The Communities Directory

I began reading The Communities Directory aloud to Heron on our drive to Seattle one afternoon. I think this is the best way for this interactive guide to be shared. The Directory begins with a series of thirty three articles related to the intentional communities movement as well as listing seven hundred communities and what they offer. Sense we are not planning on visiting these communities for quiet some time we mainly focused on reading the articles which described many different scenarios that you come across in this movement . I was drawn to the articles on cults, being an elder looking for community, raising children in community and resistance activist community. As well as the essays on income sharing, working with consensus and setting up a structure so you get you personal needs met.

In the article "My other car isn't mine either" Bumper sticker for an income-sharing community
Valerie Renwick-Porter Outlines the basics of sharing income as a community. "One of the most attractive features of this type of living is the interdependence and the level of engagement we share with each other." I like this philosophy. I like how radically different this is from our mainstream one unit family culture. She goes on to describe having home business, sharing resources and making sure each persons need are met. I imagine this to be a challenging set up, deciding what "needs" are and what your fair share is. In my communal house we have a "Kitty" that we each put in $40 a month for collective grocery money. It took us awhile to decide what should be communal and what was your own personal wants. This food list has changed greatly from the beginning and is an ongoing dialogue in our house meetings. In this way we share money to help the collective get there basic needs met. It feels good to practicing this now to get a sense of what it might be like to do this on a larger scale.

In Life in a Resitance Community I was inspired by hearing about the radical acts people do in community. Sue Frankel-Streit points out that "Living with others who share a vision strengthens the activist resolve; when you are discouraged, you can draw strength from others. When you cannot be as active, you can support the activism of other community members." this was a good point to realize and a push for the importance of having a strong vision that you all follow. Frankel-Streit lives in a Catholic Workers community and does non-violent direct action. She is also a mother in this community and helps to raise the other children on their farm. I liked the idea that community can enhance your activism resolve and help you see your blind spots. It is always inspiring for me to see radical mothers and people who have made a commitment to social justice working with each other for the long term. I think a sense of spiritual connectedness is a part of keeping this energy going as well. The essay ends with a great quote by Dostoyevski and Sue Frankel-Streit "Love in dreams is easy, love in reality is a harsh and dreadful thing." It is only that harsh and dreadful love, in fact, that will sustain both community and activism, and it is perhaps this common root that keeps the two intertwined. When we bind together community and activism with love, the universe bends a little closer to justice."


I found the essay's in The Communities Directory to be great starting off points for thinking of the many ways people decide to share their lives. I hope to use this book in the future to set up a tour and get some hands on experience to ultimately create the kind of community Heron and I would like to share.

Week 9 winter quarter

Week nine started in Seattle at a Bird Language workshop presented by The Wilderness Awareness School. This workshop was so much fun. The presenter was full of pep and vigor as she pretended to be each bird. We learned the basics of different bird sounds and then got a chance to act them out in small groups. I had started to learn bird language at EAT, now six weeks later and after many visits to my secret spot, I had so many new questions. What I found to be the most helpful about the workshop was hearing the different sounds each bird makes. We focused on local species that are common and mostly ground feeders, Robin, Junko, Song Sparrow, and Towee. I realized that high pitch squeeze toy sound I heard at my spot was a Robin warning call, I always imagined a fluffy pink squeeze toy bird making that noise. I also learned that the little brown bird singing close to me at my spot was a song sparrow. Overall this workshop was a great start to identifying the sounds I hear each day at home, I felt excited and ready to learn more after it. I have also decided to get us a bird feeder so I can witness up close my bird neighbors.

I spent much time writing my summative essay on all the activities of this quarter. I realize how far I have come from the beginning. It has been quiet a journey into nature and into a way of learning I have wanted for a long time but am only now getting a chance to experiment with. It was a good experience seeing all that I have done, yet also daunting in presenting my writing through an essay format.

I have come to a good place in the final stages of my art installation. I have spent a lot of time worrying about this piece and have also had many different good ideas. I have stuck to the ones that make the most sense and I am happy with my work. I gathered the last stones for my labyrinth from a friends back yard. I have three possibilities for sound scapes on Sunday that would all work well. I gathered the birch bark to write the poem the piece is based on. It feels good to be here and to be ready to show my art to the public. I am happy I am creating DIY art space and adding beauty to my neighborhood. We shall see how I feel the day of the event, but for now I am content with my art.