Aldea Spiritual Community

If We Build It...(Part 4): IT | Jake Haber

In this message, we explore the mysterious and powerful idea of “IT”... that inner pulse, purpose, or pull that each of us carries.
 
When we stop forcing everything to make sense and become still, real and raw emotions begin to surface. Our inner world starts pointing toward the things that matter most. Sometimes that shows up as joy — the things that make us feel alive. Sometimes as ache — the compassion, heartbreak, or outrage that reveals where healing or action is needed. And sometimes as curiosity — the questions that won’t leave us alone.
 
By paying attention to these three signals, we begin to live in alignment with our deeper calling rather than the expectations around us. We move with resilience, clarity, and a grounded sense of direction — not because we have the answers, but because we’re finally listening.
 
Quotes:
 
The earth seems to be beseeching us to connect with joy and discover our innermost essence. This is the best way that we can benefit others. — Pema Chödrön  
Pleasure is always derived from something outside you, whereas joy arises from within. — Eckhart Tolle  
Let your heartbreak be your guide; it will lead you to what you most need to know. — Terry Tempest Williams  
A healer is someone who seeks to be the light that they wished they’d had in their darkest moments. — Alan Watts  
I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious. — Albert Einstein  
The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. — Albert Einstein  
Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves… Live the questions now. — Rainer Maria Rilke  
 

If We Build It...(Part 3): BUILD | Jake Haber

In this week’s message, we explore what it means to "build" - literally or metaphorically. Whether you’re building a relationship, a home, a community, or a dream, the process is universal.
We reflect on how building something meaningful often starts small and unseen. It requires commitment through the rain and shine, a willingness to keep going when it’s uncomfortable, and the imagination to see what doesn’t yet exist.
 
At Aldea, we’re rediscovering the sacred art of building together. A new way of being spiritual, of being community, of being human.
 
Quotes: 
 
“Thirty years ago my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he’d had three months to write, which was due the next day…. He was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books about birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother’s shoulder, and said, ‘Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.’”
— Anne Lamott
The amateur believes they must first overcome their fear; then they can do their work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome.” — Stephen Pressfield
 
“If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.” — Carl Jung
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” — Buckminster Fuller
 

If We Build It... (Part 2): WE | Guest Panel

For the second installment of our series "If We Build It...", we called upon members of our community to share about moments in their lives where collaboration, interconnectedness, and belonging reminded them that "WE" is greater than "ME". 
 
Hear a collection of wonderful stories from Kathleen, Toni, Robyn, Glenn, and Roger.

If We Build It... (Part 1): IF | Jake Haber

Two letters can change everything. This first message in our new series explores the power of “If” — the thin line between fear and freedom, obligation and possibility.
 
We’re often taught to live under the weight of “must,” carrying expectations shaped by culture, religion, family, and fear. But “if” invites us into something different: curiosity, play, and co-creation.
 
This message weaves together the story of Aldea’s three-year journey of resilience, the spiritual and emotional power of living with open hands, and the courage to build without guarantees. It’s about shifting from control to trust, from obligation to love, and from rigidity to wonder.
 
As we step toward the future together, this is an invitation to experiment, to create, and to say yes to the unknown.
 
Quotes:
 
Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom. — Søren Kierkegaard
You must love in such a way that the person you love feels free. — Thích Nhất Hạnh
Our culture teaches us to seek meaning in accumulation, but the hunger is never satisfied because what we crave is connection, not consumption. — Gabor Maté
Your task is not to foresee the future, but to enable it. — Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
 

Discovering Your Internal Universe | Cody Deese

On Sunday, we were joined by Pastor and Author Cody Deese. His new book, Discovering Your Internal Universe, is a powerful and deeply personal exploration of his journey with anxiety—revealing how our greatest symptoms can often become doorways to our deepest inner truths.
Cody is also the pastor of Vinings Lake, a spiritual collective in Georgia whose journey mirrors Aldea’s in many ways. It was a gift to share space with someone walking a similar path of reimagining spiritual community with honesty, courage, and depth.
 
