The Magic of Rot: Mushroom Wisdom for the Season of Letting Go

What dies in autumn isn't gone. It's becoming something.

Last Friday I took a day for myself in Seattle and wandered Pike Place Market, one of my favorite places on earth. The flower stalls, the noise, the smell of fish and food. I’ve been hanging out in the Market since I was a teenager and the memories came flooding back. And of course, I made my way to one of my favorite shops: Tenzing Momo.

Tenzing Momo is a witchy store that has been in the market for more than 50 years. If you've never been, it's the kind of shop that feels like stepping into another century. Jars of herbs. Incense curling through the air. That hum of old magic. There was a gentleman reading cards and had no one sitting with him, so I sat down for a card reading, and the cards got right to the point.

They asked me what I was ready to let go of, what that release would make room for. And what was already quietly growing in me, out of sight. I found this fascinating, since when I was so sick last week, I was pondering these very questions while I was stuck at home.

On the drive home, I kept turning those questions over. What am I still carrying that I don't need? Old stories. Old habits. Things I've held onto out of comfort, not because they still serve me.

We're heading into the hibernation of winter. The days are getting shorter and everything in nature is slowing down, pulling inward, getting quiet. It's the perfect time to set some things down so we're not dragging them into the dark months with us. It’s a time for release and it is a time for rest. 

What the Forest Knows About Letting Go

Nature has already figured this out. Every fall, the trees release their leaves without a fight. And what happens to everything that falls? What is growing out of the decay and damp? 

Mushrooms. 🍄

Here on the Olympic Peninsula, October means mushroom season. The rains come back, the leaves come down, and overnight the forest floor is covered in little caps pushing up through the damp. They take what has fallen and turn it into food for whatever grows next. Nothing is wasted. Everything feeds the next season.

And most of their work happens where no one can see it. Underground. In the dark. In the quiet.

That's the invitation of fall. Release what's finished, rest in the quiet, and trust that what you let go of is feeding something new.

Meet the Midnight Magic Tarot

When I got back to the shop, I reached for our Midnight Magic Tarot deck. It's a mushroom-themed deck, which makes it the perfect companion for this season. These cards speak the language of the forest floor: decay, rebirth, hidden networks, and magic that grows in the dark.

So I created a spread inspired by my Tenzing Momo reading, made just for this deck.

🍂 The Midnight Magic Compost Spread

Light a candle, shuffle with intention, and pull three cards:

Card 1: What is ready to fall away?
The habit, belief, or old version of yourself that has finished its season.

Card 2: What will it nourish once I release it?
Endings make room. What gets to grow from this?

Card 3: What is quietly growing in the dark?
The magic already working beneath the surface, even if you can't see it yet.

Journal what comes up. You may be surprised by how gentle the answers are.

Crystals for the Descent

✨ Black Obsidian: For honest shadow work and releasing what no longer serves you.
✨ Labradorite: For transformation and trusting the in-between.
✨ Shungite: For grounding deep into the earth, like roots and mycelium.
✨ Hematite: For steadiness when letting go feels wobbly.
✨ Amethyst: For rest, quiet, and listening to your intuition.

A Simple Release Ritual

Find a fallen leaf on your next walk. Write a word on it for what you're letting go. Hold your Black Obsidian, take three slow breaths, and return the leaf to the earth. Let the soil do what it does best.

Come Find Your Midnight Magic🍄

The Midnight Magic Tarot and all the crystals above are waiting for you at Soulful Abundance. Come shuffle the deck, hold a stone, and see what's ready to bloom in the dark.

Let it fall. Let it rest. Let it become.

With love,
Jenn 🍄🍂