Integral Christian Network is one such place of belonging. We are a community of mystics, evolvers, spiritual practitioners, and more. People come into our community from many different streams of background and are drawn by many different aspects—though nearly always a longing for more.
Read MoreAs I proposed in a previous article in this series, the days of the king (or queen) have passed. The time of being subjects reigned over has (mostly) passed, but we still elevate the hero or heroine, the celebrity and the guru.
We still want the great leaders who will solve the problems and set things in order. Those with the power, wisdom, and authority to make things right. A great, singular savior out there somewhere.
And at the same time, we often resist being led. We are not just followers, but have our own story, our own journey, and our own sovereign realm we have to look after—our lives. We also have opinions and perspectives. The ways we think things should be and how they should be done. As we should!
Read MoreDeeply embedded into our biology is the instinct that community is about survival. Safety in numbers. It is rooted into our natural drive to come together with others for protection and security. As such, the best thing to do was to strengthen the bonds of the group and maintain collective order—even expelling overly divisive and diverse members that would upset the stability of the community. Our very existence may have depended on it.
Might there actually be a similar movement happening today, necessary for our survival, but in a different way? Moving toward the collective, recognizing that we deeply need each other again in order to survive. That the myth of individual independence is crumbling in a way we feel deep in our bones.
But going forward, our survival will be less dependent on sameness and conformity to the collective for the sake of group stability. Rather, we will find our path through by welcoming the interplay of our unique diversity growing the field of possibility exponentially, dancing together in the multiplicity of energies where emergence comes forth.
Read MoreOne of the tragedies in our time of hyper-individualism is the loss of our larger stories of meaning, purpose, and transformation.
Religious narratives of eternal judgment to heaven or hell have largely lost their fearful grip. Commercial narratives of economic triumph are insatiable and ultimately unfulfilling.
National narratives of political salvation coming from the State not only continue to fail, but generally aren’t encompassing enough to bring about holistic transformation.
What is your larger collective story?
Is it big enough for the immensity of your longings? For the immeasurable value of your soul? For the highest purpose and deepest meaning of your ultimate being?
Read MoreIt is the nature of life to grow and evolve. So too, every group and community that is alive will go through change and growth. Unfortunately, many spiritual communities instead take a static approach to community life. They try to keep things the way they are, reinforcing the traditional patterns and set processes that bind the members to a repetitive cycle.
But if the spiritual community continues to evolve, it can be a synergistic process of personal growth and communal evolution working in tandem.
Let’s look at some natural phases of the process of community life and where that can lead us if we navigate them with wisdom and grace.
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