Starr Fuentes:
Community: Our Common Unity

     It’s time to wake up.  The phrase, “Get a life,” has found new and constructive ways to fulfill itself.  Do you think you’re alone?  Do you think there is nothing to do?  Well now thousands of new solutions and answers are at your fingertips or are a phone call away.  I don’t care who you are, what you believe in, and where your interests lie; there are multiple communities in many forms available for you to participate with. 

     The days of having to go someplace and sit through long community meetings to make a decision are over.  Now with the click of a button or the dialing of a particular phone number, our vote is cast, our input and opinion counted.  All your reasons for not belonging to communities have become invalid. 

     In our computer age and our digital intelligence, instant connections to people, places, and hobbies are available after a small search of the internet.  Belonging and participating in communities has become easy and immediate, not to mention gentle on the wardrobe. 

     If your life is busy with children, job, household duties, and caretaking, the capacity to use those small breaks, children’s nap time, or odd off hours to participate in doing, reading, or enjoying something that deeply interests you are readily available.  The need to put away structured hours for your community is no longer required. 

     Once you start to explore the millions of communities available in the multitudes of forms, you realize that knowing yourself and your interests is essential.  Your energies are valuable and important.  The time you spend in your community is chosen from your heart.  It is important to use this time wisely. 

     As communities grow in your neighborhood and in “real life,” they soon expand worldwide to the land of the internet.  As internet communities become stronger and participation extends from daily to monthly to yearly interactions, people make efforts to meet and greet each other in real life.  So the communities go full circle no matter where they start.

     There are advantages to both choices of community.  In the personal, up close community, face to face meetings provide us with visual, auditory, and kinesthetic information about the energetic status of our community and its members, allowing us to respond in a multitude of different ways.  In the internet community, the choice of topics, the wordings, and punctuation, capitalization, and spellings give us feedback about the energy of the participant.

     In times long past, when most of the tribes were nomadic, the energy of community was carried by a rock or totem.  Wherever the tribe would end up that evening, this rock or totem was placed in the center of the camp holding the energies of home and community.  This totem was the most prized and valued possession of the tribe.  In ancient communities, the totem was there for all aspects of the community.  For a birth, a death, a dance, or a hunt, the totem was placed to receive and share energy with the tribe.  Activities like story telling, rituals, and greeting guests would start with placing the totem at the center of the activity. 

     What worked in ancient communities was a focal point of energy that gave presence to the bonds created by being together in multiple actions.  In modern day’s communities it is an idea, a commitment, a purpose, or cause that is a focal point of the community.  What bonds a community strongly is the energy expressed to create, inspire, and sustain the community. 

     The word community brings to mind its definition.  It is the joining of the words common and unity.  Common unity happens in a couple of different ways: by bonding or binding.  In the bonding process people come into agreement as to what the core of the community is.  Their mutual focus on a specific issue or energy brings them together.  Examples of bonded communities include educational groups, virtual online groups, members of residential areas, socio-economic groupings, people with similar or shared circumstances, and people with a common purpose.  After the group is formed, an organizational process occurs where activities that impact the community are chosen and delegated.  Next, there is the process of spending energy:  meetings, phone calls, action steps, procuring cash and spending cash to benefit the community, creating email and member lists, and most importantly, the committees and subgroups that take on lives of their own.  In the bonding process the community becomes stronger each time there is an interaction with another member where energy is spent for the community.

     The binding process for communities being created is one where an injustice, tragedy, or disaster occurs.  In many situations when people go through a crisis together, the best qualities of the people come out.  They assist one another and people join in from far away places to provide aid for those in need. 

     Communities come together out of necessity, common goals, and similar issues.  In ancient times communities were limited to people residing in an area that made communication possible.  In modern times communities exist worldwide intertwined by their ability to communicate through the global internet.      

     By nature humans are tribal beings and although we no longer live a nomadic lifestyle, our communities fulfill our need to belong to the tribe.  As we mature, we break away from our familial tribe to branch out as members of other chosen groups.  These groups become our new tribes, our new communities. 

     In your life you are a member of several communities, with or without your knowledge.  These communities include school districts, voting districts, income brackets, and occupational communities.  What is essential to your personal, emotional, and spiritual growth is choosing communities that enhance your energies, consciousness, and assets. 

     In our energetic growth along our personal path, it is easy to feel the struggle and to be alone.  As we educate ourselves physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, the need for feedback becomes essential.  We generally get another challenging lesson when we choose communities of people who give us inappropriate feedback.  And so our search begins for communities offering appropriate feedback.  We seek out others who have gone through similar experiences with whom we can share our energy.  The common unity of sharing, listening, and coaching leads to constructive criticism that furthers our physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual growth.  After we have had one such satisfying experience, we naturally seek like experiences for other aspects of our being.  So the communities begin.

Each tribe or community we encounter has a particular level of consciousness.  A tribe is governed by rules of how to do and be within the community.  Many of these rules are unspoken and are followed by default rather than by choice.  Some tribes operate at a low level of consciousness with numerous rules still in place by default even though new rules would better serve the tribe’s present circumstances.  Other tribes operate at a high level of consciousness that reflects the spiritual evolution of its members.

     We choose communities based on our level of consciousness. Our participation with that tribe either raises us or lowers us in consciousness.  When our consciousness rises to a level above that of the tribe, we may leave that tribe to join another that is more appropriate for our new level of awareness.

     Another scenario that can occur is that we find ourselves in a community that is of lower consciousness than ours and raise the awareness of the group through our interactions with it.  Our higher vibration draws other of high vibration into the community and the lower vibrational members of the tribe become entrained to the newer energies.

