Intentional Communities
Have we lost the sense of community these days? In all of this searching and yearning to find ourselves, I think many of us have made the startling realisation that we are alone. We may have found like minded folks on the internet (blessed thing it is!), or know of some similar families but in an everyday, immediate-surroundings sense, we are isolated. We may be living our dream of self reliance in the city or country, but are our nieghbours that way inclined? Are we surrounded by people who support and uplift us, or by mainstream followers who think we are oddballs?
On one of my many quests for information on self reliance, I came across the concept of Intentional Communities. Now, I know we've all heard of hippy communes, co-housing and maybe even cults, but this is different. Sure, an Intentional Community may well be any one of these things but it doesn't have to be. The world of Intentional Communities is as diverse as the ideals upon which they are based, those ideals being the common thread that keeps the community together.
The basic concept goes something like this: a group of like minded individuals or families live together on a large amount of land, the idea being to create the sense of community life we are so lacking in modern society. Often, one or two families will originally purchase the land, and then invite others to purchase a "share". An example of a share could be say, two acres with your home on it, and it also includes part ownership of the "common land". Common land may include a communal vegetable garden, animal barn, even swimming pool. The Farm, for example, has it's own school, midwife clinic and neo-natal intensive care unit - talk about Self Reliant! (You will find a link to The Farm website in the links section).
Housing arrangements are diverse too. One intentional community may have a small amount of land with two or three large houses. These houses will be home to multiple families, with personal bedroom and bathroom space but communal kitchens. Others are basically not a lot more than "land sharing" arrangements, with a few houses scattered over hundreds of acres, sharing a vegetable garden (which everyone helps to maintain and everyone is free to eat from),farm equipment and social activites. Intentional Communities can include both of these extremes and everything in between.
Philosophies are yet another diversity. Some of these communities are based on a particular religion, some are "families only", but most I have found are born from a shared concern for the earth and her resources, as well as a desire to replicate the "villiage tribe" atmosphere that was such an integral part of our early society. Some allow pets, most don't. Some have stringent rules, some have only basic guidelines that are open for discussion. Some require that you pool your resources with other community members and share everything, but most ask you to share only services and skills.
Latest Articles