..........

Some issues raised

I have written: "We are a forming community. ...to work cooperatively and make decisions by consensus."

A visitor wrote in reply: I wonder if you have ever worked with Americans in a consensus process - although it works with small, committed groups - I have seen many communities fail using it to address 'the basics.' Consensus works when 1) people are VERY informed about the overall goal, steps to its accomplishment, and when they see the outcome in a holistic sense. And when they truly see the needs of the many before the needs of the one.

Many people are unable to do this. As someone who has lived in such communities as Findhorn, Omega, and a Zen Monastery, I can tell you, committees work much better in the long run for the daily operations. Also, a B.O.D. needs to be in place to make investment decisions and financial directives - this should include a person(s) who is versed in finance and understands complex financial transactions - which a shared partnership certainly is.

In you posting I saw no screening process - or guidelines about who your community would like to serve and drawn in to its membership. This could pose a problem for people considering joining or expressing interest.

I have to say that perhaps our "management system" would include consensus for large policy decisions that would effect everyone. The consensus would form after presentations or discussions, even debates. Committees would be part of the process as well. I believe we cannot all participate in every decision, delegating would be part of the process. Also a board of directors, those persons whose knowledge and expertise, such as financing, investing, accounting and legal knowledge would be those whose knowledge base would be called upon as needed.

So what this letter brought out was the need we have to specify a structure of the community. With all those parts included, the community meetings for consensus decisions and problem solving, committees for ongoing tasks and operations and the "board" for expertise in dealing with the legal and financial realities an operation such as we are contemplating require.

Community of Light

We want to co-create a community in a rural area, grow a good 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 good sized town maybe some 50,000 or so, a college community would be something to consider. We could each use our talents, abilities, or professions to provide for ourselves as well as whatever "cottage industry" would be.

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

There are a lot of ideas that we've discussed but I want everyone to know that what is or has been in issues are meant as working concepts. This whole idea is a work in progress and so let us know what you think.

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 See the links at: Community of Light

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.

Pam ......... ladybugpam@juno.com

Hi my name is Pam. I am 26 and I am looking for a community to join. I really like your concept for your future community and I would love to be added to your mailing list so I can keep updated on your progress and possibly join your community. I'd be happy to tell you anything you'd like to know about me. Feel free to write! I hope to hear from you soon!!!

Pam

Troy Julian .......... rauthio@yahoo.com

Hi, my name is Troy, and I have been looking to start a community with a group of people looking to govern naturally, without any artificial government. I bring a very powerful philosophy of individual empowerment, and I have a background working with kids and primitive skills. I would be interested to get to know what you all have going on, and possibly exchange ideas.

Namaste, Troy

Dance like there's nobody watching, love like you'll never get hurt, sing like there's nobody listening, live like there's heaven on earth.

Live to learn to love. Love to live to learn. Learn to love to live.

joy arianashira .......... morejoytoyou@totalusa.net

Susan .......... workingwonders@aol.com

Anonymous .......... muchgathersmore@yahoo.ca

rauthio .......... rauthio@yahoo.com

Shirley Morant .......... shirley_morant@yahoo.com

Michelle & Richard Kenton .......... rnmkenton@hotmail.com

Susan .......... workingwonders@aol.com

Thanks Daniel for your input

My boyfriend does have a suitable piece of land 40 acres in AZ high on the side of a mountain and; I think; what we will plan to do is develop that tact of land and; bring in one person at a time. The property is free & clear. My business can run simply from there.

