Creating Space for Simplicity
01/03/23
When Twitter seemed like it was going to die a sudden death a couple months ago I panic-followed a bunch of my AstroTwitter mutuals on Instagram, as well as setting up my own accounts on Mastodon, Post, Tumblr and probably other places I’ve since forgotten about. Unsurprisingly I’ve found myself feeling overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of words and images and thoughts that I scroll past as I peruse my various feeds. Even though most of it is actually really good, thoughtful stuff that people have clearly poured a lot of time and wisdom into I find I just don’t have the bandwidth for it all. So, I did some radical pruning a couple of weeks ago in an attempt to honor what is slowly forming into a pressing need for quality over quantity.
When I first learned about the aesthetic aspect of Wabi Sabi, I was struck by the concept of placement. Things need space to breathe. You can have a house full of beautiful objects but if they’re all jumbled together in chaos, you can’t appreciate them properly. Better to have a small number of treasured items and enough space and time to truly take them in.
I’ve started thinking about content consumption in the same way lately. Left to my own devices I fail horribly at simplicity, despite it being a quality I claim to value highly. Every tiny crack in my day, every moment of boredom or confusion is immediately filled with a torrent of tweets or Instagram stories or what-have-you and nothing has room to breathe, least of all me. Since I discovered ancient astrology a couple of years ago I’ve filled all the larger spaces in my life with lectures, books, study groups and homework, ever hungry for more information on the philosophy, theory and practice of this modality I have fallen in love with so very deeply. Truthfully it’s been one of the happiest periods of my life, but as I peer into the coming year and see my current round of formal training coming to an end soon, I find I’m not rushing to sign up for the next intensive class. Rather I am desirous of a period of time to integrate and let settle everything I’ve learned so far. I’ve even been very gently venturing back into meditation again which has largely been shelved in favor of more mentally stimulating activities in recent years.
It’s my Gemini placements that fuel the constant hunger for more words, ideas and concepts, and my quieter Aquarius Moon that craves open space and simplicity in which to sit still and let the magic of the universe speak to me in its own language. With three planets in Gemini, including my Sun, that part of my chart can be pretty overpowering and yet if my life is to feel balanced and nourishing I have to let my Moon have what she needs as well.
I’ve been pondering what kind of astrologer I want to be and that’s a journey which is only just beginning. For now, I know that I want my client sessions to feel deep and open. I want them to have that Wabi Sabi quality of simplicity and thoughtful placement – a cherished vessel in which my clients feel that they, too, have room to breathe.
So, I quietly declare 2023 to be a year of spaciousness, of daring to be quiet and finding nourishment from and for my lunar self, and sharing that goodness with clients and loved ones and others I meet along the way.