..........

I am thinking that I should send out more frequent newsletters. Sometimes the amount of emails, comments, and other material builds up and becomes difficult to sift through. So I am thinking of, perhaps, bimonthly at this time. Since my time is not really always my own, I may not make this come true, but it is my intent to keep you all advised in a more timely fashion.

Again this year, the suggestion to meet up at the Rainbow Gathering was made, but my personal circumstances made the journey impossible. I do want to encourage everyone to email each other and that is why I have the profiles page set up. This is my means of letting all of you get to know each other.

Community of Light

We want to co-create with others a community in a rural area, grow a portion of our own food, create a profitable cottage industry, and so be self employed. We want keep well the land that we live on and engage in right livelihood. We also want to contribute to the community around us and so benefit our society. Ideally, we would want to be near enough to a town of no more than approximately 50,000 or so, a college community. We could each use our talents, abilities, or professions to provide for ourselves as well as whatever "cottage industry" would be.

Consider yourselves welcome to email us to express your ideas about what our community should be. We are, after all, the persons who will make it up.

I imagine there are a lot of ideas out there and I know that what has been written in this or prior issues are meant as to be a working concept, one that is in progress, and meant to be discussed, even debated.

If you have not been to the Community of Lights web page we now have a listing of communities that are forming. It may be educational to visit some of those sites to see what's new in the community universe: the URL for our web Address is this:

http://www.creativeideasforyou.com/commune_land.html

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

Email Address: creative1@creativeideasforyou.com

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.

*************************************************************

C. Cameron

colettecameron@bigpond.com

Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 17:13:04 +1000

I have reached the point in my life where all I want is to get out of the city and away from the chaos but I have no where to go. I am at the end of my rope and wondering if living is even worth it anymore. I desperately have wanted to live in a commune for as long as I can remember (a calling so to speak).

Count me in. C. Cameron

*************************************************************

Star..........geri570@yahoo.com.

Date: Mon, 24 Jun 2002 08:37:16 EDT

My name is Star and I would like more information about your great idea and the possibility of joining. I am a f/42 with a great interest in this type of living. I am also retired from the medical field after 17 yrs. I won't go into detail at this point. Should you require more information and references they will be provided,

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely, Star

*************************************************************

 J.Ten Eyck...........tash@mail2art.com

I was just wondering if I could be placed on your mailing list. I am a graphic artist, I have also done food service and other typical "starving artist" style positions. When I become able to practice massage therapy and perhaps herbs I would like to do that.

Julie

*************************************************************

Nathan Craver..........craver33414@yahoo.com

Hello,

My name is Nathan Craver and I'm very much interested in some of your ideas concerning a commune/cooperative living community.

I have many ideas of my own and would like to get more info about the thought process you have gone through and along what lines you are thinking.

Most of the general ideas posted on your web site are right in line with my own but most of my ideas have been thought up with the idea that I would be doing them alone.

I initiated this project thinking it would be a means for people to actualize their good words & thoughts thru positive action.

My naivety is such, that I had forgotten how hard it is for many people to stretch, to reach for something that can be only be done in association with others & requires some financial input.

Are there any people out there who might like to be part of the purchase & ethical development of an old ex timber mill town in the SW of Western Australia

My inputs have been predicated on this proposition: that the acquisition & operation is to be ethically & morally healthy, environmentally & people sensitive, sustainable & of a financially sound nature.

There is no collective dogma (unless the desire to do good works even if it improves our economic bottom line, qualifies).

We will be creating an intentional community & eco village, however most of the stakeholders will not be permanent residents as the majority of our accommodations needs to be available for paying visitors

The business & site development will be based on eco- tourism, holiday accommodation, arts & craft creation & sales, recycling & re-creation, vintage & antiquities restoration & sales, education & re-training, music & performance events, development & implementation of 'alternative' technologies, permaculture.

The townsite is 65 acres freehold (on 1 title)surrounded by State Forest, with a small river running around the northern boundary. There are 25 timber framed/tin roofed houses, a hall, a store & an office building as well as the 4 old Mill buildings.

10 of the houses have been used for tourist/holiday accommodation, the business was not run effectively & will be improved. (the other houses can be repaired quite easily without a large cost)

The old mill buildings offer enormous potential: they are quite large & not a write-off structurally.... they are fixable, they can/will be converted into workshops, galleries, studios & showrooms.

Most of them will need a lot of work in order to be fully functional: flooring, walling & mezzanine building plus one re-roofing. This will be done as we can: slowly, slowly if necessary.

