I navigate the burn-out described by gentle blowing on the embers. Through long contemplation and introspection I work each day till I find the diamonds amongst the ashes. I use the emotion as fuel and don’t stop until I feel I’ve understood the lesson for the day. I stay grounded with gentle movements and practical activities. I write poetry and paint. Then the fire slowly starts burning again. Once I went too fast and ended up drifting in the seaweed at the bottom of the ocean. It took 35 years to recover.
And wow to moving through the process too fast and the time it took to recover. The alchemists often reference the calamity born from rushing the process. I think it’s tough in the context of burnout, we want to feel alive again…but moving too quickly seems to get us in more trouble.
It gets us in a whole lot of trouble. But, my goodness, what learning was necessary during the 35 years! Now , at 71, I feel ready to use what I’ve learned. Thank you for your lovely reply 😊
This was really an inspiring and thoughtful essay. I am almost always on fire to make my art. But lately have been feeling burn out. Still the art calls to me! So hard to stop the bon fire! It's challenging when one's passion is ones 9-5. I, too, love the broody hen image. Needing to honor the slow nurturing burn of an egg developing - the alchemy of life-its hidden chick. Thank you
I really relate to that sentiment. The work I do here (and other versions of it) is what I see as my form of art. It’s also my main job and source of income. Sometimes I lament that the two are intertwined…I wish they could be untethered because the need for relative stability from a 9-5 leads to a ton of burnout.
But then, I’m also so grateful I get to focus on this work day to day!
Glad you enjoyed it!! I'm enjoying looking at different aspects of life through the lens of alchemy. If you have a request for a topic you'd like to see added to the series, let me know!
Following from my reading weeks ago re 10 of Wands, I’ve been realising that it’s not so much the volume of wands on my back, but the weight of them, that feels like rods.
So I’ve been making it a practice each day to see every wand in my life and figure out “how do I make this lighter?”
While not drawing from your fires metaphor, these wands do feel like if I don’t lighten the load, they’ll lead to burnout. And interestingly, as I find the lightening of the load through certain wands (changing how I relate/deal with/approach my dogs, my daughters, my 9 to 5 etc…), the other wands related to my creative stuff? I get to light them on fire like matchsticks.
Maybe a bonfire is in order?
Also, the gentle heat of a brooding hen was so visual it struck me out, Alyssa! I’ve been sitting with it (brooding with it) ever since. Beautiful writing and imagery.
What a powerful reframe of the 10 of Wands. The weight of them brings such a different nuance and approach to managing all that you have going on.
I totally think it’s possible to have a harnessing of fire as things begin to shift. The alchemical metaphor implies that too, which I find really empowering when dealing with aspects of burnout.
And a bonfire is very in line with the creative transformation that calcinatio brings! What needs to go into the crucible?
The brooding hen image is actually a description of a kind of heat alchemists used! I love their approach to describing their fire…not in degrees or measurable units, but in qualities and symbols!
Love this. Learning from and navigating cycles of burnout has been a lifelong journey -- still learning but getting better, and these alchemical insights are perfect.
I navigate the burn-out described by gentle blowing on the embers. Through long contemplation and introspection I work each day till I find the diamonds amongst the ashes. I use the emotion as fuel and don’t stop until I feel I’ve understood the lesson for the day. I stay grounded with gentle movements and practical activities. I write poetry and paint. Then the fire slowly starts burning again. Once I went too fast and ended up drifting in the seaweed at the bottom of the ocean. It took 35 years to recover.
This is beautiful, thank you for sharing.
And wow to moving through the process too fast and the time it took to recover. The alchemists often reference the calamity born from rushing the process. I think it’s tough in the context of burnout, we want to feel alive again…but moving too quickly seems to get us in more trouble.
It gets us in a whole lot of trouble. But, my goodness, what learning was necessary during the 35 years! Now , at 71, I feel ready to use what I’ve learned. Thank you for your lovely reply 😊
There's so many gifts and insights through those challenges. Transformation through fire, never easy, but powerful!
Thank you for commenting!!
This was really an inspiring and thoughtful essay. I am almost always on fire to make my art. But lately have been feeling burn out. Still the art calls to me! So hard to stop the bon fire! It's challenging when one's passion is ones 9-5. I, too, love the broody hen image. Needing to honor the slow nurturing burn of an egg developing - the alchemy of life-its hidden chick. Thank you
I really relate to that sentiment. The work I do here (and other versions of it) is what I see as my form of art. It’s also my main job and source of income. Sometimes I lament that the two are intertwined…I wish they could be untethered because the need for relative stability from a 9-5 leads to a ton of burnout.
But then, I’m also so grateful I get to focus on this work day to day!
Thanks for reading :)
Yes total gratitude! Thanks for replying :-)
It is so helpful to look at the issue of burnout through alchemy, a very insightful and helpful perspective. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it!! I'm enjoying looking at different aspects of life through the lens of alchemy. If you have a request for a topic you'd like to see added to the series, let me know!
Following from my reading weeks ago re 10 of Wands, I’ve been realising that it’s not so much the volume of wands on my back, but the weight of them, that feels like rods.
So I’ve been making it a practice each day to see every wand in my life and figure out “how do I make this lighter?”
While not drawing from your fires metaphor, these wands do feel like if I don’t lighten the load, they’ll lead to burnout. And interestingly, as I find the lightening of the load through certain wands (changing how I relate/deal with/approach my dogs, my daughters, my 9 to 5 etc…), the other wands related to my creative stuff? I get to light them on fire like matchsticks.
Maybe a bonfire is in order?
Also, the gentle heat of a brooding hen was so visual it struck me out, Alyssa! I’ve been sitting with it (brooding with it) ever since. Beautiful writing and imagery.
What a powerful reframe of the 10 of Wands. The weight of them brings such a different nuance and approach to managing all that you have going on.
I totally think it’s possible to have a harnessing of fire as things begin to shift. The alchemical metaphor implies that too, which I find really empowering when dealing with aspects of burnout.
And a bonfire is very in line with the creative transformation that calcinatio brings! What needs to go into the crucible?
The brooding hen image is actually a description of a kind of heat alchemists used! I love their approach to describing their fire…not in degrees or measurable units, but in qualities and symbols!
Love this. Learning from and navigating cycles of burnout has been a lifelong journey -- still learning but getting better, and these alchemical insights are perfect.
Are there particular ways you've found helpful to navigate burnout? I often feel that each cycle requires a different approach!
I wrote a piece a few years ago about what helped me heal the worst of my burnout: https://juniperstokes.substack.com/p/its-not-depression-its-exhaustion Since then I mostly try to track my experience and intentionally rest/pause/reflect when I fell the earliest signs.
Early intervention is so important! I find it's often much more difficult to deal with once burnout has taken full effect.