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38 : on finding your tribe

Il Cenacolo - Leonardo Da Vinci [1495]
Il Cenacolo - Leonardo Da Vinci [1495]

I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 

 — Luke 22:15



On the eve of betrayal and death, Jesus gathers with those closest to him. The table is set, not for celebration, but for transition — for the liminal moment between life and sacrifice, between shared bread and scattered footsteps. The Last Supper is not only about farewell. It is about alignment: those who gather with you when everything is at stake.


Da Vinci’s iconic painting captures not just faces but reactions, vibrations, and relationships. It is not a serene moment — it is charged with movement, unspoken tension, and human complexity. Yet, despite betrayal brewing in the shadows, there is communion. This is the paradox of spiritual tribe: we do not find perfect people, but those with whom we are meant to share the table, to grow, to wrestle with life’s great questions.


In The Letters to the Brothers, Nichiren writes of shared practice as an expression of courage and mutual support: You should rise and greet each other, discuss the doctrine, and exhort one another to persevere [1]. The table, then, is a mandala of encouragement. Jung would see this moment as archetypal: a circle of the psyche, each person a part of the whole, each projection and reaction a reflection of something within us.


To find your people is not about avoiding pain or conflict — it is about recognizing resonance. These are the ones who sit with you in vulnerability, who face the unknown together, who share your language even in silence. They challenge you, mirror your growth, walk beside you even when the road turns dark.


But there's more: you must also be this kind of person for others. The Last Supper calls us to ask — what kind of presence do I bring to the table? Am I speaking with integrity? Am I listening? Am I living in alignment with the deeper purpose that has drawn us here? 

The world today can feel fragmented, lonely, and disjointed. Finding your spiritual tribe is an act of resistance — a quiet declaration that truth, love, and courage are possible when shared. And when you find that table — whether around food, conversation, ritual, or creative fire — protect it. Tend to it. Offer something to it. 



Journaling Prompt: Who are the people that truly “sit at your table”? What values or spiritual commitments do you share? How can you deepen those connections—and how can you become the kind of presence you seek in others? 


[1] A paraphrased evocation of the spirit found in Nichiren’s letters, especially ‘On Establishing the Correct Teaching for the Peace of the Land" and "The Three Kinds of Treasure".



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