Conscious Community

Overview

The sense of community especially in the western world has been eroded over the last 40 years or so, as materialism has reached out its tentacles into society, and thus greed, fear, distrust, and the displacement of the population crowded into ever more sprawling urban areas. Along with the rapid rise in petty and violent crime, we have been brainwashed through the media and ever more violent TV films and drama’s, into being fearful of those who live around us, along with the reality of how unsafe our streets are especially in built up urban areas. Therefore we have bigger and safer locks on our doors, spy holes within our doors to see who comes knocking, security lights, plus the modern phenomena of cameras outside and inside of your house that you can access on your phone. When we walk down the street eye contact is mostly avoided, conversations if any tend to be brief, especially on public transport in bigger towns and cities. Silence is filled with people immersed within their mobile screens, giving people some level of connection but within the digital world, bypassing human interaction. Over time with the uncertainty of world events, with more fear, distrust, stress, people have found ways of emotional self-protection. People have become more guarded and suspicious, not to speak up, and stay unheard. This loss of community over the decades has had a big impact on mental health and the nervous system remains under strain. People collectively keep themselves ever more busy, trying to keep a lid on their sense of separation, anxiety, and disconnection.

I remember as a child growing up in the late 60’s in the east end of London, and then in Somerset in the 70’s there was a greater sense of community living, the front doors were mostly open, people chatting in groups along the street, children playing together with less fear, everybody knew each other, and if anybody fell into any trouble help would be at hand. Yes there was some crime of course of various natures, but you felt very much part of a community, and more held within that.

However there is a sense in society in trying to form more social settings for conscious interaction, community hubs, conscious events and workshops are springing up of various natures, community cafes, and people are looking more at forming conscious communities across the world. Also there are more online communities, and various support networks to assist us, as never before in human history can our voices now be heard around the planet, as we connect to the global village. This is the next stage in the planetary awakening where human beings can connect to all cultures, faiths and belief systems, as we move consciously beyond nationalism and outdated religious ideals, to come together in a level of planetary community.

The awakening

Today human beings are entering a greater shift in consciousness, an awakening is stirring in more people, more people are questioning the official narratives, as the world seems to be entering into an ever more unpredictable and chaotic energy. When the inner awakening starts to arise within us, its very difficult to understand, and is a very personal and unique experience. As the vast majority live in urban areas, its very difficult to find people who can understand what is happening to you, it can in fact bring further into sharp focus the sense of separation, confusion, and perhaps loneliness. With all these thousands of people who live closely to you, there is hardly anybody you can feel will listen and understand you.

When one spiritually awakens you tend to crave for conscious interactions with other people who understand you without the feeling of being judged or misunderstood. When you connect with a conscious community you start to feel you are now being listened to, and you feel you now belong, and there the nervous system starts to settle. Therefore the importance of being in some level of conscious community really helps you to ground and be present, and feel less isolated. You can now feel you are held in a form of love and compassion, and a community can be in a varied amount of places, just a location where you can go to interact with other like minded souls.

The benefits of conscious community

Conscious community is not defined by people living together in a shared space, it can be from residential, to a hub a place where people meet for various activities, social gatherings, workshops, cafes etc. When people find that place where they can fit in and be heard and seen, then that is a real shift from isolation and seclusion, to inclusivity and belonging.

From actually living in conscious community to visiting and socialising in a community setting, one of the important benefits is shared values, kindness and compassion, being in presence, being able to reflect with others rather then react in the outside world, thus you feel safe, loved and heard. What comes with this is a new level of responsibility for yourself, to step up to watch how you respond to people, and offer yourself in service to listening to others with total attention. Learning how to be present with ones reactions to others, and in turn opening the heart to your innate compassionate nature, in treating others as you would want to be treated yourself.

Being in a community is one of the greatest benefits of service, this arises naturally as one awakens and your heart wants to give and serve, so whether its paid or volunteer work, or even setting up your own community space for the benefit of others, or offering spiritual support work of some nature, you feel a deeper level of purpose in the world, this helps us to become closer to the divine within us, acting out of selflessness, our true innate state. So shifting yourself from isolation into contributing to the world from your heart is very noble indeed, its incredibly nourishing for ones soul. Service in a community setting prevents us from becoming to self absorbed, and we must be rooted as well, serving others helps us to be grounded and embodied as we grow spiritually.

One can create your own community, by forming a small group of like minded friends for meditation, or healing or body work, sound journeys, conscious movement, general support group with discussions, sharing higher vibrational food, opening up a yoga studio, conscious cafe, walking group, etc etc…Anything that acts of bringing conscious people together with shared values. This is happening more and more in todays societies around the world, more people are awakening and taking responsibility to provide a space to support each other within the ever increasing turbulent times.

Why the ego needs other people

Being in conscious community is that it is not only to make us feel comfortable, it is mainly to accelerate our awakening process. It dismantles selfishness which is prodomant in today’s modern society, the ‘what about me’ story, and slowly replaces it into ‘what can I do’ to assist and serve others.

If one spends to much time in solitude within your awakening journey, then yes you feel more peaceful, insightful and more in presence, however in community that is where it is tested! How conscious are you of your triggers, where are you with your compassion with your responses, patience, conscious awareness, do you lose yourself in fight or flight, anger, selfishness etc. Any friction that arises within you is your work, its your curriculum to learn from within the school of life on your journey to eventually graduate from this earth school.

The ego is very much challenged in a conscious community space, as ones unconscious mental habits are mirrored back to you, and ones initial reaction if one is not in conscious awareness is to project your anger and irritation at that specific person that has held up that polished mirror to you. That is why these lessons are so profound to witness when we are in present conscious awareness, and we witness the importance of deepening our meditation practice to elevate our consciousness, where we become the witness to our trigger points, those saw spots within the mind in which we wince anytime someone rubs them if we are embedded within ego mind. By being in presence we learn not to give them any juice or attention, observing without the need to jump in, therefore being within community our level of present awareness becomes tested, vital for our spiritual growth.

