Community Spirit


I have been generally a solitary person throughout my life. This solitude has tended to dominate my spiritual journey as well. My reasoning for this has been based in my past experiences with group politics, insincerity and whatnot. This came up today in a conversation with my wife and our good friends with whom we are setting up a sangha, in regards to feelings associated with joining a spiritual group. All those involved in the discussion raised some interesting and valid thoughts…

It's interesting how certain things appear at certain times in our lives. I am presently reading "The Witch of Portobello" by Paulo Coelho. Upon taking the book up where I had left off reading, just after the aforementioned discussion, I came across the following passage:

"…groups are very important because they force us to progress. If you're alone, all you can do is laugh at yourself, but if you're with others, you'll laugh and then immediately act. Groups challenge us. Groups allow us to choose our affinities. Groups create a collective energy, and ecstasy comes more easily because everyone infects everyone else.
Groups can also destroy us, of course, but that's part of life and the human condition – living with other people. And anyone who's failed to develop an instinct for survival has understood nothing of what the Mother is saying."

Teachers do appear along in our journey. Both my friend's wisdom combined with the quoted passage above has illuminated my path a bit clearer and I am advancing upon it with conviction and optimism. I am grateful for them.