October: By the Numbers
a numerological forecast for clarity & inspiration
👻 OCTOBER 2022 👻
Stay calm, curious and connected to your craft.
I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.
- L.M. Montgomery
Happy October! The Season of the Witch! (Not that we ever needed the excuse…)
It’s spooky season, and I’m a generous little witch, so I wanted to share this with all of my sweet subscribers! If you like the vibe, and wish to receive it monthly, please consider becoming a paid pal.
October this year feels a bit busy! A bit frazzled! Or was it just me that sat down with a planner yesterday and screwed her head on straight? It can’t just be me—there are 6 planets currently retrograde! But luckily a couple days into the month, Mercury will go direct. Plus, the numbers of the month seem to project a questionable vibe.
So, let’s get a bit organized, shall we?
In this monthly forecast, you’ll find:
→ Information on the numbers 10, 1, and 7, and how they might show up
→ Playlists for the numbers 1 and 7 to get you inspired
→ A neat little tarot spread based on your personal numbers for October
→ Things to try this month
→ Things I’m trying this month
→ What’s in store this month on SITS + an announcement about next month!
Also, I fully blame Venus is in Libra for the new graphics I’m trying inside of this newsletter. Let me know if it’s working or if I’m just lame and embarrassing.
A timely reminder that I’m both teaching at & hosting The Gathering of the Witches, taking place online the weekend of October 21st - 23rd! The line-up of teachers is incredible, every class is interactive, and it’s sure to be a phenomenal way to celebrate this season in community with other witches. If you can’t make it live, that’s okay—all sessions will be recorded, and you will have 6 months access to review all workshops at your leisure!
October grooves with the number 10. Yes, this is one of those rare moments where a double-digit number gets to come to the party! But have no fear, we’ll also look to the number 1, October’s core energy.
Pythagoras thought that Ten (10) was the perfect number. It’s said that he held classes in groups of ten students, and the sacred shape of the tetractys—a pyramid made of 10 points arranged into 4 rows (pictured below)—was important in his work and his spiritual community.
According to Tobias Dantzig’s book Numbers: The Language of Science, a common Pythagorean prayer was even devoted to the number 10 and its sacred shape:
Bless us, divine number, thou who generated gods and men! O holy, holy Tetractys, thou that containest the root and source of the eternally flowing creation! For the divine number begins with the profound, pure unity until it comes to the holy four; then it begets the mother of all, the all-comprising, all-bounding, the first-born, the never-swerving, the never-tiring holy ten, the keyholder of all.
In most numerological practices, the number ten is reduced to one (1), the number of the self and the beginning, of both source energy and its channel, and of initiation.
In combination with zero (0)—the void, nothingness, unfettered potential—the number one takes on an advanced meaning. Yes, we’re back in the beginner’s seat. Yes, we might be feeling mighty foolish to be back in uncharted waters. And yes, we may be doubting our abilities to navigate this new terrain.
But the good news is that the cycle that came before, the leg of the journey we just experienced during the last jaunt from numbers 1 to 9, doesn’t magically disappear. It’s still with us: all of the things we learned, all of the challenges faced and overcome, all of the tools, tips and tricks we picked up along the way—they’re all still available for us to call upon and to use.
We are different here, at the start of this new month, than we were at the last fresh start.
I remember it as October days are always remembered, cloudless, maple-flavored, the air gold and so clean it quivers.
- Leif Enger
October of 2022 is an overall 7 month, which is the number of questions and analysis, spirituality and secrets, and the archetype of The Seeker.
This might be a month that aggravates. Plain and simple, no need to sugar coat it.
October of 2022 brings us the intense, dogged energy of the number seven (7), which in combination with 10/1 energy, could provide for a push-pull, testing our patience kind of an experience. 1 wants to go Go GO, but 7 wants to think about it a little more… See what else could be discovered… Answer questions with more questions… Indulge the Sphinx’s riddles—that sort of thing. That’s because the energy of 7 really lies in the journey, not the destination.
If you can stay curious this month and not let it become a slog, 7 energy has the potential to open great doors for you, especially in the spiritual, witch or esoteric space. It rules all that is seen and unseen, known and unknown; and paired with the already potent, autumnal energy of October, this team-up is honestly the perfect place from which to make magic.
And not to go all Sandy B. on you, but 1 and 7 are both practical energies, so be sure that your magic has tangible uses in your every day life!
PS. The playlist linked below is my absolute favorite of all of the number playlists. It’s one of 4 playlists that I have downloaded to my phone and it’s just the best.
