Goin' Tribal

Have you blinked yet?  News coming in from around the world and especially from our own country continues to be disturbing, confusing and disheartening.  As we struggle to keep our heads above water and our families protected we have difficulty relating what is happening now with anything in our previous experience, making it even harder to plan going forward.

I read an excellent blog post yesterday discussing practical tips for surviving this frightening transition entitled: OMGs the world's gone to Hades in a handbasket!!! (or has it... ?) within a positive transformational framework.  We see in front of our eyes that the very foundations of our system have become weak and corrupt and we understand that we are living in a time where the broken and no-longer-needed must be swept away to allow room for the new and improved.  Some things will be gone and never return, and we will have to find new ways to exist and prosper.  The moment for excessive and wasteful consumerism is over.

There have been moments in the past history of our species that have been pivotal, transformational, evolutionary.  Consider when we first stood up on two feet.  How did that evolutionary moment change the history of mankind?  The discovery of fire?  The beginning of the Agrarian Age when we learned to plant our food in the ground and anchor our tribes, ending the need to always be on the move to survive?  The coming of Jesus Christ, entering the Industrial Age, building machines that fly like the birds in the sky?  How have all pivotal moments in time caused us to evolve?  As a people, as a society, as a nation, as a planet?

The Mayan Calendar marks 2012 as an ending and a new beginning, and not the END OF THE WORLD! as some people believe.  The Mayan Calendar actually reflects the Natural Cycles of Life, and the work done by Carl J. Calleman Ph.D and Ian Lungold reveals to us "that we are living in a creation that evolves according to a pre-set schedule, i.e., the Maya were keeping track of the flow, rate, and intent of Creation itself or the evolution of consciousness throughout Creation."

We are living through an evolutionary transitional period of our history that will, depending on the choices we make, either cause us to evolve, as is our natural path; or devolve backwards, because of free will.  Without friction there is no movement; without chaos, there is no growth.  We are growing, right here and now!

So what are we being encouraged to do?  What choices will we make to achieve evolution of our species?

I say we go tribal.

Remember what is important.  Our families, our communities, our people, our environment, our planet.  We are all interlocked in a Divine Dance together, and we must return to depending on each other and taking care of each other, to survive and grow.

Patch is a wonderful way to connect with others in your community; so glad to see you here!  We need to speak to each other, learn to know each other, care about each other, help and heal each other, because No Man is an Island.

If you don't know your next door neighbor, go introduce yourself!  Find a cause that you believe in and volunteer to help!  Here in our own neighborhoods we have many treasures that can be supported for the benefit of all!  Senior Centers, Animal Shelters, Non-profit Children's Centers, local Historical Societies, Beach Clean-up, Lagoon Preservation... start a Community Garden!  Bring a Healthy Food Movement to the local schools!  Computer savvy?  Write a program and connects local folks in a way that they can set up a Barter System for goods and services!

I mean think about it - an exchange program between what someone can produce and what someone needs.  You have a tiny apartment and can't grow your own produce, but you do have a skill making quilts.  You punch up someone nearby who needs a blanket and is willing to trade for a bushel of tomatoes, right?

Isn't that what the Native Americans did?

Can't afford a house for every member of the family?  Can't afford a babysitter?  Move Granny and Grampy into your house and honor your elders.  Granny can lend a hand watching the children (and who better than a family member?) and Grampy can read to them.  Or Granny can bake a pie for dessert while you are working and Grampy can water and weed the garden!  Every member of the family can and should have a purpose, and should be valued.  Even the little ones can feed the dog or do a simple clean up of the living room.  Every little bit helps the family for the greater good, and every member participating brings more value to the family.

This tribal concept can expand to your own neighborhood.  Know the people who live near you and offer to share a CSA delivery box.  Trade your avocados for their sapotas.  (What's a Sapota?  I dunno, you're sapota eat it! Thanks, Willie!)

Finally, with our ability to connect with humans all over the world we can expand our tribal base.  Care about other people, other cultures, other lives.  Exchange ideas and knowledge to improve things for everyone.  Connect to our Living Planet and understand that we do not exist in a vacuum, but instead are one connected living organism.  When that understanding comes, we will have arrived.