The Earthquakes

Stripping Down to the Essentials

It was the darkest part of the night as myself and Hitomi ran down a New York City street, Hitomi’s jet black hair streaming down her back, and my dog Charley held tightly in my arms.

We had just encountered an uncomfortable interaction with a man on the street, the details of which have now faded away. As Hitomi and I ran and ran towards the safety of home, we suddenly felt the earth beneath our feet violently shaking, catching us off guard as we stumbled to find our balance.

The earth’s rumbling continued for a few more seconds and I pressed Charley firmly to my chest, afraid that he would jump out of my arms and run away in fear.

Hitomi and I just stared at each other — silently acknowledging that what we felt was an Earthquake vibrating through every bone in our bodies. When the trembling stopped, we started to run once again, bolting towards what I presume was home, down the street.

Mid-run, with my heart racing, I woke up. It was only after a few moments, after realizing it was all a dream, that I felt my mind process the thoughts — everything is okay, you are safe.

But even after waking up, I still felt the reverberations of this dream… still felt off-kilter by the earth that had quaked so vividly beneath my feet. I closed my eyes again, if only to stop my head from spinning, and eventually fell back to sleep.

~~

One week earlier, I was sitting on a plane about to take flight. My flight had been delayed for hours and finally, as we started to pull out of the gate, the entire plane suddenly shook and jolted to an abrupt stop. It felt like the plane had just struck something heavy and unexpected in its path. Everyone around me stirred in silent discomfort as the plane stayed stationary on the tarmac.

Finally, the pilot announced “ladies and gentlemen, you may have felt that shock throughout the plane… it turns out that a 4.8 magnitude earthquake just struck New Jersey and New York City… Please hang tight as we receive more instructions on how long we will be delayed while they inspect the runway for any damage…”

An earthquake?! I couldn’t believe it… an earthquake hitting New Jersey, the first of this magnitude in nearly a century, right before the new moon eclipse I might add, just as I’m about to fly across the country…

~~

I silently laugh to myself as I make the connection — the sheer synchronicity — that as I write this piece, nestled on the second floor of my home, the ground beneath me is violently shaking and ringing fills my ears. I did not plan this; I did not orchestrate writing this piece while 3 men drill through rock and earth to fix some water seepage at the foundation of my home.

In Tarot, there is a card called The Tower that instantly comes to mind. This archetype represents awakening and transformation; it represents the energy of sudden and unexpected change… a collapse of established structures. These structures can come in many forms — some more obvious, like a home, career, or relationship; some more subtle, like deeply-embedded thoughts, habits and beliefs.

In my early days of Tarot, I used to fear The Tower. It felt like a punishment of sorts… like something bad was going to happen beyond my conscious control. But these days, I tend to view The Tower as an opportunity — it signals to me that something is crumbling, falling down to earth, in order for something new to be born.

I feel this archetype rumbling deeply within, breaking my hold on old beliefs and ways of being that I have officially outgrown.

~~

Over the last 5 weeks (coinciding, of course, with eclipse season), I have been forced to confront several deep core wounds. More than once, I have broken down in uncontrollable tears as life presented me with the exact circumstances that triggered these sensitive wounds — rejection, failure, self-judgement, fear of judgement by others, self-worth wounds illuminated through how I value myself as a creative & entrepreneur…

All these parts of myself that I have tried to intellectualize; tried to run away from; tried to heal… they seemed to rupture to the surface through various circumstances over the last few weeks.

But something happened after every instance where I felt swallowed whole by these intense emotions and experiences…

I was stripped down to the essentials.

In the aftermath of my inner earthquakes, once all the dust had settled, I saw with clear eyes what actually matters to me most in this life.

We humans have a tendency to overcomplicate everything. We have a tendency to believe that more is better. That complexity signals intelligence and value.

And yet, I find that the most valuable things — the things that are essential to me in this life — are actually quite simple:

• connection ~ with friends, family, strangers, furbabies, nature

• movement ~ yoga, stretching, walking, hiking, dancing, exercise, exploration

• writing ~ to process and share this life as art

• spaciousness ~ to contemplate, daydream, meditate, study, investigate, play, read, create, revel in beauty

Honestly, that’s really it for me. When stripped to my essentials, these are the things that fuel me; the elements of a beautiful life that I would choose day in and day out.

Stripped down to my essentials, I remember that life really is quite simple. That what we need to feel alive and fulfilled is right beneath our feet, right within our reach.

The Tower asks that we use these essential building blocks (which may differ for us all) to rebuild a strong foundation… one that won’t be knocked over by a gust of wind because it is so deeply rooted in what’s real, essential, and resonant for you.

I have found so much power, so much relief in this contemplation — in recognizing that life, relationships, business, creativity, health, and everything in between… it’s meant to be simple. Where am I overcomplicating things and how can I return to what is actually essential?

Sometimes it takes an earthquake or two to bring us back to what truly matters.

~~

Thank you so much for being here and reading this piece! How have you been feeling over what felt like (to me) an incredibly intense, but transformational, month? Feel free to comment or hit reply. Until next time 🤍