October knew, of course, that the action of turning a page, of ending a chapter or shutting a book, did not end the tale. Having admitted that, he would also avow that happy endings were never difficult to find: "It is simply a matter," he explained to April, "of finding a sunny place in a garden, where the light is golden and the grass is soft; somewhere to rest, to stop reading, and to be content.”
- Neil Gaiman
Pick a deck that makes you feel the most in your magic! I’m using The Queer Tarot by Ash + Chess, which was on display next to my book during my hometown event, and I couldn’t help but get it!
Pull out The Fool, and place it as the top for a little inspiration!
Find your personal monthly number for October. Add your personal yearly number (your month + date of birth + 2022) to the number for October, 10.
For example, my birthday is 7/7, and my yearly number in 2022 is 2. Adding that to 10 gets me to 12, which is then reduced to 3. My monthly number for October 2022 is 3.
Write down three keywords for your monthly number. These will be your energetic touchstones for the month.
My words were: COMMUNICATE / MAGIC / (EN)JOY
Then, shuffle your deck, and pull one card for each of your keywords. These cards will act as your message, your guide, and your archetypal energy for the month!
My pulls were:
COMMUNICATE: Seven (7) of Pentacles
MAGIC: The Chariot (7)
(EN)JOY: Three (3) of Swords
Interpret in whatever way feels good! Or don’t!
I was blown away by the accuracy of the message I received in The Queer Tarot Guidebook for the Seven of Pentacles, and The Chariot’s entry also gave me some good things to think about. The Three of Swords rightfully freaks me out a bit, but I was also able to capture a few pieces of good advice to stick in my back pocket.
If you try the spread and feel like sharing on social, please tag me @beescolnick so that I can see and share! xx
Shake up a stagnant routine
Start a questioning practice and document any found information or answers
Research and connect with one new archetype, deity, school of thought, or spell ingredient
Choose a mantra and say it out loud every day
As your guide for a sign a day and take notes on what shows up
Don’t gaslight yourself into thinking the signs aren’t “real”
Read The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The above ideas are all sourced from my book, in which I offer tons of practices to try out on a day, month or year ruled by each number. I decided to go a bit further with the tarot spread I shared above, and choose one thing to try for each number for October: 1, 7, and my personal number of 3.
1: Perform a spell on the first day of the month and track its progress
7: Commit to sitting and breathing for 7 minutes per day
3: Journal each morning
Grab your copy and try it for yourself! Bonus points if you pick things that were already on your to-do list!
Other things I’m trying:
Marlee Grace’s class, ORGANIZING A DAY, a two-hour class on creative planning hour by hour, season by season, integrating tools and structures for pushing through avoidance and fear into service and spaciousness
Downloading and getting to know Scrivener, the go-to app for long form writing projects that lets writers see the forest and the trees
Reading Volume II of the Tarot & Politics Zine, compiled and edited by Lane Smith (@politicsoftarot)! It’s pay-what-you-can, features the most rad line-up of magical thinkers and writers, and is a must-have as we wrap up this Lovers/Devil year of 2022. Head to Lane’s instagram for instructions on how to support!
Listening to Lo-Fi for Witches. Great music to write to, even better comments!
September got a little wacky with traveling and my book release, but we’re getting back to it in October!
🥣 Friday 10/7: Numerology & the Enneagram — This was highly requested in my last live workshop, so I’m looking into the roots of the Enneagram and how it aligns, and doesn’t align, with numerology.
🥣 Friday 10/21: Celebrating Samhain — Okay, so the alliteration only works when spoken, but you get it… The Friday before Samhain, I’m breaking down the history, the traditions, and of course, sharing a ton of ways to make personal magic during one of the highest of witchy holy days!
✨ Peppered throughout the month will be a DUNE Deep Dive or two. To be totally honest, it’s been a lot of work to both read and prep and create those episodes, and I’ve fallen behind! Thank you for your patience—maybe you even need this time to catch up?—and I promise I haven’t given up on these. Just moving at a slower pace than anticipated!
I also wanted to share a quick announcement about next month’s SITS!
In November, I’m going to be attempting NANOWRIMO, or National Novel Writing Month! I have an idea for a queer New York rom-com that’s been percolating for a while now, and I’m ready to see what it could look like on the page. It’s a total privilege to be able to devote the month to this endeavor, and I’m psyched to give this gift to my creative self.
Because the daily word count goals are bonkers, I’m going to be taking the month off from the podcast element of SITS. You can still expect the November Monthly Forecast and a newsletter every other week, but it’ll focus on my experience of NANOWRIMO, tips and tricks that’ve helped me to write, and snippets and sneak peeks of what I’m working on! I think it’ll be fun. Then, we’ll see where we land in December and *jaw drops* wrap up the year!