Why are we having such a difficult time decolonizing our minds so that we can return to our tribal roots? Could it be that most of us have no idea how to live within a tribe? The transition is not an easy one and even after 10 years of effort, I'm still cautiously working my way into a tribe as I explore my role, purpose and responsibilities.
The approach I took was necessary as I did not have any mentors or teachers to show me how to decolonize or even to show me what tribe life was all about. So I decided to declare peace and learn how to live a peaceful life outside of the system. This had an unforeseen benefit as my approach provided a platform to demonstrate my commitment to peace and independence. The divine feminine took notice of this dedication and I found myself being approached by many divine feminine beings who longed for this type of energy.
When I look around my life, 9 out of 10 people are women and most people that ask me for help, guidance or feedback are women. Why do the women resonate with my work so much? I believe it is because they are looking for peaceful divine masculine energy. There are few, if any, out there in the world who walk the path of peace. I'm not talking about a peace that most people see in a 'civilized' world, but rather a spiritual peace where non-violence, openness, respect and honour are the cornerstones of behaviour. To be blunt, most men do not live in peace as their very jobs and mind set are working within a colonial protocol that is governed using principles of war and conquest.
Leadership within a tribe is not a top down, hierarchical structure like some corporate or government organizational chart. Tribal leadership is a very flat organization where leadership is through example. No one individual is higher or lower than another. Using leadership techniques from the colonial war system is very disruptive and covertly violent within the tribe. The divine feminine will reject such efforts and as such are looking for leaders who have found peace and non-violence and are willing to lead by example instead. Decisions are not made from the top down, but rather are done through discussion and consensus. It takes a lot more effort and time but the benefits far out way the costs.
Decisions are also not made based on spread sheets, balance statements or return on investment analysis. Decisions are spiritual in nature and take into account the sacredness of all life as the tribe works for the betterment of all, which also includes the water, air, land, plants and animals too. Tribal decisions, if evaluated using colonial techniques would appear to be a poor business model, but tribes are not a business. Tribes are a protocol of abundance, prosperity and peace for all life on this planet. Tribes are spiritual organization structures, not physical or even fictional.
Tribes value all life and view everything as being sacred. As such, there is no way we can put a price on a head of cabbage, a goat or even a fellow human being. The whole paradigm between the colonial system and tribal life requires a completely different way of viewing life. Tribal life makes no sense to somebody who lives within the colonial system because ALL the rules are different. Just as colonial life made no sense to somebody who lived within the tribal system.
I've found that by spending the last 10+ years of my life decolonizing, the divine feminine acknowledged my efforts and they are starting to invite me into their tribes as a member but also as an elder. That does not mean that I run the tribe. Far from it. What made me an elder is the tribe members approaching me as they honour and respect the work that I've done and the path that I walk. The reach out to me for support, healing, guidance or feedback for their own journey. I've earned the respect of the tribe members and that is what made me an elder. The divine feminine is working hard to rebuild the tribes as that is their passion, role and authority. Tribes are not run with authoritarian, dictatorial or even democratic processes. Tribes function by the divine feminine and the divine masculine being at peace and finding ways to work together through consensus and spirit driven decisions.
I will express here as bluntly and unequivocally as I can.
If we engage in violence, coercion or force, even in the smallest degree, we will find our influence within the tribe diminish greatly, making us feel like we are outsiders. We will even jeopardize the tribe and this is why most intentional communities fail. They use colonial protocols within the tribe. True tribe requires that each and every single one of us do the work to heal so that we can hold the space of what tribe really means. The divine feminine is leading the way as they comprehend this more than anybody else. It is time that we stand and take notice of what the divine feminine is saying to the rest of us.
This requires a great deal of healing but also a tremendous amount of consciousness as the violence we have all learned within the colonial system is so diverse, penetrating and invasive, it requires years of work to decolonize the mind so that we can hold the space of being a tribe member. We cannot just park our tent in the bush and be a tribe member. It takes years of dedication, change, decolonization and a burning desire for independence, responsibility and accountability. I also don't believe that we can live in both worlds. We are either colonists or tribal in nature. It is not possible to flip back and forth. We are confronted with a choice and we better start making those choices before it is too late.
Also, to be clear, Elders are not elected, they are grown through a life time of hard work to the point where other tribe members trust them for their wisdom, patience, guidance and knowledge. They are chosen by the people who approach them for help. It is not a popularity contest where whose with the most check boxes on a ballot wins the right to be an elder. That is colonial thinking and colonial protocols.
I'll leave this post with an interesting article found in a paper some where, source unknown. But it describes what elders are like. Do you want to be an elder? Then you have a lot of work to do to earn the respect, honour and support of all the tribe members. Check your false ego at the door because it has no place within the realms of being an elder or a tribe member.
