..........

A slow quarter for me or us. It seems as though things are on hold but I still believe that we will find our way to what we'd like. I am concerned that the situation our nation finds itself in is worrying, but I do not focus on that overmuch, save keeping a record of the news events from around the world. Perhaps, one day, I'll use that news archive to create a narrative record of the first years of this century so that those that come after will have some idea of how circumstances evolved at this point in history.

Leaving that arena for a moment we can again consider what it is we want.

Religion was discussed in some of the letters to me. I would like very much for this aspect of life to be part of the Community of Light, however, I also do not want anyone to feel as though belief would be an "admissions test" or that participation would be required, or that any particular "brand" would be more welcome than another. Rather I would hope that we'd seek to have a place where celebrations could take place, ceremonies would have honor, and diversity in perceptions respected.

I don't mean to be vague, but rather to be open and to allow for us to determine, as we go, how we'd accomplish something the United States had as an essential part of its founding, religious freedom and a separation between "church and state"

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.

Kevin Gaudette .......... ktg132@yahoo.com

Nobias44 .......... isnotis21@hotmail.com

gberz .......... george@ytry.com

Jamie Page .......... jrpage2005@yahoo.com

( I wrote back inviting him to be on our mailing list and gave him the scoop that we are still forming and discussing items.)

I am 18 and have lived over half my life in community, in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and England. They're all part of one movement in which people share things in common. They live very close to the land and have joy with each other whatever their doing. They have their own business of making handicap equipment. Now I'm living on my own with my two brothers and am looking a lot into meditating and thinking about what a community should be like and what it should be based off of. This is just a little taste of my history but I am now looking to see how other communities do things and learn/network with like-minded people. Have you started the Community of light or is it still in the preparation state. I would love to here from you.

Kevin Gaudette .......... ktg132@yahoo.com

I have been here in China for 5 years as an English teacher. You might consider--developing an income-generating English-learning COL- in rural China e.g. YangShuo/ Hainan.COL can be strategic 100th Monkey Archimedean Lever--for China & US ?

from Dan:

This is an interesting idea. Developing the Community of Light in China, rural China at that. We'd make our living by teaching English, and by whatever other means we had to consider.

This has merit, but it is radical. I'd like some comments on this idea, please.

P. Lootens .......... toxiczen@verizon.net

We are kindhearted, strong, intelligent, motivated and oh so willing to leave this "taker culture" (as Daniel Quinn describes it ) behind. We can both idealize so many of the responses from your other participants and mutually agree that some sort of egalitarian society is in order. We would be honored to be part of a community like this if one were to develop.

nobias44 .......... isnotis21@hotmail.com

We are a family of 4 (1 just left home) and are into gardening, herbal remedies and healing with a variety of building construction skills looking for a community to build our last home (i hope).

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

( John has said he'd be posting or sending me some photos of the place that he has and is working on. He is more than usually busy, but writes, in part: )

It's going to rain all week here. A case of "too wet to plow". It just makes a big mess. Waiting for a dry spell so work can commence. Will be at least next week. I'll keep in touch.

Chris .......... chris_greene@highstream.net\

( Partially in response to this letter I wrote what I did at the top of this column.)

While I imagine this is not the only possible deal breaker, I thought I'd mention that we are backing off prohibiting "followers".... the religion thing.

I know how hard it is to find agreement........ I can see you have a strong interest in this subject so I would respect your opinions even if you disagree. The lists of links to community sites is amazing. The definition of community means to share things in common. Without hat there is no community. I always tell people why would I move to community and then not share important values. I have that right now.

Hence the strong positions on capitalism, population and war.

T .......... edenproj@yahoo.com

( Part of a letter from T has a point that bears mentioning. )

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 the vision of the community to become a real member.

(This community seems formed enough, perhaps some one of us is near to them to visit? If so let us know what you think. Dan )

Alan McRae .......... alan.mcrae@charter.net

Maggie & I took seven people to Earthaven for a tour of this 10 year old ecovillage on 320 acres and we found that they have expanded to around 60 members and are continuing to add buildings to the community. Of special noteworthiness were the Coffeehouse, Co-housing

Group, and the Permaculture Activist complex - all revealing increased sophistication in natural building methods. For 2005 they have the new Earthaven Learning Center, see their website at www.earthavenlearningcenter.org, with educational programs in Permaculture, Healing Herbs & Food, Natural Building, Ecovillages & Consensus, Fertility & Sexuality, Women's Courses, Conferences (like the 9th Continental Bioregional Congress July 9-17), and some Internship Programs create it. See what others are doing atwww.outdoorfun.com/culturalcreatives.htm. We'd love to meet you in person and share what we know. The New Dawn is Dawning...

