It Takes a Community
As many of you know, for more than a year now, I have been taking a deep dive into not only what is happening in the world, but how am I, and all of us, meeting the unprecedented circumstances that are arising on all fronts.
How are we responding?
Where is our attention and energy going?
What is the meaning that we are assigning?
What are the most important things?
Given all that’s here, what do we value?
What is being asked of us?
What are we called to?
In these ponderings, I realize now, more than ever before, the value of Community. Coming to terms with the complexity and the immensity of the current global and environmental changes calls us to realize our connection – to discover ourselves as a tree in a forest, as a drop in an ocean, in order to sense the larger system of which we are part.
In whatever way you are experiencing and processing all that is happening in the world, you are not alone. None of us is alone if we let ourselves be together. When we come together in community, we connect through sharing and listening. We can support each other as we tend to the inner and outer work that is calling for attention, healing and evolution, with a sense of belonging and support.
In many ways, the experience of the pandemic was (and continues to be) a drill – a precursor to experiencing what it’s like to live in unpredictability, to have our routines significantly interrupted for what seems like forever, to have our usual comforts removed, to know that we are at the mercy of something beyond our control. Throughout most of 2020 and into the present, we find ourselves working with the emotions which naturally arise when our lives and circumstances change suddenly and significantly – fear, helplessness, anger, powerlessness, grief, and confusion. I am witnessing and working with these responses with my clients, my friends, and myself. The discomforts are pointing to something that needs to be healed, tended, and/or to grow.
Author of Choosing Earth, Duane Elgin, and filmmaker of Facing Adversity, Coleen Elgin state that the two most important things to do now are to develop inner resources and to create community. As we are called to face and deal with the crises that are before us, individually and collectively, we have the opportunity to cultivate healing and to access resources that we have not yet discovered.
One of the things that I love about Monterey Bay Meditation Studio is that it is a community of people who are dedicated to being aware and being kind. From the day that we opened the doors of the Studio, through the pandemic, and now as we all face a future of change and uncertainty, our intention is to offer opportunities for healing, growth, connection, and transformation:
we ask ourselves and each other deep questions;
we speak with vulnerability and authenticity;
we explore new ways of being in relationship with ourselves, each other and the Earth.
And we’re going to keep on doing so, especially as we navigate the turbulent waters of global change … each of us paddling, each of us cheering and supporting each other.
Teacher and activist Joanna Macy writes: “The current moment is an exquisite time to be alive. Because, an awareness of impending collapse is an invitation to ask ourselves deep questions of meaning that we typically postpone -- and some of us never get to. … The way through despair involves experiencing oneself as part of a greater whole and surrendering to the mystery of creation … [we are invited to] engage with the mystery of life with fresh eyes and an open heart.”
As we enter the seasonal transition into autumn, we find ourselves in a world-swirl of events, changes, and uncertainties. As you explore the MBMS offerings for October, we invite you to engage your deeper knowing and listen for what you are called to at this particular (and unusual) time. Whether you’re journeying through inner worlds, seeking nourishing for your flourishing, feeling the call to inspired action, or wondering if there is an eye to this hurricane of transition and transformation… You can find support, guidance, and connection available for you. You are part of the MBMS community… come in and sit, act, and be with us.
We can do (and be) this… together.
Marianne
