Community is NOT Dead: Quiet Quitting from the Patriarchy

I am a fan of astrology and esoterica, but I am also a fan of patterns. History has shown that every 250 years, powerful regimes face epic collapse—and the land of the free’s 250th birthday just so happens to be this July.

In recent weeks, several planets visible from Earth have entered what astrologers refer to as retrograde. This occurs when a planet appears to be moving backwards as seen from one’s host planet. The presence of one retrograde alone is said to influence life here on Earth, making us feel rather...well...backwards. We entered 2026 with Mars, the planet that governs our actions and patience, already in retrograde. By March, Mercury, ruling communication and thought followed suit. Things are bound to get even stranger.

According to expert astrologer Chani Nicholas, these two astrological events suggest collective shifts in consciousness throughout society. I’ve noticed people around me have decided to withdraw the best they see fit, however, there’s no escaping the fact that they’ve already flooded the zone—a strategy in which a political figure aims to gain media attention, disorient opponents and distract the public. While certain elitist mascots who desperately push for a more capitalistic atmosphere in the U.S.A. everyday have been exposed for the lengths in which they exercised and abused the very power they curated, many have yet to be convicted, making them criminals only in the court of public opinion.

Many also show close to no mercy for their crimes; I understand how individuals in this country may begin to question the system we have all been unknowingly ushered into believing is just. I mean, we’re beginning to see the real monsters practically brandish their power while businesses across the country face shut downs, land is being bought with the intention to poison black and brown communities, and century-old policy is getting challenged in court...

This collective shift poses the perfect opportunity to encourage new ways of thinking. In my opinion, a matriarchal approach to society could help humanity derail from this never-ending nightmare. De-centering the male perspective—prioritizing the livelihood of children, maintaining our relationship with the land, and honoring our purpose as intellectual creatures capable of both good and evil, may appeal to everyone’s better nature. This’ll remind us that our coexistence was not designed by mistake; we were all meant to live on this Earth at this time, together. Too often we are force-fed propaganda telling us diversity is the problem, but it's actually what makes us stronger.

Not so long ago, society feared we’d be dead by the year 2000 but we lived. Then 2001, 9/11 reminded us that tragedy doesn’t always announce itself. Either way, we adapted. Thankfully, now we can do more than adapt...we can organize, and we can thrive. Committing to empathy, transparency, and collective care as daily practices, we can also exercise our power. The power of community.

Chances are if you’ve read this far, you agree that humanity is undergoing a shift and want to do something to avoid the art of being in community getting lost.  In times of division, communicating with those who hold opposing views may be the last thing on your list. It’s important though to recognize that historically speaking, revolutions rarely need permission to convey their message. Nothing short of balancing history-informed sensitivity with empathy is required in order to truly transform.

For example, different cultures being shared opens windows for future generations. In 2024, I fell in love with this limited series on Hulu titled “Black Cake” where the main character’s heritage was kept a secret because in order for her to give her children the life she deemed they deserved, she had to make sacrifices and worst of all—enemies. Stories like this should be shared. It was only last year that my siblings and I began researching our genealogy, a privilege our ancestors had stolen from them.

By utilizing what has always helped us move forward in times of despair: music, art and movement, they no longer remain simple forms of expression, but profound tools for reconnection. When we share resources, support one another, and invest in building our community without individual interest, profit, or recognition, we strengthen the collective. Boycotts are esteemed for their impact as the dollar is one of the most powerful currencies; action can begin whenever you decide. Thinking within the matriarchal framework, solutions like this encourage collective care rather than individual interest. The grass is greener wherever you water it. Therefore, the experiences we cherish and how we decide to spend our currency—time, energy, and consideration, may communicate to those who hold opposing views that we really couldn’t care less about their obsession with breaking us down because we’re too busy reaping from the benefits of investing in our community! I’ve stepped into my career with the intention of providing therapeutic and edifying client experiences. Ultimately, my goal is to allow each person to feel at home in their body, mind, and soul, encouraging alignment in every nature: emotionally, spiritually, and even astrologically.

Personally, as a creative, entrepreneur, and student of life. I try my best to show up without becoming tone deaf. I can acknowledge that it is a privilege to practice and maintain the lifestyle I live. This awareness prevents me from disconnecting and helps me make decisions based on my moral compass instead of inherited biases. When I find myself feeling not worthy of something that occurs in my life whether positive or negative, I hear a little voice in the back of my head nudging me to show gratitude for my efforts and abilities:

“It could always be worse...”

In fact, there will always be forces that govern expansion and restriction: planets Saturn and Jupiter, remind us that connection is not optional. So even if those with opposing views purposely misread the signs of how collective care poses more help than harm, times like this, where there is major disarray in the media and local efforts in communal wellness do not receive the proper amount of attention, disconnection becomes a tool of division if we are not actively choosing collective care.

Born a biological Black woman in America with Afro-indigenous heritage, distant Irish descent and admirer of the Orishas, I know that upholding traditions is both an act of preservation and resistance. These practices document who we are and who the people before us used to be. Documenting is essential in times of conflict and division because legacy and culture create history. Most culture’s entire existence is in part due to whether their customs reach the next generation or not. No demographic should hold the ideal of wiping out another; it’s counterproductive and textbook insanity. So, what are we expected to do now that we have ironclad proof our World Leaders have devised a plan for world domination? I suggest unsubscribing from the notion that we are completely doomed.

I leave you with this:

Community is not an idea of the past; it is what will help us thrive in the future. In this moment, we are being asked to choose: disconnection or devotion to humanity. Your future is shaped by you and those around you who choose to stay rooted in empathy, creativity, and care. Whether you practice astrology, are a patron of atheism or attend Mass regularly, any act done with love and presence is a spiritual practice. Showing up for humanity amidst patriarchy is one hell of an act of love.