Alchemy Lies in Community

11.3.22

Our Inner Work is
Alchemized in Community

I was reminded of this recently when I had the privilege of attending a women’s retreat in Southern California. Three women shared their gifts with the retreat attendees, and everyone in attendance got a chance to explore their own strengths and their own areas of growth. What made this extra special was the space everyone held for one another and learn about each other’s stories.   

While being at a retreat is certainly not an everyday occurrence, the chance to share and connect, is. A common occurrence on this ongoing “journey of self”, if you will, is a period of isolation, of turning inward. This is normal—we want to cocoon into ourselves because we’re not “ready” to be seen, to be held or to be tested by the world. OR maybe we feel that no one else “gets it” and its better to just fly solo. It can feel much safer to be in stillness with self than anything else. There is great importance and reverence for this time of Wintering. (Amazing book, can’t recommend enough!). The time to quiet down and cozy up in our corners is a beautiful time of rest and retreat.

…And yet—I feel the greatest gift of this work is to revel in it, in community. That could mean sharing a meal with people you love because you’ve been tinkering away at a new recipe. Or chatting with someone in line at the grocery store because you want to work on random connection to strangers. Or sharing a video of you singing because you’ve been mustering up the gumption to belt out your favorite song. Or hosting a free workout in the park because you love programming workouts. Or offering a course or workshop or meet up to find other folks who are passionate about the same thing! You don’t need to have any kind of role or title to do these things.

Seems kind of basic, but the truth is…it’s vulnerable to take the chance to connect to those around you and to share these gifts. It can be challenging, uncomfortable and unknown and it’s become incredibly easy to not do this.

I want to bring it back to this: whatever you’re working on, growing in, or getting curious about is a beautiful thing! And, especially if you’re feeling lonely or closed off in the midst of it, what is one way you can reach out and connect with someone? Is there a group you’ve been interested in? A yoga studio, fitness class, painting group, poetry workshop, webinar, chess club…You get the picture. To all the men out there—we are talking to you, too! Or, if you’ve been holding back in some way, what’s one way you can let go of the fear? One way you can step into what is a little scary?

While part of this feels unbelievably simple to underscore as a concept, I feel there is a general desire for support in this realm:
we are all aching to connect and be loved.

So, I invited you to let yourself be loved, seen, supported and celebrated in community.

For, all the work that we are doing on our own is alchemized in community.