Eclipses and Earthquakes
Using nature for a new perspective.
Everyone and everything that we know and love goes through phases. There’s something interesting about the various iterations we see people, places, and things go through:
How that bustling apartment building was once a dirt lot.
The “big guy” at your gym was once a twig.
The burgeoning local business was once hurting for customers.
The cute sorority girl on line in front of you at Starbucks once had an all-black Hot Topic phase. (This is actually more often true than not)
It’s even more interesting to understand that a lot of these given scenarios can return to the forms from which they came:
Maybe the apartment developer gets an offer from a local sports team to offer his plot up for a premium for a new arena. Back to a dirt lot we go.
Maybe the “big guy” decides there’s more to life than the gym.
Maybe the Starbucks girl starts streaming a little too much Paramore on her Spotify and starts to reach back into the deep recesses of her closet.
It’s part of the beautiful, well.. cyclical nature of life, as I had referenced the last time we spoke.
I’m not here to muse on about life or wax poetic (brutal unintended pun there, not referencing the moon phase I swear) about our existence; I’d rather offer a unique angle on how to approach tomorrow’s solar eclipse.
But first….
The Earthquake.
^ There’s my stuff after it was tossed around by the tremors, I was told that picture was pretty amusing. (Yes, that’s a Lululemon cross-body bag I bring everywhere, dw we’re gonna get to summer fashion and you know what? I love that thing. Debate the wall.)
Anyhow, what was up with that? That’s not a usual occurrence here on the East Coast. Stories were abound from friends and family alike, everything from “I thought the boiler was going to explode” to “ I thought a truck stalled out in the parking lot”.
Not tryna brag or whatever but I knew right away thanks to having the foresight to type in “earthquake” into Twitter and sort by latest. The results were both confirming and comical: “Northern NJ reporting in, did we jus have a MF earthquake??!”
It reminded of the last time we had any sort of activity like that- August of 2011, when a 5.8 magnitude quake with its epicenter in Washington D.C. rattled across the Island around noon. Admittedly, I was still in bed at the time ( I was in college, ok?). I remember searching the same thing on Twitter to see if the confirmations were true. That was a different world online back then, when it was an all-out war between “Beliebers” and ”Directioners” to see who could spam their artist more to get the top trend. Simpler times, tbh.
It’s pretty interesting that we were struck with an uncharacteristic natural event mere days before another natural anomaly. If you listen to the conspiracy theorists (who, to their credit, are up tremendously in this decade) they’ll tell you “there are no coincidences”, and perhaps they’re right, as they have been. However, I did see some references to the 4.8 magnitude of Friday’s earthquake and how that will be opening portals to a new dimension etc and while I can appreciate the thought process and conviction behind it, it’s just a bridge too far for me.
Rather, I’d like to focus on another aspect of the earthquake: Sudden change.
An incident such as an earthquake has an ability to place inside of the mind a little reminder that the world we know is malleable and things can change in an instant. Even though there was no loss of life, I’m sure the first thing anyone in the area did was call or text friends and family to make sure they were alright.
It was a brief instance of vulnerability that I believe we should carry with us into tomorrow nights’s proceedings.
You ready?
Let’s get esoteric.
I know, probably not what you were expecting from a clean cut guy who has a hint of right-leaning in his writing and also hates weed- but maybe that’s what gives my words here some creedence. I’m stepping outside my archetype.
This will probably be something you’d expect to here from that hippie girl that goes viral on Twitter damn near everyday instead:
“Yo bro, hear me out for a sec…”
No. No I will absolutely not. C’mon guys!
Anyway…
Let’s talk about it.
Many cultures view eclipses as periods of spiritual renewal. I would agree with this.
The fact of the matter is that energy is all around us. I’m a firm believer that energy resides in everything we encounter: people, places, inatimate objects, and especially nature.
This is also a staunch belief of many major global cultures, such as the Japanese.
Look no further than the moving gesture of Hideki Matsuyama’s caddie bowing to the famed Augusta golf course after his countryman and colleague won the 2021 Masters:
The respect for the power and energy of nature and natural occurences is something that long pre-dates anyone reading this.
Also, the Tik Tok Astrology girls are all over this one as well (lengthy, but worth the watch):
Tiktok failed to load.Enable 3rd party cookies or use another browser
(By the way, quick ask if you know this sort of thing- are the Tik Tok tarot readers ever accurate? They’re saying things that make me happy, or am I just “delulu”, to use the lingo?)
Regardless, let’s get to a trusty 3 piece list of how to make the most of your eclipse experience:
1. Open your mind and be aware of your energy
Basically, don’t just shun this. If you’ve read this far, chances are you’ve made it past the “Oh what the hell is he talking about this time” phase and actually want to know more. I know, it’s cool to be all “whatever, I don’t care” about the whole thing, but that teeters on ignorance. Take note of your mental state, physical energy, your overall feeling towards life, and how you feel when you think about the future. The purported “energy shift” just might hit a little harder than you may anticipate. This is ok!
2. Notice how the “Big 3” interact during the eclipse period, and in the time following it
Health, Wealth, Relationships. The 3 pillars of what makes life, well..life.
Perhaps this lunar event injects you with a newfound spring of youthful energy. Maybe you’ll end up feeling looser and more mobile. There’s a chance that business takes a positive turn in the period following it. On the contrary, maybe taking a step back and getting some perspective makes you realize you want to go on a different path. It all depends! The same can go with interpersonal relationships. If you’ve got someone special and watching the eclipse together turns into a romantic event- that’s a sign right there. Get into a blowout fight after it instead? Sadly, also a sign (though I do hope that doesn’t happen).
Be cognizant of how what’s most important to you in your environment gives you feedback in the coming week or so.
3. Enjoy a cool natural spectacle
A large portion of this Substack is dedicated to making sense of the divide and lunacy that is pervasive in our modern society. Thus, I find it refreshing that everyone of all beliefs and backgrounds can get together tomorrow night and join in on something that is just flat out cool. A bit of a sorry statement that it takes a once every two year occassion to bring us altogether these days, but let’s be happy it’s happening at all. It’s a good opportunity to connect with friends or loved ones instead of the usual drab Monday night routine.
Also, I guess you have to wear those glasses, right?
I’m not sure I will.
The big G got away with it last time, and he seems to be doing just fine.
If you need something to occupy your ears on the car ride to your viewing spot, Elevator Charles , Michael Marro , and yours truly have been working hard on Elevated Thoughts.
I’ll be linking with them again in the latter part of the week, really looking forward to that.
That wraps it up for this time. Go out there tomorrow with an open mind, an open heart, and enjoy the spectacle nature has provided for us.
You just might learn a thing or two about yourself 😉
A topical tune from an all-time favorite to send us off:
Enjoy the show, love always.
-John
8 April 2024