Conscious Community
A few years back, I was living in Jacksonville Florida going to a yoga studio at least 4 times a week after my busy work schedule. I was introduced to an incredible woman who has now become a dear friend. We would chat over coffee about our struggle to find spiritual community in our area. We weren’t looking for religion but for a space to connect with like-minded and spirited people who wanted to work on being loving, compassionate and on purpose. I would often think about creating that space. Interestingly enough, shortly after these conversations, I moved back to California. The move was truly about BEING in a place that supported conscious career and conscious living. I had gotten sober in Southern California and the foundation of my spiritual work had been laid there. It’s a special place for me where things seem to be possible and the environment supports my creativity. Fast forward a few years and again, I find people asking me about community. I deeply enjoy supporting those in the self-actualization process. People who want to take a proactive approach and co-create a beautiful life for themselves, no matter what the old story may be. I, myself, have come through major adversity to now BE in an incredible experience of daily joy, grace and love. Is there a special place/person that encourages your creativity? How could conscious community support you?
I had a lot of resistance to my desire to become conscious that came from being fully and completely immersed in an unconscious world. I lacked the belief and trust in myself to seek out others who shared my desires, largely choosing to believe they were restricted to ashrams or monasteries overseas so I wouldn’t have to challenge my social fears of belonging to a community or my fears of being judged by others for my beliefs. Having a conscious community is making all the difference in my process now, even when that community at times consists of only one or two others. There’s accountability and support that I didn’t have before and I’m able to see and learn from how others actualize their potential. It keeps me showing up for myself and recognizing my own inherent value.
It’s cool to hear you resonating with community. I find it uplifting to hear people’s growth. So often people want to be supported in staying small and I’m all about stretching to be seen and heard. No more hiding, there’s nothing to be afraid of…only our misperceptions of ourselves and reality. It’s not real. I’m so grateful that you are apart of this process Wes. We are creating our tribe and making a stand for consciousness. It’s interesting to hear you say that you had resistance to becoming conscious because you quite naturally opened yourself to the concepts. I sense your mind was resistant and your divine nature knew it’s truth and connected with it quickly.
When I found a conscious community is when my resistance to becoming conscious seemed to start melting away. I needed that other person or persons, the community, to validate my desires and beliefs. It was like finding my way to a busy highway after being lost in the woods for what seemed like an eternity in that I knew civilization, or in this case community, was out there but just couldn’t find it until now.
What a great analogy?! Totally makes sense. My addiction and mental health issues always had me misperceiving isolation and being different. It’s been great finding people who want to work on themselves and move beyond being a victim. I was in victim for most of my young adult life, and it was painful. What was most painful was the truth that I had been creating my own misery for years.