Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] You're listening to the Wild Woman with Sarah Diop. Remembering your wild One episode at a time welcome back, Wild Women. This is the Wild Woman with Sarah Diop, A space for unlearning expectations, honoring intuition, and reclaiming the parts of yourself that were never meant to be tamed. I'm your host, Sarah, and this is our October touchstone. Before we dive in, a quick note. This podcast is brought to you by my workbook, which awaken your wild women. You can find the link to my book in the show notes below. On our last episode, I sat down with Tamarak Varel for our Wild Women Spotlight, and I haven't stopped thinking about that conversation since. Tamarack has been the women's movement in Canada since the 1960s. She led circles across the country and worked with women in prison and found a global sisterhood with World Pulse. When I asked her about the transformation she's witnessed in women's circles, she said something that really stayed with me. She said, you're not alone, you're understood, and you form a heart bond, which is so tremendous.
[00:01:04] So that's what this month's going to be about. Women's circles and community.
[00:01:09] I've been thinking about my own circle of women, the ones that come to my home. We have coffee, I bake something, we pull a few cards, and every time, without fail, something cracks open.
[00:01:21] Someone shares something they've been carrying alone, and the rest of us just hold it with her. We witness it.
[00:01:28] That's the power of a circle.
[00:01:30] It's not necessarily about advice, or sometimes it can be. It's about being seen.
[00:01:36] Tamra talked about how women are taught to belittle themselves, to downplay our skills, to say, oh, it was nothing when someone compliments us. And in a circle, we get to practice something different. We get to say, yes, I'm good at that, thanks. We get to own that. We get to be as big as we want. We can laugh hysterically or we can cry big, ugly tears.
[00:02:02] We get to be completely unfiltered. That's what we're going to be exploring this month, the power of women supporting women, the healing that happens when we gather, and the courage it takes to let ourselves be seen.
[00:02:14] So my invitation this October is to ask yourself, where is my circle? And if you don't have one, how can I find it? Or how can I create it?
[00:02:25] Now let's talk about the astrology of October, because the cosmos is really supporting this theme of connection and community in a big way. October is the month of deep reflection and Transformation. With Venus and Mercury retrograde, both happening this month, we're being asked to slow down, review our relationships, and release what no longer serves us. All right. I'm going to review the key dates for this month. If you want to jot them down, now's the time to get out your notes, app or a pen and paper. Venus retrogrades in Scorpio October 3rd to November 13th.
[00:03:01] This is a big one. Venus retrograde is a time to review your relationships, your values, and what you truly want.
[00:03:08] Old flames may reappear, old patterns may resurface, and you're being asked, is this relationship or this value? Because Venus is also about values still aligned with who I'm becoming. With Venus and Scorpio, it's intense, it's deep. It's about transformation.
[00:03:27] This isn't surface level stuff when it comes to Scorpio. It's about getting honest about what you need and what you no longer will accept.
[00:03:37] On October 10, we have our new Moon in Libra, a sign of partnership, balance, and harmony. So here's the thing. Venus is Libra's ruling planet, and it's retrograde.
[00:03:50] So this new Moon isn't about starting something brand new. It's about second chances. It's about reconnecting with someone from the past, restoring a partnership, or committing to a project or idea that's been on pause. Libra asks you, where do I need more balance? Where have I been giving too much or not Enough?
[00:04:11] Then on October 15th, Pluto stations direct in Aquarius.
[00:04:17] This is a really powerful shift, transformation. Energy that has been moving inward starts moving forward again. Things that felt stuck may begin to shift. On October 23, the sun enters Scorpio, kicking off Scorpio season, a time of depth, intensity, and deep transformation. Then on October 24, Mercury goes retrograde in Scorpio, asking us to review, reflect, and revisit.
[00:04:46] Communication may get complicated, but this is also a powerful time for introspection and getting to the heart of matters.
