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Affirmation: The
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The Word, Letters, Introductions |
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News, Subscribers, Humor |
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Spring turns to Summer and the tempo of the year quickens. Dan is turning 50 and more than ever has a reason for hope and confidence, though it is unclear to him the route that will be taken. He has a prescient sense that all too soon we will be traveling to our new home. Thoughts from Dan: I was thinking that, for me, I'd like to be able to grow a substantial portion of my own vegetables. I have found satisfaction in that activity, and look forward to making that a part of my contribution to the community as a whole. Not that I wouldn't have other ideas or a willingness to cooperate in the ventures of others. In fact we'd all probably be assisting each other in projects or tasks which we feel best foward our development as a community and as individuals. All of us will have some kind of enterprise that would provide income for the community. I could continue to teach in public schools, and do home schooling or tutoring. I would bet that most everyone on our mailing list has more than one way to create income and so I believe that, together, we can create what we want. I believe that we will find our way. Thoughts from Wendy: I also greatly enjoy gardening, and have a special affinity for music, dance and creative movement. Learning about the many cultural and spiritual traditions in the world fascinates and inspires me. There are several fields within which I have had experience including early childhood education, office support work, and eldercare. I am still exploring what areas I would like to focus on as I look ahead to the future. It would be a wonderful dream come true to co-create with others a community of people who are interested in conscious living - contributing to a better world beginning in our own homes and neighborhood, and reaching out to the larger world either as individuals or as a group. Our home page: http://www.creativeideasforyou.com/commune_land.html Email Address: creative1@creativeideasforyou.com If you would like to leave a telephone message for us, you can leave one at Wendy's voicemail which is 415-364-3045 Thanks, Dan and Wendy
These are the introductions from persons that have written us since the last issue. Please go to Subscriber's Introductions if you would like to see the profiles we have on file currently. Some but not all of these people may have additional information there.
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shmuel..........s.wahli@worldnet.att.net I have wanted to live community life for a good while, and the parameters that I have read are agreeable. I have a graphic arts business, media, and printing company that could be used for the community; however, it is located in Indiana. I have raised toggenburg goats for many years, and would very much like to be involved with goats in a community. I have committed myself to understand the ketav levonah or ancient Hebrew writings and am involved in translating the writings of the Torah into English with commentary. I see this language has been the basis of many languages today, universal in scope, and through which we come to understand all that is before us as well as to activate and fully develop the attributes of light within us. A couple of my publications are THE ALPHABET and THE TORAH LIGHT DICTIONARY. Some prior editions are available from the web site: www.bethashem.org please keep me posted of the community developments and the proposals. Further thoughts: A vibrant mix of individuals that see themselves merging into a collective wholeness. The community would consider the best way for subsistence items but would see their purpose at a higher frequency to create a society of wholeness. The ideals would include respect, sharing with one another as a family respecting the various positions of each member, tolerance for growth and exploration, dedication to the Vision of the community, and each member being responsible to the whole.
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Angelina..........KKIKKI@aol.com I am very interested in helping along with this dream in any way to make it a reality. My name is Angelina, I am 22, and I have a lot of ideas I would like to share. For example, how about registering your members and asking that they open their own savings accounts and contributing a certain percentage of their paychecks each month to this cause. This way we would have a constant growth in funds. And if someone can't put aside that amount for a month, ask them to report it so that we have an accurate figure. I am so excited to find that there are people organizing already for something that I have always dreamed about. I have some skills that I am confident will help out this community, but one in particular that I am developing now that will definitely be beneficial- I am studying to become a doctor. I am also a very loving, patient, maternal, spiritual being. I can cook, care for children, massage, organize creative activities, teach, listen, and love. Please add me to your mailing list so that I can add this community to myheart! Love and Peace, *************************************************************
From Stacey.........(email with held for the time) We hear: I would be very interested in hearing about the progress you are making towards the goal of establishing a self-sufficient community. I am a twenty six year old woman with a Masters degree in Social Work. I too am desiring to help create, maintain and live in a community like the one that you have described. Please let me know if I can be of any assistance.
I have written her back letting her know a bit of what we'd like and am waiting her to write back.
