Have you heard?  All the astrologers are talking about it.  And the energy healers.  And everyone who knows anything about what’s coming.  Intrigued?

This season in our illustrious water dragon year is all about being in community.  And no, I don’t mean the television show.

What does that mean to you?  It’s was kind of confusing to me so I went deep into meditation and when that turned up nothing I started asking those who I feel know a lot about community.

I know for me this year has been chocked full of change and disillusionment, and frustration and uncomfortability.  Was it that fun for you as well?

Tig Nataro the comedian recently did a bit about her last four months.  She got pneumonia, then contracted C-diff which is when a nasty bacteria actually eats your intestines.  Her partner left her then her Mother died.  To cap off the mixture she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast Cancer and had a double mastectomy.  I know what you’re thinking, this would have been a horrible stand up bit…but amazingly she made it funny.

She goes on to say that god never gives you more then you can handle.  That her angels are up there…you know, in Heaver… saying, God…stop already…she can’t take anymore.  And God just shakes his/her/its head and says….yes she can…trust me.

This is exactly what this year has been like on many levels…and I’d like to dissect this just a bit.

First, hopefully this year was not this intense for you, I know mine feels like a quiet nap in comparison, but we don’t need to compare, we each have our own limits.

But this brings me back to Community and what it can offer us.  Tig is a comedian.  And the day after she finds out she has cancer and can die very soon…she goes onstage with nothing written and says “Hello, I have Cancer, hello.  Hello, thank you, I have Cancer, hello.”  She does this for a few minutes until people start realizing she is telling the truth.

Tig’s community (at least one of them) is her audience.  She continued to work out her feelings, her emotions, her fear…through what she does best…talking it about it onstage, with her fans.

Community can take many forms and shapes and smells.  It can be anonymous like an audience.  Though she does end up addressing folks personally who are getting really moved by her admissions.

Your community can be your cat.  It doesn’t have to be a huge group.  It can be your partner or your work mates.  It can be coffee with an old friend, or a new one.  It can mean joining a group and instead of being a wall flower actually contributing some of your energy, some small part of yourself.

The Mayan calendar is about to end. And with this ending is a beginning, a shift from self-reliance to the energy of community.  The energy of the heart and the energy of coming together in ways we haven’t before.  As a planet.  As many cultures.  Moving away from us and them and moving into All is one.

What does it mean to feel and act from your heart?  That will be a much longer blog…I know…how is that possible?  Are you still there?  Have I lost you?

What I’m trying to say is that community is coming into our world like a wonderful training bra.

Not the one I forced my mom to buy me in fourth grade, only because all the girls had one.  We didn’t have a lot of money and I found out after having this lacy horrible thing on for a few hours that I didn’t ever want to wear a bra.  But I didn’t want my mom to feel like she wasted money so I wore it to school every day and then took it off in the bathroom the second I hit school and hid it in my bag.  I wouldn’t put it back on until I heard my mom come home from work, and then I would take it off again after she saw me wearing it.  (Sorry for only confessing to this now Mom.)

No, this season is about learning to get comfortable in your training bra.  Try lots of outlets.  Lots of sizes.  Lots of different ways to get that community spirit flowing and alive in your world.

Advice?  I’m an Aquarian and I freaking love my alone time.  I work with people all day and find my joy both in the time I share with them and also the meditative parts while they are in treatment and I am holding space.  But I’ll try…

Start slowly.  Grow connections in areas you love.  You love to knit?  Take a knitting class or join a circle of folks that get together to knit and chat.  You love to dance, join a dance class…I recommend Tango, but that’s just my fav.  You like to read, join a book club.  You like to write, get on Meet-up and join a writing group.  You like to act, join an improv group. You like a particular sport?  Join an intramural team.  You like finger-painting?  Invite me…I freaking love finger painting.  The world is your oyster folks…I ran into a group of kids dressed up in battle gear with swords made of duct tape pretend killing each other last weekend.  Let your freak flag fly as long as you are having FUN!

Call an old friend you miss and have tea or a beer or something stronger.

And for heaven’s sake…if there is unfinished business with someone or something, as soon as you think about it take STEPS to fix it.  IMMEDIATELY.  This is not the time to carry the weight of woulda, shoulda, coulda…..

Each and every one of you has a light.  If you know it…let it shine so we can find you.  If you don’t….I think you owe it to yourself to find it…and then share it with the rest of us.

Just sayin.

Three cheers for community!