In electrical terms, grounding connects a circuit to the Earth, ensuring stability and safety. Pavementâs Grounded mirrors this concept in its slack, winding rhythms and disjointed imagery, evoking a need to reconnect with what stabilizes us. It rejects the pressure to strive endlessly, hinting at a deeper truth: when the foundations are unstable, the solution isnât escapeâitâs connection.
The streets we walk, the grids of human creation, are extensions of the Earth. Concrete, steel, siliconâall born from her raw materials. But theyâve become barriers instead of bridges. Roads crack, buildings crumble, computer systems fail. Itâs not just neglectâitâs a deeper imbalance. Weâve built too much, too fast, forgetting the limits of the ground beneath us. The streets weâve paved are dissolving, returning to the Earth. And maybe thatâs not failureâitâs a necessary step toward something new.
The Green Fire of Capricorn
Beneath the âstreetsâ, the Earth is alive. Her core burns with the Green Fire of Capricorn: a slow, smoldering force that doesnât illuminate but disintegrates. This isnât destruction for its own sakeâitâs a force of integration, clearing away what no longer serves to make space for something stronger. Capricorn, as Cardinal Earth, is a primal force that asks us to align with this process. Not to resist it, but to trust that what dissolves is making way for deeper connection.
In Tarot, Capricorn is represented by The Devilâa card often misunderstood. The Devil isnât about evil; itâs about the illusions and attachments that bind us. Itâs the chains of the streets weâve built, the roles and routines we cling to, the fears that keep us stuck. But the fire at the center of The Devilâs card isnât punishmentâitâs transformation. The Green Fire burns away what is false, revealing the raw materials we can use to build something better.
Saturn and the Work of Completion
Capricornâs ruler, Saturn, rejects endless growth. Saturn doesnât push for expansion for its own sake; it strives for completion. It values cycles that end, not because theyâve failed, but because theyâve fulfilled their purpose. Grounding, then, is not limitation or constriction. Itâs a return to rest. Itâs a moment to pause, reflect, and recognize that growth isnât sustainable without balance. Saturn teaches us to stop, not out of fear, but to honor what has already been accomplished.
Pavement and the Work of Grounding
Pavementâs slacker ethic feels like a refusal to engage with the grind, the constant striving thatâs left us disconnected from ourselves and the Earth. But rebellion alone isnât enough. Capricorn reminds us that freedom comes from inner work: the slow, deliberate process of grounding yourself in whatâs real. The Green Fire doesnât burn out of control. It smolders, steady and intentional, asking you to let go of whatâs keeping you from alignment.
Grounding isnât about retreat. Itâs about stepping into your own power, dissolving what no longer serves, and reconnecting with the Earth beneath you. Sometimes that means facing hard truths: What are you holding onto that you know you need to release? What false structures in your life are you still trying to maintain? What would happen if you let them dissolve?
The Tarot of Grounding
Capricornâs Green Fire finds its counterpart in The Star, the card of hope and renewal that follows The Tower. The Star reminds us that after chaos comes clarity, and after dissolution comes integration. Together, these cards show us the work of grounding: not as destruction, but as transformation. The streets dissolve, but the ground remains. The Green Fire clears the way so that something new can take root.
Musically, Grounded mirrors this process. The guitar bends and twists, spiraling with tension, until it resolves into a single full E major chord. That resolution is grounding. Itâs the sound of energy returning to balance, of disconnection finding connection again. Maybe thatâs where we are now: caught in the tension between whatâs dissolving and whatâs emerging.
Beneath the Streets
The infrastructure is dissolving, but the Earth endures. To ground yourself is to reclaim your connection to her. Itâs remembering that you are not separate from the Earthâyou are the Earth. The Green Fire burns within you, asking you to let go of the false structures that keep you from alignment. You donât need to escape to Mars. Youâre already home.