People with corresponding ideas start calling each other. Dear friends, I know of one such an initiative*. Members commit themslves to calling each other every day to share their views, experiences, ideas and hopes, everything aimed at finding a common ground with regard to various aspects of life. After a certain period of time - f.i. one year - this may lead to a first cristallizing e.g. people that are attracted to each other decide to move to the next stage: a Casual Community. This Community is adding one new element, namely a weekly meeting, while going on with the calling practice. The weekly meetings are focussing on REAL values in life. This in-depth approach has to explore deep insight into common spiritual values, like openness, unity in diversity, a joint practice, commitment etc. etc. Many years ago I designed an example of such a practice**. Through the weekly meetings both the common ground and the obstacles are becoming more clear. The transformation from individualism toward community life often proves to be a tough journey, though. Hence, this stage to be decisive with regard to further steps.

* In Amsterdam, The Netherlands
** See: Home Meetings.   

The third step is called the Provisionary Community. Encouraged by the results on the one hand and the increasingly hazardous external situation, people will start formulating joint principles* for a future community, while including the achievements of the previous stages, e.g. the calls and the weekly meetings. The latter becoming the platform to test the principles on their inherent merits. In order to prevent deterioration into mere abstract concepts, the meetings of the Provisionary Community has to integrate all kinds of practical activities. These could include meditating together, practicing all kind of (psychological/medical) self-help methods, starting simple mutual support, like taking care of each others children, organizing parties in which artistic expression is encouraged, assisting each other developing (basic) skills, starting small economic activities, taking care of the local environment or/and supporting the senior members of the community. One will go on with this stage, until a core group has cristallized, determined to work (hard) toward materialization of the next step.

* Like the example below. 

Dear friends, contemplating all this, I cannot help but thinking of the foundation of monasteries in the early Middle Ages. While nowadays existence itself is at stake, at that time - of the collapse of the Roman empire - it was the Church that felt pushed into a corner. So, after the individualistic era of the "desert fathers", with their emphasis on individual salvation and retreat, some stood up taking the initiative of founding religious communities. Pachom, Basil, Benedict and Bernard shared a common interest in "preserving Christian values" throughout the Dark Ages. And they succeeded! Amidst the turmoil of the ages it were the monastic orders, who managed to transfer their values to next generations. It was only very recently, that they rapidly deteriorated. Both inner degeneration - through the Christian denial of the Divine Nature of existence - and the outer circumstances - the dramatic collective self-addiction of society, contributed to this. This doesn't mean, that the underlying idea has died out, though. I predict, that it will rise like a phoenix in short notice. Obviously, not based on the old values anymore, but rather on sound eco-spiritual principles.

In the Basic Community previous efforts will materialize themselves. This may take the shape of a "spiritual community", that can be compared with "religious communities" of all kinds, like they are existing everywhere. In these kind of community shared spiritual values will prevail. Others aim at including "nature" as a indispensable element to a life built on wholeness. These people will prefer to move out of their previous habitat, searching for a new place to settle down. My own initiative, already designed in the early nineties* are an example of this. Its main impulse was the vulnerability of an increasing number of people for "electro-stress", the combined effect of radio, radar and later gsm and G3 (umts) high-frequency waves. Instead of becoming less relevant, these harmful influences are posing a ever growing threat to our health and well-being. At that time my idea was to move to (electro-stress free) Spanish countyside, for which I wrote letters to the Spanish authorities. While - at that time - not having received any answers - in the mean time the Spanish people themselves took the initiative to open up their rural communities to foreign influx!!! It is just an example, how events "automatically" move in a more sensible direction.

* See "New Life Communities"     

The Basic Community will develop all kinds of (local) activities, aimed at giving the community subsistence. Hence, organic agriculture to be the first and foremost initiative, as part of a wider effort to restore a basic environmental habitat, like securing water supply, the fertility of the soil, cleaning up pollution, reforestation etc. Complemented by a reliable system of medical self and mutual help*. As 70% of our health proves to be depending on a healthy life-style, by taking health care in our own hands, the foundation of well-being is secured. This can be extended to having professional holistic health care workers in the community, who take care of those cases, who despite a healthy lifestyle, fell ill. In most cases this will be sufficient to guarantee a healthy population. In rare cases (difficult diseases, accidents, difficult deliveries etc.) though, the help of technological health care has to be called in. Economic self-reliance is a major concern, too. This will not be possible, if not beforehand everybody had agreed on principles of voluntary simplicity**, sharing and mutual assistence. Thus, the first aim is to provide a basic income for everybody, f.i. by working half a day for the community. This income should cover basic costs like housing, energy, catering, health care, education and transport. The other half of the day can be used for personal goals and gains***.

