School Of Life

We are currently accepting full-time residential volunteers. Join us for 6 months (or more) at our Tibetan Buddhist center. Volunteers receive their own private room as well as all meals covered. Volunteers also have full access to classes, workshops, events, and ceremonies. This is a labor-intensive work study program–volunteers work 6 days a week on a variety of tasks such as cooking, cleaning, house maintenance, gardening, It & Tech, event planning, administrative duties, and more. 

Money, love and power are among the hardest things any community works with, and many of us carry the same fears into both: not having enough, losing what we have, and the sense that if someone else gets money or love, we won’t. Healing Love, Healing Money: Trust as the Foundation for a New Culture is taught by two intentional communities. Karen McAllister and Duncan Cryle are from Clear Sky Meditation and Retreat Center, a Buddhist-lineage community in the BC Rockies. Monika Alleweldt and Benjamin von Mendelssohn from Tamera Healing Biotope, a community of about 160 people in southern Portugal that has spent decades studying love, trust and relationship. Clear Sky has spent years working on its relationship with money, and our two communities found surprising parallels in the fears beneath both. Over four sessions we explore the roots of fear around money and belonging, love, possession and power, trust as infrastructure (community as a container for healing), and ethical livelihood. We use short meditations, body-based practices, reflection and small-group conversation. You do not need to be in a romantic relationship or live in community. When: October 27, Nov 3, 10, 17. All four sessions: 12–2pm Vancouver, 1–3pm Alberta, 7–9pm UK and Portugal, 8–10pm Central Europe. Note: US and some Canadian provinces change clocks on November 1, so the US west coast is 12–2pm on October 27, then 11am–1pm for the remaining sessions, and Eastern is 3–5pm on October 27, then 2–4pm for the rest. Cost: sliding scale Details and registration: https://www.clearskycenter.org/event/healing-love-healing-money-online/  

The Wise Acres Community is a cohousing neighborhood in Indianola, Washington. We currently have two openings: a 5-bedroom house and a 1-bedroom cottage.  In Wise Acres, we gather for dinners, parties, and other events in our common house and tend a community garden together. We look out for each other, make decisions by consensus, and share the work of stewarding the land. One house available for rent has 4 bedrooms, plus a study that can be used as a bedroom. The kitchen and great room face east and south, with high windows that invite lots of natural light. The single-story home has a wood-burning stove in the living room and a whole-house A/C heat pump. Unfurnished. For photos and a floor plan of this house, click here. The other home available for rent is a 1 bedroom 650 sq ft cottage with skylight and a forest balcony. The tranquil, three-story house is suitable for those with good physical mobility.   Wise Acres is walking distance from the beach in a small, friendly town that is 6 miles from the ferry to Seattle. Here’s a link to the Wise Acres community website.  We are seeking to rent to a household that wants to participate fully in community life. For more information, call or text 360 860 0644.

La Querencia is an established, multigenerational cohousing community of 28 private homes in northeast Fresno, California. Homes of different sizes are available for sale or rent, at prices well below those of many other cohousing communities—especially in California. We each have our own homes and lives while also sharing meals, gardens, celebrations, a common house, a pool, and the work of caring for the community together. See current homes, prices, photos, and details: https://www.laqcoho.org/available-homes We offer monthly virtual information sessions and in-person tours for people who would like to get to know the community. Tour information is available through our website: laqcoho.com.

Old structures are crumbling. New ways of living are calling. We are answering that call. Wild Grace is an eco-spiritual community located in the Sierra foothills 30 minutes from Grass Valley, California. We recently completed new homes for those who feel called to our vision. Currently there are four of us living on this sacred 80 acres of land although we are a hub for an expanded neighborhood community. Many join us weekly for potlucks, expressive dance, Qi Gong, monthly musical gatherings, and seasonal celebrations in our temple, as well as tending to our orchard. We are excited to welcome others to join us on the land who are dedicating their lives to spiritual growth and ready to live in a more focused and intimate heart-centered lifestyle. Might that be you or someone you know? The fundamentals are simple. Spirit. We listen personally and collectively together most mornings, usually starting with a musical offering, a prayer, or a short reading, followed by about 40 minutes of what we call “sacred silence.” Heart Circles. About once a week we gather to share and listen. We are informed by authentic and compassionate communication practices. Nature. The land itself—an 80-acre oasis of field and forest perched above the wild and scenic South Yuba River—calls for our stewardship in the gardens, orchard, greenhouses, and general care. In turn, nature feeds us abundantly, both literally and spiritually. Interbeing. We join with others to share inspiration and connection as we host monthly gatherings of song, story and prayer that draws from the larger community in addition to other events we share with our closer neighbors. As we attend to these fundamentals, Grace flows to and through us—often in “Wild” or unexpected ways. Grace catalyzes through us, but is not something we possess. Because we all are connected, we feel that Grace actively transforms n

