It’s all about the people

• The idea of gathering together is simple, but the people are what give it the magic touch. We seek to steer clear of narcissistic cultures that put self-centred people in central roles. 

Honouring the ancestors

• There is a lot that doesn’t need reinventing, just some dusting off. We like to practise seeing ourselves as a personal and cultural stream of heroic, kind, visionary, imperfect, delusional, and sometimes even cruel people. We find that this kind of in-touchness naturally brings us to a humbler place and fosters appreciation of what is alive now.

Practical skills

• The range of skills we can cultivate (like growing food) will depend on having a physical hub, and we believe it is crucial for everyone to contribute by cooking, cleaning, and fixing our shared space.

Good governance structure

• Many communities fall apart due to ambiguous financial and ownership agreements, untenable sharing of space, or assumptions of responsibility. We are committed to openly having those conversations and liaising with similar successful projects about what works for them.

Spiritual inquiry that is wary of dogma

• We cannot address today’s challenges without spiritually reconnecting, and yet we have mixed feelings about the dogmatic forms many spiritual traditions (and institutions especially) have taken. How do we hold spiritual practice with as little attachment as possible to its form? Right now, it feels like a never-ending journey.

Having intention without being intentional

• Conviviality, spontaneity, irreverent reverence are the way we roll. We are not huge fans of social technologies and trust in people’s ability to navigate interpersonal tensions.

Having a membrane

• While we know you, reading these lines, might be like a long lost friend, we also value having a membrane: not everyone will feel at home here, and that’s ok.

Accessibility

• This broken system doesn’t pay to change itself. We want our gatherings to be as financially accessible as possible and also available to people who are dedicating their lives in service.