september 2025: spreads for all

hello, friends. a quick note that ghost (my newsletter platform) recently did an update for their servers and it looks like some paid subscribers have had their paid subscriptions paused! if that's you, i'm so sorry about this! you can click the button below to make sure that your subscription is correct and up to date (or, if you'd like to upgrade your subscription for access to more content and my private discord server, you can also make that change via the button). i so appreciate your patience!

and! the next issue of the gorgeous tarot anthology magazine the rebis, which i guest edited, is now available for preorder — and you can read my editor's note right now! this issue on the devil is so near and dear to my heart, and your preorders (as well as shares and links) are a huge help for this indie publication. thanks in advance!

every time i put together an email for y'all, i think about what you might be able to really use right now: which insights, motivations, supports, and reminders might feel the most helpful. i can't always know, of course, and every single one of you is unique in your needs, and yet — some things are universal. everyone i know is stressed and struggling, everyone is know is trying to fight fascism in their own ways, everyone i know is trying to take care of themselves and each other in equal measure.

i have seen so much anxiety, for years and years now, around "not doing enough." and of course enough as a concept is a moving target that we'll never actually be able to hit, one that feels increasingly opaque and exhausting. you don't have to do every single damn thing that occurs to you (you can't), and your rebellion and resistance don't have to look like anyone else's (they won't).

we gotta stop chasing enough, and start acknowledging all that we're actually doing already. are you consistently showing up for a cause or organization that is making a measurable difference? are you witnessing the world around you, paying attention to what's happening rather than succumbing to numbness? are you open to learning new things, to challenging your assumptions? are you checking in with your loved ones and showing up for them in material ways? are you breaking a few rules, especially ones that are designed to keep us quiet and submissive? are you wearing a face mask in public spaces to protect yourself and your community? are you making space for yourself to feel or reflect or just fucking rest?

that's enough. that's a lot, actually. i'm doing most of these things and i'm completely exhausted, and i bet you are too.

so our tarot spreads for this month are designed to help you honor what you're doing, and/or make space for continued expansion. if you're eager to learn something but aren't sure where to start, if you're trying to figure out the next thing to do, if you're ready to break some rules, if you're trying to make meaning from what you're seeing around you, these spreads can help.

what are you ready to learn? a tarot spread for curiosity & expansion. sometimes we know that we need to deepen our knowledge in a particular area, or are finding ourselves drawn to a new course of study. this spread can help you clarify what you're interested in, and give you a first step.

card one / a topic to explore: something that you want to learn more about; a subject or area of interest to investigate
card two / something that interests you about it: the reason you're drawn to this particular topic; the aspect of the thing that you find most fascinating
card three / a way to start expanding your knowledge: something you can do right now to begin; a way forward

the next right thing: a tarot spread for making choices & moving forward. long-term planning and dreaming has its place, certainly — but sometimes thinking big can get overwhelming. this spread can help clarify what to do next.

card one / an overall direction: the thing that you're moving toward; the value that is guiding your path; the long-term effort
card two / a specific step: the thing you can do right now; the next step you can take to keep moving in that particular direction

villain era: a tarot spread for power moves & big swings. sometimes breaking the rules is hard, or pushing past old limits is uncomfortable. this spread can help you recognize something that you maybe haven't let yourself pursue, and start making some big moves about it.

card one / something you've been told you can't have: something you've wanted or needed in the past that you were afraid to pursue; something you might crave that feels like it's forbidden
card two / enough is enough: something you can do to break past this internal or external boundary; a power move; a way to go after what you want

notre dame: a tarot spread for desperation & making meaning, inspired by the song of the same name by paris paloma. this song is on a playlist that i made for my current d&d character, and it's terribly beautiful, and i've been listening to it on repeat. but it also more broadly makes me think about witnessing pain and loneliness in others, and how what we see impacts us, and what it means to hold difficult things. i hope this spread, created with song lyrics, brings you a little peace.

card one / witness of the loneliness (the pain you see): something you are witnessing or holding, in yourself or others
card two / it gives my life some meaning (the purpose in what you witness): the ways that this witnessing is impacting your sense of empathy, compassion, or connection
card three / it makes me holy (the sacred in what you witness): the ways that this witnessing is impacting your sense of spiritual clarity or awareness

sending you love and courage, integrity and purpose, stamina and strength. thank you for being here.