The Dream of Restoring Community

by Liz Geyer

This past month, my heart has been yearning once again for community, and remembering how it used to be.  Memories of living, working, sharing and loving are embedded in our cells.  As we write the Creation Exercises, these beautiful memories pop up.  This theme of being with others in the field has risen again, with many new pathways to explore, and new ways to look at being in community with one another.

I remember from the time I was very young in this lifetime, so wishing my grandparents on my mother’s side would come to live with us.  I am not certain many small children thought that way.  My grandparents on my mother’s side came to America from Constantinople and Assyria in the early 1900’s.  They were raised to be fiercely independent, and did not wish to burden our family.  My parents really wanted them with us, yet this was not to be.  I remember many family gatherings on both my parent’s side of the family as a young child.  I loved going to my aunt’s home in Lodi.  There were kids running around and cousins to play with.  The food was yummy…my Uncle Joe was Italian and made the best spaghetti!  My mother did not enjoy these gatherings, as her upbringing had been more formal.  Observing this way of being in community made me both happy and sad because my mom had a tough time being around this side of the family, so there were missed opportunities to be with my cousins as I grew up. I always yearned for this type of life, with lots of family around and lots of kids to play with, as well as that ‘lazy, sitting around the table after meals and chatting’ way of being.  Both my brother and I then turned around as we got older and begged our parents to move in with us.  The pattern continued.  What could have been a beautiful aging process for my parents turned into a challenge.

As I have become more ‘wise’ in my adult life, I see that both my brother and I have fostered community in our children.  We try to gather with what family remains at least twice a year, keeping our connections.  I know my brother, too, dreamed of having his family close, and they have remained thus, still connected by his memory.  In my immediate family, we gather as much as possible, around the table at meals.  This connection is so important!  I dream of a future where our family grows, and sits around my rustic dining table often.  I dream of possibly living with my children in an extended family situation, as was common in days past.  My children are all for this style of living, knowing that together, we can all work to create something loving and  meaningful.  My children crave to be with their family for the most part.  They feel safe, loved and comforted, and enriched by our existing together.  I know that is not common for all families, and for this I am blessed!

I also dream of having community of my heart near, and possibly living on property I own.  Several of my sisters and I in the Field of Tantra Maat have been ‘dreaming’ this style of living in our Creation Exercises for some time.  And now, with the weather shifting and changing, I continue to dream of my warm, comforting home with its beautiful hickory table, being filled with hearty soups, salads, and sweet conversation with my community sisters and brothers, who are also my family.  I can feel this dream deeply fostering itself in my cells.

What is community to you?  What might it look like?  We need each other now, to learn, grow, be of assistance to one another as we age.  We need to be surrounded by those who love us unconditionally, and who help us to grow…we never stop growing. 

As I continue to observe this growing dream, I know it will come into form soon, as the dream is brewing nicely, and my children are thrilled about the changes.  On this beautiful fall day, I continue to be present to my community, and to dream, knowing I am here at this time to assist in restoring community and all of its richness!