(Just to check out what others are doing, these folks have some interesting ideas.)

http://www.magickmonkey.com and hit on the Faerie Hill Farm banner. Have fun exploring. Notice that we are having a Planting Faerie Party in April! Please feel free to stop by and lend a hand:

http://www.magickmonkey.com/faeriehillplantings.html

We don't know if you heard the good news that Luthien and I were recently led by spiritual synchronicity to sign a 20-year land contract on a 16 acre sacred site in the green clad limestone hills of Lawrence County, Indiana. This power point includes 6 acres of woodlands and a 10 acre field featuring a breathtaking hilltop view of the surrounding hillsides and valleys. We call this land Faerie Hill Farm.

Here is another, write in, perhaps something to check out:

I am Mike Mikesell from harmony in Arkansas. I have been reading your news letters for quite a while now and after acouple major operations, have found that we need some help in the form of a few young folks . I remember that there were some of your group looking for a commune of sorts, and we would be willing to talk to anyone who was interested.

http://www.donnadreamland.citymax.com/page/page/905874.htm This was made by donna and a take off of what I had originally written but she really likes to add a bit or two. since you all are not interested in joining here and making a community, we would like to at least network with other communities and join with them where we can etc.

..........

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.

Yes it is correct that the Community of Light would not be "pushing" any religion. As to forbidding, well, that would have to be by consensus. I say that because there are some wild sects out there, those that involve

the dismembering of living animals, bizarre marital or other partnering ideas and so forth.

The setting could be outside or inside, and, truth be told, since its "true setting" would be in one's heart, it may not matter which we ultimately decide upon.

It would be a space that would be considered a resource, there to be used by everyone in the manner that they need: meditation, services, ceremonies, celebrations and forth.

One thing would be that attendance of religious events would be optional.

The main problem may well be scheduling events so that everyone has a portion of the time.

We could think of it as a spiritual time share.

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

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 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 to do research, who knows there may be a place within a relatively short drive.

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"

What kind of climate would you want to live in?

Choices	Votes	%
Tropical	1	8
Subtropical	2	16
Forest	2	16
Woodland/meadow	7	78
Tundra	0	00.00

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

Choices	Votes	%
Farming	12	14
Raising livestock	9	10
Raising feed crops	7	8
Hunting	3	3
Gathering	10	11
Fishing	8	9
Utilitarian crops	6	7
Fruit bearing trees	13	15
Lumber/milling	3	3
Water/solar for alt. power	13	15

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	15
High altitude	7	15
Low altitude	7	15

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

Choices	Votes	%
Yes	11	100.0
No	0	0.0

Would you consider having a membership fee of some kind?

Choices	Votes	%
Yes	3	33
No	6	66

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

	Votes	%
Number of members entering	0	0
income of entering members	1	16
earning power of community	1	16
Other (explain on list)	1	16
A share buying system	3	50

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

	Votes	%
Outside the U.S. preferred	1	9
depending on country chosen	3	27
Neutral - no preference	0	1
would but not first choice	4	36
NOT consider outside U.S.	3	27

A lecturer, when explaining stress management to an audience, raised a glass of water and asked, "how heavy is this glass of water?" Answers called out ranged from 20 oz. to 500 oz. The lecturer replied, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long you try to hold it."

"If I hold it for a minute, that's not a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my right arm.

If I hold it for a day, you'll have to call an ambulance. In each case, it's the same weight, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

He continued, "And that's the way it is with stress management. If we carry our burdens all the time, sooner or later, as the burden becomes increasingly heavy, we won't be able to carry on. As with the glass of water, you have to put it down for a while and rest before holding it again. When we're refreshed, we can carry on with the burden."

"So, before you return home tonight, put the burden of work down. Don't carry it home.

You can pick it up tomorrow. Whatever burdens you're carrying now, let them down for a moment if you can."

"Relax; pick them up later after you've rested. Life is short. Enjoy it! And then he shared some ways of dealing with the burdens of life:

* Always keep your words soft and sweet, just in case you have to eat them.

* Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be recalled by their maker.

* If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.

* Nobody cares if you can't dance well. Just get up and dance.

* Since it's the early worm that gets eaten by the bird, sleep late.

* The second mouse gets the cheese.

* You may be only one person in the world, but you may also be the world to one person.

* Some mistakes are too much fun to only make once.

* We could learn a lot from crayons. Some are sharp, some are pretty and some are dull. Some have weird names, and all are different colors, but they all have to live in the same box.

* A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour.

"Let the way of the heart shine through!

MP3 audio file and PDF songbook FREE! for download at:

http://www.culturemagic.org/MaterialSpirituality.htm

After the 1998 National Rainbow Gathering in Oregon a Rainbow music video was made with many wonderful Rainbow musicians and singers, and produced by Conscious Wave, Inc.