Hi sweeties,
Eclipse season is almost over, culminating in today’s partial solar eclipse in Virgo. Known for being times of transformations, unfoldings, and shake-ups, eclipses are all about letting go—something that doesn’t come naturally to me and my beloved fellow control freaks (especially those of us with prominent Virgo placements).
During the last new moon in Virgo, I wrote about attention as currency, and this eclipse season, I’ve looked more closely at who and what is getting my attention. I’m trying to scale back, do less, and be more present where I am. After a great dinner conversation with a couple friends and a multi-hour deep dive into the latest Elizabeth Gilbert controversy*, I’m reflecting more on excitement vs. boredom in my life, which might also be about doing vs. being.
Growing up, my brother and I weren’t allowed to say we were bored, or my mom would tell us “only boring people get bored” and then give us something to do. While I still think there’s some merit in that, I’ve also come to associate doing nothing (a phrase I inherently take issue with these days) with being bored, but chasing excitement and busyness all the time is its own kind of addiction, and its own kind of control mechanism. A new crush, a dramatic friendship, or an all-consuming job can be alluring and intoxicating in that they distract us from ourselves. Why would I stop to be when I’ve been told my value is predicated on what I do? Why would I stop running when this pace has become my homeostasis? Why would I want to slow down and give the pain a chance to catch up?
But lately, I’ve actually been craving the space to let the hard feelings catch me. To know what I’m feeling and to be present enough in my body to let myself feel it in real time. To remember what a regulated nervous system feels like. To see what emerges when I take my brain off of the hamster wheel, stop seeking constant distraction (however subconciously), and just let myself rest. I think it’s really important for humans, and especially creatives (which are synonyms but we’ll save that conversation for another time), to be bored sometimes. That’s where the processing, the alchemizing, and the magic-making happen.
Of course, there’s so much privilege in slowing down. But I think a lot of us here actually have that privilege, whether or not we’re willing to admit it to ourselves. Slowness (or rather, not being constantly busy) is really destabilizing for me, which is how I know it’s important for me to practice. The world doesn’t stop when I do. I need to remember that, and in this late-stage capitalist hellscape that’s put all of us on a fast track to Burnout City, I think you probably do too.
Below are some journal prompts for today’s partial solar eclipse in Virgo, which happened a few minutes ago at 1:54pm MDT. As always, take what resonates and leave the rest.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Chrysalis Season to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.