We're wrapping up the last days of the month, can you believe it? And this has me prepping for the next monthly forecast. Now, I don't do anything specific to prep, but I do start to process and reflect on the previous month's cards. What has become clear? What still has mystery? Where in the reading did I expand my knowledge of tarot, my life?

September's forecast has been interesting in that it's forced me to look at the challenging aspects of a favorite card, The High Priestess. Appearing in, yes, our "challenge" position for the month, this iteration inspired, no drove, me to get a little more critical about traits that come easily to me.

That's the thing with tarot; there are cards that draw us in, the type of magical alignment or first impression that happens when you meet a soon-to-be friend. You just get each other.

I've talked before about how The High Priestess is one of those cards. Others I've seen commonly are Strength, the Ten of Cups, Two of Cups, The Star, and The Sun. (Not so much Justice, The Devil, Five of Pentacles, or Tower, though...)

In any case, these moments when we're asked to look a little deeper and interrogate our assumptions in a reading are often the most fruitful. In this case, I found myself asking re: The High Priestess:

• When is equanimity a bad thing?

How do you know when mystery is (or becomes) a shield?

How does my pursuit of knowledge, insight, and intuitive input block my growth?

The High Priestess in this position also brings up some sense of avoidance, hiding behind perfection or the abstract/spiritual, and staying in a place of vagueness to avoid change or confrontation or... many other things. I'm still digesting this reading, but this facet of it has been unexpectedly generative and inspiring.

I haven't been this delighted by a movie in ages. A wild ride through the terrain of desire, representation, queer love, and creativity that is somehow also a slasher homage, romance, and commentary on the film industry today, this film had everything I never knew I wanted and then some. Come for Gillian Anderson and stay for... well, Gillian Anderson and so many other things. Maybe not for everyone, but if it's for you it's going to make you levitate with delight (or I hope it will - it did for me!). Best if you don't know much going in.

I had a satisfying insight about our reading last night that I wanted to share with you all. It happened when I was walking upstairs to get ready for bed. At the top of the landing, I have a painting of the backdrop of The High Priestess card, the one with the pomegranates and palm leaves. Something about that must've gotten into my brain, because as I was starting the shower I had a ping go off in my brain: The High Priestess as the cautionary card this month is advising us not to be obtuse. As the ruler of mysteries, you can guess that this card favors riddles, impressionistic interpretations, and slow-burning realizations. Meanwhile, our theme card for September is the direct and willful Chariot. I'd been working with a situation that had me tripping over how to express myself. I wanted to do it right - to be generous, open, wise, curious, and on and on - but in doing so I wasn't being myself. I knew the truth of what I wanted to say and this reading urges us to do just that: to speak what we know and let the response inform the rest.

In Gainesville tomorrow: Equality Fest starts at 2pm

Includes - free drag performances at different intervals

• - lots of tables (including from the Rainbow Collective, which is a grassroots political group for LGBT+/working class liberation)

I'm new here, and thought I'd share my Rune/Card of the day-

Before that, when I was moving my tools from my room to my desk, a rune flew out of the bag - it was M or man/community (I just joined a grassroots activism group and a D&D campaign/group last night 🤨)

Rune of the day (pulled w/ intent): Ur - strength/endurance

Card of the day: King of Wands - "plan for the future, but take action now"

Reading Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman, and this quote jumped out given our work with the Seven of Cups in last month's forecast where it appeared as our challenge card.

"There is nothing wrong with entertainment. As some psychiatrist once put it, we all build castles in the air. The problems come when we try to live in them."

Such a succinct way to express both sides of this card! And great advice for working with it in the future.

incandescenttarot.substack.comSeptember 2026 Intuitive Tarot Forecast🌟 Pushed past the starting line, Learning discernment over retreat

The forecast for September is here! This one has me buzzing, and I thought I'd share it here before sending out the comprehensive post + guide with tarot spreads etc. tomorrow.

Something that has been percolating since the recording this morning is the many ways that the environment card, the Five of Wands, can manifest. While we talked about the issue of "too many cooks in the kitchen" and sensory overload in the recording, I'm also noticing that this card can reflect moments when we, personally, overcomplicate things. This can show up in worries about others' judgment, anxiety narratives that have us rushing to do things that are actually unnecessary (and enervating), and also an impulse to kick up dust around something that's going quite well. Something to consider as we ease into September!

Speaking of, how is everyone doing? This time of the year is always quite intense for me, usually in a good yet demanding way. Sending all the crisp fall energy to you all as we being September 🍂

I don't know why, but this just hits right now!

Joan also strikes me as very Queen of Wands-y: Talented, creative, expressive, and optimistic. A person joyfully in command of their powers.

I was overjoyed to see an influx of new members here after returning from my recent trip. What tickled me even more? That you all appear to be internet kindred spirits; like me, you prefer to stay in the shadows and observe.

To this I say, yay and welcome! This space is very much evolving, and so far it's been emerging as a diy social media profile, minus the algorithm and chaos. I'm happy to keep posting and creating an engaging collection, but also please do emerge from the thickets of the digital sphere to chime in if you feel inspired! Either way, I'm so glad you're here.

