“The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other’s life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof.” – Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
Something quite magical has been happening on the OTIJ tour and retreat adventures since the first one in December 2012 – and that’s the emergence of a sense of ‘tribe’ beyond anything anticipated by founder and dreamworker, Andy Metcalfe. It’s also one of the major aspects of each trip he is inspired by the most, and one of the main reasons he’s now expanding these ‘adventures in spirit’ beyond the confines of Peru.
Did you know that the traditional definition of ‘tribe’ includes the idea that there is often a number of related families within it? And yet the modern day tribe is coming together around common passions more than family. So much so that Seth Godin says ‘Tribes are what matter now. Tribes, not money or factories, will change the world,’
http://blog.ted.com/why_tribes_not/
So what is our tribe here at OTIJ?
We’re open-minded and sincere. The way we see it we are people who want more than what the mainstream life offers us and therefore have to have open minds to new ideas, new people and new places. We’re more likely to come out from behind our masks, reveal our true selves in this place of emotional intimacy. When we offer this to others we receive it back and the feeling of being fully ‘seen’ and appreciated is remarkable. For some people it may be the first time they’ve experienced this in their lives. In todays society we’re subliminally taught to hide behind our labels of gender, education, profession, political persuasion etc so to turn up in a group without these is a courageous, vulnerable and ultimately transformational decision.
Sometimes you just have to get a little crazy!
Although we want to explore a deeper level of what life is really all about, which is pretty spiritual, we don’t take ourselves too seriously, so it’s a vital requirement to have a passion for getting under the skin of reality along with a sense of humour. You’ll see what we mean if you watch the JP Sears video below about what our tribe is not. We love a bit of irreverence as it goes a long way to releasing the subtle mask of being a ‘spiritual person’, which in turn allows us to have a deeper experience of our journey.
We’re willing to go beyond our comfort zone. We cannot grow if we don’t push our boundaries occasionally, although we also want to be kind to ourselves, learning how to go at a pace which supports us as individuals. There is a fine balance between the needs of the individual and the needs of the tribe which is far simpler to negotiate when we’re in coherence. This means that we try to be aware of others around us and either offer support where needed or not be afraid to ask for help either. All of us have strengths and weaknesses which can marry well when synergy and coherence develop within a group to bring about that tribal energy, as we saw in Lord of the Rings and its Fellowship.
Another important aspect is that whatever our physical age we are young at heart. On the whole if you consider yourself a ‘seeker of truth’ you’re likely to be young at heart anyway. Ageing comes about when we confine ourselves within rigid rules, rules which span the mental, physical, emotional as well as the spiritual. Being part of a tribe can allow us all to recognise our innate wisdom, which may come from considerable years of life, or simply from an age beyond our years. We endeavour to live and step lightly whether it’s on the beautiful external landscape we explore on our feet, or our extraordinary inner landscape which we explore with our hearts.
As our guide on the Peru Odyssey Adventure May 2015, Amaru, kept reminding everyone – we are not common tourists. And as one of the May 2015 group said, ‘These relationships are not going to end when we leave here right?… I’m closer to the people here than I am to some members of my family.’
If this speaks to you however subtle the whisper, please feel free to contact us and explore the experience of being part of our tribe. We promise to welcome you with all the above.
This video is the perfect description of who we are NOT:
We also thought you’d enjoy seeing what sort of things inspire us, so here are some of our favourite authors and a few other things besides, all of which have a profound impact on us and how we perceive the world and our place in it.
Richard Bach, Michael Singer, Don Miguel Ruiz, Charles Eisenstein, Daniel Quinn, Timothy Freke, Bruce Lipton, Terrence McKenna, Lynne McTaggart, Ekhart Tolle, Stuart Wilde, Paulo Coelho, Alex Grey, Gregg Braden, Neale Donald Walsch, Lynne McTaggart, Rupert Sheldrake.
Some things that interest and inspire us:
Travel, Sacred Places, Indigenous wisdom, Conscious festivals, Shamans, Entheogens, Creating a better world, Raising consciousness, Intentional communities
