When Something Stops Working

Knowing When to Stay... and When to Move On

There comes a point when you have to ask yourself a difficult question.

Am I still doing this because I love it, or because I don’t want to admit it may no longer be the right fit?

I’ve always told people to pay attention when something in their life no longer serves them. Whether it’s a habit, a relationship, a job, or even a goal, sometimes the hardest thing isn’t starting something new. It’s recognizing when it’s time to let something go.

Over the past year, I’ve really tried to make Substack work. I enjoyed writing my newsletters. I enjoyed sharing my thoughts, my meditations, and the things I was learning along the way. It gave me a reason to sit down every week and create, even on the weeks when the words didn’t come easily.

Along the way, I found myself wondering if I simply wasn’t doing enough. I’d see accounts that seemed to grow overnight while some of my articles barely reached anyone. I have articles I’m incredibly proud of that, as far as I can tell, were never even seen. For a while, I wondered if I was doing something wrong.

I also tried just about everything I could think of. I talked with the Substack help center. I read the suggestions. I tried posting Notes more often because I was told that would help. I experimented with different ways of sharing my work. I gave it my best effort.

Part of trying to understand a platform is trying to understand what seems to connect with people. I’d occasionally see Notes that received hundreds or even thousands of likes. Out of curiosity, I’d visit those accounts, hoping to learn something I could apply to my own writing.

Many of those Notes seemed designed to pull on people’s heartstrings. They would say things like, “Substack, please connect me with people who are like me,” or announce that the person was ready to give up. Those Notes appeared to get pushed out to thousands of people, and I kept seeing different versions of the same thing.

Sometimes I’d visit those accounts and discover there weren’t many articles at all, just a steady stream of Notes like that. I didn’t really understand what the platform was rewarding anymore. I could have tried copying that approach, but it would have felt disingenuous. There were already so many people doing it, and it simply wasn’t the way I wanted to create.

I also have to be honest about my own part in all of this.

Like many of you, my inbox was filled every morning with dozens of Substack emails from writers I subscribed to. There was no way I could realistically read fifty or sixty articles every day, no matter how much I wanted to support everyone. Eventually, it became clear that if I was feeling overwhelmed by the amount of content, other people were probably feeling the same way.

That wasn’t anyone’s fault. It’s just the reality of a platform with thousands of people creating wonderful work and all of us hoping our writing reaches the right readers.

That realization actually took a lot of pressure off me.

I stopped trying to figure out how to fit into a system that didn’t feel natural to me. Instead, I asked myself a different question.

Where would my work have the best chance of finding the people it was written for?

After a lot of thought, I came to understand that it wasn’t about whether Substack is a good platform. It is. It just isn’t the right platform for me.

As I spent more time here, something else became clear.

It wasn’t that Substack was failing me. It wasn’t that I wasn’t trying hard enough. It was that my work simply may not belong here.

There is a lot of political writing, current events, opinion pieces, and the kinds of conversations that naturally thrive on this platform. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s just not what I create.

I don’t write to chase headlines. I don’t do rage bait. I don’t write clickbait titles hoping people will argue in the comments. My work has always been about spiritual growth, intuition, meditation, near-death experiences, and helping people navigate their own lives. That’s a very different kind of conversation.

If someone whose entire career was built around political commentary suddenly started posting inside a community devoted to meditation and spiritual practice, people would probably wonder why they were there. It wouldn’t necessarily mean their work wasn’t good. It would simply mean it wasn’t the right audience.

That’s how this has begun to feel for me.

Those feelings are mine. Nobody gave them to me. I’m not blaming Substack, and I’m certainly not criticizing the people who love being here. This is simply me recognizing that I don’t need to force myself to belong somewhere that doesn’t feel like the right fit. Sometimes it’s perfectly okay to acknowledge that and move in a different direction.

So, after everyone’s August subscriptions have come to an end, I’ll be closing my Substack account on Nov.17th

This isn’t a decision made out of frustration or bitterness. It’s simply the next step. One of the things this past year taught me is that I don’t need a platform to make me write. I don’t need the pressure of a weekly commitment to stay creative. I write because I love writing. That lesson alone made the experience worthwhile.

