I am loving the tiny house movement that is happening here in New Zealand and see it as a way people can leave a smaller footprint on the earth. Most tiny houses are between 20 and 35 sqm and when they are on wheels they are exempt form the building code and council laws. There can give someone the freedom to move where they need to be or allow them to find a small corner of land to put down some roots, They are often beautifully crafted in wood and other natural materials, the bed is often on a mezzanine and they usually have the luxury of a hot shower and sometimes a woodburning stove. Finding somewhere to put your tiny house has been made easier by landshare.nz which advertisers land and those looking so that people can match up. The average weekly rental is about $80 to $100 and the tiny homes cost from around $40,000 to $150,000 so it is certainly a cheaper option and way to get off the hamster wheel.

There are several buidling businesses in New Zealand that specialise in tiny houses including the Tiny house builder and love Shack they make a selection of sizes and designs to suit everyone's needs. We intend to allow a tiny house settlement on our community land once we have found this.

We are exploring ways to own, steward or live in homes and on land in community with regards to making it work for now and future generations. I came across this idea at the Earthbeat Festival and was immediately interested when they said "no interest". Interest has got to be one of the biggest causes of keeping the divide between those that have and those that don't. This new idea is that you don't own the property you become its guardian for your lifetime and then your children can take over. It is like a rent to buy scheme with no interest and once it is payed off it is yours to look after do everything you would normally do you just don't own it so cannot sell it in the normal way. It sounds like a great system to get out of the draining capitalist system of mortgages with interest. To learn more about this idea for an alternative way of having a home see: https://www.manaianway.com/

I took a small group to a block of land we are exploring as an option for setting up a community today. It is a large block, 104ha of mostly New Zealand native bush. It has some really good aspects: being a five minute drive to the closest supermarket and airport and 10 minutes to central Whangarei. It is close to the water of the Whangarei harbour and some sites have water views. There are several streams and the entire water catchment is bush. There are some steep enough drops to create power and an old barn and flat area and a place that could potentially be dammed for a lake.

This year 2019 is apparently the beginning of a new cycle and the end of an old. It is a year of big steps forward and starting new projects. I have already observed a massive increase in offerings for those interested in evolving and spiritual growth. This is exciting and I feel ready to make the first steps towards spearheading the spiritual community and workshop centre that I want to co-create. I will blog on the process and try to share the problems, opportunities and learning. First meeting on the weekend!

Permaculture is a system of agricultural and social design principles based on observations of the ways of nature. It was developed by Bill Mollinson and David Holgren in the late 1970s. He said: “Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature”. The core principles of permaculture are:

Care for the EarthCare for the PeopleReturn of surplus – only taking what is needed

Permaculture design determines where the elements of agriculture should be placed to provide maximum benefit to the environment. By designing in this way the whole system becomes greater than the sum of its parts. The elements of the design seek to minimise waste, human labour and the input of energy. Through practicing these design elements complex systems can evolve producing high quality food with minimal input.

David Holmgren named the 12 basic principles of Permaculture:

Observe and InteractCatch and Store EnergyObtain a yield Apply Self Regulation and Accept Feedback Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services Produce No Waste Design From Patterns to DetailsIntegrate Rather Than Segregate Use Small and Slow SolutionsUse and Value Diversity Use Edges and Value the MarginalCreatively Use and Respond to Change

Most communities use some of these principles in their design.

Communities like other organisations of people can suffer from founder syndrome, where one or more founders have more power and influence following their initial establishment, ownership and investment in the project. The passion of the founder which was an important factor in the development of the project becomes a limiting factor.

Some of the symptoms an organisation can suffer from are:

1. Strong identity with one person rather than the whole.

2. The founder has disproportionate power over decision making.

3. Key staff and board members are selected by and are friends of the founder chosen to support rather than to move the Vison forward.

4. Professionally trained and talented recruits find they cannot contribute in an effective way as they are undermined.

5. The founder may respond to challenges over leadership by accentuating the above or they may recognise there is a problem and respond with an effective succession plan so the organisation can mature.

