The Speaker of Stones card from the Mixed Signals tarot deck by M Eilo (all images courtesy M Eilo)Hyperallergic’s tarotscope series is a combination of tarot with astrology, a reading for the collective readership combined with cards for the major astrological signs, grouped by their elemental associations. These are developed by AX Mina, a Hyperallergic contributor and producer for Five and Nine, a podcast about magic, work, and economic justice. These tarotscopes have a special focus on the arts and creative practice, for each solstice and equinox, to mark the turning of the seasons.What I love about the fall equinox is the very gentle crossfade into longer nights, presaging a major shift in seasons. This year’s equinox arrives during a turbulent eclipse season, as New York and elsewhere oscillate between cold and hot shortly before the official transition into autumn. Even as the climate changes, however, the seasons come and go — sometimes faster, sometimes slower, but the world keeps turning.This season’s tarotscope is read using the Mixed Signals Tarot, designed by artist M Eilo, on the tarot platform Moonlight. The cards were drawn in the shadow of the September 7 lunar eclipse and interpreted one week later, in this ninth month of the Hermit Year (in the tarot system) and ninth month of the Snake Year (in the East Asian lunar system).For this fall equinox, we read with the Gate, the Lock, and the Key. The Gate reflects an invitation. The Lock is a blocker that we must work through. The Key reflects how we might all move forward with opening the Gate. And then we draw a Window, customized to your astrological element, to give you a glimpse into what lies ahead as you move through the challenges this season.We start with an inquiry: How might we prepare for the final seasons of 2025? With just three months left before the turning of a most consequential year, it’s worth asking what artists and creatives can do to ease the suffering for both themselves and their communities. Preparation can take many forms, as we’ll see in the elemental sign readings.For now, a collective message can guide us.Collective Tarot ReadingGate: TowerLock: Speaker of Stones Key: Ten of Stones (reversed)One of the most feared and beloved cards in the Tarot, the Tower reflects an end — the crumbling of what we once held dear. It can be a painful card. Whenever I see it in the Gate placement, it feels like an invitation to both sit in the rubble and usher in the new beginning. From the nadir of the collapse, we start to see the glimmers of a foundation from which we can build a new world. In this deck, artist M Eilo depicts the tower as a flame held aloft by a bare palm. When we welcome in one of the most challenging cards of the tarot, we also welcome in the light and levity.The Speaker of Stones, or King of Pentacles in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, reflects the challenge we must work through this season. Here shown as a rocket taking off, the instinct toward quick action sits in the Lock, or blocker position. After the Tower falls, it’s tempting to want to move quickly. What the Ten of Stones (aka the Ten of Pentacles) invites us to do is reconsider the community and abundance that still remain around us — this abundance will hold us steady.The spread in total is a challenging one, dear reader, because it suggests that we must sit with the Tower. The space for renewal comes in considering the riches we still have, especially in the space of community care and support.Below, you’ll find further guidance in the form of Windows. Imagine that they look out onto potential futures as you navigate what is possible. Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)Window: Eight of StonesThe most common message of the Eight of Stones is to stay focused on your labors. In this deck, the eight stones look like options to consider; the hand chooses one stone in the midst of many. This suggests that your discernment regarding where you spend your time and energy will hold you in the Tower period. Be wise about your labors, and continue to hold your attention to them. In turn, you may help others focus.Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)Window: Four of SwordsThe four swords at rest are a recipe for challenging times. If you find yourself pushing too hard, consider laying the pens down and giving yourself space to recuperate. If you are already at rest, explore how this period of regeneration will get you through the Tower. The Four of Swords sits amid a very action-oriented suit. You’ll be busy again soon, but if you don’t make time for rest, you run the risk of burning out.Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)Window: Six of SwordsThe six swords in a line represent an orderliness to the mind’s wanderings. In mindfulness meditation, we learn to sit with and welcome the monkey mind, and those of us who sit along with it enough start to notice that the mind contains a tape loop. This card is not unlike that process. Artists and creatives have the ability to open up and name the mind’s challenges, giving them shape and structure. The work here is not for the faint of heart, but your air sign energy is well suited to the process.Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)Window: Six of StonesAs you navigate this Tower moment, consider what you have received, or “count your blessings” in vernacular terms. But go deeper and ask yourself what allowed you to acquire these gifts. Did they come from your labors? Your friendships and family members? Were they due to luck? Similarly, ask what you’re capable of giving to others to help navigate these challenging times. We all live within a web of support, and knowing where you situate yourself will help you and those around you.