[00:04:55] And finally, on October 26th, we have the Full Moon in Taurus, also known as the Hunter's Moon. Taurus is earthy, grounded, and stabilizing. This full Moon is about what you value. What have you been building, what's ready to be harvested, what needs to be released so you can move forward. This is a grounding moon, a moon that asks what truly matters to me. So the arc of October, October 10th, which is your Libra new Moon, so that second chances, reconnection, and balance to the Taurus full Moon, which is on the 26th, which is grounding values harvest.
[00:05:33] So the invitation this month is use the new moon to reconnect with yourself, with others, with what really matters. Use the full moon to ground into what you value and release what does not align.
[00:05:48] This month's health tip is one of my favorites.
[00:05:52] It's sourdough and fermented foods. I love making my own sourdough bread and I just wanted to give a little shout out to Leah who gave me a starter because my starter died. Actually it didn't die. I, I got contaminated flour and and then I had little moth babies in my ferment. My sourdough starter, it was horrible. So. So thank you Leah for sharing some of your sourdough so I wouldn't have to start all over again making a starter. So I make my own sourdough bread and there's just really something super satisfying about feeding the starter, watching a bubble, making into bread, putting in the oven, eating a warm loaf of bread with butter, I just love it. Another thing I really love is incorporating kimchi into my salads, my sandwiches. I put it on my eggs this morning. Like I just love kimchi, obviously also with my rice bowls. But it's just such a great fermented food if you haven't tried it. But beyond the joy of making and eating fermented foods, they have a real evidence based benefit for your health. Sourdough is made through fermentation, a process that breaks down certain carbohydrates and proteins that can sometimes be hard to digest. Research shows that sourdough can improve digestive tolerance, especially in people with IBS or people who have sensitivity to gluten. But they are not a celiac, which I feel like there's a lot of people that have that right now.
[00:07:24] Lower glycemic index. I've watched many people do tests online. It was something I a rabbit hole I went down once where they are diabetic and they take their blood sugar before they have sourdough. They take the blood sugar after sourdough because I'm not sure if people who are listening are aware, but if you have type 2 diabetes, bread can spike your your sugar. So it has a low glycemic index. What that means is it doesn't spike your blood sugar like regular bread does when you eat it, which is pretty amazing, especially if you're like me who loves to have toast in the morning.
[00:08:02] It increases antioxidant activity. It also decreases phytate, so it helps your body absorb minerals such as iron better, which is always a great idea. For us women, iron is not the easiest thing for our digestive tract to absorb, but we need it.
[00:08:19] So there was a study, it was a double blinded study and they found that people with IBS who ate sourdough rye bread has significant improvement in symptoms like abdominal pain, bloating and cramping compared to regular bread. So if you have digestive problems, I would highly recommend switching to a sourdough. And you don't have to make it yourself. I mean, I enjoy that. But all stores here right now, it's everywhere. It's not like that. It didn't used to be like that, but now everybody cares. It let's go through some fermented foods to explore. Because beyond sourdough and kimchi, there's a whole world of fermented foods to discover. I'm just going to name some, but basically every culture has a delicious fermented food that's just part of their cultural dishes that are amazing. So I'm just going to go through some of my favorites and feel free to research other fermented foods that you can incorporate into your diet. So like I said, I love kimchi. So if you don't know what it is, it's a Korean staple made from fermented cabbage, radishes, garlic, ginger, chilies. It's a bit spicy and tangy. It's so good, actually, it's funny, the first time I ever tried kimchi was in a rice bowl and I could not get enough kimchi after that. I was obsessed with going to this place. I was in my 20s and they made their own kimchi there. Oh, just. It was, it was called the rice bowl and it was in Kensington Market. I don't think it's there anymore. Anyway, so kimchi is like spicy and tangy and it's also packed with probiotics. That's why it's so good for you. Studies show that it may improve your gut health, boost antioxidant activity, and even help with weight control, blood sugar and cholesterol. It's just amazing and tastes super delicious. Sauerkraut, I also love that. For me though, when I think of sauerkraut, I think of hot dogs or sausages. I just love putting them on that. But there's lots of things you can put on sauerkraut. So sauerkraut is also fermented cabbage. It's rich in probiotics and vitamin C. You can buy it or make your own. Super easy to make. Yeah. So sauerkraut delicious. There's kefir if you don't know kefir is, I'm sure you've seen it at the grocery store. It's actually a fermented milk drink. It's thinner than yogurt, it's not as thick, and it's loaded with probiotics. And it's easier to digest than regular dairy. And you can also find, which is interesting, I haven't tried it, but you can also find kefir that is dairy free.