************************************************************* Tala Dufresne..........dufretn@hotmail.com Please do add my email address to the site, so that I may receive info and newsletters. Also, any info that I have thus far written may be used on the site... I'm really just looking around, as I've said, but who knows, maybe this will be for me. tala
John Coleman..........gobstoppers@earthlink.net Dear Dan, So sorry I haven't written for a while. The good news is that I'm still here and still willing to put up 53 to 73 acres near Moody Al. just east of Birmingham. The property I own has a good fresh water spring and would be good for camping but I feel that it would be selfish of me to ask everyone to come here. I can bring pictures and everyone will have a good time at the gathering. If we aren't all happy with our group, there will be tons of other people involved in other alternatives. Perhaps we could work together to liquidate this property. Only problem is that if we sell fast the figure will be considerably smaller than the $3 mil it will bring in as a subdivision. I believe that what we really need is to meet at the rainbow family's fourth of July gathering. We can meet and get to know each other. This would be very economical and practical for everyone. I am very interested in meeting everyone involved. Seize the day - let's meet and decide what we are going to do. I have found that life is too short to waste time "talking about it".
From Kraig..........kmottar@yahoo.com Community of light sounds religious, or am I assuming again? In my idea of a community there would be something in the charter or whatever that state the community is NOT religious. That is the leadership or whatever it is, of the community would not sponsor or initiate anything that is religious, While individuals or groups of individuals within the community could. I wrote back saying: It is not religious in the sense that we have any one creed that we would follow. What I believe Wendy and I would like is to have a place in the community set aside for worship practices free for any to attend or create. The essential quality of religion is what we'd like, not the trappings, the dogma, or the specificity. I could not imagine my having a religious factor in the community and not having buy in from the people involved. There would have to be consensus. If a place is run by consensus and the people change, will not the policies, projects and focus of the group also change? The answer is yes and no. First as things are founded and decisions are made, certain choices will become extremely difficult to reverse or undo, secondly, new members will be those who are attracted to what you are already doing, thus a status quo will develop. That said, there will be lots of wiggle room, new projects, new activities, new ways of doing old things, letting old practices fade away. All that is possible with consensus. Yes, I think that Wendy and I would concur, that we'd be much more willing to have some of the individuals in the community hold "services", even have guests who might do the same, but as to having an "official" religion? I would not want that, overall. We sometimes go to what is called a Universal Worship, wherein elements of different religions are incorporated into a holistic effect, meant to show the unity in all of them. I believe that religions have more in common than not, at least in their central, core, essentials.
From T, edenproj@yahoo.com There are a lot of people looking for a learning community like Eden. Especially now that the world is on the verge of War. Some don't even know it. And I do believe there may be a reason for that. It may be time now for a new vision and a new understanding of who we are as a whole and who we are as individuals and as communities. You may have wanted to find the right community for some time now. And you know how hard that can be. But Community is not an ordinary thing like so many people would have it be. There is something very real about it that so many of us just can't live without. But you do have to be willing to really care enough about this community and the vision of Eden to make it. We are members of the FIC. And Eden is still in the planning stages. But this is not a CoHousing community, this is the true 2,240 acre EcoVillage where everybody has productive work and a home in that community. There will also be Ancient Valley, a 200 acre retreat area with 2 large lakes. There will be 3 acres homesteads all around the rim of the valley. There will be the Community Farm, about 300 acres to create jobs and to help drive our own Sustainable Micro-Economy. We will have Eden Village for meetings and Community Activities. There are lakes, creeks, and mountains all around us, forests and wildlife. What we're talking about is Permaculture, Sustainable Living, Egalitarianism, Right Livelihood, more than enough and some to share, protecting the environment and freedom right here in the natural world. We do need to hear from you. And we do need to actually meet before too long. But we should all be people who see ourselves as people who care about the earth, want to make a difference and are getting ready to do just that. Because that's what this is really all about. Expect the best and take care of the rest is how we all live. - T Let us know who you are and what you need to know. There are meetings. There is an egroup. Join our group of over 200 members to be kept informed just by sending a blank Email to: EdenProj-subscribe@yahoogroups.com www.edenproject.homestead.com ************************************************************ From: Temeluch@yahoo.com Five simple rules Remember the five simple rules to be happy in this group: 1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less. No one can go back and make a brand new start. Anyone can start from a "now" and make a brand new ending. When something happens to you, good or bad, consider what it means. There's a purpose to life's events, to teach you how to laugh more or not to cry too hard. You can't make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved; the rest is up to the person to realize your worth. It's better to lose your pride to the one you love, than to lose the one you love because of pride. We spend too much time looking for the right person to love or finding fault with those we already have, when instead we should be perfecting the love we give. Never abandon a friend. You will never find one who can take his or her place. Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older. Let's not strike out at each other. That only shows that we need to make somebody wrong to be right. Here we will welcome both visionary idealism and practical considerations.