I think it is wise to be my own boss (although; I'm sure; i can work; for someone else and/or for the betterment; of someone else's already established community

I know I'd enjoy my own home ownership; as it would be I who determine when I must leave. I don't' have any financial problems; which is a blessing. There is a community; north of Toronto; that I might consider however; their board of directors; might not like; renting to me; after; they see how much business I do have

I can employ people; and; increase business; is definitely a very important fact for any community

i am an ideas person;who sees many things; others miss & can seem to put much of it into action perhaps; after the next year; doing our spiritual retreats on the road; around Canada/USA/and Europe we will have all the dollars required in order to turnkey our AZ location

Thanks so much for your input; i have keep your name filed here and hopefully one day we will be in touch. Light and Love Susan

Kraig Mottar.......... kraig.mottar@verizon.net

Recommending "What the Bleep Do You Know" and a couple of books: Excuse Me, You Life is Waiting, by Lynn Grabhorn and The Power of Intention, by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

rauthio .......... rauthio@yahoo.com

I believe it is possible to live with the earth if it is a priority that we make.

Shirley Morant .......... shirley_morant@yahoo.com

I am 70 years old and in very good health.

My Postgraduate education includes both traditional and nontraditional experiences in the following: Liberal arts/fine arts/interior design/radio/television/news media/real estate/mortgage brokerage/education(community)/theology/psychology.

I am the mother of 6 children and the grandmother of 14 and the great-grandmother of one. I raised these children as a single mother. I was born in the slums of St. Louis, Mo. An only child. I am an incest survivor. My parents were both alcoholics. I have identified with a 12 step program since 1969. I was raised by a fundamentalist grandmother. At times I ate out of garbage cans on the streets when hungry. I took care of ailing parents until their demise, mother, father, stepfather, a total of 14 years. My life reads like a "Sea biscuit" story. I am self made, a boot strapper. I am spiritual but not religious. Because I was raised in a 95% black neighborhood I thought I was BLACK passing as white until I was 12 years old. I am truly color/ethnic blind.

I need help and purpose in liquidating my remaining assets. I will donate these proceeds if I can relate, participate and produce in a universal project.

Pego Rice .......... firekeeper38@yahoo.com

Thank you, I would like to receive your newsletters. Do you know where you are going to locate, regionally? Rose loves this part of Texas and it does have quite a lot of land available for good prices. I, on the other hand, hunger for mountains and forests. We haven't settled on where we are going to land, but the pacific northwest is getting a lot of our attention.

Michelle & Richard Kenton .......... rnmkenton@hotmail.com

Greetings Dan and Wendy,

I am very intrigued by the ideas presented on your website. My husband and I would like very much to become part of a community of like-minded individuals who aim to live sustainable with energy efficient homes and the ability to grow food (as much as possible) and an opportunity to develop a better relationship with each other and with the earth. We have been following closely the headlines for peak oil, and global climate change and find these issues increasingly demand that we rethink the way they live. We realize an undertaking of this nature requires a lot of research and planning. We'd very much like to participate in open dialogue and brainstorming with you and the others in the community of light.

..........

A very easy way to give food to the hungry is to set the Hunger Site as your browser's home page. Check out the Hunger Site to see what it is about and how it works.

A few ideas that I have had are the growing of culinary and medicinal herbs. The idea being that we'd dry them and do a mail order business selling herbs to restaurants, specialty emporiums, healers, and so forth. We could grow varieties of tea and other consumable plants that would be salable through a mail order business.

That has been an idea that has been kicking around in my mind for some time. Dan

These are good ideas Dan. In addition to edible plant life, I wouldn't mind growing plants for natural dyeing. It's making something of a comeback and I'm currently experimenting with some. Lenita

Communities Magazine comes out regularly and is a resource for those seeking to explore communities. The directory that is a great primer in the variety of 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

The resources on the Northwest Intentional Communities site might be valuable. There are lists of legal documents, process advice etc. They're at: http://www.ic.org/nica/resource.htm

This list of places seeking members, communities forming at the F.I.C.'s website: http://elph.anu.net/reach/reachbook-all.html

'Sustainable Community: Learning from the cohousing model'

This book explores the link between sustainability and community. It's based on ten years of cohousing research ˆ presenting data (including 120 photographs, 50 diagrams and 30 tables) from twelve cohousing projects in Canada, the US, New Zealand, Australia and Japan. Graham Meltzer is said to be the world's leading expert on cohousing. He is an architect, writer and commercial photographer who consults, researches and lectures in environmental and social architecture, housing and communalism.

