Not Necessarily to Stand Out

All That by Deborah Singletary

New Moon Solar Eclipse September 21, 2025 | 29 Virgo 5’

In the movie, The Only Girl in the Orchestra, Orin O’Brien wanted no part in her niece’s attempt to glorify her (Orin played bass in the New York Philharmonic Orchestra).

Orin’s father was George O’Brien (a leading actor in the mid-1930s) and Marguerite Churchill (an actor of beauty and charisma and John Wayne’s first leading lady) was her mother. Both her parents had been treated to the spotlight, with dour repercussions and great unhappiness when they faded from it. This was duly noted by Orin, who did not want the spotlight. When she tried to be a standout and show her dedication to every note, her teacher chastised her sharply, telling her “The bassist is the floor. You are not supposed to stand out. You are supposed to support.”

Because of this and the lesson of her parents’ later unhappy lives, Orin valued being the “floor” that would collapse if it weren’t secure under everyone.

Orin's story of her parents reminds me of women who say they feel invisible as they age because they just don’t attract the attention that they once took for granted.

This ties into something I have been thinking since the Full Moon Lunar Eclipse in Pisces on September 7th. Pisces rules the nebulous spirit. If we approach our spiritual pursuits the same as our worldly pursuits we might be missing the mark. We want to be noticed, and we want to be filled up by the dream home or the dream job or the dream mate. That about which we are dreaming are forms. Eckhart Tolle speaks of the importance of waking up from complete identification with form. The new Moon is in Virgo, an earth sign which connotes form.

The New Moon Lunar Eclipse at 29 Virgo 5’ is conjunct the South Node in Virgo. This offers an opportunity to consider not putting undue emphasis on form. The North Node is the engine of this story. Follow the North Node in Pisces—the sign of spirit.

I might aim to think of what more spiritual goals might be, but that could miss the mark as well. Goals, commonly thought of as vital, might also create separation. It defines that in the now, we are separated from what we want.  We lament—I don’t have what I want to have. And the conclusion is too often that we are not yet worthy. We need proof and might erroneously think that proof is only in form that must be acquired, awarded, applauded, or otherwise made manifest.

What is truly new in this moment? Perhaps it is the choice to play a supportive role—one that does not seek the world’s recognition. Perhaps it is to draw upon the power available to us now and join with the Universe as co-creators of a more loving world. If recognition, applause, or material reward comes, it arrives as grace. If it does not, the Soul still bestows its deeper, more enduring reward.

Practicum

Proceed with humility. Be willing to be a silent, behind-the-scenes co-creator; to do things for their own sake, not for the return or reward. Look for that which can be praised and then praise it. Look for the good. Notice the best. Be more appreciative of yourself and your world. Wash dishes. Make your bed.