[00:10:42] So if you don't eat dairy, that's an option. Kombucha.
[00:10:46] It's so popular now, Kombucha, but it's fermented tea. If you're not aware and lots of people, it's an alternative to soda. My sister loves it now as an alternative to having a beer. Her and her husband used to make craft beer, but she just loves kombucha now, so. And there's so many flavors and types now. Another one of my favorites is miso. I love miso soup. It's a fermented soy bean paste. It's used in Japanese cooking. Obviously. If you go to like a sushi place, you can get miso soup and it has little chunks of tofu in really makes a beautiful warming soup. You can add it to salad dressings. I've done that too. Delicious. We all know regular traditional yogurt, plain, unsweetened. It has active probiotic cultures. It's actually really surprisingly easy to make at home. I do that as well.
[00:11:37] Preserved lemons.
[00:11:40] So this is a North African staple where you ferment lemons in salt and then it just, you can add it to like salads or chicken or dressings, sauces, that kind of thing. It just adds really vibrant flavor. Injara. For those who love Ethiopian food, it's the flatbread that your Ethiopian food comes on. It's spongy and tangy and sour and, oh, delicious.
[00:12:09] Traditional pickles.
[00:12:11] This is not the vinegar brine kind, but naturally fermented pickles. So those are tangy and crunchy and full of probiotics. You can tell they're kind of more sour, delicious. And there's just so many more. So just you know your culture or if you're looking for new foods to find and incorporate, I would just go to like international sections or your local international grocery stores and see what you can find. Fermented foods are so delicious. They add so much flavor and they're so good for you. A recent Canadian network focused a large portion of their population based studies on fermented foods and what they Found is people who eat fermented foods are generally healthier, have fewer digestive issues and have lower risk of chronic diseases.
[00:12:59] So this October, I invite you to try to incorporate more fermented foods into your diet. Maybe it's a slice of sourdough in the morning with eggs.
[00:13:08] Maybe it's a spoonful of kimchi in your rice bowl. Maybe trying some kefir in your smoothie or kombucha on the last bit of patio. Time this October before it starts getting too cold.
[00:13:24] Start small experiment. Notice how your body responds. And remember, the gut is the second brain. When you nourish it, you nourish all of you.
[00:13:34] So let's get into the ritual. This month's ritual is a cleansing bath. A sacred act of self care that clears your energy and nourishes your body. I want to talk about two ingredients, sea salt and Epsom salts. Here's something interesting. Epsom salt isn't actually salt. It's a naturally occurring mineral compound of magnesium and sulfate. So what happens is magnesium absorbed through the skin and helps regulate over 325 enzymes in your body. It reduces inflammation, supports your muscles and nerve functions.
[00:14:07] Sulfates help flush toxins and can even ease migraines. Sea salt, on the other hand, is salt, just salt.