Graham Ellis was the founder of Bellyacres Artistic Ecovillage in Hawaii. This community had a transient membership and often a lack of residents. Graham as the founder was the public face of the community and initially took responsibility for the legal, financial and physical reality of the development of the community. He did not want this power but found he had a serious case of founders syndrome and ended up leaving. Communities with a spiritual guru or charismatic leader are often heirarchial but stay together over their common interest. For communities that want to be non-heirarchial the development of a suitable governance structure is essential and requires commitment, training and the consultation with professionals.

Self-sufficiency is a type of sustainable living where all the needs are met by the self or people living together on the land where the individual or collective is based. It is more commonly an aim than a reality and is enabled by such practices as self-builds, permaculture, sustainable agriculture and renewable energy sources.

To be sustainable the people in the community must have an income or resources coming in that support all their needs. In some communities this is an individual responsibility and in some there is a common income source that everyone shares and is involved in creating.

At the Kalikalos community based at three close-by Centres in Greece they make their income by running workshops. Everyone plays a role as a full or part time volunteer, yoga teacher, massage therapist, workshop leader or participant. Everyone has to contribute to the running of the Centres through helping in the kitchen. The intention is that all are equal and do as their role prescribes.

At other centres like Mamaki Eco-village each individual or family is responsible for their income and livelihoods.

In 2015 the United Nations announced a sustainable development agenda with a set of 17 goals to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030. The goals relevant to building sustainable communities are those related to infrastructure, industrialisation, cities and sustainable consumption and production with the latter focusing on where a communities water, energy and food come from.

Many communities have sustainability as one of their core values. Meaning they encourage ways of living that are low impact or heal and restore rather than destroying the environment. The Global Eco-village Network (GEN)have developed 30 sustainability principles based on years of experimentation and learning from those in the network combined with the latest research on resilience and participatory design. From these principles they have categorised 3 basic principles of sustainability that support the development of community led approaches that will lead to thriving communities on a resilient planet.

These principles can be used by an individual or group that has the intention to develop an intentional community or eco-village.

1. Social/Economic sustainability

A group is sustainable when everyone has a voice, a sense of belonging and a sense of unity where diversity is celebrated. There are systems in place that contribute to the sharing of resources and mutual support is encouraged. In addition, alternatives to the mainstream economy and monetary system may be explored along with entrepreneurship and collaborative ownership of assets

2. Spiritual/Cultural sustainability

There is a strong resilient culture which engages everyone and encourages a sense of belonging. Ritual celebrations with song, dance and creative expressions are a human need that form the background to a healthy happy life.

3. Ecological sustainability

This refers to finding solutions to the access of water, food, shelter and energy which do minimum damage to our natural world and allow the regeneration of increasing biodiversity.

To assess how sustainable an existing group is the following checklist can be downloaded:

The five main guidelines that have been found to lead to the most powerful sense of connection and the joy that comes from that are:

1. The focus is on the listening from the heart, listening with no judgement and no response. Aim is to not plan what we are going to say but to feel into it.

2. Expressing from the heart, What are you feeling in this moment. Using only I statements (not you or we) as however empathetic we think we are, only each individual really knows what they feel. There is no other purpose to the expression than sharing ourselves.

3. Keeping it lean, what is present now. Not repeating a story that has been told over and over.

4. Being spontaneous - if what someone has said moves you or reminds you of a story share that.

5. Confidentiality: for people to feel safe, they need to know that what they say will not become the topic of gossip.

In the Kalikalos Centres, I believe it is this practice that creates the sense of connection between people and the sense of being part of something. This sharing keeps people coming back year after year. In Findhorn the attunement before the work shifts enables people to have sympathy and understand what the other people in the team are going through, support can then be offered to those not operating at 100%.

As I have said before in my experience of community and organisations to create that sense of connection and love among a group of people, daily sharing using the "Way of Council" is the most powerful tool.

Way of Council is a modern method derived from the way indigenous cultures especially those native to the North Americas, sat together to share stories and create a space for magic.