Details about the book, including some excerpts, are available from the author's web site www.grahammeltzer.com

It can be purchased online from the publishers at www.trafford.com .

Graham Meltzer

My yahoo ID is available for use as a means to chat online. I am willing to schedule a time(s) during a given month where we could chat. I am thinking that a Saturday or Sunday would be the best time overall, however I am open to suggestions. Please advise.

If you are a member of our Yahoo group you can access the current polling data, or vote: this is the link to our group This is what we have at "press time"

Would you consider having the community based outside of the United States?

	Votes	%
Outside the U.S. preferred	1	8
depending on country chosen	3	25
Neutral - no preference	1	8
would but not first choice	4	33
NOT consider outside U.S.	3	25

Would you consider having a membership fee of some kind?

Choices	Votes	%
Yes	3	30
No	7	70

If you think so, then what should it be based on?

	Votes	%
Number of members entering	0	0
income of entering members	1	14
earning power of community	1	14
Other (explain on list)	1	14
A share buying system	4	57

What kind of climate would you want to live in?

Choices	Votes	%
Tropical	1	7
Subtropical	2	15
Forest	2	15
Woodland/meadow	8	61
Tundra	0	00

What land locations would you like?

Choices	Votes	%
Island	8	17
Peninsula	8	17
Land bound w/coast	8	17
land bound no coast	7	14
High altitude	8	17
Low altitude	8	17

What sorts of things would you want to use the land for?

Choices	Votes	%
Farming	13	13
Raising livestock	10	10
Raising feed crops	8	8
Hunting	4	4
Gathering	11	11
Fishing	9	9
Utilitarian crops	7	7
Fruit bearing trees	14	14
Lumber/milling	4	4
Water/solar for alt. power	14	14

Would you consider a buy/sell/relationship with the outside world?

Choices	Votes	%
Yes	12	100.0
No	0	0.0

Do you realize that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when we're kids? If you're less than 10 years old, you're so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

"How old are you?" "I'm four and a half!" You're never thirty-six and a half. You're four and a half, going on five! That's the key.

You get into your teens, now they can't hold you back. You jump to the next number, or even a few ahead.

"How old are you?" "I'm gonna be 16!" You could be 13, but hey, you're gonna be 16!

And then the greatest day of your life . . . you become 21.

Even the words sound like a ceremony . . . YOU BECOME 21. YESSSS!!!

But then you turn 30. Oooohh, what happened there? Makes you sound like bad milk! He TURNED; we had to throw him out. There's no fun now, you're just a sour-dumpling. What's wrong? What's changed?

You BECOME 21, you TURN 30, then you're PUSHING 40. Whoa! Put on the brakes, it's all slipping away. Before you know it, you REACH 50 and your dreams are gone.

But wait!!! You MAKE it to 60. You didn't think you would!

So you BECOME 21, TURN 30, PUSH 40, REACH 50 and MAKE it to 60.

You've built up so much speed that you HIT 70! After that it's a day-by-day thing; you HIT Wednesday!

You get into your 80s and every day is a complete cycle; you HIT lunch; you TURN 4:30; you REACH bedtime. And it doesn't end there. Into the 90s, you start going backwards; "I Was JUST 92."

Then a strange thing happens. If you make it over 100, you become a little kid again. "I'm 100 and a half!" May you all make it to a healthy 100 and a half!!

HOW TO STAY YOUNG

1. Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight and height. L et the doctors worry about them. That is why you pay "them".

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain idle. "An idle mind is the devil's workshop." And the devil's name is Alzheimer's.

4. Enjoy the simple things.

5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath.

6. The tears happen. Endure, grieve, and move on. The only person, who is with us our entire life, is ourselves. Be ALIVE while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love, whether it's family, pets,keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it is beyond what you can improve, get help.

9 Don't take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, even to the next county; to a foreign country but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

AND ALWAYS REMEMBER: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.