Communities Articles


Here is a selection of articles from previous back issues of Communities magazine. All back issues up to issue #184 are available for download here.

For more information about Communities magazine, visit its new publisher at GEN-US

Ecovillage Infrastructure

Posted on September 7, 2012 by
1 Comment

Water supply, human waste treatment, zoning regulations, legal structure, homeownership models, and other core technical issues are essential in ecovillage planning.


An Ecovillage Future

Posted on September 7, 2012 by
1 Comment

For the health of our species and the planet, we need ecovillages.


Busting the Myth that Consensus-with-Unanimity Is Good for Communities

Posted on June 7, 2012 by
5 Comments

How can a diverse group best make decisions? After many years advocating it, the author concludes that consensus is not the answer.


Busting the Myth, or Changing the Terms?

Posted on June 7, 2012 by

Want a “problem” person to behave differently? Give a different response.


“Busting the Myth”

Posted on June 7, 2012 by

When assessing why a community is struggling to make decisions, we need to ask first how they handle conflict resolution, group-process training, and entrenched patterns.


The Art and Ethics of Visitor Programs

Posted on June 7, 2012 by
2 Comments

To create a thriving, diverse community, we need to learn how to host and integrate new people in ways that support them as multi-dimensional human beings.


Real Diversity Is Internal

Posted on June 7, 2012 by
3 Comments

What happens if, despite all outer appearances, one finds one’s worldview radically different from the mainstream?


The Limits of Diversity

Posted on June 7, 2012 by
1 Comment

If we are truly committed to diversity, we need to stop labeling people who hold religious ideas unlike our own as “cultists,” and start practicing the tolerance we preach.


Diversity Issues in Los Angeles Eco-Village

Posted on June 7, 2012 by
3 Comments

A longtime ecovillage activist moves beyond denial to recognize the institutional racism affecting not only her society and her community, but her own way of thinking.


The Paralysis of Racism in Social Change Groups

Posted on June 7, 2012 by

When a member of a minority population claims racism, how does a group committed to racial nondiscrimination respond?


The Lighter Side of Community

Posted on June 7, 2012 by
4 Comments

This Hollywood movie offers both surprising insight and fond parody while taking viewers far from the beaten path, into the world of intentional community.


The Church of Fermentation

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

In a world in which food choices
and dietary preferences can
become quasi-religions,
lactic-acid fermentation wins
a new convert.


Spirit in the Woods

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

At New View Cohousing, practicing consensus, navigating illness, and simply
sharing lives are continuing spiritual exercises.


Inviting God to Dance

Posted on March 7, 2012 by
1 Comment

A dancer’s year at Currents community opens and transforms both her and the group.


Common Ground in an Uncertain World

Posted on March 7, 2012 by
1 Comment

A journey through various flavors of spiritually eclectic community brings
us face to face with cursed seeds, the White Brotherhood Team, mystery,
and stardust.


Creating Spiritual Community at the Hermitage

Posted on March 7, 2012 by
2 Comments

To these communitarians, all work was holy—but overwhelmed by “the
accumulating weight of such holiness” and other disappointments, they
eventually adjust their aspirations.


Monasticism, Community, and “The Great Work”

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

The former Elderhostel coordinator at Holy Cross Monastery explores
personal and monastic history to explain her unlikely presence there.


Creative Spirituality in American Communities of the Past

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

If you haven’t heard of hollow earth theory, zig-zag-and-swirl, B-FICs, or
bathing bans, you’ve missed out on some of the more distinctive contributions
of communal spirituality.


Sharing the Path

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

Even “non-spiritual” groups can benefit through a multitude of simple practices that deepen participants’ connections with themselves, one another, and the sacred.


Creating Community Ritual

Posted on March 7, 2012 by

Ritual can connect us more deeply to place, mark the passages of our lives,
comfort us in times of grief, and link us in the pure joy of celebration. It
works best when created collectively.


Communal Studies Association Honors Communities

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

On October 1, 2011, at the banquet concluding the Communal Studies Association’s annual meeting (held this year at the historic Shaker Village at South Union, Auburn, Kentucky),Communities magazine received a big,… Read More


How Permaculture Stole My Community!

Posted on December 7, 2011 by
1 Comment

After a painful period stranded in “permaculture heaven,” an Earthaven founder finds her community finally moving back towards balance with its eco-spiritual roots.


Doing It, or Are We?

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

On Hawaii’s Big Island, La’akea Community explores sustainability through myriad experiments—from keeping wild pet pigs in the garden to eating 100 percent locally to mowing with sheep.


The Sharing Gardens

Posted on December 7, 2011 by
2 Comments

An innovative approach to collective community gardens nurtures a culture of giving while allowing participants to feed both themselves and those in need.


Growing a Culture of Gratitude in Argentine Patagonia

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

An organic farming volunteer learns surprising new lessons from his Argentinian hosts—such as how to relax, how to enjoy practical labor, and how to contribute more sustainably by putting personal work first.


Hugelkultur on the Prairie, or Learning from Our Mistakes

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

Degraded slopes, crumbling logs, plenty of trench-digging, seven blueberry plants, and an unanticipated drought combine to teach some important lessons.


Permaculture at The Farm

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

Drawing on its long association with permaculture, The Farm in Tennessee institutes on-the-ground projects designed to provide resilience in times of climate change.


Sociocracy

Posted on December 7, 2011 by

Lost Valley Educational Center avoids collapse and reinvigorates itself by applying a new approach to governance combining the best of diverse models.


Social Permaculture

Posted on December 7, 2011 by
1 Comment

While expert at understanding ecological connections, permaculturalists often founder in relating with one another. Applying permaculture principles to group dynamics can help us work together more effectively.


Permaculture 101 and Attending to Zone Zero

Posted on December 7, 2011 by
1 Comment

The editor provides a refresher on our theme and suggests some new Zone Zero guidelines to help keep permaculturalists in the game for the long haul.