What is The Slide
In The Kingdom of Leisure, “the Slide” is a metaphorical period of decline or descent — a time during which things grow darker, more difficult, or more challenging, before bottoming out and then (implicitly) reversing course. It’s a key part of their annual cycle.
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Key aspects of “the Slide”
- Typically the slide begins on Field Mowing Day in late September or early October and ends on the day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year: the winter solstice
- There is reference to a “really long slide” in 2020 (covid quarantine), describing it as a “nine-month decline” that “felt like” it started earlier than usual
- The idea is: we all “slide into darkness” (figuratively) during the months after Field Mowing Day, as daylight wanes, struggles accumulate, and the world feels more oppressive. Then after the solstice, the light returns incrementally (i.e., the “bottom” is passed)
- The literature frames this as something that can be predicted and used: “aspects of our existence are predictable and we control how we function within that paradigm”
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Interpretation & symbolic meaning
- It’s a cyclical frame: “the Slide” is the descent to the low point in the year, corresponding with the natural turning point of the seasons (winter solstice)
- It’s not just seasonal or natural — it’s existential. The Slide is a time when troubles, darkness (literal and metaphorical), entropy, fatigue, confusion, discouragement may intensify
- But part of the point is that one knows the Slide will end, so one can plan creative or restorative strategies (e.g. hibernation, reflection, internal work) rather than be overwhelmed
- The Slide is contrasted with the return of light, renewal, and rebirth after the solstice — and is tied into the rhythm that includes Field Mowing Day and Attic Day
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