Explorer Lauren Magrisso brought down the house at The Grail National Gathering closing brunch when she read this essay aloud.

This weekend, I went on a retreat. It was actually The Grail National Gathering.

What is The Grail you ask?

In short, it is an international women’s movement committed to the integrated advocacy of social justice, environmental sustainability, creative energy and women’s empowerment. You see, the total is greater than the sum of its parts.

Over the course of 70 years, they have built a web, a network, to support and inspire each other. Their mission provides a road map for them to make a true difference in the world, one that challenges you and enables you to become your best self.

When we got together, we played, we danced, we sang, we created! These women know how to have FUN! Not the fun that comes from cheap thrills or harming your body, but the inoculating fun that warms the soul.

What ties these women together is that they are all spiritual seekers. From many walks of life, when they found each other, they became a force to be reckoned with!

At their worst, they are a group of strong, opinionated voices, and at their best, they are a group of strong, opinionated voices.

You see, that is the point. Doing life’s work, working for your passion means you are willing to suffer because it is truly important.

They are first to support each other in their times of suffering, and they are first to celebrate their successes. The Grail is like a second home; it is a true community.

You see, friend, our kind of community, the kind that relies on pixels on a screen and an internet connection can leave us feeling lonely sometimes – especially when we are working to create social change.

These women offer us a web to jump into, to continue building ourselves and the cause.

At first, we will be supported by their web fully, standing on the shoulders of the work they have committed their lives to. But slowly, and surely, the web will become our own. It must, as we are the ones to carry the torch into the future.
Today, the world is in need of this work more than ever. And what progressive groups like The Grail have realized is that you can’t chunk off disparate issues and see them in silos like the industrial revolution has trained our culture to do.
No, we must look at the synergistic opportunity that comes from this integration. The beauty of this is that we don’t have to lose or suppress a piece of ourselves for the sake of “specialization.” No, we will fully live our journey in the loving arms of the collective journey.
So come, join the collective. Gatherings usually include singing, centering, sharing of food and intellect. You can even travel the world with the promise of this community.
The bonds with The Grail are limitless, and through all of it, you will realize that the bonds of your potential, too, are limitless.
(Thank you for letting me observe your gathering and absorb the energy, intellect and love).