October Theme: Shadow + Depth – Reveal What’s Beneath the Surface
October Theme: Shadow + Depth – Reveal What’s Beneath the Surface
October has a way of changing the mood.
The days get shorter.
The air gets cooler.
The decorations get spookier.
Candles are lit. Tiny ghosts are everywhere. The craft supplies have gotten significantly darker.
Spooky season is officially here.
But underneath all the Halloween magic, October has a quieter side too.
It invites us inward.
So this month, we’re exploring Shadow + Depth.
October Theme: Shadow + Depth
This month, we’re going a little deeper.
Not scary deep.
More like sitting on the floor at 11 p.m., having an unexpectedly deep conversation with your best friend.
Shadow work is about getting curious about the parts of ourselves we don’t always look at. The feelings we push aside. The patterns we keep repeating. The wants we don’t always admit out loud.
And no, we’re not trying to solve our entire existence before November.
We’re just noticing.
What keeps coming up?
What have you been avoiding?
October gives us permission to turn the lights down, get cozy with ourselves, and see what’s been hanging out beneath the surface.
No judgment.
Just curiosity.
Word of the Month
Reveal
There’s something deliciously dramatic about this word.
Like something has been waiting just offstage for the right moment to step into view.
And sometimes, the reveal isn’t actually a surprise.
It’s the thing you’ve known in that quiet, back-of-your-mind kind of way.
You just finally stop looking away from it.
A truth.
A want.
A little piece of yourself.
There you are.
Maybe October isn’t asking us to dig for answers.
Maybe it’s asking us to notice what’s already peeking through.
Journal Prompts
Okay, time to get a little nosy with ourselves. No perfect answers, no trying to sound profound, and no turning your journal into homework.
Pick the question that keeps tugging at you and see where it goes.
- What truth is ready to be revealed?
- What have I been pretending not to know?
- Where am I craving more honesty with myself?
- What part of me only comes out when I feel completely safe?
- What would I say if nobody else ever had to read it?
- What do I already know the answer to?
Affirmation
I welcome what is ready to be revealed.
Say it out loud.
Write it in the margins.
Keep it somewhere close this October.
A little reminder that you can be open without having everything figured out.
October Ritual: Shadow Journaling by Candlelight
Okay, lights low.
Grab your journal, light a candle, and give yourself a few quiet minutes without trying to make the moment into anything more than it is.
Put on a moody playlist. Make some tea. Keep your obsidian nearby or pull a tarot card before you begin.
Then start writing.
Messy sentences.
Half-thoughts.
Things you’d usually cross out.
Keep the pen moving and let yourself be a little unfiltered.
Add doodles in the margins. Tape in a scrap of paper. Circle something that feels important. Let the page get a little messy.
Tarot Card of the Month: The Hermit
The Hermit
A lantern. A quiet path. A little space from all the noise.
The Hermit isn’t about shutting everyone out and disappearing into a cave forever. It’s about knowing when you need to hear your own voice without everyone else’s opinions piled on top of it.
And October? Pretty perfect for that.
The Hermit carries a lantern, but it doesn’t light the entire path at once.
Just enough for the next few steps.
There’s something comforting about that.
You don’t need the whole map.
Just enough light to see where you’re standing.
Learn More About the Hermit Tarot Card.
Color Story
October’s colors feel collected rather than perfectly coordinated: faded paper, velvet ribbon, candlelight, dried flowers, and something shiny hiding at the bottom of the craft drawer.
The palette is moody without feeling flat or gloomy. It’s warm, worn-in, creative, and a little mysterious.
- Blackberry Plum: mystery, creativity, and reflection | #4B2138
- Burnt Pumpkin: warmth, energy, and playful fall color | #C85424
- Witching Hour Black: depth, contrast, and a little drama | #17131A
- Aged Paper Cream: softness, openness, and vintage warmth | #E8DCC4
- Tarnished Gold: candlelight, confidence, and old-world magic | #B5823A
- Deep Peacock Teal: intuition, calm, and rich contrast | #2F6864
- Dusty Rose: tenderness, connection, and warmth | #B86B72
Use the palette as a starting point for journaling, collage, painting, or whatever you feel like making this month.
Crystal of the Month: Obsidian
Obsidian
Dark, glossy, volcanic glass formed when lava cools quickly.
Which is already a pretty dramatic origin story.
Obsidian has long been used for tools, mirrors, jewelry, and ritual objects, and today it’s often associated with protection, grounding, and shadow work.
For our October theme, we’re especially drawn to the idea of the mirror.
Not to pick yourself apart.
Just to see yourself a little more clearly.
Keep a piece near your journal, add it to your altar, carry it with you, or simply let it be a beautiful little reminder:
You can look at yourself with honesty and still be on your own side.
October Dates + Energy
October is doing the absolute most.
Spooky season is in full swing. The Moon has plans. Libra passes the cosmic mic to Scorpio. Halloween and Samhain are waiting for us at the end of the month. And Mercury retrograde decides to join the party too.
Basically, the calendar is booked.
But you don’t need to celebrate, observe, or make a ritual out of every date.
Think of this as your little October menu.
Take what speaks to you.
Leave room for whatever else finds its way in.
Seasonal + Cultural Moments
October 1: Witchy Season Kickoff
Okay, witches. We’re in.
Bring out the candles. Shuffle the tarot deck. Let the spooky playlist take over for a while.
October is a fun excuse to lean into whatever makes life feel a little more magical.
Dress up.
Make something spooky.
Give your space a tiny haunted makeover.
Pull a card just because.