“Right environment” as a spiritual force!

Being in right environment is very important for our consciousness as it is contagious. Whatever environment you spend your time in, whether its home life, work environment or social settings, you absorb the mental and emotional vibrations around you. That is why being in a conscious community setting is very important for our growth, to mix with other people who are also dedicated to their spiritual growth, where you feel inspired, learn from, feel uplifted, and can be heard. Therefore your faith becomes more embedded, and devotion builds within you as your heart unfolds more deeply into your true innate nature the more you associate with other like minded conscious souls. In this conscious community setting you cultivate deep friendships based on similar values, there is so much to explore both inner and outer with these conscious friendships. You feel more inspired and uplifted to cultivate spiritual teachings and practices from meditation, to various conscious therapy work. Also you are introduced to a wider varied diet which may inspire you to eat more healthy, and other ways to keep your body in a higher vibrational state.

Community to inspire us to be in selfless service

A well known spiritual teacher asked his guru in India how he could become enlightened. The guru replied “feed people”. This was a bit of a simplistic answer for him, so he changed tact and asked how do I get to know God he answered “serve others”. He initially became very frustrated with these answers, however over time he understood that our true spiritual growth comes from being in selfless service to others, as it is in giving that we truly receive on all levels, and to love others, as we are all interconnected, the same spark of light from the same source is within us all.

Service purifies our hearts, when we give unconditionally for the benefit of others. So being in a conscious community setting, we learn to just give, and the joy that springs forth from this. Giving just from ones heart brings us back to our innate state of unconditionality, it uplifts us, gives us a sense of purpose, its Gods love in action.

What I have witnissed within the spiritual community, as I have worked with thousands of people over the years, is that its very easy to fall into whats called armchair spirituality, and getting caught up with ones own issues, excessive introspection, trying to find that inner connection and bliss on ones own which is very difficult to do. True devotion is assisting and helping our brothers and sisters in some form of community setting, just showing up even though you might not be seen. Even though you may have a busy work and social life, but being there for others at times is so uplifting and life affirming.

True devotion is measured by how willingly from our hearts we serve the divine in consciously assisting others, so in turn they may also do likewise!

Balancing Individual Freedom And Group Harmony

When we enter some form of a community setting we must not however blindly conform, we must observe and use our powers of discriminative reasoning and intuition if it resonates with us. It should not be about any one person, or this is the only way to liberate yourself, or be about people using it mainly for financial gain. If the energy is not about guidance for ones own inner freedom, then use ones intuition to reason through if you feel this is going to support you or not.

I personally have been to many community settings over many years, and there have been some I have resonated with, and some that I have not. I however gained much experience from what I witnessed and learnt from, and what I did then is created my own through my teachings based on very ancient practices and wisdom along with reaching a place of consciousness within me and in my heart to be of service, and a more open conduit for wisdom and grace.

Therefore community in what ever form it exists in should support inner freedom, and individual conscience must be honoured. It should not be there to crush inner truth, but to cultivate within you a surrendering into your soul to gracefully unfold into your truth of who you are!

Brotherhood (and Sisterhood) as a divine Ideal

Within a true conscious community men and woman are equal, as indeed the masculine and the feminine are within all of us equally! As humanity awakens this will come to the fore over time, beyond mainstream religious concepts and fears projected onto the masses. It must be spiritually awakened cooperation, not competition driven by ego based fears and control.

The proper definition of Universal Brotherhood is looking beyond labels, and at the root of our understanding is that male and females of all races and cultures all seek the same things, peace, love, belonging, happiness and purpose. It is the definition of unity in diversity, and that we have beliefs that differ around the planet, our shared humanity emanating from our true spiritual nature will eventually bind us together. Our common interest is Who are we? Why are we here? What happens to us when we leave the body?

Therefore a conscious community should support these values, not shared fears. It should promote and embody the definition of what it is to be in right human relationship to the divine within us, and to see all other human beings as aspects of oneself, beyond the human body form.

Conscious community therefore on a micro level can promote the true ideals of what the future can look like for the planet within a global community. Smaller conscious global communities across the planet with conscious loving leadership, and a clear spiritual purpose of the requirement to know ourselves by going within, and thus service to our brothers and sisters within community whether its small, larger or global. Communities can sow the seeds for the present and future planetary transformation which is unavoidable and unstoppable.

Community supports Awakening more than isolation.

When you spend time in a community setting with other like minded souls and a very good teacher, your spiritual insights becomes grounded and embodied, and also where you feel supported and heard by your fellow brothers and sisters. This helps to dissolve the ego when you witness others going through similar experiences within, it humbles you and shows you that when on your own you can get a false sense of perspective in where you think and feel you are on your spiritual path. This brings about new levels of humility within, and aids to your purification of the heart, as it unfolds more into your ultimate truth. This in turn creates a deeper yearning within you to cultivate devotion in forming or advancing a spiritual practice, and to cultivate a deeper relationship with the divine within you.

When you spend more time in conscious community, by being immersed in this higher vibrational energy you then want to serve by helping out in various ways, listening to others with undivided attention from the heart. This then you take out into daily life where the real work is, and keep your heart more open to serve and assist where you can, this teaches us love through action. This also is about cultivating new conscious relationships of a higher level than in normal previous daily life, becoming more the conscious observer of how we react through our thoughts and emotions, and learning to be more fully present, our innate state of who we really are, as we step up to mirror the god within us through relationship.

“Solitude may awaken the soul, but community nurtures and matures it”