By DR. PETRA WELDES
This article appeared in the December 2022 issue of Science of Mind magazine
It is astonishing how often spiritual or manifestation conversations end up being about relationships. We find ourselves talking about how our intention interacts with someone else’s, our desire to manifest is hindered by another’s limited thinking or how we’re creating a life that works for us, so others ought to be doing the same.
It seems spiritual/New Thought people often look out into the world with the idea that since we are responsible for our lives, others are responsible for theirs, and we don’t have to think about what they are experiencing. While it’s true that everyone is responsible for their own lives, this is only half the story of what we need to take responsibility for.
The kingdom of God is at hand. The riches, power, glory and might of this kingdom are yours today. You do not rob others by entering into the fullness of your kingdom of joy, your kingdom of abundance. But you must recognize that all people belong to the same kingdom. You merely claim for yourself what you want the Divine Spirit to do for everyone.
— Ernest Holmes, “Thoughts Are Things,” page 61
The power of community is a place that affects change for everyone. It invites us to recognize and practice “wanting the Divine Spirit to do for everyone,” as Holmes writes, and what we want for ourselves. This is the cornerstone of a practice of oneness amidst our different needs and life experiences. It’s a spiritual wake-up call. Are we on autopilot, or are we awake and conscious about the impact our choices have, individually and collectively, on others?
The good news is there is a growing realization that we are also responsible for the impact our intentions and manifestations have on others, our culture and institutions, and the planet. As we gather in communities — spiritual, local and cause-based — the sum of each group has a greater impact and can affect more change in consciousness and in life than any one can as an individual.
“One of the marvelous things about community is that it enables us to welcome and help people in a way we couldn’t as individuals,” philosopher and theologian Jean Vanier reminds us. “When we pool our strength and share the work and responsibility, we can welcome many people, even those in deep distress, and perhaps help them find self-confidence and inner healing.”
Healthy spiritual community is especially good at empowering healing and change when everyone pulls together in service to a larger purpose. Centers for Spiritual Living has clearly expanded its vision of individual good to a recognition that there is no private good without good for everyone.
In CSL’s global vision and its commitment to creating a world that works for everyone, along with lives that work for each of us, the power of our spiritual communities is being evidenced and immeasurably expanded.
There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about. — Margaret J. Wheatley
The power of community is in being a place of comfort and refuge. Having a community to hold us, stand with us and support us during difficult times is priceless. Countless studies have shown that people are healthier, happier and live longer when they are embedded in community.
Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free. — Starhawk
While community is a place of refuge, it’s not an escape from the ongoing work of personal growth and social justice. Community is a place that can push us into greater growth. I have always believed that being in longterm relationships is like being in spiritual graduate school. Having to confront all the stories I tell myself, the ways I behave poorly and the ways I project my own unhealed issues onto someone else is quite the journey.
I believe being in community is like being in a spiritual laboratory for grown-ups. Every conversation, interaction and challenge becomes grist for our spiritual mill. In the heat of the moment, are we really practicing what we say we believe? Or are we bringing our ego, issues, unhealed past or habitual behaviors to the table?
When Jesus said we should not judge lest we be judged, he was stating the action of the law of cause and effect. If we wish a complete clearance from any sense of condemnation about ourselves, we must first be certain we have released all condemnation of others from our own minds. When we do this, we meet others in a new light and, reaching back of all judgment and criticism, establish a relationship between the Spirit within them and the same Spirit within us, for God is One in all people. — Ernest Holmes, “Richer Living,” page 145
What are ways we can interact beyond the confines of our personal lives, agendas, needs and desires? The list includes serving on committees, being with family (chosen or blood), joining groups with shared interests and working together on causes we believe in. Participating means we learn to listen more fully, speak more authentically, face hard conversations and stay in the arena. We stop abandoning projects and clinging to our own ideas. We value the diversity of the group — different thinking styles, backgrounds, opinions, hopes, fears and dreams.
Opening to these lessons has grown me in ways I never could have grown on my own. A friend once said to me, “Petra, you are so good at having the hard conversations. I wish it was that easy for me.” It’s never easy. My palms still sweat and my heart races, but I’m convinced the hard work of connecting through disagreements or issues will always reveal a better result than if it’s being ignored, tromped on or, worse of all, left to become a festering sore dividing a group. My philosophy is: Let’s get on with the good work we are doing and grow in the process.
The power of community is in its diversity and inclusion. As Holmes reminds us, “Oneness doesn’t mean sameness” and “Unity is not uniformity.” It is in community that our deepest compassion and clearest spiritual vision grow. We heal the sense of separation that keeps humanity from knowing the truth by seeing each person within the group — no matter how different or annoying — as presence of the Divine in individualized expression.
Each person is an individualized center of God-conscious life, a point in the infinite sea of life and an intelligent point. Humanity is the outcome of God’s desire to express as individuality. — Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind magazine, January 1996
Humanity is Divinity wearing a mask. — Ernest Holmes, Science of Mind magazine, May 1992
I am fortunate to have been in spiritual community since my late teens. Truthfully, I can’t imagine living without one. It’s my place of belonging, growth, intimacy and connection. If you don’t have a spiritual community, look around for groups of people doing things that matter to you. Then get connected and commit for the long haul, not just until it gets hard. Keep your heart open for the power of community to work its magic. You’ll be grateful you did.
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