The Wisdom of Not Knowing

In a time where answers can be as instant as a quick few taps on a smartphone screen, relaxing our “need to know” into slowly tended, perhaps vague, cryptic, or indirect indications toward a revelation, and stepping into comfort with Not Knowing, is more than aligning ourselves with the natural ebb & flow of the seasons - it’s also an act of personal reclamation and resistance to commercialized perpetual expansion.

As I step into my own time of unknowing with this last entry of my monthly Return to Reverence column, my 84th! I encourage readers to rest into the wisdom of not always seeking an answer.

It’s been an incredible 7 years writing for qathet Living magazine - and it’s truly changed the trajectory of my career from in-person sacred living facilitator to writer and now into the behind the scenes aspects of the magazine industry. I honestly can not thank Pieta enough for all that she’s done for me.

I’ve been invited to continue this column on a quarterly basis - timed with the Solstices & Equinoxes, and become the coordinator for the Slow Love personals section, qathet’s cupid if you will, as well as support the robust events section with weekly mail outs.

I’ll miss writing for folks here, and won’t lie, I had some big tears about it. But! the timing of this change suits my new roles with Raven Tongue really well and sadness swiftly made space for possibility. Allowing these next steps to organically unfold after the light returns with the post-solstice sunshine feels right and good.

So I ask you, if you’re open to it, what are you holding gently through a time of Not Knowing?

As we move into the darkest time of the year, it seems fitting to offer a little support for when we can’t see what’s ahead or where to go. There’s a lot of pressure to ‘have a plan’ or foresee potential pitfalls. From childhood we are asked what we profession we want, and before graduating we’re supposed to know how exactly to get there. Holiday gatherings can be peppered with personal questions like, “When will you settle down?” or “How will you spend your time after retirement?” Each New Year’s Day we’re prompted to speak our resolutions and life goals, with various groups willing to hold us accountable. Every birthday, every fallen eyelash, even every full Moon, opportunities to wish for what we hope to come. But what if we don’t know? What if life sidelines our careful plans and we can’t even begin to think of ‘what’s next’?

In a society that demands instant answers, an examination of every mystery, and a constant pace of perceived growth, there isn’t much space for quiet unknowing. Thankfully, the natural world shows us very clearly that indeed, fallow times, dark times, times of rest, and even outward seeming stagnation, all hold a vital place in healthy rhythmic cycles.

Some of the best advice for creative blocks is to take time away to do something unrelated. Burnout or illness recovery usually involves a period of deep rest. Stepping away from a problem allows space for new revelations to organically arise without trying to force an answer.

For myself, I’m also writing from a place of not yet knowing. I’ve been offered new roles within qathet Living magazine, and I hear that an amazing Astrologer will be gracing this space instead of my usual column. It’s a change I hadn’t expected and it comes with a time of unknowing. However! with every Solstice and Equinox, I’ve been invited to pop back in to gently encourage us to Return to Reverence.