By Laura Castanza and Julia George ©2022

Human beings are social creatures and naturally gravitate towards each other throughout a lifetime. Beginning with family, we establish a social network, then branch out to develop friendships. As we mature, our social circles expand to include work and areas of interest. When we sustain a connection with a group, it becomes our tribe. How long we sustain within the tribe is a matter of time, based on our soul’s commitment.

Our tribe of origin is family, and our soul chooses the conditions along with other souls. This belief grants us both freedom and responsibility in how we conduct our self and the choices we make. Some souls remain within a close family unit, while others move away, having moderate to no connection with family or their past.

There is no right or wrong in choosing our tribe or moving on to seek another. The primary reason is growth. When we think about our life on Earth, it is full of opportunities for growth. We may choose to embrace all the changes that come with living and being human, or resist, trying to stop or slow the inevitable. The Universe will support whatever path we choose. It is our personal journey with no roadmap to living.

When we choose to move beyond the family tribe, it’s usually due to a high level of dysfunction, abuse, or detachment that developed early. Whatever the reason, our soul makes a decision to seek something different and find a new tribe. In our quest for a new tribe, we will likely come in contact with others who represent the tribe of origin as we seek to heal. When we are unaware, it is likely we stay in the dynamics because the familiarity is strong. If we wake up, see the pattern, and choose to grow beyond those confines, we become free to move to new healing levels.

As our awareness increases, so does our desire to release the past and evolve. The conscious journey to find a new tribe can result in connecting with one that is the antithesis of our family. The initiation can be refreshing and fascinating, bringing forth elements of life we never encountered. Experiencing extreme opposites is enticing, and we may stay on for the duration. Whether we like it or not, without the wake-up call of a hard lesson, we will be unable to see through facades and distractions at the master plan at work.

Once our soul moves beyond the flash of new encounters, our awareness will lead us to those areas of our being still in need of healing. We must take the time we need, but in awareness, we have to move on, as the impact of obstacles can impede our progress for lifetimes.
The insidious obstacles of addiction are the most challenging. Addictions, either process or substance, are another tempting form of distraction. Tribes can encompass any or all addictions, making our awareness a key factor in advancing our soul.

Tribes may operate at a base level, relating superficially and satisfying primal needs, while others are connecting at higher frequencies towards betterment. We can vacillate between tribes as our soul searches for a fit. We may actually traverse the higher realms of human relating, but then descend to heal old wounds. This is part of the process. Any shift towards an old pattern or tribe is a call for honesty and awareness of how we are operating, and to clarify the direction we’re headed. We can move into the tribe that supports our soul’s purpose. The more open to change, the less suffering we endure from preconceptions of relating and tribal belonging.

We need not intellectualize the process of finding or connecting with others. Integration happens at a feeling level, “the vibe of the tribe”. It’s the inward journey of discovering our self, manifested outwardly in others that represent where we are at in the process of bridging our head (thoughts) and our heart (feelings).

The synergy among members of a tribe flows, whether productive or destructive. It’s our responsibility to define our self in that flow. How do we fit in, and how do we resonate with the direction of the group with whom we associate? These questions can come up often, prompting us to pay attention and look at our motivation. When conflict arises, is it often, and how is it handled? We may experience some type of alienation within a tribe which reinforces our shadow traits…low self-worth, rejection, anger, not having a voice, weak boundaries, and many more… The separation could be within us as an individual or exemplified in others. This is the exercise of awareness, and hopefully, we are genuinely connected to Universal consciousness and others who can help us to assess the truth of the experience.

There is a tribe for all of us, and we may be a member of several: family, friends, meetups, work…at various levels. It is not only healthy to play a part in each one, it is mandatory. When we operate authentically throughout: feeling, knowing, with openness and flexibility, then we are able to attract a tribe that represents the best of our being and supports our soul’s journey and fulfillment.