Settling into Autumn

Tishrei, Justice & Autumn

Dear ones,

I watched the Full Moon rise this past weekend.

The air was chill. There was a fluttering somewhere under my sternum, my solar plexus, my heart.

Autumn is a season of Wind.

My drawing from our Tishrei Art Circle

We entered the Jewish month of Tishrei at the New Moon, on September 11. Tishrei is represented by Libra, a cardinal Air sign.

In French, Libra is Balance. Not “balance” as in the English word, but balance as in scales.

And in the Tarot, the card for the Scales is XI. Justice.

For this Autumn season, I pulled V Water, X Fire, and VIII Fire.

FORGIVENESS

Tishrei begins with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah.

V Water brings me directly to the Rosh Hashanah ritual of Tashlich, where we cast our sins from the previous year into water. In my family, we use leaves.

We drop them into the water as we name our grief, our guilt. We speak it, and we let it go. V Water is a card about letting go, letting ourselves forgive.

detail from V Water from Discovering Beauty Tarot

RELEASE

X Fire also speaks about a letting go: a releasing of ancient guilt, guilt that was never ours to carry.

In Discovering Beauty Tarot, I wrote this poem for X Fire:

I let all expectations,
I have carried
On my back,
Burn to cinders.

When did I pick it up?
Who owned it before?

I know it is not Original.

It is old, the weight of
The “Shoulds,” the idea
That I am doing
It “Wrong.”

The idea that there
Is any such thing.

I seek only to make
My own self proud.

I burn
Preconceived notions
Of what is possible
To the ground.

I am unencumbered.

detail from X Fire from Discovering Beauty Tarot

FREEDOM

And then, VIII Fire asks us to take our courage to the sky. It is a card about being thrown up into the air and not being able to see the ground underneath us.

When we are in this state of transition, of unknowing, VIII Fire asks us to find ground through a profound trust in ourselves. Knowing that we have saved ourselves, again and again.

detail from VIII Fire from Discovering Beauty Tarot

My affirmation for this Autumn is:

“My forgiveness is limitless, for myself, for everyone else. I release all burdens not mine to carry. I am my own guardian angel.”

Personal Updates & Projects

Le Français

This month marked a year and a half of living in Paris.

I have been in daily French classes for the past six months, which has been a beautiful and humbling experience.

One of the things I have loved most about learning French is being able to speak with my family in Tunisia.

I feel more present here.

I got a bike.

I can banter (kind of) on co-op shifts.

Yoga

Another language that I have been learning this year, in a deeper and more profound way, is the language of Yoga.

Yoga has been part of my life since I was little. Yoga and Yoga communities have saved my life.

This July, I finished two teacher training programs. The first, a Vinyasa-style training in Paris, and the second, an Anusara training with a beloved teacher in New York.

one of our Summer Yoga classes at La Villette in the 19th

This summer, I started teaching classes in the park near my home with a friend, began offering Yoga as part of the Discovering Beauty Circle spaces, and started teaching a weekly class at The Space in Belleville.

This Autumn, I am continuing these offerings through Yoga for All, a series of donation-based classes in Paris.

Yoga for All flyer

Discovering Beauty Tarot: A Second Edition

I have put the second edition of Discovering Beauty Tarot on pause for now.

I want to create a French edition, and my French is simply not advanced enough yet to say all of the things I want to say.

I would also love to include a journal in the print run, something that could accompany card pulls and share some of what I have built through my lifelong journaling practice.

I make monthly drawings for the Jewish months / Zodiac signs in my journal. Elul, here.

I received paper samples from my printer in the Spring, and I have been sharing some of the process over on Patreon.

I also have a very limited number of First Edition decks available for order in the US, and an EU shop through Etsy.

Another Life Oracle

For over a year, I have been working with my oldest friend, Liz, on an oracle project.

Liz is a Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and certified Death Doula, with a background in social work, based in Florianópolis, Brazil.

Together, we research death rituals from different cultures. Then Liz dreams, and her dreams guide the images I paint for the deck.

We are going to start sharing our process on social media as we continue to build the images and stories in the deck.

You can follow along at @anotherlifeoracle.

detail from Another Life Oracle

Upcoming Offerings

Discovering Beauty Circles

For the past nine months, I have been leading Circles inspired by the Tarot card and Zodiac sign of each Jewish month.

Following the Lunar months has given me a way to move through the year with more attention. To notice what is happening around me and what is happening inside of me.

Each month, I offer intimate gatherings devoted to Tarot, art, ritual, and movement.

Our Av Art Circle

These spaces have grown out of my practices: the ways I study Tarot, make art, move my body, and gather in ritual.

Discovering Beauty at the New Moon

Ritual, song, & personal reflection in community.

Discovering Beauty through Tarot

Exploring the Tarot card for the month’s Zodiac, placing it into conversation, and pulling cards together.

Discovering Beauty through Art

Tarot, journaling, self-reflection & creative practice.

Discovering Beauty through Movement

Yoga, Pranayama, concentration, and meditation inspired by the month’s themes.

Discovering Our Shadows through the Winter Solstice

This winter, Liz and I are inviting you into a week-long journey toward the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year.

Through dreamwork, movement, meditation, art, Tarot, and ritual, we will turn toward the parts of ourselves hidden in the shadows.

December 13–20, 2026 · Live on Zoom
Registration opens November 20.

Stay Connected

I share more of this work over on Patreon: Tarot, longer reflections, journaling prompts, and reminders throughout the lunar months.

A photo from Tunis, this Summer

Thank you for being here.

May this Autumn create space to let go of what is no longer ours to carry.

May we trust the path beneath us, even when we cannot see it.

With all of my love and gratitude,

Sophia