What This Month Is Teaching Me About Dragons and Leadership:September Spiritual Practices
- Shananda
- Sep 7
- 6 min read
September arrived like a drumbeat… insistent, sacred, summoning. I’ve been sitting with what happens when passionate, purpose-driven people gather, how our many fires can sing in one hearth.
At a recent leadership retreat, I pulled the Five of Wands. In that moment I saw my “inner dragons,” anger, fear, desire, confusion, and ego, not as enemies, but as energies asking for initiation. The card whispered, “Ride them… don’t muzzle them.”
The Hidden Gifts in Our Inner Dragons
What if anger is boundary fire that keeps the temple safe?What if fear sharpens sacred alertness?What if desire becomes devotion, confusion becomes humility, and ego becomes sovereign self-respect?
When I listen with breath and presence, each dragon becomes an ally. The heat that once scattered me begins to concentrate… and I can lead from center, not from spin.
“I honor my anger as boundary fire. I let fear sharpen sacred alertness.”
Collective Dragon Riding
This lands deeply as we head into September’s circles and ceremonies. Each of us arrives with a will, a vision, a medicine. At first, the edges can spark. Then, through rhythm, breath, and honest conversation, the friction turns to flame that warms the room. This is leadership to me, riding our dragons together so the whole space glows.
Sky Notes + Intuitive Read (September Spiritual Practices 2025)
Sep 1: Saturn (retrograde) re-enters Pisces.
Sep 2: Mercury enters Virgo (then Sep 18 enters Libra).
Sep 6: Uranus stations retrograde in early Gemini (into Feb 2026).
Sep 7–8: Full Moon in Pisces + total lunar eclipse (not visible from the U.S.; prime views in Asia/Africa/Europe/Australia). Full Moon peak ~11:08 a.m. MT on Sep 7.
Sep 13: Mercury cazimi (exact conjunction with the Sun in Virgo).
Sep 14–15: Venus enters Leo (date varies by location).
Sep 19: Moon–Venus–Regulus conjunction in the predawn/evening sky (pretty alignment).
Sep 21: New Moon in Virgo + partial solar eclipse (visible mainly in Oceania/Antarctica). Also, Saturn at opposition (brightest of the year).
Sep 22: Autumnal Equinox (Sun enters Libra; ~12:19 p.m. MT).
Sep 23: Neptune at opposition (best yearly visibility; needs optics).
Sep 29: First Quarter Moon (Capricorn).
I wake early and listen. Cool air moves at the window. A quiet voice asks, Are you ready to rinse? I say yes. Grief lets go. Old grit leaves my ribs. I whisper, Thank you for what you were, and let the water carry it away, gentle and complete.
One clear line. Not a paragraph. Not an argument. One sentence that steadies my spine. I wait until it arrives, simple and honest: This month I stand for clean devotion. I place that sentence at the door of my day and bow as I cross it.
My mind reaches for yesterday’s outfit. It does not fit. I smile, fold it with care, and set it on the shelf. What fits the body I have today? Silence answers first. Breath answers next. A new thought, roomier and truer, sits on my shoulders like linen. I change one repeating script today so I can hear better.
I touch my altar and hear, Make your devotion visible. Not loud. Not for attention. A ring that means something. A scarf in a brave color. A thin line of kohl to frame eyes that have learned to see kindly. I bless the adornment as a vow to stay present, not a bid for permission.
I practice mercy in small ways. I say thank you sooner. I greet slower. I soften my eyes on purpose. Grace is a chain of small choices. Each one brings my heart back to right relationship. Warmth over winning, I remind myself, and the room warms too.
I begin again in my body. No big declarations. A small ritual that returns me to myself. Ten minutes from ordinary time. Inhale like an invitation. Scan the body as if it were a sanctuary. A short mantra that fits easily in the mouth. Three honest lines in my journal. I protect this window like a flame cupped in wind. I keep it at the same time each day.
Midday asks for balance. What do you give, and what do you receive? I list both without judgment. The scales do not scold. They ask for symmetry. I choose right proportion over perfect balance. I add one small act to the receiving side, an earlier bedtime, a longer sip of sunlight at the door, and I feel the fulcrum ease.