The No.1 mill will make a spectacular gallery/showroom .... cafe & restaurant eventually. The No.2 mill can be converted into a backpackers' dorm, common room & kitchen No.3 shed will most probably become the workshop The other shed could well be a salesroom workshop for antiquities & vintage goods.

The people involved at this stage are a diverse group of individuals with an interest in being part of an enterprise that has potential to be rewarding on more than just a financial level.

One group is currently establishing patents for a solar collection system that may well revolutionize solar power production ... if their plans come to fruition ... we will trial the system on site.

We currently have $180,000 on hand. We need at least another $125,000 to purchase & start implementing our plans. Minimum input now $250. Don't hesitate to contact me by any means for more information and please forward this message if appropriate

Tim Courtley

ph 61 8 92281169 mob 0408886080

The Earth needs our help now more than ever. To do this we might want to connect up into our

collective universal mind, just as we do with each other and the peoples of the world. It might be useful to intend "the best benefit for all". Being willing for things to happen or not.

Our effort is founded upon the Group Mind, and other principles of Natural Law. That, "the resulting force generated from the combining of like minds, is greater than the sum of its parts". Through the Group Mind Principle we are resonantly combining our love, clarity and a passion for spiritual progress in all ways, to manifest itself planet-wide.

We are in effect, intending into place ever higher states of consciousness for ourselves, each other, the Earth and all of humanity. In an intentionally formed group mind such as

this, the psychic effects created can be quite potent. And this is the focus of our intent.

Eden House is a community household that shares in the vision of the creation of a larger Sustainable Community in Northern California. Welcome to our group. It is just now beginning to unfold and so it looks like you all got here right on time.

What I am talking about is the creation of a Community household where some of the people could come together to live in a large house in Sonoma County in Northern California. As I have said. And it could even become more than just one place. We could have another one in Hopland and another one in Willits or Ukiah. All good places.

We are The Village People some of you may have read a little about in Communities Magazine. We are the people with a vision. We need to be able to welcome some of the people who just need a little help learning about Permaculture, Solar energy, natural building and living in community.

We will be artists, musicians, techies, enviros and single free mothers and others who are moving our lives towards the creation of a kind and loving human scale way of life in Sustainable Community. We will become a starting point for greater things to come and a place where people can come up for related visits, events and get togethers. We now have the beginnings of an new group which you can join just by sending a blank email to: edenhouse-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Welcome all friends and new members. - T

..........

 I have no new suggestions in this category for this issue, but I would suggest that we consider one of the biggest good causes around, that of voting, and helping with voter registration or registration drives.

Our world is, perhaps, in a delicate situation right now. It has been accepted that global warming is occurring, even by the current administration in Washington, which is known more for its connections to the petrochemical industries. That being the case it seems to me it may really be the case that we can give to ourselves by conserving as best we can the non renewable resources upon which so many depend.

From:.Robert Redford ...biogemsnews@savebiogems.org
Subject: Thank you from Robert Redford

Fellow BioGems Defender,

Email has proven effective we can all participate, it is rather easy to do. I feel it is the least we can do.

I just wanted to thank you for visiting http://www.savebiogems.org and taking action against President Bush's plan to open the Arctic Wildlife Refuge to oil development. This on-line campaign, which began with an email message to a few thousand people, has already generated 450,000 letters of protest to Congress. The fight for the Arctic Refuge continues on Capitol Hill, but there's no doubt that we've helped turn the tide against the president's destructive proposal. What a shining example of our collective power to make a difference! We'll keep you posted on the outcome of this important fight for our natural heritage.

In the meantime, if you want to do even more to help save America's last wild places, then please visit http://www.savebiogems.org/yellowstone/.

There, you'll learn how the Bush-Cheney energy plan endangers Yellowstone and other unspoiled wild lands of the Rockies -- and how you can help save them.

Thank you Sincerely yours,

Robert Redford Trustee, Natural Resources Defense Council  

If you want to research intentional communities this is a good place to start.

Communities Magazine comes out regularly and it is a resource for those seeking to explore the life in a commune. The directory that they have is a great primer in understanding the variety of life out in the community universe. You can write them at the address given below. This is their office address.

Communities Magazine, 138 Twin Oaks Road, Louisa VA 23093 USA or call them at: Tel/Fax: 540-894-5126. Their website is at Intentional Communities

You might also find the resources on the Northwest Intentional Communities site to be valuable. There are lists of legal documents, process advice, how to find people, etc. They can be found at: http://www.ic.org/nica/resource.htm

This is a list of places seeking members, communities forming and the like. I have come across it at the F.I.C.'s website: http://elph.anu.net/reach/reachbook-all.html

It might be a place for some of you to do research and get a good impression of what is available in your area.

