Suits & Seasons: Autumn
With the Autumn Equinox, we have officially reached autumn! And as the seasons change, we continue our Suits & Seasons series. In Spring, we explored its connection to the Pentacles. In Summer, we delved into its link to the Wands. But what about Autumn?
At face value, it doesn’t seem like the most obvious pairing. However, delving a little deeper, it doesn’t feel like the Cups could belong to any other season. So, just as we’ve explored for previous seasons - what can they teach us about one another, and what wisdom do they share, that we can learn from, as we reach the peak of cosy season?
Deck: TrueBlack Tarot
The Connection
Let’s start with the lighter stuff first, shall we? Autumn is warm and fuzzy season - sweater weather, hot cups of tea and coffee, and pumpkin spice everything. It’s a comforting season that wants to wrap you up in a warm blanket. The emotional Cups cards feel right at home here.
Autumn is also the season of the harvest, a time to enjoy the fruits of our labour and prepare for winter ahead. Thanksgiving falls at the end of this season and the Pagan holiday Mabon is celebrated around the equinox, both of which involve gathering loved ones, sharing a lavish spread of food and expressing gratitude for what we have. These are heart-centred practices and rituals that are all about spending time with the people that matter most. Don’t get me wrong, there are reasons to gather with loved ones in every season, but the intention behind these is certainly the most in alignment with the Cups energy, because it captures a sense of generosity, nurturing and all the warm and fuzzies.
It’s also the season when leaves fall from the trees. You’ve seen the quote, right? “Autumn shows us how beautiful it can be to let things go.” Autumn is the perfect season for shedding and releasing things that we have been carrying, and generally, this is an emotional process, right at home in the Cups suit.
Because we don’t have to ‘let go’ of something unless we have been holding onto it.
We don’t ‘hold on’ to something unless we have an attachment to it.
And If we are ‘attached’ to something, we have an emotional connection to it.
As such, to let something go can bring up deep and complex emotions - because we have to feel it in order to for it to actually leave us. When we try to bury or ignore difficult emotions, they never truly leave us. Instead, we hold them inside, unconsciously affecting us like background noise - a constant low hum of pain. In this way, the physical reality of autumn’s fallen leaves is the perfect metaphor for shedding the pain that no longer serves us, the difficult and emotional experiences we’ve been carrying for far too long.
This can also relate to the concept of relinquishing control of our emotions, letting them flow organically, naturally and unapologetically, in positive ways. How many of us have avoided telling someone how much them mean to us, because we’re worried we might be ‘coming on too strong’? How many of us feel the urge to pay someone a compliment, but stop short? The question is, why do we do this? What are we afraid of? When on the receiving end, does a compliment do anything but brighten your day? And how many people regret not telling someone they loved them sooner, or enough, or even at all? Life is too short not to express our love, gratitude and appreciation. And the best part? Studies have shown it literally makes us happier too!
The problem is that, societally, outward displays of emotion can be viewed as a sign of weakness, but this is just simply not the case. They are a natural part of our human experience. In fact, suppressing our emotions can be incredibly damaging to our wellbeing. But many of us do this so routinely, we don’t even realise that we’re doing it. We become numb to our emotional world. The problem is, our emotions demand to be felt. In this way, ‘letting go’ can have a slightly different meaning - emotional release. What have you been holding inside of you? Perhaps now is the time to give it the attention it deserves.
Deck: The Somnia Tarot
The Wisdom
The relationship between this suit and season asks two key things of us over the coming months.
Be generous with your love and care, both for others and for yourself.
As we navigate the autumn season, it’s a great time to take stock of all the things in your life that you’re grateful for, and most importantly, the people. When was the last time you told that person how important they are to you? How much you value them, respect them, appreciate them? Or perhaps you see someone every day and you’ve always loved their sense of style, or the way they do their hair. Who might you connect with, if you were to open up and connect more with those around you? What are you afraid of?
Likewise, this season is the perfect time to give yourself a little love too. Take yourself on a coffee date (PSLs anyone?) or wrap yourself up in a warm blanket and read a book. The Cups cards are soft energy and we are in cosy season after all.
Emotional expression is a strength, not a weakness. It is part of the process that leads to you releasing pain that no longer needs to be carried.
Perhaps, this season, the strongest thing you can do, is allow yourself the space and grace to feel. After Autumn comes winter, the season of hibernation, before the Spring season of renewal begins our cycle anew. And so, as we head towards our restful period, now is a great time to shed the things you no longer want to carry. This means that, when we retreat in the season to come, we can do so more intentionally, rather than being so depleted, so weighed down by all the baggage we’re carrying, that we have no choice but to stop.
Take stock of your baggage and be intentional about what gets to stay, and what has to go. Utilise that outpouring of love, and that gratitude, because if something fills your heart with joy, it is not a burden to carry it with you. Likewise, if something is weighing you down and holding you back, maybe the most beautiful thing you can do is take inspiration from the trees, and let go.
If this has resonated with you…
Book a tarot reading with me - Readings are a great way to take stock of where you are, the baggage you’re carrying and what you need to let go, in order to move forward. If you’re not sure where to start, let’s work on that together!
Let’s collaborate on your own tarot spread - If you’ve pulled your own spread of cards to explore these topics and you’re not sure what they’re trying to tell you (or you just feel like you’re missing something), join me for a 1-1 mentoring session, The Cup.
Join the conversation - Do you agree with the link I’ve made or do you see a different link? Tarot is a tool with great depth, and the more we discuss it, the more we can understand it and form our own relationship with it. I’d love to hear your thoughts and chat about it with you in the comments below!