* I have developed a revolutionary self-help medical system, called "Flow System Therapy". It would be very suitable in supporting our communities. See: www.vitalworld.org ** See D. Elgin "Voluntary Simplicity", 1993 Quill *** See my article "A New Economy". ***Not just for fun.....Nowadays quite acceptable initiatives re-connect to the "Stone Age".   There are "Stone Age spirituality (Great Mother), Stone Age medicine (Chinese guasha therapy), Stone Age economics (M.Sahlins "Stone Age Economics", 1972 Aldine de Gruyter) and Stone Age habitat.

Extreme situations provoke extreme answers. If climate change "throws us back into the Stone Age", our response has to be accordingly. With consequences toward gender and community building. A well known example is Tibetan women of remote areas, who "take" two husbands (often a first husband and his brother), because of long abscence of the former. Don't think too lightly about it! The future appears to become highly unstable. Especially the situation of women and children are at stake. The patriarchy has proven NOT able e.g. interested in protecting their fundamental rights. Abuse is still (dramatically) on the rise. New solidarity networks are thus direly needed. One of the options* is the "Caribbean Model". What we see already - as part of urban life - is single mothers with children from various partners. In order to protect themselves against future risks (violence), women should start to form new style tribes' core groups. Subsequently, these mothers (women) motivate their partners/boyfriends to become a support group, sharing responsibilities. The benefits are twofold: women receive protection, while the men become friends, dividing tasks which otherwise will be on individual shoulders, only. Competition will be transformed into cooperation**. More core groups might join, obviously also including "normal" couples. The result will be the formation of modern tribes with women and children as "the substance", with men serving the common cause. Because women are at the center of responsibilities, they will possess corresponding (spiritual, cultural, political) power in the community.

* In this model, the interests of women - to reclaim their sexuality and men - to diminish the burden of family responsibility - are comng together. Obviously, this is only one of many other possibilities.         

** A great example of solidarity between men are the matricentric Naaxi-peoples of Southern China.

Dear friends, obviously, such a community will undergo continuous transformation of its values and practices. Rather than based on the existing system of one-dimensional economic domination and exploitation, our communities will be flexible, adapting themselves to changing situations. They have to! Increasingly, it is becoming clear, that the (near) future will be one of high uncertainty and worse. We have to cope with extra-ordinary challenges, trials and tribulations. This means, that the inner coherence of the group will be a decisive factor. Until now, communities of all kinds have experienced this as being most difficult. "So many people, so many ideas". In order to prevent this, the first steps of community building, as indicated above, have to confront this problem in an early stage, e.g. continuously testing people on their willingness to (creatively) compromise. It is a hard and often painful job. Practices in existing monasteries may give us some direction. F.i. in a women's convent, that I personally know of, the "noviciat" takes NINE years, befor a newcomber is admitted as a new member. The point is, that WE don't have so much time. It has to be compensated by extra effort of the members involved. Last but not least, the principle of "unity in diversity" is a "sine qua non". This means, that all members embrace ONE unifying principle as the foundation, upon which diversity can flower, e.g. one shared in-depth spiritual practice, as an indispensible Source of support, inspiration, refuge and strength*.

* This can be "anything", from a shared meditation practice to Mother Worship. Every community will develop its own unique character.

Our Communities are called Healing Communities

The result is a community, that has reached a certain stability, while thriving in all kinds of ways. I call it the Extended Community. It has found its roots in such a way, that it can open up itself to the outside world without fear. It knows how to deal with challenges from within and without. Apart from the stabilizing factors, mentioned above, this community has recognized women as a major factor in community building, while men fulfill the function of serving the whole. Forms of community democracy have grown mature, based on Self-governance and shared responsibilities. The model of organic layers of basic democracy: individuals, families, groups, streets, neighborhood and the commune, all organized bottom-up, according the principle of subsidiarity have replaced the current system, in which everything is corrupted by political parties and their representatives. Everybody will have a say in all things that matter. On the individual level, ways of handling personal and relational problems and conflicts will have established themselves. Methods like Emotional self-integration* will be used by many as psychological self and mutual help. The result will be a community firmly rooted in "Heaven, earth and the community", while - at least in my case - surrendering to the Ultimate. The Great Mother can be of great help here, since She - in an unprecedented way - provides the necessary insight, compassion and strength in these very critical of times. Because of our transgressions e.g. accumulations on all levels, the Cosmic Vacuum is re-balancing the world, e.g. breaking down our ego-achievements. By simplifying our lives (among others) we restore the original wholeness.  

* See "Emotional self-integration".

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