Do I contradict myself?
Very well then I contradict myself,
(I am large, I contain multitudes)
— Walt Whitman, “Song of Myself”
it can be hard to celebrate your multitudes.
I know it is for me, sometimes.
It’s much easier to heap criticism on myself with words like flaky or inconsistent or unmotivated.
And even though I know intellectually that everyone has an area or two where they’re just scraping by, my imposter syndrome doesn’t.
I can't know the details of where your life feels conflicted, confused, and chaotic, but I can get pretty specific about the feeling.
It might feel:
Loud and chaotic, like you’re at a press conference and everyone is shouting questions at you.
Fuzzy, foggy, or confusing: you just can’t pin down why whatever-it-is feels so hard. You welcome distractions that mean you don’t have to think about it.
Unpredictable or unsettled — you bounce between making snap decisions that you regret later and avoiding action because you don’t trust that you’ll feel the same way in the future.
It might be nice in principle to know that everyone experiences this awkwardness, but what actually helps you feel more secure about your self-identity?
You’ve done a lot of work around this stuff, so what can you do to finally feel like you’re getting somewhere?
One place To start is the stars.
This is the point where I fully expect a third of the people reading this to peace out, a third to say Hell yes, and a third to wait and see where I’m going.
For the record, I’m skeptical of most new-age practices. But when my now-coach first got on the phone with me a few years ago and told me things about myself that I’d never been able to articulate, I had to reexamine my beliefs around astrology.
If you’re not familiar with archetypal astrology, it’s very different from the pop-culture “All Scorpios are [X]” or “I’m a Libra, so I should [Y]” approach.
Instead, it’s a lens that gives you insight into your own innate nature: your a priori strengths, challenges, and influences.
It answers the question “Why am I like this?” more completely and compassionately than anything else I’ve found (and I’ve done a lot of looking).
My particular approach understands that you don’t exist as a static equation; you’ve been shaped by socialization around gender, class, culture, and so much more.
Planets = parts of you
As in, “Part of me wants X, but another part wants Y.”
No matter what framework or modality I’m using, it’s always made sense to me to imagine the psyche this way: as a loose confederation whose members may not share similar temperaments, motivations, or ideologies.
Until I started working with this parts framework through the lens of astrology, I tended to approve of some elements and downplay others, the way you might root for the lion vs. the antelope while watching a nature documentary.
(I bet you can guess how well that works when you’re both the lion and the antelope.)
Incorporating both archetypal framing and astrological language into my identity-mapping work helped me relate to all my parts with compassionate curiosity, not just the ones that felt more acceptable.
It’s like Wolverine and Cyclops — they hate each other, but it’s hard to make a case for one being “better” than the other.
Even if you’re a diehard Wolverine fan, you’ve gotta admit there are times when an eyeball laser is going to get the job done more effectively than finger swords.
Your living pieces will form a harmony.
There is a moving palace that floats in the air
with balconies and clear water flowing through, infinity everywhere, yet contained under a single tent.
— Rumi, “Moving Water” (trans. Coleman Barks)
I want you to feel like all the parts of you are on the same team.
Even if they aren’t besties.
My deepest wish for you:
to have a solid sense of self that’s big enough to hold all your multitudes. It’s all connected, because it’s all you.
to see what you need when you’re caught up in confusion and ambivalence.
to show up in the world in the way that only you can.
to shift your relationships (with yourself, with others, with the world) towards more depth and realness.
to see your parts through a lens of curiosity and compassion, rather than judgment and the drive for endless self-improvement.
to be excited by all the possibilities that show up when you do this work.
are these results guaranteed? No.
Are they possible? Absolutely.
What’s next:
Everyone starts out the same way with me: a free introductory conversation where we talk about your particular archetypal makeup and how it’s showing up in your day-to-day life.
This is not a chart reading - it’s a laser-focused deep dive focused on the places that feel tense, friction-y, or stuck. (Because why would we be talking if everything felt perfect?)
THIS CALL TAKES PLACE OVER THE PHONE.
By the end of this first call, you’ll have a more solid grasp on the elements that make up your inner ecology and how to begin tending to them more effectively.
(I’m talking actual action steps — even great info is useless unless you’re able to put it into practice!)
If we’re a fit and you want to go deeper:
I have a few options for working together regularly. The option that I benefit from the most as a client and therefore the one I recommend is a monthly 2-hr call so you have ongoing support as you play with moving through the world in this new way.
MONTHLY 2-HR CALL: $175/session, min. 6 sessions, payable monthly.*
I also offer individual sessions for $225 and a 3-session package for $600.
*Please don’t let finances be the reason you don’t schedule an intro call if you’re a “fuck yes” otherwise. We may be able to work out alternate arrangements.
Click the button to schedule your intro call. I’m looking forward to helping you explore your ecosystem! And feel free to ask questions — get in touch here.
PS - if you’re curious about my coaching practices, modalities, and influences, I’ve put together a little summary here. I draw from lots of different sources and I’m always learning more!