📢 A quick announcement: I just recorded the latest episode of Seeing Tarot on the Queen of Wands! It was so much fun (as usual), so if you want to hear us riff on things like house cats, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and the necessary intensity of the wands when wielded well, do keep an eye out for the episode when it drops on Wednesday.

🍂 I'm also beginning to put together the Autumnal Equinox Issue of Alchemag. If you have any requests or suggestions, I'd love to here them in the comments here, via message, or email [email protected].

I'm back in my home office after a week of working elsewhere and just realized I don't have my customary tarot deck at hand. I do, however, have a copy of the Jonasa Jaus Tarot sitting next to me. I've been going through my deck collection to decide what to sell, and this was the closest to draw our card from. I say all this because we traditionally use the Rider-Waite-Smith deck which makes a new interpretation extra exciting. In the spotlight as our guiding card for the week? The Hermit.

The Rider-Waite-Smith version of The Hermit is a cloaked elderly person holding a staff and a lantern as they walk through a snowy, nondescript landscape. Here, however, we see a butterfly delicately hanging from a morning glory vine. I'm imagining, given the cards themes of solitude, growth, and seeking, that this butterfly has just emerged from its chrysalis. In what ways might we be doing the same this week?

Our environment card from the larger monthly forecast is The Star, another Major Arcana that I feel is directly connected to The Hermit which begs the question: How has our commitment to practices (and places and relationships) of healing supported a recent transformation?

This also may show up more literally as solitude being a source of insight and even a necessary push towards individuation. Whatever the form(s) The Hermit has been taking, the next seven days are when the effects of our healing work grow more and more clear. It's also an excellent time to observe what's working and what's not. To do so, we may need more "Hermit space" than usual, though I also have a feeling that what we've been cultivating is an inner Hermit space, one we can return to as we move through the busy and bustling landscape of our everyday lives.

It's been a time, dear friends! Thankfully, I'm saying this in less of an "it's 2026, yikes" way and more of a "daily life sure is demanding!" one.

I spent all day scampering around finishing a rather epic project that involved mind-melting activities like "a trip to Lowe's at 8:30am" and "searching for body wash that isn't $13.99 (!!?!?) at Harris Teeter."

As the sun started to look like it had somewhere to go, I remembered that I should, well, eat something. And so I opened the fridge hoping a meal had fully assembled itself while I was gone. Instead, I saw a container of burrata lurking behind some yogurt. I had a pint of cherry tomatoes that a friend had brought over the other day, and some still-green basil leaves left in the scraggly bundle on our counter.

My partner and I had made a gorgeous platter of caprese salad over the weekend, sharing it with a visitor while our kids went feral in the living room. (Not fancy, just farmer's market math: tomato + cheese + no cooking = what we're doing right now.) Tonight, I felt the same fatigue. I was going to remake this salad.

The thing is, a massive blob of burrata is too much for one person. So I cut it in half, texting my partner "I call this my half moon salad!" He replied, "in four hours it will be a perfect half moon." Well, I had no clue! Did my earthly body sense a shifting of the lunar cycle, compelling me to make this dish in tribute? I have no clue, I'm tired! But loving this synchronicity.

Sneak away from those tents.

That's the first thing that came to mind when I looked at our card for the week, The Seven of Swords. Usually, when this card comes up I pause to ask if its rebellious, irreverent, even naugty energy is helping or harming the situation. One way to see which side is present is to look to cards surrounding it, but since that wasn't available, I went onto my next technique: taking a break and walking away.

While doing the dishes, I realized a certain stress was absent from my mind. My internal monologue was boring, even. I've just returned from traveling and because of this am savoring the feeling of the mundane being a little strange. I wasn't doing the dishes, I was doing the dishes after flying across a whole ocean! Maybe something had changed.

Of course, in a humbling fashion that makes me want to tear my hair out, change doesn't work like that. But these little windows of clarity are real. We don't have to hang out in those tents of self-judgment (or whatever other mental horrors lie within). The Seven of Swords shows us how we can choose to think differently, to walk away from the tents so to speak. Sometimes it's that simple. But we have to do it again and again - it's a practice, after all - but with practice things get easier.

Another aspect of the Seven that I think is helpful here (and is also characteristic of all the cards that share its number) are the following themes: initiation through confusion, frustration as teacher, discernment through real experience. Love to talk about it, hate to experience it. When sevens show up, you know there's going to be some trickery afoot.

However, because of this, the Seven of Swords gives us useful advice and encouragement. Both of these things are part of the process. We can know that it's as simple as choosing to think differently while also expecting some poky backlash as we deepen our commitment to the new.

Looking back to the picture, we can see that something about this person's situation isn't tenable long-term. You can't just scamper away from whomever you're evading, a bunch of swords held haphazardly in your arms. The process of moving through the seven involves the (sometimes painful) trial and error of finding out which swords are helpful and which swords are harmful.