Read about the weird little mystical thing you’ve always wondered about.
Finally break out the Halloween earrings.
Your version of witchy doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s.
A little magic is enough.
October 21: International Pronouns Day
Names and words matter.
International Pronouns Day is a reminder that respecting someone’s pronouns is one small way we can make more room for people to show up as themselves.
Listen. Ask when you’re unsure. Respect the answer.
We all deserve the room to be fully ourselves.
October 31: Halloween + Samhain
And then we arrive at the main event.
Costumes. Candy. Carved pumpkins. Horror movies. Ridiculous amounts of fake cobwebs.
Halloween is basically one giant invitation to play pretend, make things, get strange, and have fun with it.
For many modern Pagans, October 31 also begins Samhain (SOW-in or SAH-win), a seasonal observance that marks the end of the harvest and the turn toward the darker half of the year. It’s a time for remembrance and for honoring those who came before. Many Pagans see this as the moment when the veil between the living and the spirit world feels thinnest, so it’s a natural time for reflection, ancestor altars, and quiet rituals.
Over time, certain symbols have become tied to the season.
The graphic below is a quick guide to the ones you’ll see most often:
- Herbs and plants: Pumpkins and other harvest crops mark the season’s abundance. Herbs like mugwort and wormwood are traditionally linked to dreams, intuition, and divination, while rowan and hawthorn are old protective trees in Celtic folklore.
- Colors: Orange for the harvest and firelight, black for the long nights, and deep purple and silver for mystery, the moon, and the spirit world.
- Foods: Apples, cider, and hazelnuts are classic autumn offerings. Barmbrack is an Irish fruit bread traditionally baked with little trinkets inside to predict the year ahead. Many Pagans also set a place at the table for loved ones who have passed.
- Animals: Bats, owls, ravens, and wolves are creatures of the night, and many are seen as messengers or guides between worlds. Ravens and crows are especially connected to the Morrigan, an Irish goddess of fate.
- Crystals: Dark stones like onyx, obsidian, and smoky quartz are used for protection and grounding. A hag stone, a stone with a natural hole through it, is an old folk charm for protection.
- Deities: Many Pagans honor gods and goddesses of death, transformation, and the underworld at this time, including Hekate, the Morrigan, Cerridwen, Hel, Hades, Anubis, and Osiris. The list draws on many cultures, and practices vary a lot from person to person.
Whether you’re lighting a candle for someone you miss, baking a loaf with a trinket in it, or just trying to find the best costume, celebrate what feels meaningful to you.
And save us some candy.
Moon Phases
October gives us two big lunar moments: a New Moon on October 10 and a Full Moon on October 25 or 26.
New Moon – October 10
New Moons are dark-sky moments.
Less go go go, more blank page.
Use this one to start quietly. Write down an intention, begin a new journal page, make something without knowing where it’s going, or simply give yourself a night with fewer inputs.
You don’t have to fill the empty space immediately.
Sometimes the blank part is where the good stuff starts.
Full Moon – October 25/26
Then the lights come back on.
Full Moons are often used as moments of culmination, reflection, and release in modern spiritual practices.
So take stock.
What actually made it through the month with you?
Keep what still feels alive.
Let the rest become scraps for the next collage.
Zodiac Energy
October starts with Libra season, then Scorpio takes over later in the month.
Libra • September 23 to October 22
Libra opens things up with beauty, connection, and balance. It’s social. A little romantic. Very into making the room look cute before the guests arrive.
Want to go deeper? Check out our full Libra Zodiac Sign guide.
Scorpio • October 23 to November 21
Then Scorpio walks in and changes the lighting.
The energy gets deeper, more private, more magnetic. Scorpio season brings themes of transformation, intimacy, and everything that doesn’t always make it into the group chat.
From let’s talk about it to okay, but what do you really mean?
Very on theme, Scorpio.
Want to go deeper? Check out our full Scorpio Zodiac Sign guide
A Note on Shadow + Depth
Going deeper doesn’t mean making everything heavy.
You can be thoughtful and still be playful.
Soft and a little strange.
Serious about your growth without taking yourself seriously all the time.
Shadow and light aren’t opposites fighting for space.
They’re both part of the picture.
October just gives us a really good excuse to turn the contrast up a little.
Free October Printables
We made two free printable downloads to go with this month’s Shadow + Depth theme.
October Shadow + Depth Theme Page
Start with the October theme page, which brings together the month’s creative challenge, journal prompt, affirmation, color story, The Hermit tarot card, obsidian, moon phases, and seasonal energy.
Print it for your journal, add it to your planner, or keep it nearby as a little creative guide for the month.
Halloween Stickers + Scrapbook Pages
We also made a Halloween printable pack filled with colorful stickers, collage pieces, and scrapbook backgrounds.
Cut out your favorite ghosts, pumpkins, bows, bats, and other spooky little pieces, or use the full background pages in your art journal, Halloween collage, planner, handmade cards, or other October projects.
DOWNLOAD THE HALLOWEEN PRINTABLE PACK →
Both downloads are free in the NamaSlay Crew Members Area. Membership is still free, so come join the Crew and start creating.
JOIN THE CREW FREE →A Little October Magic
October doesn’t need much help feeling magical.
The light changes.
The nights stretch out a little longer.
Everything gets candles, cobwebs, and a touch more mystery.
So enjoy it.
Make the art.
Wear the costume.
Stay up talking about things that get unexpectedly deep.
Pull a card.
Eat the candy.
And somewhere between all the spooky fun, leave a little room to surprise yourself.
You never know what October might reveal.