When people come together in a circle with the intention of all being equal, of dropping judgement and just accepting everyone for who they are: individuals with their strengths, weaknesses, fears and feelings. When people feel accepted they feel empowered and able to take space and feel respected. When people feel good about themselves they happily co-operate with others.

It can take a while for someone new to speaking in public, especially the young, to become comfortable and feel safe. If they do participate for some days it is inspiring watching them find their voice and find themselves; to observe themselves and dig deeply to discover what they are really feeling.

When people feel safe enough to express their vulnerability and then be welcomed and accepted it makes them feel validated and better able to handle any pain.

The format is that people sit in a circle , maybe around a central candle or alter, and someone holds the space as an equal. Connection and sacred space can be created by a reading, meditation, shared song etc. To give people the time to speak and be listened to an object is used as a talking stick, this can be a specially decorated stick, but also a crystal, a shell or some other natural object.

The talking stick can either be passed around the circle or returned to the centre with people choosing when they feel drawn to speak. When a person is holding the talking stick only they may speak or express in another way they choose (song, dance, poetry).

In part 2 I will share the guidelines that have been found to lead to the most powerful sense of connection and the joy that comes from that.

Food is one of the basic needs of survival for humans and all living beings. If a community is close to the city as in a co-share development and people have an income then food is easily accessible. Other communities may be isolated or have an intention to live from the land. Depending on the systems and structure within the community ie. whether there are communal gardens or family gardens can create a feeling of community, as there is greater interaction, or a feeling of tension if people are not contributing equal time.

Sharing food together is an age old ritual of friendship and is another important example of community glue. Some communities eat all their meals together from a central kitchen, whereas in others they may have weekly communal meals or may meet more rarely on an invite basis. Findhorn community has a central kitchen and you have to order your dinner if you plan to be there. Friday night is the night many people choose to eat there and the place is buzzing and alive as people catch up with each other over good food.

Daily activities and events bring people together and increase connection. Morning practices of yoga, meditation and other forms of mindfulness connect people with themselves and with others. Singing, dancing and exercise practices bring fun and joy in the shared activity; No words may be exchanged but there is camaraderie. In Cluny house where they run theFindhornExperience week there is regular Taizé singing and in Kalikalos there is daily yoga and meditation in the season.

The more often people meet and share the closer they become. When this is daily a deep connection can be quickly created. Daily sharing circles held according to the guidelines of the "Way of Council" is a tool for bringing people together. It takes a while to get to know people and when you know people's weaknesses and love them anyway, there is less need to be the perfect you.

Over and over I have observed people resistant or too shy to share, slowly open up as they hear that it is OK to say what you feel and on one is judging you for it. When they do finally open up even a little they feel more part of the group and are grateful for the practice.

Deep connection also allows the opportunity for personal growth as people can observe there judgments of others and recognise their own strengths and weaknesses.

What is it that binds people together?

A Dunedin co-housing project

What I have observed from my time in communities is that the more time people spend together the more authentic they become. It is tiring to always put on an act, most people live in fear of being judged and found wanting so they behave in a way which is not necessarily honest to their true nature. People try to please and don't speak their truth or get offended when someone else does express their upset. The more time you spend with someone the more comfortable you become and the more confident in the others forgiveness.

It is the time spent with other people in a community that provides the glue to hold it together and create the feeling of family or tribe - the sense of community. It is therefore essential to create as many opportunities for connection as possible. This maybe by having a community house, library, school, playground, store or swimming pool. Anywhere that is a shared space where people can bump into each other and hang out. In town planning, to create the sense of community, in the area where people live, these may be called linger nodes. They may be benches, playgrounds, skate parks etc where people can find others doing the same thing. At Mamaki Eco-village when the kids were growing up the most common place to meet people was at the trampoline. The children bounced while the adults stood around the edge guarding and chatting. A common meeting place in many peoples lives is the supermarket.

Recent research in the English town of Frome in Somerset, UK has shown that there has been a dramatic reduction in the number of emergency hospital admissions since it started a project to create a sense of community.

This was achieved by community groups and volunteers supporting isolated people with health problems. Data shows a reduction in emergency hospital admissions by 17% during the three year study while elsewhere is Somerset there was an increase of admissions of 29%.

