Spirituality in the City

Community

Catriona Leavey

As our daughter Aoibhinn, who has special needs including visual impairment and limited mobility, grew, our home no longer met her needs. In the wake of recession, we were unable to secure a loan for the major adaptations she required. Asking for help felt exposing—vulnerable in a way we weren’t used to. But a kind builder friend offered to help and encouraged us to reach out to our wider community.

As a family deeply involved in the community where we’ve both lived our whole lives, the response was profoundly moving. Businesses and tradespeople offered their support and time. Our local clubs, my yoga circle, friends, family and neighbours all stepped forward. Within months, our home became fully accessible—safe, spacious and filled with care, holding a bright future for Aoibhinn’s independence and our family.

More than the walls and floors, you can sense the love in every brick, the kindness in every corner. True wellbeing isn’t individual—it’s shared. We heal, grow, and thrive through the power of community and the deep connection it brings.

Chris Kowalski

I was open minded for most of my conscious life and happy to associate myself with various individuals and groups of people standing for the greater good and an unusual intellectual take on reality. I have always valued this kind of inspiration. I was able to find ideas and concepts which I could absorb, reform and apply into my mindset; ideas from the spiritual, historic, religious, scientific or any knowledgeable sphere impacted me in a very fruitful way. Communities of people sharing ideas always motivated me to seek more questions and step by step move on in my own mindful and spiritual journey into deeper consciousness.
Communication with like-minded people quickly turned us into small communities where our purpose was processing answers to our cumulative questions. We collaborated on studies and research into the physical, paranormal and esoteric aspects of life. From such communities I felt plenty of mutual inspiration, contribution, support and comprehension over passing years. It was great to have such a possibility – unveiling together new and unique paths for exploration. I’m happy to think I was once a part of such community.

Siobhan Feeney

To me, community is all about coming together, supporting each other through action or presence, and being part of something greater than me. It’s almost like a beautiful loving net that allows us to feel held and supported, and safe to just be.

A few years ago, I went through a series of bereavements which left me feeling completely stunned and bewildered by grief and loss. Family and friends rallied around, providing support, love and care in whatever way they could. At the same time, other people and situations showed up in my life. Gifting little miracles, insights and healing. Doorways opened into new experiences, reconnecting me with love and joy. I felt the support and care of strangers through kind words, a heartfelt gesture or warm smile. Leaving me wondering if they were placed on my path to simply uplift me in that moment. What remains is this beautiful sense of being supported and held by something greater, a wider more far-reaching community, so it were.

Sukhmani Rayat

When I was asked to write this piece, I was leaving my current home in Washington, DC, to visit Leeds, UK, the city where I grew up and first learned to play tabla. In DC, the social and political fragmentation can feel overwhelming. But each time I return to Leeds, I’m reminded of one of my earliest experiences of the power of community.

Here, where I once sat cross-legged among 60 others, with the reverberating skins of as many pairs of hand drums, I was taught that community is a living rhythm. Leeds showed me that culture resides in the body, in the shared pulse of music, memory, and mutual care.

Years later, the place that shaped me is shaping me still. In fractured times, we must nurture relationships with those we can care for, and who can care for us. Community is not a luxury. It is a sacred act of resistance, and a rhythm we must return to.

Bruno Justi

To me, community means giving with intention and without expectation. It can be as simple as two people sharing space honestly, listening without judgment. Over time, I’ve come to realize that community isn’t limited to people I know—or even, at times, to people at all. The more I connect with God—or whatever name one gives to that source—and internalize the truth that all is connected, the more I see community in everything.

Recently, I was caught in a spiral of heavy thoughts at 3 a.m. I asked for clarity. I stepped outside and saw a single night bird singing from the roof. I focused on that, and after a few minutes, I felt tremendous love. I felt held, and I cried. Somehow, observing that bird doing its thing reminded me that everything is part of creation, and therefore, the heavy thoughts were also part of creation and needed nothing more than space without judgment. So I listened, and they slowly rested, and my body relaxed. It was a loving exchange: the heavy thoughts served to remind me of an always-present connection; I served the heavy thoughts by being space for them to emerge. A tiny community between heavy thoughts, a night bird, and myself.