Spelloween 2025: Day 21

Don’t mind me. Trying to get back into the groove of habits left behind. Today is October 21, 2025, and it’s time to have some fun. Each day of the month of October, I’m going to put together a little spell that involves one of my favorite tools: Tarot cards.

None of this is meant to be taken seriously, unless you want to do just that. All of this is in fun and with good intentions. All of this is meant to bring me joy. If you get some of that joy-juice as well, then all the better.

These spells are meant to be modified, adapted, used “as is”, or as inspiration for your personal rituals. Feel free to change them to suit your personal circumstances.

Day 21: Temperance – A Moderate Modification

Gather the following:

• The Temperance card from your tarot deck. If using an alternative deck, pull the card that refers to “balance”, “adjustment”, or “adaptation”.
• Optional: A copy of the Temperance card, as the card could be separated from your deck for some time. Using a copy of the card will prevent a “broken deck” and will leave your tarot deck available for other shenanigans while this spell is underway.
• A small mirror. May be a separate flat piece, may be in a foldable compact. Must be small enough to handle single-handed comfortably.
• A piece of writing paper no larger than the mirror, but large enough to write legibly on it.
• A writing utensil.
• A dark color cloth large enough to wrap around the mirror several times. Preferably black, but if all you have is a pink and white striped pillowcase, then that will do.
• A desk drawer, box of personal belongings, or other place where a hypothetically wrapped mirror can be placed without being disturbed.
• Optional: A sticky note or other means of labeling a hypothetically wrapped mirror for easy identification.

The Temperance tarot card is known for representing “balance”. However, it is also known that moderation in all things includes moderation itself. Sometimes, we have to be an “unbalanced” or “extreme” version of ourselves to get something important done regardless of what other people may think about it. This spell is to facilitate you becoming the version of you needed to complete the work.

The spell:

1. If desired, prepare your working area. Once set, place all items gathered for this spell and prepare them for use in your usual manner.
2. On the writing paper, write down the task that you need to complete. Do NOT write what you think you need to become to complete the task. Only the task itself, and any details about the task that you want to call into focus.
3. Pick up the mirror in your non-dominant hand. (It is okay to put the inscribed paper down for this.) If the mirror is in a foldable compact, open the compact.
4. If you haven’t already done so, pick up the inscribed paper.
5. Inform your reflection in the mirror that the task described on the inscribed paper is one of great importance that must be completed, but that the person that you are is encountering some difficulty. Tell your reflection that they (use your preferred pronoun here if desired) will have to “do what is necessary” to complete the task, even if that means temporarily changing who they are and how they get things done.
6. Place the inscribed paper on the mirror, with the words facing the mirror. (If you have written on both sides of the paper, make sure the name and/or title of the task is facing the mirror.)
7. Leaving the mirror and paper in your non-dominant hand, now pick up the Temperance card (or its copy if you have one). Addressing the card, say the following (out loud or silently):
   “Here I make this one request:
   That I complete what weighs on me.
   That all is done with perfect best.
   That I become what’s best for me.”
8. Place the Temperance card on the inscribed paper, with the front of the card facing the mirror, and the card upright in the same orientation as the writing on the front of the paper.
9. (If you are using a foldable compact, close the compact on the stack.) Carefully wrap the stack with the cloth. Wrap neatly yet snugly. (Don’t wrap your hand into the stack.) You may use whatever wrapping technique suits your abilities. If all you are able to do is a loose bundle of fabric, that’s okay.
10. Take the wrapped stack of mirror, inscribed paper, and Temperance card to where you can place it undisturbed. (Optional: Label the wrapped cloth so when you come across it later, you can identify the contents without risking dropping something sharp on your feet.)
11. Once the stack is secured, disassemble your working area if necessary and then go forth and take on that task that is troubling you. You might become aware that your demeanor has changed somewhat as you work on the concern. If you are alarmed, or when the task is completed, you may undo the working you performed on yourself by unwrapping the stack, discarding the inscribed paper (and card copy), and then returning both the mirror and the tarot card to their proper places.

I purposefully made a way to stop the spell prior to completing the task. Sometimes we commit to something and find out part way through that this wasn’t a good idea for whatever reason. Being able to back out of a commitment to a bad idea is always a good thing to build into workings. May not always be feasible, but it is worth considering at the very least.