The Tradition of Community
Humans have lived in community for centuries, if not since the very beginning of our existence. We are meant to be in relation to each other, be nourished by each other, and uplift each other higher.
It is through linear thinking that we have been taught time moves one way. That we must strive and fight to get what we desire. That we must work hard and long to get to where we wish to be. This way of thinking neglects our true heart rhythm. That beats to the song of the earth. That sometimes is fast. And sometimes slow. That always is what is needed. at calls for rest. That calls for nourishment. That calls for community. Oh yes, community. Family. Support. We are reminded here that we can’t do it all alone, and really, we were never meant to.
I’m sure you’ve heard humans described as social creatures. We not only simply enjoy being in relation to others, but it is a necessity for our evolution and sustenance. Humans have lived in community for centuries, if not since the very beginning of our existence. We are meant to be in relation to each other, be nourished by each other, and uplift each other higher. It is how we evolved. In this day and age, we have forgotten this necessity of community that weaves together our vitality. Humans have become solitary creatures. Separated from each other. Separated from the land. Soaked in fear even, of each other. There has been a huge shortcoming in a society that teaches their children and families to be fearful of each other. When really we cannot survive without each other. And this continued spreading of fear only serves to create more fear. What would happen if we were raised to trust each other, to love each other instead of fear, to help each other instead of only help ourselves? Would there be total chaos? Anarchy? Maybe. But also maybe, just maybe, there would be a world lived in peace. That is the power of community.
This concept of time moving both ways also invites in the remembrance that we are always connected to our soul family, in past present and future. We always hold the cord to the home of our ancestors. We are always guided by our family, whether we bring awareness into that or not. Our community also is woven beyond physical form and space. Our community may be across the ocean from us, or across dimensions and timelines. This expansion of perception opens the ways we may connect with community in all forms (or formlessness). Re-membering ourselves with our soul tribe in physical form and not.
Coming back into a way of life that is steeped in the nourishment of community is coming back into the embrace of the old ways. A tradition that honours everyone and their own unique gifts. Sometimes it feels like we need to do it all ourselves. Be the mother, the provider, the cook, the entertainer, the lover, the creator, the administrator all at once. When we embrace the ways of community we are suddenly and wholeheartedly held up by the talents of others. You are invited to bring your gifts forth in all the ways that they are meant to be, and celebrate others' gifts and roles as chef, caregiver, gardner, shepard. When humans lived still in tight-knit tribes and villages, everyone had their role and everyone was a part of something greater, that supported the whole community to thrive. When we feel we are meant to do it all ourselves, not only are we isolated from the love that may be felt within such a dynamic web of relations, but we feel as those we are failing whenever we don’t manage to “do it all”.
Community is slow, it is heart centred, it is land-based, it is soulful and nourishing. In this day and age, it probably looks different than how it once did. Yet this premise of it remains and may be found in so many different channels. It is the path that unravels our Soul Family. Our Soul Tribe. Those whom we have known longer than this life or the next. It is those we have co-evolved with, and are destined to reunite with. Sometimes, those beings come into your life already as blood family, like my very own sister. And sometimes they find us in unexpected yet always timely ways, always when we are in need of each other the most. It is an act of devotion and presence to recognize one’s soul tribe and consciously nurture these relations in community with each other. That means tending to the needs of the whole rather than the one. Give and take. I eat you and you eat me so to speak. The reciprocal nourishment of the whole.
This is work that dismantles the do-it-all and do-it-alone mentality.
You know that saying, “It takes a village”? As always, this old tale touches upon something so real and deeply felt by many. By those, for example, who are mothering alone, who are running a business alone, or those who are simply feeling isolated from true friendships. It really does take a village. These are the ways it was meant to be. Without it, one may feel overwhelmed, depressed, alienated. With it one feels uplifted, supported, nourished, Loved. These emotions are guidance into what is truly needed.
When we let go of the warped modern belief that we are on our own, meant to figure it all out ourselves, there is oh-so-sweet relief. There is surrender, one is embraced by the hands of all those around and are reminded that we are never alone, we belong to each other, and together we may grow in ways unthought of alone. For together there is a merging of visions, ideas, gifts and wisdom of many, and integrated into one harmonious whole.
Community and ritual are deeply woven together. For where there is community, there is celebration. There is a coming together of many to give thanks and joy for life. The work and the pleasure is together. The community that gathers in music, in dance, in art and laughter is how every single culture was birthed in every part of the world. These ways have given us the remembrance of old. It was done together. This creates traditions and meaning and something to celebrate as a unit. Humans were rarely fully solitary creatures. The ways that we thrive are together. In a world that tries to divide and conquer, the greatest rebellion and remembrance one may embody is the celebration of community. Rejoining hands in love rather than fear. In this there is power. The kind of power that nourishes and uplifts ALL.