Lately, though, I’ve noticed that more and more of my energy has been going toward trying to make something work instead of creating the things I actually want to create. My website gives me more freedom. Instead of dividing my attention between several places, I’d rather put that energy into building one home where everything I create can live together.

Looking back over my life, I’ve noticed this has happened more than once. Whenever I held on to something long after it had stopped working, I assumed I just needed to try harder. Sometimes that was true. Other times, life was quietly pointing me in a different direction.

I’ve learned there’s a difference between giving up and moving on.

Giving up is walking away because you believe you can’t do it. Moving on is recognizing that your time and energy may be better spent somewhere else.

I don’t think every closed door means you’re supposed to quit. Sometimes you need to keep going. Sometimes persistence is exactly what’s needed. But there are other times when you’ve genuinely done everything you know to do. You’ve given it your time. You’ve given it your energy. You’ve shown up consistently. And still, it just never quite clicks.

That doesn’t automatically mean you’ve failed.

Sometimes it simply means there’s another path you haven’t been able to see because you’ve been so focused on making the current one work.

I’ve seen that happen enough times in my own life that I’ve learned not to fear it anymore. When something no longer works, I don’t automatically see it as a sign to quit. I see it as a reason to pause and ask whether life is trying to point me somewhere else.

If there’s one thing I hope you take from this, it’s this. When something no longer feels right, don’t automatically assume you’ve failed. Sometimes the lesson has already been learned. Sometimes you’ve simply outgrown where you are. Sometimes life has something different waiting for you, but you won’t notice it until you’re willing to loosen your grip on what isn’t working anymore.

So while this is goodbye to Substack, it isn’t goodbye to writing. If anything, it’s the opposite.

Beginning in Oct, everything I create will have one permanent home on my website. My articles, meditations, and future writing will all be there, completely free. There won’t be a subscription, and you won’t have to wonder where something went because it has been buried under months of newer posts. If you want to revisit something I wrote, whether it’s next week or years from now, you’ll know exactly where to find it.

To everyone who has read my work here, left a comment, sent me a kind message, or simply spent a few minutes reading something I wrote, thank you. I truly appreciate your support over the past year.

I hope you’ll continue the journey with me. I’ll see you on my website.

David Hanzel

Please check out my Link They Whisper To Me

UPDATE:

Since writing this, I have run into serious problems while trying to close the paid side of my Substack. I am giving Substack management the opportunity to resolve the situation before I say more about it.

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A Note on Extras

Take what fits and leave what does not. This is a collective guide, not a rulebook. Follow your own judgment and intuition.

The State of the World section reflects my personal interpretation and prediction based on the cards I pulled. It is not a guarantee of future events.

This Week’s Vibe

July 20 through July 26, 2026

The Energy This Week

The week begins during the strongest part of the unusual outer planet pattern that has been building throughout July. On July 20, Jupiter forms a supportive connection with Neptune while opposing Pluto. On July 21, Jupiter forms another supportive connection with Uranus. This combination can expand ideas and possibilities, but the opposition between Jupiter and Pluto can also magnify ambition, power struggles, and attempts to force an outcome.

The First Quarter Moon arrives on July 21. This part of the lunar cycle brings pressure to act on whatever began around the July 14 New Moon. The Sun enters Leo on July 22, shifting attention toward confidence, visibility, leadership, creativity, and personal expression. Mercury turns direct in Cancer on July 23, but it will remain in its post-retrograde shadow until August 6. Conversations may begin moving again, but the confusion does not disappear overnight.

Plain terms: this is a week of movement, but movement is not the same as completion. Something that felt emotionally stuck may begin opening, while unfinished business still demands attention. Let the week show you what is changing before deciding that everything has been settled.

Theme of the Week

Tarot: Four of Cups reversed
Moonology: Waxing Moon
Energy Oracle: Yin/Yang

The Four of Cups reversed often appears when a period of emotional withdrawal, boredom, or disconnection is beginning to break. Something may finally get your attention again. You may become more willing to participate, respond, or look at an opportunity that you previously ignored.

That does not necessarily mean the opportunity is perfect. Sometimes this card appears because sitting still has become more uncomfortable than moving.

The Waxing Moon shows energy building. Something is developing, but it has not reached its full form. Yin/Yang adds the need for balance between action and receptivity. Some parts of the situation require effort. Other parts need space to unfold without being pushed.