Researcher Julian Abel,stated: “No other interventions on record have reduced emergency admissions across a population.”

The Compassionate Frome project was led by Helen Kingston, a GP there. With the help of the town council and Health Connections Mendip, Helen's practice set up a directory of local agencies and community groups. When there were gaps they created new groups for people with each type of condition. They employed “health connectors” to help people plan their care, and trained voluntary “community connectors” to help their patients find the support they needed.

The support offered included handling debt or housing problems. Encouraging patients to join a choir, lunch club, exercise group, writing workshops or men’s shed (for men to make and mend things together).

The point of the project was to break a familiar cycle of misery due to isolation. People without strong social connections, or who suffer from social stress (such as rejection and broken relationships), are more prone to inflammation. Isolation causes inflammation, and inflammation can cause further isolation and depression.

The results of increasing the sense of community for the individual are comparable to the effects of giving up smoking and especially interesting was the fact that older patients with chronic diseases do not have higher death rates than those who are not suffering from chronic disease – as long as they have high levels of social support.

Living in community with more than a nuclear family is like being married to other people too. There will be issues that come up between people. This is normal and healthy and will always be the case, if we have world peace there will still be disagreement. People do not all think the same and there is no right or wrong opinion. In addition everyone has a different set of beliefs and behaviours that stem from their upbringing, from how they handled the issues with the people they grew up with. Some may have needed to be forthright and strong in a large family or as the youngest, just to be heard or not be picked on, others may have learnt that to be safe it was best to be quiet and unseen. In a more peaceful world humans need tools and skills to negotiate the disagreements so that violence is not the outcome. Nonviolent Communication is one of the best tools to facilitate this negotiation.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is being in a state of compassion while engaging when no violence is present in the heart.

NVC asserts that humans are compassionate by nature and that violent behaviours—whether verbal or physical—are learned and supported by the prevailing culture. In addition NVC assumes that humans share the same, basic human needs, and that our actions are a strategy to meet these needs.

People who practice NVC have found an increased understanding and deepening connection with others and that conflict resolution is easier.

To learn more about NVC go to their website: https://www.nonviolentcommunication.com/

"When our communication supports compassionate giving and receiving, happiness replaces violence and grieving!"

-- CNVC founder, Marshall B. Rosenberg, PhD

"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing, and right-doing, there is a field. I will meet you there".

-- Rumi

In addition to the basics for individual survival, to create the feeling of community a group needs a common vision. This needs to be big enough that everyone feels that they are part of and can contribute towards in someway.

It is a human need to have a sense of purpose, something that inspires people to feel passionate about and it is important for each person to be able to find that within the common vision. This is what holds the framework of a community together.

Some communities have common businesses, for example many like the Kalikalos communities in Greece run workshops. Many of these workshops share the ideas and interests of the people involved in the community. As working on personal self-development is also one of the prime prerequisites to living with many people, offering these types of workshops and having the training and opportunity to attend helps the bonding process. The Findhorn community in Scotland has its own educational program as well as running regular workshops. Findhorn community has many businesses under its umbrella and nurturing enterprise has always been part of their shared vision.

Growing food and self-sufficiency are also common aims of community. Sometimes this is done communally and at other times involves individuals, families or teams. Not everyone has the same propensity for gardening or the same work ethic and if gardening is on common land this can lead to feelings of resentment if some people do more work than others. This can split groups rather than bond them so ongoing planning, communication and evaluation are vital.

Many communities are involved with the WWOOF program that facilitates people from all around the globe volunteer four hours of work in exchange for board and lodging. Other schemes such as Workaway and Helpx offer similar programs for a wider range of jobs. A strong community is made more vibrant by the regular influx of young travellers.

I believe the greatest beneficiaries of living in a community surrounded by nature are the children. In most countries education is compulsory whether by schooling, home schooling or distance learning but research in Finland the country that ranked number one in global educational results has shown that children do better when they don't get homework and when they play outside more.

Children growing up in a community have so much freedom compared to most of those in the city or suburbs. They have access to nature and certainly our children in the Eco-village we have lived in for the last twenty years were a small tribe, that were up trees, in the streams, on horses and had open doors to several homes so they could choose to eat the meals that appealed the most, or consecutively if the timing was right! They often slept outside on the trampoline, by a horse that was due to birth or civilised in tents.

We had a 'no television' policy and they just escaped the mass takeover of mobile devices so they either played with their imagination or card games and the girls were avid readers.

It will be interesting to observe the consequences of the mass global experiment we are conducting on ourselves with the exposure to WiFi, smart meters and the stimulation provided by devices.

In the past safety and security may have meant fortifications against other tribes and today gated communities are certainly about safety and protection of assets - although whether people that share a gate feel a sense of community with each other I doubt, but would love to know. There is safety in numbers and close neighbours that know each other and the people that create neighbourhood watches bring people together with the common interest of looking after the population in a particular area they operate in.

To create authentic community where everyone feels safe to be themselves and accepted for who they are is much more difficult and takes time and intention. It means 'no secrets' and 'no judgement'. As humans we naturally make judgments all the time and safety is very easily destroyed if there are any persecutor, victim and rescuer triangles. These roles are common ways we behave that we move between in our different relationships with people depending on the early beliefs we developed, primarily as children. Some peoples upbringings have been tougher than others and they have developed a bullying attitude to survive in that situation. In contrast others have been treated with kid gloves and have not learnt to deal with any conflict. These people in the victim role have not learnt to stand up for themselves and can create situations where they feel disempowered and not included or listened to in the community. The bullies tend to enrol others to be on their side by engaging in gossip and put down. Dysfunction like this in community, is so common that it is accepted as normal, especially if their family was dysfunctional and it feels similar.

There is no community or a feeling of safety where this dynamic exists. Using non-violent communication tools can empower individuals to express their feelings and needs.

A dedication by everyone in the community towards personal growth and regular workshops and tools to assist this evolution is probably the most important single factor in creating a sense of safety between people.

Other practices that enhance the feeling of safety are the regular practice of way of council, daily circles and other factors that lead to regular communication. This may be bump zones and shared facilities that allow you to see the neighbours on a regular basis.

Looking back in history to see where communities have located and developed can give us some clues about this. The forms of transport for connecting to market and other communities has been the most significant factor. Communities locating by the sea and rivers when boats were the main way of traveling. Otherwise Maslov's hierarchy of needs is also relevant to this. The need for shelter, water, food and safety. the Maori Pa sites in New Zealand are usually located on the most prominent high ground to provide safety in the times of warfare.

Shelter

In the UK there are several communities that have taken over stately homes or large houses where there are many rooms and large kitchens and these can be perfectly set up to provide a space for multiple occupancy. At Osho Leela in Dorset there are now many attached mobile buildings, as in Findhorn this happens when people want to be in the community but want their own space. Osho Leela is held together by the teachings of Osho and the community has the glue of regular dancing together and has a source of income through being a workshop space.

Other communities have taken over deserted villages in remote areas of Spain, for example, Matavenero village a remote mining village abandoned in the 1960's now has 60 people living there mostly Germans but also other Europeans wanting a more eco-friendly existence they aim to be as self-sufficient as possible and share a communal telephone line.

Other people have bought farms or bare land and developed those into intentional communities. Often these start with people living in caravans as they build their own homes.

A group of houses close together or people living in the same block of flats or a stately home is not a community by default. You can live in the same building as someone for decades and never talk to your neighbours. To create community there needs to be an intention, places where people can bump into each other and connect, shared activities to create community glue and some shared values so that the people respect each other.

Finding our tribe feels like a human need. The need to be accepted and liked for who we are. As we more easily accept and like people who we recognise as like ourselves it is natural that in the first instance we will group with people that share our values and beliefs. As we evolve to understand that the life we experience is a hologram of our beliefs and the more we are conscious of these subconscious beliefs that we created in childhood the more we can recognise that other people's behaviour is likewise driven in this way. The more we learn about our "selves" and accept ourselves the more we can accept others for their differences and uniqueness.

I have heard many people talk about wanting to live in community and wanting the right community or the right people. This seems natural but as you understand that you are still learning and evolving what the universe will reflect for you is the people and environment that will enable that learning and often self learning is not very comfortable. Then people blame the others rather that learn from the situation more about themselves,.

The Global Eco-village Network is a network that attempts to connect communities to each other and works with other bodies towards implementing a transition to living in more resilient communities globally.

Their definition of an eco-village is: “An eco-village is an intentional, traditional or urban

community that is consciously designed through locally owned, participatory processes in all four directions of sustainability to regenerate their social and natural environments.” They also say they are living laboratories that are pioneering solutions towards quality lifestyles with a smaller footprint on the planet.

GEN has five regional bodies and the total network embraces around 10,000 diverse communities including ones in cities, ones designed amongst nature and indigenous communities,

Their vision is for a move to a more sustainable future being driven by individuals with their local communities. To assist this they provide tools and examples to support those developing sustainable communities around the world.

GEN has designed the Sustainability Mandala (see sustainable living) which has 30 eco-village principles designed in collaboration with Gaia Education. These principles are intended to provide a roadmap for the implementation or transformation of communities towards an eco-village lifestyle.

This is the first of a series of posts where I will look at the history and values of some of the communities around the world. Starting with my favourite: Findhorn

Findhorn has grown into a large extended community of communities in the most unlikely of places in a remote corner of North East Scotland.

The Findhorn foundation that these days is the governing and organizational body of the community and it is responsible for the community based on the beach in the village of Findhorn and for the large Cluny Hil Hotel in Forres about five miles away.

In the area are many other communities and multiples of other people living in the area that are closely or loosely connected with the project.

The Foundation overseas the community using three guiding principles one of each that came from the three original founders.

Findhorn was not an intentional community but evolved when Peter and Eileen Caddy and Dorothy Maclean lost their positions of running the Cluny Hill Hotel. With no income they moved to live in a caravan on the beach in the nearby village.

They were living by their three guiding principles:

Inner Listening – where whenever they had a question Eileen would attune to a deep knowing and then the others would follow her guidance. Today they tune in during meetings and meditation is a regular aspect of life in the communities.

Work as Love in Action – they would do this as Peter explained by loving where you are, loving what you are doing and loving who you are doing it with. Today they continue this practice in work teams that look after the kitchens and the gardens. Before each shift the teams connect by holding hands, tuning into the moment and by sharing what is going on in their lives so they can be present for each other and for what needs to be done.

Co-Creation with the Intelligence of Nature – Dorothy was able to communicate with the plants and nature spirits and as they tried to grow a garden on the poor sandy soils they followed what nature suggested. It was the impossibly large vegetables that they grew as a consequence of this guidance that, more than anything, attracted media attention and drew others to join the project.

In 1998 the New Findhorn Association of which the Foundation is a member overseas the eco-village aspects, community living and working , the training program and many other holistic businesses and charities.

The wider Findhorn community now includes over 5000 people living in the area. Linked by a shared commitment to Spiritual Guidance and caring for the planet.

I grew up in southern England, in suburbia but with enough freedom to spend a lot of time in the woods, up trees and in streams as well as in the less natural environments of railway sidings and pavements.

Apparently as a child at home I talked a lot and somewhere in my early years I must have learnt that this was not a positive trait as I have spent my whole life coming out of the shadow of quietness, shyness and reserve. My mother first learnt I was quiet from the teachers at school. I also have early stories of not being invited and accepted by my friends and whether true or not these beliefs have probably been a driving force in my urge to be in community and feel accepted. I still observe my tendancy towards unfriendly uncommunity behaviour when I am in the habitual unconsciousness of my life.

I was drawn to travel after a school cruise on the SS Uganda a treat of many who were at secondary school in the 70’s in the UK. I was 15 and we visited the Mediterranean Venice, Athens, Crete, Malta and Pompei. It was the exposure to the ancient world of the Greeks that inspired me most and I have been drawn back to Italy and Greece ever since.

My first experience of communal living, apart from the cruise ship where my main memories are of the stench of garlic from the crew quarters and lying flat on deck staring at the stars and giggling about the boys, was in Israel.

I took my first of many years “off” before going to University. Ein Gedi Kibbutz was my second destination after six months doing “something useful” and living in France and learning French for six months. Ein Gedi Kibbutz was a wealthy kibbutz with money coming from tourists bathing in the Dead Sea. The wealth meant we were given beer and cigarettes every Fridays and so weekends became party time with dancing in the bomb shelter. I loved it – the shared comaradarie of working together but no exchange of money and no having to buy anything to survive. I went again to another kibbutz, Haon, a few years later. Here again I found I fitted in and by having an Israeli boyfriend I became the connection between the volunteers and the kibbutzniks and I remember the strong feeling of being connected and of being able to do what I wanted to serve. I painted a mural in the kitchen and worked hard in the date plantation.

My final destination that year was Camp America and again I experienced the feeling of being part of a team with a common purpose and although I remember the Americans thought I was a bit “dreamy and out of it”. It was the spirit of community that I remember.

What else can break down these barriers and prejudices that lead people to be able to treat others outside a certain community with such hatred and cruelty. It appeared obvious in 2017 in the election of Donald Trump who’s slogan was “Keeping America for Americans” that it is those in the less cosmopolitan states that vote more strongly for this viewpoint. These same people will have less experience of others who are not like them. Were they less educated or more conservative because of an older age range? Were they feeling unheard or just desperate for change from some deeper urge. Is an increase in prejudice a normal part of aging as people have a tendancy to be less and less open to change. Research has shown young children do not differentiate on the colour of the skin so this is a learnt behaviour.

Is it therefore language that creates prejudice? There is evidence that it is both language and social conditioning that leads to exclusivity. It can be see in animals too, where it has been observed that it takes a long time for a herd of horses to accept a newcomer.

Does this prejudice therefore serve some sort of protective purpose for the species. It is not long since we were living in clans or tribes, infact many people outside the western world still are. If a sense of community is a fundamental need then it must serve some purpose and if the characteristic feelings between people in a community are trust and safety then this suggests that to rise above this fear that humans have of others who they don’t know is protective and likely to take many more generations to erase before there is a global community.

The sense of authentic community that rises above creed or colour and is a deeper and stronger feeling when people see each other every day is probably a stronger feeling than that experienced in a Facebook community. The more often people experience the sensation of complete safety and acceptance the more I believe global peace will emerge.

One might question whether the characteristics of the community movement although inclusive will exclude many by their “non Mainstream” alternative nature. It is probable that this group of “cultural creatives” as Dr Lipton calls them is increasing especially among Western women.

There are many common features and values that exist in common across many intentional or emergent communities now in existence and it is the tools and characteristics of these that will be explored here.

The disharmony caused by prejudices and beliefs is learnt in our early years when we are not conscious. As unlearning is not easy without great consciousness I believe it will be a slow process as new generations observe and learn to trust and feel safe in their childhood with all human beings. Creating conscious communities and teaching mindfulness and other techniques to become more conscious and unlearn early programming of fear and lack of trust are vital to move humanity to this sense of community which embodies safety and acceptance for all.

Community exists at all levels – at the microscopic for example amongst our gut bacteria and at the macroscopic amongst the relationship between different galaxies. Our gut bacteria are very much part of who we are and they send unconscious information to both our heart and our brain and also receive it. It is becoming more widely appreciated that our microbiome affects our health and its makeup is also affected by our thoughts feelings and our external environment, including our diet. As we become more conscious and think more positive thoughts we become more healthy in our bodies and our bacterial community also becomes more healthy. A person who is healthy and feeling positive recognises that they are responsible for creating the reality they are living and if they are not feeling connected they will make more effort to reach out and join and create communities.

Ken Wilber and Doshin Roshi in dialogue on how Integral theory which incorporates individuals and leaders Waking up, Growing up and Cleaning up can lead to the Transformational Communities of Tomorrow