Tribal Love

There are 18 of us huddled around Skype from all over: friends, colleagues, partners, co-hosts, co-travelers, co-learners…Tomorrow our friend Mahmood is moving back to his homeland Afghanistan after a long long time, following the deep calling of his heart to be in service of life and people in a country he had to leave as a young boy. This is a big step, not only for him, but also for his family – his wife Nina and his daughter Riwa – and for us, his tribe, who have witnessed him to come to this day step by step, who have listened to him, trembled with him, anticipated this big day together.

so we gathered from all directions.

We are the ones we’ve been waiting for

This is a tribal gathering, a sacred space of hearts, a modern-day rite of passage ceremony taking place through technology that is available to us now to build global tribes in this new phase of our evolution.

As the ceremony starts with Nina’s invitation to speak our blessings for Mahmood and his journey, the resonance of our field changes. Don’t ask me how I know it, I simply do and others in the circle do as well. We sink to a deep place of knowing, we connect with the Source and being in this circle feels like the only, most meaningful thing we could do in this moment. We all understand Mahmood’s journey in our bellies: the inevitable, painstakingly beautiful journey to home, homeplace, homeland. We are all in the same inquiry.

One by one we pass the virtual talking piece from heart to heart and prayers, poems, blessings, honoring words flow out with shaking voices and tears:

We love you. We hold you. We witness you. We stand with you.

I know and we know, as we participate in this ancient tradition in a new form, we are tapping into a powerful place within and between us; we now swim in the river below the river, that timeless, omnipresent flow of life force that carries us seamlessly. I feel in my bones that this will keep us going, through unexpected curves on our path, colossal challenges that we might face in this time of transition as the old system falls apart, through fear and grief of massive diversity loss on the planet.

In our togetherness connected with the Sacred and in the resonance of the heart, we will not only find our way forward to the new, we will also find our healing, joy and potential as individuals and communities.

where am I going?

Where am I going on this glorious journey?

To your house, of course.

~ Rumi