is complete). Once complete, you can compost the lemon and wash the dish with soap and water!
🕯️ September 6th - Tending the Altars
Exploring the purpose of altars in an aligned spiritual practice. We’ll talk about different types of altars and their purposes, altars throughout history and from different lineages/cultures, and how to integrate altars into your spiritual practice. This will include a guided meditation and creative hands-on practice to explore what kind of altar you want to make as well as tips and tools for making it at home. We will also craft a group altar together and discuss making offerings and tending your altar.
5:30-7:30pm at The Yoga Room, Tahoe City
$30-50 sliding scale (suggested $40)
🔓 September 17th - Unlocking the Tarot
Join us for our monthly community class, giving you the tools to read Tarot with confidence! In September, the topic is “Structuring an Intuitive Reading.” We’ll look at how to open the circle, choosing a spread for your reading, shuffling and drawing cards with intuition, and how to close the circle. By the end, you’ll be ready to pull card with intuition and ease! It’s donation-based and open to all, so come by and get hands-on experience on how to read the Tarot!
6:30-7:30pm at Spirit Rebel, Truckee
Donation-based: sign up here or email sarahdittmore@gmail.com to reserve your spot
☁️ September 21st - Journey into Spirit
This is my second time hosting this workshop, and it’s a personal favorite. Through a combination of breath work and guided visualization, you'll journey to the realm where your Good Spirits await. Experience their profound wisdom first-hand as you engage face-to-face with your Spirit Guides and receive their guidance. When the journey is over, I will gently guide you back, ensuring a grounded return. Then we’ll move through a reflective journaling process to capture your insights and revelations. Lastly, you'll go home with practical strategies to integrate these newfound teachings into your daily life.
5:30-7:30pm at Tahoe Flow Arts & Fitness, Tahoe Vista
$45 per person
💦 September 28th - Down & In: The River Retreat
Co-hosted by Jess Floum and Sarah Dittmore, Down & In is a one-day retreat steeped in the magic of the Yuba River. Through embodied movement and connection with the Spirits of the Land, you’ll move out of the head and return to the Self, traveling down into the body, where you’ll deepen your sense of presence and immerse yourself in the wisdom of the Earth.
10am-6pm, Sierra Foothills
$375 per person, payment plans available
One of my favorite astrologers, Aliza Kelly, just launched a new weekly horoscope podcast and I’m loving it.
These Fluffernutter Cookies from Joy the Baker are exactly the soft, gooey cookie I was craving this week, and baking them with one of my besties was a delight!
The League of Kitchens Cookbook made it to the top of the Amazon New Releases list for all international books on cooking, food, and wine! I am so honored to be a part of this project and endlessly inspired by the women of League of Kitchens.
Download 5 Calls and commit to regularly calling to let your elected officials know what you care about.
Join the BDS Movement and boycott companies profiting from the genocide in Gaza.
Donate to the Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn Nu (Washoe Warrior Society)’s Land Back efforts and help open a Wašišiw Peoples’ House in Tahoe!
