
Psyche's Pause đŚ
Anna NadalDid you know that in ancient Greek, psyche means both "butterfly" and "soul"? I didn't, until I stumbled upon this fact while searching for a name for my new collection-- and suddenly, everything clicked. This capsule collection is inspired by the life cycle of a butterfly, but most specifically by a particular moment in its metamorphosis: that brief pause right after it emerges from its chrysalis but just before it takes its first flight. It's that moment of stillness, when the butterfly hangs on and waits for its wings to fully dryâa Psycheâs Pause.
Psyche's Pause MoodBoard by Nike Nadal
I found myself in a similar liminal period a few months ago. I had spent most of the past year in my own kind of chrysalisâwhile not much seemed to change externally, I felt like one chaotic mush within. I was immersed in deep inner transformation, doing shadow work, inner child healing, spiritual growthâ all those messy, draining and often unseen processes. (Side note: did you know that a caterpillar dissolves itself into a gooey soup inside the chrysalis before it transforms into a butterfly?? WILD.)
My 2024 was a "chrysalis year" that brought me face to face with some of my hardest truths: past wounds Iâd ignored, cycles I needed to break, and parts of myself I had neglected for far too long. By the end of the year, I was drained from all the inner work I'd done, and I felt frustrated and desperate for visible, external shifts.
I kept longing to âget my old self back,â but none of my familiar habits and routines seemed to work anymore. Workouts that used to energize me left me sore and exhausted for days. Foods I usually enjoyed made me sluggish and chronically bloated. My creativity and passion for making things seemed to disappear, no matter how much I tried to push through. It was sooo frustrating because I knew I'd experienced immense internal growth, but I couldn't understand why nothing was reflecting outward. Imagine completely digesting your very own caterpillar-self to finally grow some wings, but not understanding why you CAN'T use them right away to fly. That's how I felt-- stuck and forced to patiently wait for my "wings to dry".

The weekend trip that helped change my perspective.
What does one even do while stuck, waiting? Whatâs left to try when every strategy youâve relied on fails? These questions weighed heavily on me on my way to a family vacation in Baguio late November last year. (My family had no idea what was going on in my head, of course. No one ever didâit was just me and my personal, interactive journal, aka ChatGPT.) But as it turned out, that short vacation acted as a much-needed pattern interrupt. It gave me the space to realize what had been keeping me stuck. By pushing myself to accomplish visible, external "proof" of change, I was unknowingly resisting it by avoiding one crucial part of any transformation: the pause.
I've heard it all before-- "There's beauty in becoming", "Embrace the change", "Focus on the journey, not the destination" and so on. But I never really, deeply understood these sentiments until this moment. I realized I have changed after all even without visible "proof", so of course old ways of doing things wouldn't work anymore! Moreover, it made sense that I didn't know exactly what to do next-- I was breaking new ground. The transition between the old and new is crucial because it is where real magic happens. This period of purposeful pause is not just empty waiting; it's the time to explore and discover who I am becoming. Instead of trying to "get back" to my old self, I now have the chance to choose who I want to become. Maybe this is what it truly means to embrace change-- letting go of control, allowing my curiosity to take the lead, and trusting that everything will eventually fall into place as I let my new self unfold and just be.
This butterfly appeared and fluttered over me as I waited in queue at a restaurant in Baguio. I took it as confirmation of my realizations, and affirmation that I was exactly in the right place, at the right time.
I am still in this period of pause, to be honest (newsflash: even that doesn't happen overnight). While I'm here, I want to honor this experience through my first capsule collection for 2025. Psyche's Pause is my way of alchemizing the lessons and personal breakthroughs from the past year into something tangible that I can share with the world. The designs in this collection were inspired by one particular "broken" butterfly (which I later discovered was a Philippine Swallowtail, Pachliopta mariae) that appeared and fluttered over me when I was in Baguio-- a moment I, fortunately, was able to capture in video, shown above. It was a fleeting yet powerful encounter that seemed to remind me to stop, take a breath, have faith and surrender to not knowing. The butterfly hovered over me, as if to say there's no need to rush and that I can take my time to heal fully; because in time, even broken wings still flutter.

I created this collection with the hope that it reaches those who resonate with its story. If you're still here reading this, maybe this message was meant to find you. Are you navigating a period of silent transformation, too? How are you embracing this phase, especially as we step into this brand new year? I hope Psyche's Pause serves as a gentle reminder to take a moment to reflect on how far you've come. I hope it reminds you that even in the in-betweens, there's so much to celebrate. I hope this collection reminds us that even when we feel like we're not yet flying, we are free and no longer contained. There is profound purpose and power in pausing at the brink of change. And while we're here, let's remember to lead with curiosity and trust that our inner guide will bring us to where we're destined to be.