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Soultribes and Stuffed French Toast

I’ve been sitting in the peanut gallery for a while on the first topic (heavens, what’s there to wait for with the Stuffed French Toast??), simply because I was wary at first.  The next best thing isn’t always the next best thing, and you know, I was a little timid to get involved.

Rachelle has done a brilliant thing here.  She has listened and heard discontented church-goers or seekers everywhere and said, “Well, let’s do something about it.”  She calls things (events, holidays, rituals) by different names; otherwise, we’d all be dragging our own baggage along (which we would anyway).  She’s not afraid of the woo-hoo aspect of spiritual exploration.  Nope.  She’s breaking open the chains that bind and allowing us to glimpse a larger spiritual world (than we ever thought possible).

She encourages starting your own Soultribe.  And here is her “take” on Soultribes, which I think is just fantastic.  [Obviously, I’m a little behind, because I was supposed to start a Soultribe in 2009, not 2010, but hey, better late than never, is what I say!]

“Soultribe: noun, a generous soulcare community.

“Over the years I have been honored to hold space for people while they pour out their story about how badly their church fits them, or how worn down they are from trying to find their spiritual ‘place.’  Most of the time these folks resign themselves to one of two things: leaving, or staying somewhere that is a bad fit–somewhere that pinches their toes, leaves blisters on their heels, and keeps them from reaching the mountain top because, damn it, their feet hurt too bad to climb on up there!

“Soulsiblings, this simply will not do.  2009 is the year of the Soultribe! No more wandering about on our own, or cramming ourselves into institutions and ideologies that no longer fit.  This, my friends, is not for us.

“It’s time to move on–or perhaps more precisely it’s time to move in: to move in to the territory that is truly our own, to put some holes in the wall and hang up our paintings, to stick pictures on the fridge.  It’s time to make our souls at home.

“All this year I’ll be writing a series of posts on How to Build Your Soultribe.  [I’ve just ordered her SoulRetreats book.  I’ll let you know what that’s like very soon.]  Soultribe experts and experimenters alike will chime in on the comments, and together, we’ll figure this thing out.

“You can join any time, and moving at your own pace is highly recommended.  Make a commitment to your Soultribe dream by adding the button below to your site. It will be your proverbial stake in the ground-claiming space for the living room of your heart.

“To read all my posts related to Soultribes, click here.”

Digging around further, I found an interesting interview with Kelly Bean, one of Rachelle’s Soul Practitioners.  She started a group called Third Saturdays that’s been meeting for 20+ years!  She divulges the good, the bad, and the ugly, and gives hints on what to avoid.  Anyone who’s ever started anything–a book club, an organization–knows you get mired in the thick of it pretty fast…and it’s valuable to know how to navigate the mud in your mouth.  [Can you navigate mud in your mouth?  Not sure on that one.]

I’m excited for the possibilities.  Granted, I know of maybe two people who live near me (Rochester, MN) who might be interested, but still, this might encourage you to speak up and let me know that you want the same thing.  A nurturing, generous, caring tribe to face life with.  Made up of people willing to explore, discuss, play, cry, laugh, challenge, accept, love–you know, do it all together.

Let me know.  I’m preparing.

And because I would be the awfulest (my word) person EVER if I tantalized you with Stuffed French Toast, then did not offer it up, here it is, posted by manda2177 at The Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen Blog.

[photo credit: The Pioneer Woman Tasty Kitchen Blog]

How can anyone resist that?

May your midweek day be full of acceptance and love…and packed with possibility!

[Post image: Rachelle Mee-Chapman, host of Magpie Girl, a nest for restless creative souls and Flock, an online community for spiritual support, photo credit: Magpie Girl]

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