It’s the first day of my favorite month: October.

It’s actually below 60 degrees outside this morning in Austin, Texas. A practically arctic chill after the summer we’ve had, and I’m loving it.

I pulled a card for my altar today, asking: what is the card that best represents October?

8 of Cups.

This is such a beautiful card for this time of year. In the Northern Hemisphere, we’ve already entered fall—the equinox being in late September—but October feels like the month that autumn really settles in. The weather begins to change in earnest, the leaves turn vibrant and start to fall.

And 8 of Cups signifies a similar, internal seasonal shift.

Just as the trees are shedding their leaves, we are being asked to release something. Not because that thing is inherently bad for us necessarily, but because it’s seasonally inappropriate.

We are entering a much different time of year. We have to cultivate a willingness to let go during the autumn. Just like the trees, we need to loosen our grip on what doesn’t serve us in this season.

So, this is a simple release/cultivate spread, but I’ve just added “seasonally inappropriate/appropriate”. Thinking about it this way is a subtle shift, but can be significant for a lot of us. Being asked to “release” something can feel too final, or we can spin ourselves into circles asking why we’re being asked to let go of that thing. Is it not meant for us, is it harmful, are we doing something wrong?! Remembering that it’s a matter of timing and of internal seasons can be very helpful, and allow us to surrender it more willingly.