     When we look at various types of tribes, we notice that they can be grouped according to the level of chakra awareness that they represent.  First chakra tribes are focused on survival.  Communities of street people and tent people are first chakra tribes.  Communities of people who come together through the experience of disasters such as hurricanes and tornados are also examples of first chakra tribes.

     People at second chakra awareness may be drawn to swingers clubs that allow all variety of forms of sexual expression.  Gang communities also fall into this category, as do communities of sports fans who cheer and boo their chosen team’s wins and losses.

     At the third chakra level of awareness, the focus is on power and dominance.  Business corporations belong to this category.  Sometimes the power exerted is appropriate, and sometimes it is inappropriate.  If the focus of a tribe is to win by overpowering another tribe, it is operating at third chakra awareness.

     Fourth chakra communities are governed by heart energy.  Charitable non-profit organizations and religious communities focused on generosity and sharing are examples of fourth chakra tribes.

     At the fifth chakra level of awareness, leaders and diplomats come together with a global focus on how to benefit their specific communities. Their focus is not necessarily on the highest good of all but rather on what is beneficial to their immediate group.  The interactions at this level involve dialogue and open communication rather than the might makes right approach of third chakra awareness.

     Communities that come together to plan for the future and address potential problems that have not yet come to pass are driven by sixth chakra awareness.  These tribes include ecological preservation groups with an eye on saving the planet from global warming and pollution as well as groups focused on making the world a better place for the children of future generations.  Their vision of the future drives them to take action steps in now time to pave the way for better times ahead.

     Seventh chakra tribes are often more esoteric in nature.  These communities  share a focus on oneness and the higher good from a place of spiritual connection to Source.  Often made up of spiritual leaders and teachers, seventh chakra tribes are coalitions of leaders driven by divine wisdom as opposed to heart energy, and they work together to affect shifts in the awareness of numerous communities with consideration of the highest good of all.

     As our awareness expands from working on ourselves and raising our vibrations, we begin to be conscious of energies in our lives that with some effort and time can also be raised in vibration.  We reach out and educate ourselves about the situations and start talking and sharing with others.  The foundations for most acknowledged communities are the conversations that lead to appropriate action and creating a structure to guide this appropriate action. 

     As acknowledged and unacknowledged communities start to form, the energies gain inertia and start moving in many directions.  The need for clear, constructive criticism is essential.  Snags in the communities may begin when people go into personal issues versus considering the highest good of all.  When a community becomes a podium for “being right,” vying for positions of power, and control issues, it grinds to a halt and takes more energy than it gives.  When community spirit comes alive and life is given to the community with positive actions, frequent conversations, and clear communication, the relationship becomes beneficial to all. 

     As we find “common unity” in our relationships to the community and its members, we start finding places in our own self that begin to heal.  The sense of belonging, the knowledge that we are accepted, and seeing the results of our input of energy lead to healthier conditions of the inner self.  Sometimes the four-minute conversation about community leads to an unexpected conversation that heals.  Healing may not be the primary focus of a community; yet, almost every “common unity” has many aspects of healing incorporated consciously and subconsciously in its structure.

     As we move through the process of community, we experience a wide variety of people and situations.  Sometimes our role is the teacher and other times, we are the student.  Being asked to participate in specific community actions that teach can give a boost to our self-esteem and enhance our self-worth.  As we take part in the actions of the community, moments of being the teacher or the student appear.  Some of these formal and informal situations can provide cornerstones for our own inner work. 

     As we choose in our mind and heart to support community, we naturally find the people and experiences that give us inner support.  Our ability to sustain and supply growth in our community begins to reflect our ability to sustain and provide growth to our inner self.  In “common unity” we become an advocate for awareness and action that supports the purpose of the community.  This nurtures and strengthens our personal advocate and gives us “voice” in our lives.  Community is a reinforcement of our path and endorses a healthy growth in relationships and communication. 

     As our body matures and absorbs information and lessons from our blood families, our spirit reaches out looking for a larger, more diversified energetic family.  Although we still may need hugs and physical contact, our energies search for levels of fulfillment in communication and energetic relationships.  As the internet has grown to encompass the earth, the creation of global communities has taken participation to a new level.  Now not only can we send emails, our voice and live chat with webcams can give us instant global energetic connections. 

     The possibilities and the diversities of many people from different cultures, educational backgrounds, and perspectives coming together create an unprecedented amount of assets for a community.  Many times our personal interests, our likes and dislikes, and our hobbies naturally become strong and proficient enough to be included as contributions to several communities.  If we like to cook, our food will naturally find its way onto the tables of many other community members.  If we are good on the computer, our skills will be used to enhance a wide variety of community needs.  As we move through our life, order magazines, sign petitions, purchase items, subscribe to newsletters, we instantly become part of numerous communities. 

     So take a moment and bring to your consciousness the number of communities that you belong to.  Now notice how many communities you actually participate in.  The communities that have value, that give you input, and that educate you are usually communities that you have participated in by giving your time and energy.  To belong to any community, let your opinions and likes be counted.  Participation in a community gives you opportunities to enrich and enlighten your life. 

     The psychological, spiritual, and material aspects of a community become multiplied by the number of participants.  Some participants contribute only with their presence and their capacity to listen.  Many members of the community contribute in energetic fashions through leadership and organization. 

     The solid members of the community contribute with physical action, communication, and stewarding the community assets.  Those of us with the highest vibrations become responsible for being the ones to contribute at the most active level.  No longer is it appropriate for high vibrational spiritual beings to isolate themselves from the world.  We need to step up.  Through the miracle of the internet, we can touch communities and even communities of communities, sharing our higher awareness energies with the masses in a way that allows for exponential evolutionary growth.  Through our active presence via the world-wide web, we can shape the chakra awareness of the many tribes in our global community, infusing all we encounter with the wisdom and light of higher consciousness so that our earth community may heal and evolve together as we have individually done.

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