Where to go from here? Frustrated with finding community off the road

[deleted user]

Well, it's good to hear it sounds more fluid than older communes I've been to.

I guess I'd just have to meet the people and see the place one of these days, as some things sound cool and others make me suspicious. You know, because fluid or not a place that has to ban things to get stuff done for any amount of time is kinda far from being a spiritually free place. It's kind of a matter of whether decisions like that are being made out of care, or if it's just the most judgmental and influential pushing an agenda that works against somebody they dislike.

I guess you could just say I'm suspicious of how all power is used in these little communities.

The amount of work hours make it sound like a good place to get some writing done.

 

[Naked Lilies]

I believe the ban on alcohol (and harder drugs) is considered necessary due to the way its abuse has hampered or destroyed other communities in the past. Nearby Hippie Hill has a much more lax policy, and I've heard there's lots of fighting there as a result. And of course I see the irony in spreading rumors about a place I've never visited first hand.

How does the saying go? Unchecked freedom eventually leads to dictatorship? Something along those lines. But I totally understand where you're coming from. Mob rule is scary.

Well, it's good to hear it sounds more fluid than older communes I've been to.

I guess I'd just have to meet the people and see the place one of these days, as some things sound cool and others make me suspicious. You know, because fluid or not a place that has to ban things to get stuff done for any amount of time is kinda far from being a spiritually free place. It's kind of a matter of whether decisions like that are being made out of care, or if it's just the most judgmental and influential pushing an agenda that works against somebody they dislike.

I guess you could just say I'm suspicious of how all power is used in these little communities.

The amount of work hours make it sound like a good place to get some writing done.

 

[deleted user]

For sure.

Hippie Hill I've heard bad things about across the spectrum, but I'm sure there's some truth I don't understand or isn't present to the whole place. Seems they face problems in their county as well as travelers. Hard to say if it's a hill filled with drug abuse in a negative way, or a place taking in people with addiction problems with nowhere else to go.

 

[coltsfoot]

Hey all, I'm really appreciating the discussion here. I've also been on a journey of visiting intentional communities, creating communal and collective spaces, and relearning how to live cooperatively. I feel that the power dynamic stuff and conflict resolution methods are super important to any healthy community, or at least one that I would feel good living in. So I appreciate your insight and stories from some of more well-known spots around that I haven't checked out yet. And I feel yall on the struggle of searching for community that isn't fukd up in one way or another.. In all this journeying I'm really hoping/believing I'll find the place that feels like a good fit. Or at the very least, get some land with some friends that I connect with strongly and that are committed to working through whatever comes up. But like ya'll have mentioned, nothing is perfect, and I'm always working on sorting through when my expectations are unreasonably high and when I need to actually draw lines and say 'this is actually just shitty'. Ya know when is tolerance and compromise a good thing, when is it just complacency.

Has anyone ever spent time with the beehive design collective up in Maine? They are a pretty rad anarchisty collective that makes very beautiful art. They seem to be pretty committed to horizontal power structures and do super cool work in their town. I've visited a couple times in the winter when they were down to a pretty small crew but it gets pretty lively in the summer.


Anyways, no solid answer coming from me but it does feel good for me to hear about other folks on some parallel paths

 

[deleted user]

To me, it's always about if you can actually point out the harm being caused and offer steps toward ways to mediate, or solve it. If they refuse or gaslight instead of taking steps to heal the problem, it's a toxic power dynamic.

The Beehive Design Collective looks pretty awesome.

Hadn't heard of it!

 

[jimi]

Has anyone visited/worked with communities in other countries or continents maybe? Been hearing good things from friends who have recently visited Europe. I'm not limiting my scope to the US.

 

[deleted user]

I remember hearing about an interesting one in Alaska called Ionia that sounds super cool.

I've also dreamed of visiting Auroville in India, as it's like a city sized intentional community.

There seems to be a network of old communes in Germany as well.

 

[jimi]

I remember hearing about an interesting one in Alaska called Ionia that sounds super cool.

I've also dreamed of visiting Auroville in India, as it's like a city sized intentional community.

There seems to be a network of old communes in Germany as well.

If we're looking at the same thing, that looks beautiful. I've heard of Auroville, but I haven't heard any firsthand reports about it. You? Germany is something that keeps coming up in conversation with friends of mine, and I think I'm sold on taking a trip there when I can afford it. I guess right now I'm leaning more toward groups close to/in towns at the moment, since I'm disabled and not really capable of contributing a lot of the physical labor that a lot of the more isolated farming and sustainability groups I've looked into would like to see from members and visitors.

 

[jimi]

In my experience isolation also breeds contempt and stress. It's healthy to be able to regularly get out and have a social life outside your project/group.

 

[Beegod Santana]

Haven't been since 2010 but hippy hill used to rule. Rainbow as fuck sure, but good times. Never stayed at the beehive collective but I have lived down the street from it and although they definitely get a lot done, it's normally a very small crew (except around the Blackfly ball) and they've actually put out statements asking that random travelers NOT show up unannounced, just FYI.