Tribe.  There have been a lot of articles in the past year about finding your tribe or being part of a tribe.   I thought about it and pondered as to who my tribe really is.  So I put it out there on Facebook and asked:  

 What tips do you have in finding a tribe?  

And 13 people offered up tips and insights.  All of which are interesting….

Crystal: Acceptance, kindness, respect, honesty, non-judgment, unconditional love….or at least the attempt.

Jeanine:  Remember in Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle, he talked about a “karats?” a loose-knit group of roughly 16 people you associate with your entire life? I always liked that idea.

Russell: If you meditate every day you will eventually find yourself in a wonderful tribe without having sought. Don’t limit yourself to your own imagination.

Me:  What makes up our tribe? Our FB friends, the people we work with, our family? Are we members of many tribes at the same time all in a quest to have a sense of belonging?

Brenda: You’ll have to explain the tribe you’re seeking. I’m finding my tribe is showing up the more I have personal growth.

Beulah: My tribe is almost completely made up of women…sisters, all whether by birth or fortune. I couldn’t survive without them.

Sherri: Those who connect to your soul…the deepest part of you. You know them. Just let it happen. I’m doing just that myself. It is amazing who is in your tribe led by the higher power. You will find them without looking. The ones who speak to your soul. Your tribe. Tribes are connected at the soul. No matter what their outer thoughts. Thoughts are only judgments good or bad. The soul will find the souls that are connected with you. There are no prerequisites of how the body and mind of the soul lives. Those are human conditions of the mind, just my opinion and that in itself is a judgment as are all thoughts.

Gary: Your tribe is the circle of friends that are close to you…the circle can be small or large; it doesn’t matter about the size. What matters is that your hearts and souls connect.

Stacy: Members of my tribe must eat and drink similar to me. A basic common need we have in share. Also an openness to share differences and withhold judgment.

Greg:  Listen, and pray, and watch. If you ask for your Tribe to find you, they will!

Happy:  Okay, my personal thoughts on this. I think we live many lives. In these lives a core of people always shows up, in different people that we are in contact with, i.e., my mom and I were together many different times. Once I was the mom, once we were friends….at one time we were twin sisters…I believe my tribe are these people. People you are drawn to, I feel that I have recently met several kindred souls on FB…it is a very good way to bring people together, if it’s used as that tool. And when we finish our lessons here on Earth, we all transcend and we are joined Beyond. The same thing, I feel about people who you immediately dislike. These people have done harm to you in the past, and you meet them again, to learn, to forgive, and move on. This is what I think your tribe is… You already know many of them. They are the people you love most deeply, and unconditionally.

Brenda:  My tribe is almost everyone and everything. In some way they make the circle complete. My son’s teachers, my employees, my animals, my family, my neighbors, my community, complete strangers, FB friends, nature and so on. It is all different levels of my tribe… but it is a tribe for me.

Jeanie: my thoughts … our tribe needs to be open and flexible everyday … yes, our closest loved ones will always be in our inner circle, but we are all imperfect people and will disappoint each other from time to time and won’t be there for the other when and how we need it at times. We need to forgive others, forgive ourselves, try to remain humble and accepting and realize what to hold onto and let go of each and every day. A stranger can be part of your tribe, even if for a moment, because in that moment – they are exactly what you need. When we struggle, it can be a very good and important time in our lives even if it’s painful ~ that’s when we grow the most.

Margarita: Decency and a good heart is the price of admission to my tribe. Anyone with that is in.

I would love to know your thoughts on tribes. Anything to share?