[00:14:16] It's been used for healing baths for millennia. It helps clear your energy, leeches out toxins and soothes your skin. It's also rich in minerals that can reduce arthritis pain and muscle fatigue. Together they create a powerful bath for both your body and your energetic field. This is my mix that I like to do. There's plenty of ones you can get at the store that are pre mixed. Go to your local health food store, you can find them or your local aromatherapy shop. But they're pretty easy to put together yourself and they tend to be cheaper that way. So what I do is I do one cup of Epsom salts, one cup of sea salt. Sometimes I put a half a cup of baking soda if I feel like I need an extra detox. Like physically, you can do that as well. And I always put about 10 drops depending on the day, 10 drops of my favorite essential oil. So I use varieties of different blends. I really like bergamot and lavender if I want, sometimes peppermint if I'm like the muscles are really sore, if I'm feeling sick. Eucalyptus and peppermint. Figure out what scents you really like that soothe you. I think this time of year too, sometimes, you know, cedary kind of scents feel good as well. So I Put those in the bath as well with hot water.
[00:15:36] Be careful, don't burn yourself, but with hot water. So the, the really gets the scents going and it makes it so the salts also dissolve fully. Before I get in, I also burn candles.
[00:15:48] I do the full thing and then I usually find a guided meditation and put that on as well. Like I go full out and I make it like a long guided meditation, maybe a 30 minute one or something.
[00:15:58] Sometimes I just lie there and meditate on my own, just in the quiet with the flickering candlelight. So the ritual is you prepare your space. You know, you light your candles, dim the lights, put on soft music or your get your guided meditation queued up once again.
[00:16:14] Fill your tub, you know, as warm as you can stand, right? You want it to be nice and toasty. Add your salts and make sure they're dissolved fully. Then you add your essential oils. And then you get in, soak, take three deep soothing breaths, breathe through your nose, and then you breathe through your, out through your mouth because that triggers your parasympathetic nervous system. So make some noise when you breathe out and then set an intention. Say to yourself, I release what's not mine. Or I cleanse my energy, I return to myself. Whatever you're feeling, write something before you get in that feels right and anything that comes to you once you're completely calm in the water, I would say that out loud as well. So soak. I stay in the bath for at least 20, 30 minutes. I mean, I really live it up when I do this.
[00:17:06] But whatever works for you. I also visualize as I soak. So imagine the salt water drying out. Anything heavy, anything stagnant, anything that isn't yours to carry. Maybe even you've taken on other people's pain or given your all to someone else. Energetically, bring all that back. Bring yourself back. Visualize yourself doing it. See anything that isn't meant to be in your field dissolving into the water. You're done. Rinse off, you know, pat yourself dry, wrap yourself in something soft, a nice cozy robe. Especially this year time of year, you have a terry cloth robe. Put that on. And before you just jump right back into your day, just take a couple minutes, like take some time, maybe put lotion on your skin or just slowly integrate back into the regular world.
[00:18:02] Make sure you drink water, you know you want to hydrate. After you've had a bath. Not as steamy and you're in salt water, it's a good idea to hydrate.
[00:18:12] Obviously, if your bath is too Hot. You can't have super hot baths if you're pregnant or have high blood pressure or diabetes, those kind of things. Take care of yourself while you're doing it.
[00:18:23] This ritual is for you, for your body, for your energy, and for your peace.
[00:18:30] And now, wild ones, it's time for a collective reading. I'm going to pull some cards for us, same as normal, and get a collective reading for October. So we're going to do current situation action to be taken, outcome for both Tarot and Ancestor.
[00:19:01] All right, so for our current situation, we have the fool, which is the first card of the major arcana. It's all about a new chapter in life. And risk of some sort is required, a willingness to jump into the unknown.
[00:19:17] So the fool is an ambiguous card, right? So fool is at the beginning. We don't know. Like in this card, he's like about to walk off a cliff. Like he has no idea, but he's jumping into the unknown. He's starting a new adventure, a new chapter in life. There's also. There's excitement, but there's also fear of the unknown. So it's kind of like a beginning, a brand new cycle. So that's our current situation. Action to be taken.
[00:19:42] We have another major arcana. We have Judgment. Actually, we have all three are major arcana, which means they're. These are major life event cards.
