The Need to Belong

   In this time of Lives where we are all part of something, and yet so separate from one another, I wonder about why people feel the need to belong.  My first assessment is that its as simple as this: we are mammals, we prefer groups for safety and comfort.  Does our greatest growth come from a feeling of safety and comfort or from a raw edge of uncertainty, or trust in our foundations, or moving through the old experience into the new?  As we move past the point where we have been before, out of the realm of our comfort, we move into a space where there is no net of previous experience to catch us.  We have to grow, to move, to fly.

     There is something deeply purifying about isolation, or time in the desert, as some call it. You have to see yourself and be with yourself. When there is no other sound, you must listen to the voice of your heart.  You must be confronted by loneliness and keep pressing onward anyhow. You must have resilience. You have to wrestle with truth. Its vicious and luscious and it pushes you to the limit. Everybody, to the limit! How far will  you go in your pursuit of personal freedom, and creating a society of liberty? Are you aware that the first thing that must change is the level of access to clean water, food and health care provided to all citizens of this planet?  It is crucial.  When there is not clean water flowing in a place, that place is thirsty, and less able to participate in the global awakening within this dream. Along with that is the struggle for food.  When we are trying to create lasting change, but a huge portion of the world is going to bed hungry, what chance do we have to make progress?

     The awareness is there, and the tools are in place. How can we make more rapid progress towards these

goals, and become more conscious in our use of each moment and each day?  Though most of us would like to think that we are fine, and things could go on like this forever, that none of it can touch the bubble of the world we find ourselves in, its touching your life right now.  The ever increasing pressure of life, relationships, finances and culture itself is pressing daily. Our gas prices, our work hours, the place we live, all being forced into the forefront of our conscious minds by the need for change everywhere.  But, still, we feel the need to belong.  We find ourselves moving with the herd before we even realize it. Its nothing to be ashamed of. Its natural. And some are at the fringe and some are in the center. The liminal, the edge of perception, the lunatic fringe is inhabited by dreamers and scientists, explorers and pioneers.  And when that new place has been mapped, the new rules defined, the new territory delineated, it becomes the new standard as more and more people become comfortable with the new way of doing things. 

    People more comfortable with a conservative perspective  may want to scoff at the inherent presence of this "edgy" presence, but it is needed to give breadth to our experience. Otherwise we over-emphasize similarity and scorn innovation. That attitude is counter productive to our growth and to our increasng awareness.  If we only seek to know things like what we have already known, then we lack refreshment of our perspective, and end up going in circles of self-consumption instead of spirals of growth. Closed systems can thrive but they still require infusion from the outside, even if they have no output. They cannot maintain energy independently forever. 

     In fact, the truly closed system can never occur here. Everything is connected to everyone, and nobody touches nothin',  We cannot help but be entwined in a system where our perceptions and expectations collectively create reality as opposed to our independent perception seeing an independent thing called "reality".  To this point, science and spirituality have both come again and again. Sometimes they even collide here, in the arena of startling truths.  What we see is what we expect, what we know, and what we need.  This conversation between parts of ourselves, the collective awareness, and the rules which are imprinted in us form birth is our Conversation with God. It is our experience of Truth. The way we respond to the responsibility of this connectedness is emanated by our life.

    We tell one another what is ok while we are seeking so much more than what is, on the inside.  We need to belong. But what of the possibilities awakened when we all agree that we are Sons and Daughters of the Holy, OneLove, Pure Consciousness, I Am That I Am... what happens when we agree we are One With Jah?  That Peace is With Us? That the One Who is the All, the Compassionate and Merciful, the Severe One, the Judge, the Mind of All Creation is in Each of US? Can we understand that? Are you able to read the words without your internal censor reacting to my choice of words, or conversely, are you reacting to the fact

that our perception is responsible for our experience of this creation, and that I would dare to call that exalted.  I dare to say that every piece of this mess is redeemable, in light of this truth. Something essential for us all to remember, something essential: to begin to live with a real intensity.

    Science and Spirituality, much to the chagrin of both, collide as a infinite plane of possibilities, our past and future dictated by choice within a system much larger than all of us combined, yet smaller than a mustard seed. Who is it that explores these possibilities?

Every single step is precious

 

Living in a way that guides us to our greatest selves involves a great deal of walking boldly in to the unknown.  This ability to plan, rehearse, and then surrender to the flow is what makes a person able to adapt and succeed.  In this light, all situations can be seen as part of our training; part of what makes life a challenge as well as a gift.  As we become comfortable with being fully prepared and then moving through the situation under the direction of the Spirit, we are able to adapt to the needs of the moment. 

     So many of us have been training all our lives for this decisive moment in history. Now. 

     Adapting to the needs of the moment is the key of the Love philosophy.  By changing whats happening by participating more consciously, we can make definite changes in short periods of time. The first step is to bring together the different groups that are so often duplicating one another's work, or creating a small change in a place where it could be larger if it synergized.  We are responsible for working together at this point. We are responsible for cooperating to make tangible changes. And for those who are living highly responsible lives, what can be done about making a cultural change? Establishing institutions and systems that serve the well being of the whole, while nurturing those who manage the existence of these systems.  

     We can move from the martyr model to the mastery model by examining some core assumptions and moving past them.  Industry can be green, volunteering can be valuable, and barter can sustain a community when its balancing out wages and gifting. When we really value each other, and are interested in making definite improvements, we can transform our street corner and our neighborhood.  
     The web of 'hoods and teams and groups and churches links together to make the world we inhabit together. Small teams in cooperation can swiftly make significant improvements.  The models are in place and now its time to participate.  I hope you can touch the edge of this inspiration and breathe it into yourself. I am afire with the need to see things get better than what they are. This is my invitation for you to open your heart and your life to the power you hold in your two hands. Every step is precious, every hand holds the Key to our future.

The first breath of anything is a whisper of what it will become. But the moment of birth is pure, and powerful. Something immense and memorable that happens all the time. Like the moment you feel yourself start to laugh, or the breath where you know you can no longer hold back the tears, and its a relief.  If there is something to be said for saying something, then perhaps more would lift their voices to discuss something worth saying. But at least you and I can talk here with one another.

A dream asking questions about a dream within a dream. 

Who is it that would be reading this? Where are we headed from here?

Exploration of the mind body and the super-natural connection between those, and between all of creation. As a scientist and a poet, a healer and a dancer somehow I have gained some stories, and some are still waiting inside of me, like this

one

unfurling like the languid limbs of a fern. 

And oh so primal. Something we can all learn is the sound of our voice. 

It comes from the inside, out ward. It is meant to give thanks, and praise.

And when we choose to participate, in humility and kindness, with the world we are confronted with, we can raise our voices in a shared song. A song for all that is. We write the music with our lives, as we learn from one another, the dance grows more complex. If somehow we could invite everyone to the party, we could all have such a good time. 

But first they have to have clean water, and food, and the proper tools to learn and they must be healthy. So this is our real work; to speak and work a transformation into reality so that all beings are fed and that no one should thirst for the water of Life. By the conscious use of language is there a way to heal the wounds and build a bridge? By the application of enthusiasm into practical group action can we incite something beautiful? Reader, if two or more agree, in the name of Love, it can be done. So come with me and see what there could be ... check back with my blog again~! Peace be with you.