Wisdom doesn’t always feel like wisdom - especially when you’re in the middle of life’s noise. For Natalja Sadikova, ARgENTUM’s Purchasing & Supply Chain Manager, pulling the SAGE archetype didn’t feel like a perfect fit. Not at first.
“It felt quite challenging”, she shares. “The Sage seems so balanced, wise, and serene - qualities I don’t immediately identify with. I often feel all over the place and far from calm”. And yet, as with many archetypes, it wasn’t about being what you already are - it was about calling in what you need.
Natalja’s curation of the SAGE soundtrack is less about certainty and more about presence. Less about answers, more about openness. “To me, the Sage is someone grounded and open, not someone who claims to have all the answers, but who meets life with presence and curiosity”.
Her playlist begins with stillness and awe: Cornfield Chase and Interstellar Main Theme open the gates, with cinematic restraint and a sense of cosmic perspective. As the journey unfolds - through the delicate pulses of Ólafur Arnalds and the soft introspection of Emancipator - we are invited not to rise, but to rest.
“This is a very personal collection”, Natalja explains. “These are pieces I return to when I need calm, when I want to just be, instead of rushing forward. It’s not tied to any one chapter, but rather to the moments in between”.
Two songs in particular carry that energy: Amigos (Tape Demo Jam) by Richard Houghten captures the feeling of sitting in the sun, completely still - the world moving around you, while you remain centred. And Bubbles by Yosi Horikawa awakens wonder: a reminder that change is constant, beautiful, and often out of our hands. “It reminds me that the world is ever-changing, intricate, and playful. And in that unpredictability, there’s something deeply reassuring”.
Her hope for the listener is simple ~ and quietly powerful. “I hope they feel grounded. That they can soften into these sounds and let go of tension - even briefly - and perhaps feel a quiet kind of restoration”.
For Natalja, embodying the SAGE is a journey still unfolding. “I think I’m still a student of the Sage”, she says. “A scholar, trying to embrace change and trust the unfolding”.
And if the playlist has a closing image - a still point at the heart of it - it’s this:
November, Santa Monica beach.
“Early weekday morning. The ocean is quiet, with hardly any waves. A few surfers are already in the water, waiting patiently. Everything is still. It almost feels like time has stopped. For that moment, I felt an immense connection with the greater world around me - and perhaps, that’s the true power of the Sage”.
Listen to the SAGE Soundtrack, curated by Natalja Sadikova:
