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 by1 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 by1 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 by5 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 byWant a “problem” person to behave differently? Give a different response.
“Busting the Myth”
Posted on June 7, 2012 byWhen 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 by2 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 by3 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 by1 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 by3 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 byWhen 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 by4 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 byIn 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 byAt New View Cohousing, practicing consensus, navigating illness, and simply
sharing lives are continuing spiritual exercises.
Inviting God to Dance
Posted on March 7, 2012 by1 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 by1 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 by2 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 byThe 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 byIf 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 byEven “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 byRitual 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 byOn 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 by1 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 byOn 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 by2 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 byAn 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 byDegraded 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 byDrawing 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 byLost 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 by1 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 by1 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.