Dreams bring images. I learn to keep the ones that bless my body. Jaw soft. Ribs spacious. Cheeks warm with recognition. Yes, that vision earns my faith. The others I set back in the river, grateful for the shimmer that brought them.
When the afternoon dulls, I do not wait for a lightning bolt. I choose a chisel. Two minutes, then five. I start with the smallest move and let momentum help. One motion invites the next. The wheel remembers its roundness.
A boundary warms at the edges of my life. Not a wall, more a hearth. Heat belongs here. I meet my anger and ask it to guard, not scorch. I meet my desire and ask it to direct, not scatter. Before hard conversations I speak two lines aloud: I welcome what nourishes. I decline what depletes. Rooms rearrange around that clarity.
Evening gathers the day. I place one hand at my heart and one at my navel. Inhale, I ride the fire. Exhale, I rest in the waters. Again and again. I ask the quiet, What can begin with grace tomorrow? A simple image answers, an apple sliced slowly, a message of thanks, a sunrise seen from the porch. I trust the small beginning. At dawn I plant one quiet yes.
Night opens its book of stars. Do you see how held you are, it seems to ask. I do. I feel the sky kneel at the edges of my body. I return to the sentence at my door and speak it again. Clean devotion. Not perfection. Not approval. I keep the vow and release the performance. The simple rhythm of showing up, soft and consistent.
So the month moves as a conversation, not a checklist. The ocean finishes what is finished. The flame gathers where it belongs. The line I chose becomes a path I can walk. I keep choosing warmth. I keep choosing balance. I keep choosing the next merciful step.
Rest now, the night hums. More sentences will come. More rinsings. More rings of grace. You will not miss what is yours. Breathe, and be here.
This month asks for simple devotion. Below are ten small september spiritual practices, each with a message to steady you and a practice to make it real. Choose the one that lands in your chest, breathe with it for a few minutes, and let your day realign around that quiet choice. If this feels like medicine, add your email below to receive Temple Letters, short transmissions, rituals, and event updates, so your week keeps whispering, “Remember what you stand for.”
Denver, let's gather!
Sep 10: Community Sound Bath
Sep 18: ACT Summit
POP Collective at the Body, Mind, Spirit Expo (Booth 227)
Fri–Sun, Sep 19–21, 2025 • Denver
The Passion Over Perfection (POP) Collective is gathering at Booth 227, a small oasis for real conversation, gentle courage, and practical tools you can use right away. Come by, say hello, and choose a connection that feels right for you.
1:1 Meet & Greets (30 minutes)
Meet one on one with a POP coach to ask questions, explore leadership and personal growth, and feel into next steps. Spots are limited, reserve yours here:➡️ Meet & Greet sign-up: https://signup.com/go/vKzVDho
Workshop (included with admission)
Women Who Lead: A Collective Conversation on Healing:
Sun, Sep 21 • 1:00–1:50 PM • Stage 4
We will circle up for a grounded, heart-forward conversation about healing, leadership, and living your values in real time. No perfect performance, just honest practice.
Tickets
This is a ticketed event. Pre-sale Expo tickets are 12 dollars:➡️ Get tickets: https://bmse.net/event/eventhome.php?eid=584
About the POP Collective
The Passion Over Perfection (POP) Collective is a leadership and coaching membership for women ready to build confidence and grow in a whole-person way, personally, professionally, spiritually, financially, and socially. Membership includes access to 1:1 coaching with expert holistic leadership coaches, member-only workshops and content, a private online community, and ongoing Collective Connect calls for real conversation and support. Our coaching team is CPD-certified, so you are held to a high standard of care and practice. (learn more at citrineunlimited.com/popcollective)
Dive Deeper with Me
This post is the doorway. The full transmission lives in The Lotus Way. Read the full piece on Substack.
If this resonated, subscribe here to receive monthly sky-wisdom, rituals, and reflections.
What dragon are you riding this month? I’d love to hear, and to hug you in person at our September gatherings.
Comments