In the article The Keystone of Beautiful Communities, I spoke about a square being the keystone of many beautiful communities in Europe, while in North America, it’s mostly Main Street, which is linear. Or a modern square, which lacks the charm and overall aesthetics of the old architecture.

A square—modern or old—is beautiful when it encourages and sustains harmonious interactions that reflect love as an impulse to give something of the highest quality.

Just like a square, you, too, have a keystone. You carry it with you wherever you go. It is made up of the external/physical elements and the inner elements. The external/physical keystone can be seen in the actions you take and the resulting realities you create. The inner keystone is reflected in the quantity and quality of love and goodness that you share with others and the world.

You carry your keystone with you wherever you go.

Your keystone is so precious that it seems to be under constant attack by the negative forces working through fellow humans.  Attacks on the family unit, your soul, creativity, body, freedom of speech, freedom of movement, and the sense of responsibility that goes hand in hand with freedom come to mind.

When defeated or overtaken by the negative forces working through fellow humans, the keystone loses its ability to create the highest quality of love and thus the highest quality of value. It’s not that it has no value left—it has less of it, like a gorgeous flower that is wilted—possibly beyond recovery. In humans, this manifests as various degrees of self-centredness, envy, jealousy, antagonism, worthlessness, abandonment, shame, etc. Such a keystone is not in good health.

Both healthy and unhealthy keystones have enormous creative power, although the direction of their power differs. The highest-quality-led keystone manifests realities that are higher in quality, while the quality-deficient keystone manifests realities that are lower in quality.

Thus, in any community, there is an assortment of keystones—men, women, and children—that share their unique spiritual makeups with each other as well as with the keystone of that community. They are also affected by other people’s keystones and by the keystone of their community, whatever it may be.

This give-and-receive of energy is happening constantly, whether you are aware of it or not. You fuel the collective keystone and are in turn fuelled by it.

Some of us are more easily impacted by the keystones of other people and of the community than others. That is why you may flourish after moving to a different department or organization, or to a different neighbourhood, town, city, or country. You may have been born in a part of the world that feels incompatible with who you are.

Some communities have a much more radiant keystone than others. Smaller communities and those closer to nature have brighter keystones, but not always, as the major determinant of the state of the community keystone is the sum of the individual keystones of its inhabitants. Conversely, the vibrant keystones of its inhabitants can cause the community keystone to become more vibrant.

A bright keystone within a person can be observed through their facial features and body language as well as their thoughts, values, and actions.

Conversely, a dark keystone within produces a darker energy and manifests less harmonious, less optimal interactions. A dark keystone can and should be healed and restored to whatever the best next level in quality would be.

A healthy spiritual keystone flourishes when there is progressive growth—you never stop growing, albeit in different ways as your life unfolds. In the first few decades of your life, your growth seems to be louder and more assertive, whereas in the later decades, you tend to grow inward and more silent.

Sometimes, growth seems to be stalled or nonexistent—when you go inward, within, to find inner peace and discover what patterns emerge when the mind quiets down and the dust settles. However, the opposite could be happening; you could be experiencing major inner growth and enlightenment.

To sustain growth, you need soul nutrients. From time to time, you also need custom-made soul medicine.

When each of us becomes a good steward of our keystone and supports others in caring for theirs, the world will manifest more of the highest-quality realities, which translates to a happier, more joyful life for yourself and others.