[00:19:51] They have a little bit more oomph. The Card of Judgment is the action, and it's the second last of the major arcana. So the Judgment card basically means a time when rewards of past efforts appear. It's kind of like a summing up, a realization. What we've been doing and where we ourselves have created the future that currently exists. So basically, the fool has to answer for his journey. You know, the time of harvest has arrived, and the mistakes and creative efforts of the past are now gathered together to form the future. So the Judgment kind of heralds the end of a chapter of life, which is very interesting. Like we're currently in the Fool. The action is. It's like the ending, but it's not like the Death card. The Death card is more like mourning, where this is rather where we can look where we've been true to ourselves. So maybe the action is reflecting on where have we been true to ourselves and where haven't we and why is our circumstances exactly where they are right now?
[00:21:02] And the outcome for our collective for October is also a major arcana. Like I said, it's three strength card. So this is the card of Hercules with The lion. It's a situation where a collision with a line within is inevitable and where a creative handling of one's own rage or senseless pride is desirable. Courage, strength, self discipline are all necessary to battle with the situation. Through such an experience we can come in contact with the beast, but also with that part of us which is Hercules, the hero who can subdued it. So this is about kind of dealing with your own egotism, I guess, and trusting in yourself, which makes complete sense. If we're. Our action is to review how we our actions has led to where we are. Strength card is about being true to ourselves and seeing where we've been the hero in our lives and and where maybe we've let our ego kind of take over.
[00:22:04] And for the Ancestor Cards, so our current situation is the high priest, intend and create. Recognize that you have the power to change your life, face your fear and align with the light which matches perfectly with the fool.
[00:22:21] You are the bridge between heaven and earth. And it's important for you to know that you are more powerful and connected than you may think. Everything you're giving attention to and energy to at this time is creating your way forward.
[00:22:33] There have been some setbacks, but accept that these experiences have led you to a deeper understanding of yourself and your spirit. Know that you are being guided by the ancestors to direct your thoughts and energies towards what you want to grow, heal and expand. And then watch it happen right before your eyes. The action to be taken is warrior.
[00:22:54] Be fearless and stand strong.
[00:22:57] Don't back down. Make your opinions heard. Don't settle for second best. If you're experiencing fear at this time, know that that means whatever is going on is important to you. Whenever you feel fear, you are on the verge of something big, perhaps a massive breakthrough that is going to really help you move forward. If you have a situation on your hands where you have to face someone or something that's been unsettling, you know that you are being guided to call upon your inner warrior. Don't falter and don't be frightened because you have the energy to protect yourself now and at all times and the outcome.
[00:23:38] Be devoted and committed. Be willing to go the whole road and back again. This will allow you to be the best you can possibly be.
[00:23:46] Devotion is a powerful energy. Right now. Angels and ancestors want to acknowledge how committed you are to your growth.
[00:23:54] Your continued dedication to this aspect of your life has been recognized. And your understanding that you are not only a body, but also a soul is all you need to continue growing and expanding the energy of oneness is offering itself to you now, and it's important that you take some time to integrate it all so that you can be supported and guided by it. This is what the Divine wants for you. Make note of experiences or teachers making themselves known to you at this time, because you are going to share those teachings one day too. Which kind of really goes great with the Strength card because you're if you're Hercules the hero, then you're learning what you need to teach other people to be the hero in their own lives.
[00:24:39] Brilliant.
[00:24:40] So that brings us to a close for our October touchstone. Remember what Tamarack taught us. You are not alone.
[00:24:47] You are understood. And when women gather in circles, in community, in sisterhood, we form a heart bond that carries us through this October. Find your circle or create it. Let yourself be seen, let yourself be heard, let yourself be held, and let yourself be as big as you truly are.
[00:25:09] Take a cleansing bath. Nourish your body with fermented foods ground into what you value. And whatever you do, don't shrink.
[00:25:19] Take gentle care of yourself this October. I'll meet you back here soon. Thank you for listening to the Wild Woman with Sarah Diop. Remembering your wild One episode at a time.
[00:25:29] Don't forget to like, subscribe. Subscribe and review. Every little bit helps and I'll see you next time.