After doing the dishes, euphoric about my peaceful mental state and good attitude, I went to my desk and immediately transformed into a rampaging critic. Why was I writing anything at all? What's the point of it anyways? How embarassing!! My partner called (great timing) and I vented to him about my predicament. As I talked, I noticed something galling: half of the things I was writhing about just didn't ring true. Sure, they elicited lots of emotion and sounded important, but deep down I knew my points were flimsy and untrue. They were also very, very familiar. These were the swords I needed to put down.

Posting this early since I'll be traveling in Norway next week! Expect more action over here next weekend when I'm back in the states ❤

Now onto the card!

We're visited by The High Priestess, a power player in the Major Arcana for sure. This card is also very elusive within the tarot deck; it's not often it comes up in readings, so when it does I pay special attention. The High Priestess is all about mystery: the wisdom it contains, how to approach it, and, most importantly, how to stay comfortable - and even draw power from - the space in-between knowing and not knowing.

So while this week has the potential for some profound learning, don't expect it to come quickly or easily. Find ways to explore what's mysterious to you - open yourself up to other ways of sensing and knowing that fall outside your comfort zone. Pay attention to your dreams and be sure to practice welcoming and sitting with confusion, frustration, and impatience. These can be gateway feelings to impactful breakthroughs.

Yes to...

• Spiritual practices

• Dreamwork

• Meditation

• Researching esoteric anything

• Making room for solitude

• Embracing the unknown

No to...

• Forcing conclusions

• Seeing frustration or irritation as failure

• Inviting opinions of people who won't get it

• Resisting chance, change, and transformation

Field notes is a place to share observations, experiences, and insights centering around:

🌀 Practice - What's happening in our personal practices, spiritual or artistic or otherwise

🌱 Environment - What are we observing in the ecosystem(s) around us? Share the organisms you encounter and how the seasons are unfolding in your world

✨ Synchronicity - What unforeen connections have been popping up? What have they pointed you towards?

🃏 Tarot - What are you experiencing IRL that highlights or expands your understanding of the cards?

Now this is a list of suggestions - please have fun and run amok with your sharing! Innovate, branch beyond what's outlined above, and be sure to comment on what sparks something in you.

And as always, be respectful, curious, and open 🪟

A client shared this with me after a reading that featured the Six of Swords, a card that shows a boatman ferrying two passengers to the opposite shore. She'd heard it at a retreat that she'd attended recently, and immediately connected it to the card. I love when these moments happen in a reading and I also love this poem.

You can find the rest on David Whyte's substack after subscribing (I wanted to respect the poet's intentions by not pasting the entire poem here):

The Pilgrim Island

Step into the boat now,
and feel the swell of water
beneath the boards.

The boatman
wants you
to join him,
and to sit
looking forward
with your
back to him,
to take both those
polished oars
in your hands
and feel the sea.

Here everything
is all movement
and a giving up
to the never-ending

rhythm of the ocean,
here the apprenticeship…

....I have a lovely senior cat called Mittens (Mitty), she was my husbands when we moved in together but I love her as my own. We have our own connection and I talk to her constantly 😍 I previously had a white terrier called Pippin (named after one of the hobbits in lord of the rings)but he sadly passed away a couple of years ago.

Hi, I'm Julie 👋

I live in a small village called Earls Barton in Northamptonshire in the UK,

I'm an IT Manager, previously contracting for a number of years but have settled into a permanent role now and enjoying a quieter pace to my working life.

I am a complete novice to Tarot. I've had a crazy and emotional couple of years and tarot have helped me through it. Introduced by a witch friend who knew my gorgeous deck was meant for me and posted them to me 'to help with my journey' I have always felt the pull towards tarot and when I received my deck it was like I let out a big breath I had been holding in - does that make sense?

I love nature and have a house full of plants which I have started or brought as babies and have now grown to take over my space - I love it! I have a very patient husband, who has now named my office space 'The Green Room'.

I love painting although weirdly just garden ornaments, I 'rescue' them and restore them. I have a kind of garden ornament hospital going on, with my patients waiting to be seen 🤣

I've followed you for ages Gina, I loved receiving your emails every month and today I knew it was my day to take the plunge and subscribe. I'm happy to join the new community and look forward to the conversations where I can pick up hints and tips for getting seriously started with Tarot. My goal is to be able to interpret the cards without actually picking up a book/guide and use my intuition more. xxxxxx

Had to share this one with you all (and I'm also riding high on its potent buzz right. now. 😂). Inspired by a very expensive drink at our local coffee shop, this one is easy and cheap to whip up at home.

All you need is:

• - Cold brew coffee (I got mine at costco haha)

• - Orange blossom water (can be found at most middle eastern grocers)

• - Sweetened condensed milk

The technique is this: mix a few teaspoons (or tablespoons, you choose!) of condensed milk with a splash of warm water and stir to combine at the bottom of a tall glass. A pro tip from a friend (hey, Jordan!) is to use any leftover hot coffee from the morning if you have it. Add ice cubes, pour over cold brew, top with a splash of orange blossom water, and stir gently to combine. You can also drizzle a little extra sweetened condensed milk over the top to finish - I did!