Cracked Pots? A water bearer in India had two large pots each hung on the ends of a pole which he carried across his neck. One of the pots had a cradck in it, while theother pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walk from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the bearer delivering only one and a half pots full of water to his house. Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments, perfect for which it was made. But, the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it was able to accomplish only half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived as bitter failure, it spoke to the water bearer one day by the stream. "I am ashamed of myself and I want to appologize to you. I have been unable to deliver my full share of water because of a crack which allows water to leak out as you carry me. Because of my flaw, you do not get full value from your efforts on your family's behalf." The bearer said to the pot, "Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side? That's because I have always known about your flaw, and I planted flower seeds on your side of the path. Every day as we walk back, you've watered them. For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house. Moral: Each of us has our own unique flaws. We're all cracked pots. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are, and look for the good in them. Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape. Remember to appreciate all the different people in your life! Blessings to all my crackpot friends |
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From Seattle
At Seattle Wisdome School we are following the tradition of the ancient indiginous people, especially the Australian Aboriginies. They lived sustainably for 40,000 years. Please contact me in you are a woman interested in helping to birth a new world of blessings. Kay Dayss, Seattle Wisdom School http://www.SeattleWisdomSchool.com kay@seattlewisdomeschool.com
The sponsors of these sites agree to donate a few cents for each click. The Breast Cancer Site, The Hunger Site The Rain forest Site, Free donation, and last, but not least, a place called QuickDonations.com , there you'll find links to over 50 sites where you can click to donate.
If you want to research intentional communities this is a good place to start.
From a viewer of that website: I've been interested in straw bale construction for some time. Besides being versatile and inexpensive it is also energy efficient. Homes have been built for as little as $7.50 a square foot. this is a far cry from the $90 "modern" builders quote for "modern" homes. There is a story about someone building a home here with links to more information See: http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/6_2001.htm
I am not comfortable with publishing the email addresses of subscribers in the newsletter so I have to consider how best to allow you each to contact each other. I would like to know how many of us would like to use either or both of the methods below to encourage communication between us all. Both methods have advantages and so I am asking for feedback. Please let me know which which method you might prefer us to persue using or if you have another suggestion. Free Long Distance Calls! I have noticed that many of us have AOL suffixes on their email addresses. So my first thought was to have us make use of AOL's instant messanger. I use it and I do not have AOL as my server. Also this program works with Mac and IBM platforms. We could share out usernames and thus be allowed to know when we each are online and so be able to begin chatting directly. You can also voice chat with this program and although this is a bit glitchy, it does essentially allow free long distance communication. Rainbow Gathering? Again we have a suggestion to meet up at the annual Rainbow Gathering. Write to let me know if you have an interest in making that attempt. This is the information that I have at this point: The North American Rainbow Gathering (hence referred to as the Gathering) will be in the Great Lakes region (Wisconson, Michigan, Minnesota) from July 1 - July 7. As Spring Council isn't till June 14-15, directions won't be apparent till after that date. If you need to get plane tickets, Green Bay, WI or Minneapolis, MN are probably as close as you can get, so the word has it. I will send out a special emailing to let everyone know more, or if I or others are going to be able to make it. I know this time frame is rather short, but it is an idea. For more information go to Rainbow Gathering
I've thought about this buying an old motel or apartment building and though to combine such a thing with agriculture might be tricky because zoning, it would be great for the multiple units and population density. I suppose a vegan community could do very well in such a situation. I don't think vegetable gardens and fruit trees would be illegal anywhere. Occasionally rural retreat centers come up for sale. These could be ideal places to start a community, as they often include large pieces of land, as well as community-sized kitchens, meeting rooms, pools, and dining halls, and they already have multiple dwellings built. Bernadette..........greengorillatheater@yahoo.com
A Message alleged to be by George Carlin. The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less. We buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness. We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom. We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things. We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less. These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete. Remember, spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever. Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side. Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent. Remember, to say, "I love you" to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you. Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again. Give time to love, give time to speak and give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind - give time to thank God for all He has blessed you with.