Purchase Discovering Your Internal Universe now:
https://a.co/d/hjBByg4
 
 

Growing Pains (Finale): Inviting Accountability | Jake Haber

Growth isn’t always graceful: it’s gritty, uncomfortable, and often asks us to face the gaps between who we are and who we want to be. For the series finale of "Growing Pains", we explore the role of accountability in real transformation...not as finger-pointing, but as an invitation to grow.
We’ll journey through cringe-worthy personal stories, "The Coldplay Incident", and honest reflections on how we resist being called out… and how we can choose to lean in to an accountability that is both deeply personal and profoundly communal.
 
When grace meets accountability, growth happens.
 
Quotes:
 
Truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off. — Gloria Steinem
Without accountability, we drift; with it, we thrive. — John C. Maxwell
Accountability without compassion is cruelty. — Krista Tippett
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” — Proverbs 27:17
 

Growing Pains (Part 8): The Power Of Pruning | Jake Haber

Pruning is not just a gardening technique... it’s a profound spiritual practice. In this week’s message, we explore the deep wisdom behind letting go, saying “no,” and shaping a life that aligns with what truly matters.
 
From the necessity of cutting back, to the surprising freedom that emerges when we stop trying to “do it all,” pruning teaches us how to focus our attention, reclaim our energy, and make space for what’s next.
 
We talk about why society’s obsession with “more” often leads to burnout, how every meaningful “yes” is built on a thousand “no’s,” and how pruning isn’t a sign of failure...it’s a choice for growth, balance, and purpose.
 
This is about more than minimalism: it’s about living intentionally. Whether in relationships, work, spirituality, or purpose, pruning invites us into a deeper, more focused way of being.
 
Quotes:
 
“Whatever is not yours: let go of it. Your letting go of it will be for your long-term happiness and benefit.” — Buddha (Na Tumhaka Sutta)
“My experience is what I agree to attend to. Only those items which I notice shape my mind.” — William James
 
 

Growing Pains (Part 7): Expanding Faith | Benjie Danquah & Jake Haber

Check out this in-depth and intimate conversation with Benjie Danquah - a speaker, coach, educator, and self-proclaimed mystic.
 
In our chat, Benjie is vulnerable and transparent about a faith that is continually evolving and expanding. We discuss what it means to be authentic even when it comes at a cost, and what it means to be a "mystic".

Growing Pains (Part 6): Leaning In | Jake Haber

Life often tempts us to distract ourselves from discomfort...through screens, shopping, sugar, or endless busyness. But what if the very things we try to avoid are invitations to deeper truth, healing, and transformation?
 
This message explores the idea of leaning into the hard places rather than turning away. From the psychological wisdom to ancient parables, we’ll uncover how our fears, symptoms, and triggers can become guides toward greater wholeness.
 
Through breath, inner work, and community, we can move from fragile to resilient...and even into anti-fragile, where challenges don’t just test us but fuel our growth.
 
Quotes:
 
Pema Chödrön: “Rather than trying to rid yourself of your problem, go deeper into it. If you become familiar with fear, compassion arises.”
James Hillman: “Follow the lead of your symptoms, for there’s usually a myth in the mess, and a mess is an expression of soul.”
Carl Jung: “Where your fear is, there is your task.”
Ramana Maharshi: “We cannot mend the whole world. If we try to reform the world without reforming ourselves, we cannot succeed. Instead of trying to cover the whole earth with leather to avoid the thorns, it is enough to wear sandals.”
Nassim Taleb: “Wind extinguishes a candle and energizes fire.”
 

Growing Pains (Part 5): Transcending Certainty | Jake Haber

In this week’s message, Jake explores the tension between certainty and uncertainty, drawing from both personal loss and the wider challenges we face as a community.
Through stories of family, grief, and the mysteries of the universe, we’re invited to see that faith isn’t about having all the answers, but about how we live in the questions.
From quantum physics to everyday love, from community risk to the unknowns of the future, this talk encourages us to embrace life’s unpredictability, discovering that love, presence, and connection are what sustain us in the midst of uncertainty.
 
Quotes:
 
Richard Rohr: “Faith is not about everything turning out okay. Faith is about being okay no matter how things turn out.”
Adyashanti: “To live in the mystery, to dwell in the unknowable — that is the practice of presence.”
Alan Watts: “Risk is essential. There is no growth without risk, and no meaningful life without risk.”
Deepak Chopra: “Uncertainty is the fertile ground of pure creativity and freedom.”
Ram Dass: “We’re all just walking each other home.”