Plain terms: come out of hiding, but do not run toward the first thing that moves. Pay attention to what is returning to life. Act where action is needed, and leave room for the rest to develop.

Challenge or Shadow

Tarot: The World reversed
Moonology: New Moon in Taurus
Energy Oracle: Third Chakra, Archangel Chamuel

The World reversed points to unfinished business, delayed completion, or the feeling of being almost finished but unable to close the final distance. You may know that one chapter is ending, yet still find yourself dealing with loose ends from it.

The New Moon in Taurus wants a stable beginning. It favors patience, practical decisions, and foundations that can last. The difficulty is that a secure new beginning cannot be built by pretending the old situation is already complete.

The Third Chakra connects with confidence, willpower, identity, and the ability to direct your own life. In the challenge position, that power may become uneven. You might doubt yourself and avoid acting, or try to control everything because uncertainty feels unbearable.

Plain terms: do not declare something finished simply because you are tired of dealing with it. Handle what remains. Stability comes from completing the work, not from announcing that the work no longer exists.

Gift or Support

Tarot: Eight of Pentacles upright
Moonology: Balsamic Moon
Energy Oracle: Goddess of the Moon

The Eight of Pentacles is the card of practice, attention, repetition, and improving through experience. It does not offer a dramatic rescue. Its support comes through doing the work carefully and consistently.

The Balsamic Moon represents the final stage of a lunar cycle. It supports release, rest, reflection, and allowing something to reach its natural conclusion. This does not contradict the Eight of Pentacles. Together, they suggest knowing what deserves continued effort and what has already taught you everything it can.

The Goddess of the Moon adds intuition and sensitivity. It asks you to notice what you already sense beneath the surface. Intuition does not replace practical work here. It helps you decide where that work belongs.

Plain terms: the gift is your ability to focus. Work on what can still be improved. Release what is already finished. Trust the quiet feeling that tells you the difference.

Weekend Energy

Moonology: Gibbous Moon

The Gibbous Moon is a period of adjustment and refinement. The goal may be visible, but the process is not complete. This is the point where small corrections matter.

The weekend may bring impatience because something feels close. Avoid rushing the final steps or assuming that close enough means done. Look at what needs editing, organizing, correcting, or strengthening.

Plain terms: you are not back at the beginning, but you are not at the finish line either. Use the weekend to improve what is already taking shape.

State of the World

The president recently gave a primetime address centered on election security and repeated claims about past elections that were not supported by evidence that votes had been altered. I asked the cards why he may have made that announcement and what the outcome would be.

Why Did the President Make That Announcement?

Tarot: The Empress upright

The Empress grows and nurtures whatever is placed in her care. In this position, I read the card as an attempt to feed a political narrative until it becomes familiar, emotional, and difficult for supporters to release.

The message was presented as protection. It encouraged people to believe that they and their votes were in danger, while positioning the person delivering the message as the one capable of protecting them.

The Empress also understands that ideas grow when they are repeatedly given attention. My interpretation is that the announcement was intended to cultivate fear and loyalty at the same time.

Plain terms: I believe he was trying to make this story grow. The goal was not simply to discuss election rules. It was to create emotional dependence on the idea that only he can protect the election.

What Is the Outcome of Trying to Spread Those Claims?

Tarot: Seven of Wands reversed

The Seven of Wands reversed shows someone struggling to defend a position while pressure increases from several directions. It can represent exhaustion, loss of support, being overwhelmed by opposition, or no longer having the strength to keep every challenge away.

My prediction is that this strategy does not strengthen his position in the long run. It leaves him defending more claims, answering more criticism, and trying to hold ground that is becoming harder to maintain.

Plain terms: the story becomes harder to defend. Instead of protecting his position, it may leave him more exposed.

How Is the Ending I Have Predicted Progressing?

Tarot: Seven of Wands reversed

The same card appeared again. I do not ignore a repeated card, especially when it appears around two closely connected questions.

I have said that the people currently in charge appear to be caught in a domino effect. Problems are accumulating, actions are being exposed, and their ability to defend everything at once is weakening.