I was thinking that the question of "mystical" vs. "pragmatic" is really of what's happening within each human being. We have two hemispheres in our brains, the pragmatic, linear thinking left brain and the intuitive, mystical right brain. In our society, those who are too unbalanced toward the right brain are called "crazy," but those unbalanced toward the left brain are called "normal," or even "intelligent." But they are just as insane. Our whole Western mentality is skewed toward the left brain linear way of thinking... and that is partly why we have created such an unsustainable way of life. We do not tend, as a society, to look at the whole picture. We imagine ourselves to be superior to more balanced cultures which have lived in harmony with Earth for thousands of years, while we, in a few hundred years, have threatened all life on the planet. It may seem unimportant to value the arts and the intuitive, spiritual side of life... as if that can just be added in once we get the pragmatic business of life taken care of. But in truth, we need that right brain influence in our world We cannot afford to choose one or the other. Both extremes will end in disaster. We need balance. And we need to respect that some people, most often men, will lean toward technology and pragmatic solutions, while other people, more often women, will tend to be more mystical or artistic. We need both in any sustainable community. We need both within each of our own beings. I suppose I would be lumped in with the mystical types, but I am also a very pragmatic person. I refuse to be lumped into one side or the other. I am seeking balance. The myopic focus on the importance of the bottom line has led us to the brink of environmental collapse. That is linear thinking at its worst. Everyone here is interested in finding sustainable solutions to building community. It is not necessary that we all live in the same village, but we do live in the world community together and we can share information and insights to make this larger community a better place. ************************************************************* Wisdom! A 92-year-old lady was moved to a nursing home today. Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the lobby of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready. As she maneuvered her walker to the elevator, I provided a visual description of her tiny room, including the eyelet sheets that had been hung on her window. "I love it," she stated. "Mrs. Jones, you haven't seen the room ... just wait." "That doesn't have anything to do with it," she replied. "Happiness is something you decide on ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn't depend on how the furniture is arranged ... it's how I arrange my mind. I already decided to love it....It 's a decision I make every morning when I wake up. I have a choice. I can spend the day in bed recounting the difficulty I have with the parts of my body that no longer work, or get out of bed and be thankful for the ones that do. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I'll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I've stored away ... just for this time in my life. Old age is like a bank account ... you withdraw from what you've put in. So, my advice to you would be to deposit a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories." What incredible wisdom! May we all live to be so wise and make the right choices.
In case there is someone interested in persuing this possibility. Not that this is what we might want but someone might have an interest or know of someone who does. Three owners (tenants in common) have 20 acre organic farm. One owner wants to sell his interest. Also, adjoining 23 acre organic orchard is for sale. (5 acre organic farm on same road.) Possible to sell /lease interests to start sustainable community. Northern California. Anyone interested ? If not maybe you know someone and can pass on my e-mail. jmygann jmygann@yahoo.com
I was sent this and thought to include it just for information's sake and in case someone wants this opportunity. Dan Permaculture Design Course in Hawai'i. August 1st- 21st, 2002: Permaculture Design Certification Course at La'akea Gardens on the BIG ISLAND OF HAWAII. A three-week, hands-on Permaculture design workshop. If you're looking for a Permaculture design course that emphasizes practical knowledge and skills, this one is for you. The extended three-week format allows plenty of time for hands-on projects, field trips around the island including visits to local organic farms, and a community building experience with our residents and other course participants. Our lead facilitator for this course is Toby Hemenway, writer, teacher, consultant, former geneticist, and author of the recent Permaculture book Gaia's Garden. Jude Hobbs will also be joining the course, adding her experience as a horticulturist, Permaculture designer, and instructor, Jude's focus is on environmental design solutions for urban and rural settings. Jude has presented Permaculture workshops and courses throughout the West for 12 years. Michael Kramer, owner of an ecologically responsible investment business, will be with us as well. Michael is the former director of the Permaculture Drylands Institute and lives in Hawai'i. Our hands-on sessions during the course will be lead by Sean Canetta, a locally successful Permaculture practitioner with unique and in-depth knowledge of tropical flora and biodynamic gardening. Check: http://www.permaculture-hawaii.com for more details or sends questions to: laakea@permaculture-hawaii.com Adjacent to the PDC we are offering a 4-day Earth Speaks Experience Workshop (July 26th- 29th) with Beatrix Pfleiderer, founder of Laakea Gardens and a special discount for PCD Students ($210). Check www.healingworkshopshawaii.com for more details. Next Permaculture design courses: November 2002, February 2003 |
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