September Spiritual Transformation & Metaphysical Letting Go Practice: Retreat, Growth & Renewal

Esther Chook
Sep 4
4 min read

We just completed our first online circle yesterday, where we shared insights about September along with meditation and breathwork practices. I’d like to expand here on what this month brings, from an energetic and metaphysical perspective.

The Energy of September: Yi You Pillar & September Spiritual Transformation

In Chinese metaphysics, September is represented by the Yi You pillar — the Wood Rooster. This pillar carries the essence of “inner betrayal” and is deeply tied to fear. This month is particularly intense because it also includes two eclipses (on September 7th and 21st), layered with the Hungry Ghost Festival. I honestly cannot recall a time when the energy felt this yin, this heavy.

The Yi You pillar is often called the pillar of betrayal, pain, and survival. Its essence is reactionary — people act out of fear, purely to survive. On the surface, this can look like success, ambition, and achievement. But underneath lies suspicion, mistrust, and constant caution. Imagine walking on eggshells, afraid that someone is always out to harm you — that is the energy of reacting from fear.

This atmosphere sets the stage for September spiritual transformation. When we confront fear, we are invited to grow beyond it.

From Fear to Growth: Embracing Letting Go Practice

Often, it takes a burnout , hurt pain, or health scare — physical, emotional, or mental — before someone realizes that their actions affect everyone around them. If we truly wish to care for and provide for others, we must shift our motivation away from fear. This is why gratitude, health practices, and cultivating warmth are crucial this month. They help us return to balance, let go of fear-based reactions, and grow into something more beautiful.

Think of a creeping plant: it can cling and crawl endlessly, or it can transform into a rose. The rose represents growth, transformation, and the beauty that emerges when we release what no longer serves us. That release is what I call a metaphysical letting go practice — the conscious act of releasing attachments on an energetic level so the spirit can flourish.

The Lesson of September: Metaphysical Letting Go Practice

If there’s one key practice this month, it is letting go.

This is not just about decluttering your space. It’s about releasing expectations, outdated dynamics, and unhealthy attachments in life. For example:

In business, maybe you’ve been holding on to the hope that collaborators will rise to your level. But perhaps this is the month to reflect and ask: Am I holding on out of ego? or wound? fear? or is it time to let go?
Systems, processes, or relationships may no longer match your current values or goals. Policies and circumstances may have changed — are you staying out of habit, or are you aligned?

The Hexagram for the month is “Retreat.” Retreat is not weakness or defeat. It is the wisdom of purposeful withdrawal — stepping back to preserve integrity and honesty. This, too, is a metaphysical letting go practice.

Misconceptions About Letting Go

Here's one important knowledge. Many people misunderstand letting go:

They see it as defeat or indifference. In truth, letting go is strength. It is the conscious choice to release what drains you and make space for growth, ie letting go of expectations too.
They think it requires a decisive act of “throwing something away.” Actually, letting go is the absence of clinging.
They expect instant relief. In reality, letting go is a process of clarity, a gradual untangling from what we’ve been holding onto.

Disengaging does not mean giving up. It means redirecting energy away from what hinders growth, and concentrating it where it truly matters.

Coming Back to Center: Aligning With September Spiritual Transformation

The energy of September contracts inward. It calls us to gather our scattered energy, bring it back to the center, and ground ourselves. When our energy is spread thin — through fear, attachments, or constant vigilance — we become depleted.

This month offers us the opportunity, and sometimes the push, to finally face what we’ve resisted letting go of. This could appear in relationships, work, politics, or external challenges.

The message is clear: release what no longer aligns, retreat where needed, and return to your center. From that space, you create the stability and integrity to grow even more beautifully. This is the heart of September spiritual transformation.