Your October Tarot Reading

Welcome spooky season with a five-card tarot spread for October 2023. For this reading, I asked, “What do we need to know this month?” The resulting message is that if you can be grounded and disciplined, you can make anything happen.

What is Tarot?

While tarot cards likely originated in Italy as playing cards during the 15th century, inspired by earlier card games from Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East, the Romani people were the first to use tarot as a divinatory tool.

Roma are a diasporic ethnic group originally from India, but upon their arrival in Europe around the 15th century, they were met with persecution, which continues today. Roma brought other divination practices with them, like palmistry and tea leaf reading, so fortune-telling became a survival trade.

How I Read Tarot

When I was 4 years old, my Romani grandmother began teaching me tarot, palm, and tea leaf reading. Sharing Romani history and practices through my work is my way of celebrating the culture and raising awareness of our human rights crisis. Disproportionately, Roma experience poverty, police brutality, as well as housing, education, and employment discrimination.

The spread I created represents embodiment (your energy right now); a situation (what’s around you at the moment); an obstacle (a struggle you’re facing); an action (what to do about it); and a lesson (what you will learn from this month.)

Your October 2023 Tarot Reading

Embodiment: Ten of Pentacles

The Ten of Pentacles is calling you to the next level. Pentacles rule the earthly realms of work, home, health, and abundance. You are ready to elevate your life in all of these areas, but maybe one or two especially call to you. Think carefully about what you’d like to manifest. The wisdom with the Ten of Pentacles is that you have so much to draw on — your ancestors, your roots, a lifetime of experience — that can help you grow your branches tall and break through to the sunlight.

Situation: Two of Wands

The Two of Wands invites you to take those first few enthusiastic steps toward leveling up. Wands bring fiery inspiration and action, so make a to-do list, then pounce on the items you’re most excited about. This also calls you to consider your boundaries. To say yes to some things, you’ll have to say no to others.

Obstacle: Nine of Wands

The obstacle of the Nine of Wands suggests that you’ve been working hard for a while now, overcoming roadblocks along the way. You’re tired — that’s understandable. But before you take a break, this will challenge you to summon your strength and forge ahead.

Action: Five of Pentacles

The action of the Five of Pentacles is you that you only have so much energy, so it’s important to listen to your body and rest when needed. Be cautious with your money, your health, and your time. Prioritize carefully. If you’re feeling that something is lacking in your life, use that as motivation to work toward a future of abundance and comfort. Slowly, steadily, you’ll get there.

Lesson: Four of Pentacles

The Four of Pentacles reminds you that you’ve hustled before — keeping your head down, making sacrifices for your dreams, turning risk into reward, believing in yourself— so you can do it again. You need to prioritize the practical right now, but the payoff will be worth it.

How To Use October 2023's Tarot Lessons

What does it mean for you to be abundant in your career, health, and home? Are there any of those categories that are more important to you than others? Journal, record yourself, or talk with a friend about your priorities, and what you wish to elevate. If you have sacrifices to make, like waking up early to exercise, or saving up to leave your job, keep your future joy in mind. Jot down your goals and stick them on your mirror, or save them in your phone. Remember how scrappy you are, and how much you’ve already achieved. Plan to rest, too, because you won’t get anywhere if you burn yourself out.

This month, I’m offering a series of online classes, Divination 101, covering tarot, palmistry, and tea leaf reading. We will learn the foundations of these divinatory arts, and how they can help you navigate life.