Mellow Cogumelo is seeking 2–4 motivated individuals or couples interested in helping develop two food businesses and a small, cooperative rural community on 30 hectares of off-grid land in southwest Portugal.We’re looking for long-term partners, not short-term volunteers or visitors interested only in learning mushroom cultivation. This is an opportunity to help shape a project with substantial facilities and equipment already in place. TWO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Artisan Neapolitan PizzaOur mobile pizza operation includes an equipped professional kitchen, pizza trailer, and wood-fired oven. We’re particularly interested in someone with pizza-making experience who would enjoy developing and eventually managing this business.Specialty Gourmet MushroomsOur mushroom facility includes a dedicated laboratory, production equipment, and controlled growing environments. Mushroom cultivation or farming experience is welcome, but initiative, practical skills, attention to detail, and a willingness to learn are just as valuable. MORE THAN A BUSINESS Our wider vision is a small rural community built on independence, cooperation, mutual respect, and care for the land.Future projects include vegetable gardens, orchards, regenerative agriculture, and further improvements to our off-grid infrastructure.This is rural living, with its rewards and challenges. The property is reached by approximately 2 km of dirt road. We generate our own electricity and manage our water systems.We maintain a non-smoking, drug-free environment. Reliable transportation, or a realistic plan for it, is important. HOW IT COULD WORK We hope to meet people who want to create lasting livelihoods by gradually taking greater responsibility for developing and operating the businesses.We envision operating partnerships with increasing profit participation, based on mutually agreed responsibilities, milestones, and business performance.These are developing commercial opportunities; immediate income cannot be guaranteed. Financial and working arrangements would be discussed individually and established through appropriate agreements.On-site accommodation may be possible as part of an agreed arrangement. WHO WE HOPE TO MEET Practical, dependable, independent-minded people who like hands-on work and want to contribute to something for the long term.Experience in food service, cultivation, agriculture, construction, mechanics, or business development is welcome. Shared values and commitment are most important.If this speaks to you, please tell us about your background, skills, and what you’re hoping to build over the next few years.Learn more on our Join Our Team page at mellowcogumelo.com.

Live where nature, sustainability, and community come together. For sale in Solterra Cohousing (Durham, NC): all-brick 3,376 sq ft home, 3 bedrooms upstairs + open loft, 2.5 baths, craft room, screened porch, 2-car garage. House and bathrooms freshly painted and renovated. Brazilian hand-sanded hardwood floors throughout. Kitchen with 8 x 4 island. 14 solar panels, large windows. A supportive, established multigenerational community with shared meals, gardens, common house, and beautiful dog park. Ask about furniture not included in move. $740,000 | MLS #10197168. Contact: Eila Voloshen, Inhabit Real Estate — 917.855.3009

Seeking to a form an intentional farming community for families with neurodiverse children/adults. I would not only like to aim to provide support for the families on the land, but also provide arts and mutual aid initiatives within the greater community. We are located in Vermont, and looking to hopefully stay in the Northeast/MidAtlantic area. I envision an ecovillage that incorporates aspects of permaculture and optimizes sustainability. In addition to farming, we would offer additional opportunities for neurodivergent individuals to learn, build skills, socialize and receive support during the day. K-12 students would be offered an alternative schooling option – think “free school”, “Sudbury method”, or “Waldorf method”. Adult members would visit “stations” throughout the day (i.e. farm, arts, weaving, music, nature walks, etc.). The ultimate goal of this community would be to provide support for school-aged children and their families and then eventually provide care-giver assisted housing for family members ready to transition to more independent housing. I have experience with Camphill and other similar lifesharing communities for neurodiverse individuals and would love to collaborate with other families looking for support in navigating care for neurodiverse loved ones.