Introduce yourself and meet others

[orangecappy]

Hi, my name is Meagan.

I am currently living a nomadic life and intend to keep doing that for a while. I mostly do pet/housesitting with my partner, but we are interested in connecting with more people in our travels and supporting the weaving of community.

I lived in an attempt at an intentional community in an 8-bedroom rental house for 4 years, from 2014-2018. Unfortunately, as many people who have tried IC have found, there were many challenges and think we were already moving away from our goal as soon we moved in. I have also had many smaller, roommate-based situations with community-minded folks, and been connected to other ICs in my region (such as having friends and a boyfriend who lived at the main IC on the edge of town, a renting situation with enough land to farm on, attending community events at a co-housing village, and music festival fundraisers at another shared land trust situation).

My 4-year experience of trying to have an IC was that we were in over our heads. We had to accept housemates who just wanted to save on rent but weren’t invested in the community aspect because of financial limitations. People regularly refused/neglected to come to house meetings. It was a tragic situation. There were some good things, but I ended up estranged from most of the folks who lived there. I took on a lot of emotional work, trying to make our community cohesive, in a way that I do not think others were able or willing to reciprocate. I am much more cautious now and would not join another community long-term without first building a lot of rapport and trust with people – or having really clear legal agreements and separate living spaces, as in co-housing. Ideally both.

I am a facilitator, academic, writer. I started by studying consensus process and Nonviolent Communication, and expanded to include many facilitation tools that I’ve tested in real world situations. I’m very aware of nervous systems and how the trauma many of us carry affects our ability to be/feel safe with one another. I have no easy answers.

I recently completed a Community Ministry Certificate with Cherry Hill Seminary, a Pagan school. I’ve also took Earth Activist Training (permaculture) with Starhawk many years ago, and am more of a social permaculture person.

I am interested in evolutionary history, systems thinking, archaeology, ancient societies, what it means to be human, what it means to be a mammal, an animal, part of the universe. Epistemology and cosmology. Meaning-making and peace-making. Micro-to-macro, present moment and Big Time. Radical reuse and waste reclamation. Finding balance and right-sized responsibility.

I’m here because I am hoping to find people who’d like to connect and form our larger intentional community, not necessarily land-based, but weave the mycelial web in whatever ways make sense for us as individuals. This could look like meeting up when I am in your area. Maybe you’d like a visit from us for a short-term or a season. Let’s explore how landed folks and nomadic folks can live in complement.

[thecollectivethread]

Old-World Craftsman, Builder, and Passing the Long Memory

Greetings folks,

I’m Dave. I’m new to the board and figured it’s only right to introduce myself before jumping into the discussions. I’ve spent the better part of the last five decades getting my hands dirty and learning everything I can about how things used to be built, fixed, and sustained.

“My ultimate goal is to share what I have learned and continue the tradition of passing the long memory.”

Roots & Trade Skills

I grew up on a farm and have spent a good chunk of my life deeply involved in community-supported agriculture, including a lot of hands-on time working at a CSA and running dairies. Beyond the dirt and the livestock, my real bread and butter is heavy construction and practical engineering. If it needs to be built, fixed, or kept running, I’ve likely done it.

My core background includes:

• Agriculture: Dairy work, hands-on CSA operations, and farm maintenance.

• Construction & Engineering: Land management, heavy machinery repair, and structural builds.

• The “Lost” Arts: Old-world stone craft, natural chemistry, and forgotten trades.

• Community: Active involvement in animal rescues and rehabilitation.

Looking Forward

I believe heavily in preserving the old wisdom that modern society is so quick to throw away. I joined this community to connect with like-minded folks who still value hard work, self-reliance, and genuine cooperation.

I’m keeping my eyes open for the right intentional community to partner with down the line—a place without the modern drama, where I can put my skills to good use, teach what I know, and keep expanding on the old ways.

[Gimpy]

Welcome to the forum. Hope your search goes well.

Tagging @Cimarron who has recently acquired land for community.

[Sagef]

Hello folks!

What should we call you?

Sage (She/her)

Where are you living? Do you live in an intentional community now?

Minnesota (near Minneapolis), not currently in a community but have been contemplating either starting or joining one.

What are your experiences in community?

I’ve navigate corporations, startups, military, rural, and city communities. I’ve recently been putting myself through training to learn more intentional approaches (Sociocracy classes, Reflective Listening, etc.) because my perspective is that I need to self-reflect and learn before building or joining a group. I also visited an actual Intentional Community twice so far to hear from and talk to folks living it. I approach it from the perspective that I likely need to learn and self-reflect a lot because it is a different environment than the one I’ve lived in all my life.

Special talents

Military Training: Most of my training was technical & intellectual. Learned how to embrace tough days and discipline. Also taught me the importance of physical fitness.

Software Engineering: I’m a 10+ year software engineer, which I’ve intentional pursued to support a transition to a more rural living situation (Food forests & Permaculture require money).

Small Business: I’ve helped build small businesses from the ground up, entrepreneurship is core to my current career path, and it’s constantly challenged me to achieve outcomes in ambiguous / stressful environments.

Leadership: I was a leader in the Military, in Engineering, and in Small Business. My philosophy is “good people need to seek power too” (not just bad people). I view it as a foundation for what I am learning now about Sociocracy (such as the Facilitator role), Reflective Listening, etc.

Permaculture: My spouse earned a cert in Permaculture Design via Verge Permaculture, and I’ve been trying to learn from them (knowing about bacterially vs. fungally dominant soil, etc.); I often like to say “a food forest is going to be worth more than a 401k”.

Identity Work & Metacognition: I’m a big believer that you can’t be successful without metacognition and identity work. If you don’t form your own identity intentionally, something/someone else will. Being able to sit with painful situations and hold empathy versus trying to ‘win’, etc.

I don’t take IC for granted, and have been trying to build myself up towards it.

Interests

Systems Engineering and The cross section of Tech & Nature: I love Systems Engineering, and ever since I learned of the Metacrisis I’ve been interested in applying that to resilience. If you have watched the Stargate series and know about the Nox, I loved the idea of balanced symmetry between technology and nature (technological progress shouldn’t compromise natural systems). This is also why I am a fan of Permaculture.

Artificial Intelligence: I’m deeply interested in Artificial Intelligence, and am trying to explore how we can use it for good. I still recognize the negative potential it has.

Gaming: I grew up with video games as well as D&D, and love spending time with folks doing either.

Why are you here?

Connect with other Minnesotans: I want to connect with some folks in Minnesota that are serious about the IC concept, either to join them or to form something new. I’m interested in those who have a similar interest in self-development and treating it as a serious endeavor while still maintaining empathy and fairness.

Find Chosen Family & Community: My philosophy is that a strong chosen family or at least chosen community is foundational to health and my experience made that very apparent to me (I have no family, so when I left the military it was especially difficult).

Learn, Grow, Heal: As mentioned above I view myself as a student on this path first, and ‘successful rat racer’ second. I recognize I also have my own baggage from our society that I have to be self-aware about and address.

If you’ve made it this far, greatly appreciate your time!

Very respectfully,

Sage