I believe this period is coming to an end soon. The repeated Seven of Wands reversed supports my prediction that the defenses are failing. The people involved may still fight to hold their positions, but they are becoming overwhelmed by the number of problems they are being asked to answer for.

Plain terms: my prediction has not changed. I believe the structure is weakening because those defending it can no longer keep every challenge under control.

Is UFO Disclosure on Time and Happening as It Is Supposed to Happen?

Tarot: Four of Swords reversed

The Four of Swords reversed is the end of a period of rest, silence, delay, or inactivity. Something that has been lying still begins moving again, although the movement may be restless and poorly organized.

I read this as disclosure continuing, but not through one clean announcement that answers everything. Information may come out in fragments. There may be periods of activity followed by confusion, conflicting explanations, or attempts to regain control of the conversation.

The card suggests that the subject is no longer able to remain completely quiet. The silence is being disturbed.

Plain terms: I believe the process is moving, but not neatly. Disclosure may be happening through repeated releases, arguments, leaks, and growing pressure rather than one dramatic moment.

Who Should Be Blamed for the War That Has Started Between Iran and Israel?

Tarot: Six of Wands reversed

The Six of Wands reversed points toward wounded pride, failed leadership, humiliation, and the need to appear victorious. It can describe leaders who become more concerned with public image than with the consequences of their decisions.

This card does not give me one name. It points to a type of leadership and a motive. My reading places blame on those who chose pride, reputation, and the need to look powerful over restraint and human life.

It also warns about turning war into political theater. When leaders treat conflict as a way to prove strength or recover status, ordinary people pay the price.

Plain terms: I place the blame on leaders who were more afraid of appearing weak than they were of creating greater destruction.

Something Special

The Balsamic Moon Is Not About Giving Up

The Balsamic Moon is the final phase before the Moon becomes new again. It is a period when the visible light is fading, but the lunar cycle is not broken. It is completing itself.

That makes it an appropriate companion to the Eight of Pentacles. There are times when dedication means continuing to work. There are also times when wisdom means recognizing that a lesson, habit, project, or relationship has reached the end of its useful life.

This week, consider one thing you have continued feeding simply because you have already invested time in it. Past effort does not automatically create a future obligation. That is how people end up polishing a dead toaster for seventeen years.

Release is sometimes part of the work.

Moon Moments

Build, Check, and Adjust

The First Quarter Moon arrives on Tuesday, July 21. This phase often brings a test, obstacle, decision, or moment when intention must become action.

Choose one practical step connected to something you began or reconsidered near the July 14 New Moon. Keep it manageable. Send the message. Correct the document. Make the appointment. Finish one section.

As the Moon continues waxing toward the July 29 Full Moon, pay attention to what becomes more visible. The waxing Moon builds momentum, but it also reveals weaknesses in the plan.

Use the weekend’s Gibbous Moon energy to review:

What is working?

What needs correction?

What is almost ready but not finished?

What are you pretending is complete because you are tired?

Birthday Note

Happy birthday to the late Cancers and the early Leos.

Cancer season closes with questions about home, safety, belonging, and emotional history. Leo season begins on July 22 and brings greater attention to visibility, confidence, creativity, and how we use personal power.

For anyone celebrating this week, the year ahead may involve leaving emotional withdrawal behind while learning when to act, when to wait, and when to finish what has been left incomplete.

Closing Note

This week does not promise instant closure.

The Four of Cups reversed shows movement after emotional stagnation. The World reversed shows that unfinished business remains. The Eight of Pentacles says the way through is steady work, careful attention, and the willingness to improve what is still worth your effort.

Do not force yourself to be enthusiastic. Do not pretend something is finished when it is not. Notice what is waking up, handle what remains, and let your energy return at its own honest pace.

If you ever want a quick, intuitive check-in, I do offer short $10 email readings.
You can find that, along with my other resources, here: They Whisper To Me

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Thank you so much for being here and for your support.

Please don’t start a new paid subscription right now. I’ll only be on Substack until November 17, and I don’t want anyone paying for something that will be ending soon.

I’ll still be posting my Sunday articles, weekly tarot reading, and other content here through November 17. After that, everything will continue for free on my website.

You’ll find links throughout this article to my website, where you can follow my work at no cost.

Thank you again for reading and for being part of this journey with me. I truly appreciate it.