I am not now comfortable with publishing email addresses in the newsletter and so I have had to consider how else to allow everyone to talk to 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 means you'd prefer or if you have other ideas.

Free Long Distance Calls!

I have noticed that nearly half of the email addresses we have use AOL. It is not surprising perhaps but could be useful.

AOL has an instant messenger that is free to download from their site and allows voice chat between users. I have talked cross country and although it has some quirks, it does work, and it is free.

I am encouraging all of us to use this AOL service so that we can talk to one another. Once you log on any friend that is also online becomes available. Any one of you who would like my user name will be welcome to it.

Yahoo's email/listserv?

Another avenue to increasing communication between us all would be to create a email subscription listserv group at Yahoo. One of us suggested that idea and it has its merits as well.

John Coleman..........gobstoppers@earthlink.net

Dear Dan,

So sorry I haven't written for a while.

I'm recovering from a ruptured disc surgery due to an auto accident. I'm still here and still willing to put up 53 to 73 acres near Moody.Al. just east of Birmingham,Al

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. 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.

This is from one of our subscribers, if you are interested in knowing more let me know and I will put you in touch with the author of this letter.

Hi Wendy and Dan:

It seems you are gaining some ground toward a community eventually. I think it is good that everyone is proceeding slowly and getting acquainted via the internet. It is good to see people being up front about their hopes and basic values. Computer networking will be a valuable tool for your community when the group needs to make decisions.

I wanted to let you know that farm land values in Oklahoma may be as good as you will find anywhere. They may be the lowest in the nation---for good rich soil suitable for organic gardening. It is fairly windy here at times but we have learned to live with it.

Rush Springs, OK is known, here-abouts, as the water melon capital of the world. They have a melon festival in that small town each year (in August I think). It is rolling terrain which reminds me of the land where I grew up in Georgia--on a dairy farm. You would want to talk with the County Extension Service people about the potential for profitable truck farming in the area.

If anyone wants to check out this area as suitable for your prospective community, I will be glad to show them around a bit. I have not investigated actual offering prices on land but could do that and let you know if you like. I'm guessing you would pay less than $1000 per acre around Rush Springs. Not sure of that though. It would be good to find 160 acres or so (a quarter section as they term it around here) with a lake site suitable for a 10 to 20 acre irrigation and fishing lake.

It might be appropriate to buy your land within a reasonable distance to a large city where some of your members could have jobs. Also, you might want to be near a good market for your organically grown veggies. That could turn out to be a source of income to you. It would be great to raise kids on an organic farm and teach them the principles of free enterprise by growing and marketing farm products, including beef and dairy products. There is much science to be learned on a farm if you have people who can teach it to the kids. There must be many retired people who have much to teach and who would like to be exposed to kids in such an environment.

It would be good to get your land soon. I believe there will eventually be a "great land grab" in this area. Prices are just too attractive for this and at present.

SS

Dayna..........Globlrehab@aol.com

Hi.....I am the owner of a 90 acre breathtaking river front DNR protected wooded bluff property in Carver, Minnesota(25 miles S of Minneapolis). I purchased the property a year ago with the intention of starting an artist cooperative for artists with disabilities. I ran into some undisclosed (by the seller) horse boarding conditional use permit problems which pretty much killed my business plan. I have had the place on the market for 5 months and not much activity(due to its exclusive market of buyers). In another 2 or 3 months if it is not sold I will go into foreclosure on a contract for deed. Ideally I would like to either lease the property to prevent the foreclosure or perhaps someone within your network there would like to help turn this around and make something work? The property is worth 1.9 million dollars, and would be ideal for community living. There are three houses on the property, and lots of outbuildings. Its also perfect for organic farming. I would be open to beginning a dialogue by email about this if interested. Thanks for your time and consideration

Now have been telling people that this is the Eleventh Hour. Now you must go back and tell them that this is the Hour.

And there are things to be considered: Where are you living? What are you doing? What are your relationships? Are you in right relation? Where is your water? Know your garden. It is time to speak your Truth. Create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for the leader. This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and so swift that there are those who will be afraid.

They will try to hold onto the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart, and they will suffer greatly.

Know the river has its destination. The Elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open and our heads above water. See who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history. we are to take nothing personally.

Least of all, ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt.

The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves! Banish the word 'struggle' from your attitude and your vocabulary.

All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.

The Elders Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation