Residential house with garden and flowering trees in a community setting.

Chrysalis Community

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Home-sharing
  • Suburban

Founding year

  • 2002

What we do

Chrysalis is committed to building a sustainable, violence-free culture through intimacy, compassion, radical honesty, freedom of choice in intimate relationships, ecological sensitivity, transparency, and the power of community. Social change and personal transformation are central to our vision.
Chrysalis has two houses side-by-side in a wooded setting about 10 minutes’ drive from Washington, DC. The houses can handle eight to ten permanent residents comfortably, with plenty of room for each person to have both personal space and an office or studio if they wish. Each person pays a share of the mortgage based on room size.
The common rooms can accommodate up to 50 people for events. The houses front on a large park, with miles of bike and hiking trails and unspoiled nature. At Chrysalis, each person is empowered to take initiative and create their own projects, healing the society while building a supportive web of intimate relationships that nurture inner transformation. We use many techniques, including sacred touch, non-violent communication, being in the moment, and more. Our goal is to love the world through loving oneself.
Chrysalis encourages members to follow their own vision in the context of a creative, supportive community; we find the ongoing cross-pollination of ideas, talents, and energy takes us to a higher and more productive level. Resident non-members and non-residents are also an important part of Chrysalis; we see our community as part of a much larger network.
We are especially looking for people who want to explore their own limits, both personally and productively, who like to be synergized by being around other creative and effective people, and who would enjoy living in an environment that is both challenging and supportive, that invites you to grow while affirming who and what you are.
We actively welcome people who are not members to live with us; we value the unique contribution each person has to make. We are less focused on long-term commitments, and more interested in the energy and ideas that our housemates have to offer in the present. We welcome those who would like to work and play and learn with us, whether it be “for a day or a decade.”

Our Mission

Integrating community with the larger world; creating change *in* people that leads to critical social change.

  • Purpose
  • Home-sharing
  • Community type
  • Coliving
  • Activities
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Networking
  • Services Business

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2002
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2002
  • Started living together

Gallery

  • 4 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
10

How to join

The process is flexible, generally starting with email exchange, phone calls, and a week visit, then exploring whether we have a good match.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Please call or email in advance. We do not have a formal visitor program, and we can sometimes take visitors on relatively short notice.
We are drug, smoke, and alcohol-free; please do not bring any of these items with you.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

A few people (not elected by the broader community) make the major decisions.

Decision-making process

  • No Established Process

Governance structure

  • Minimal/Anarchist

Little to no formal governance structure.

Conflict resolution approach

Leadership is a function, not an identity.
The core is not a closed group; it is mostly reflective of who is putting in significant effort.
Decision making is primarily “responsible anarchy”. Each person has substantial authority to make their own decisions, with due consideration to the rights and
needs of others.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • Members need to pay fees, dues, or similar to live there on a per month or per year basis
  • There is a labor obligation
  • Members typically need to have their own job or other personal source of income to cover their expenses while living in the community?

Additional economic information

Regular fees: $700
Labor: Yes (2 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Common House, Garden(s), Gym or sports area, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced

Dietary type

  • Vegetarian Only

Dietary restriction

  • People can cook and eat what they want in their own residence

Community activities and engagement

  • School, Educational Institute or Experience
  • Volunteer, Internship, or Apprenticeship, or WWOOF’ing
  • Ethical Business, Investment Group, or Alternative Currency
  • Organization, Resource, or Network
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use occurs primarily at celebrations or ceremonies
  • Substance use is prohibited in the community

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By several individuals through an LLC or a Tenancy In Common agreement

Setting

  • Suburban

Residential areas outside city centers but within metropolitan regions.

Community type

  • Coliving

    Shared living spaces with private bedrooms/bathrooms and communal
    kitchens, dining, and social areas.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • Up to 33%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    0.4 acres

Guest Book

Written reviews are available for plus members. Click here to upgrade.

Location

  • Virginia, United States

Promoted Needs and Offers

Offer
  • Housing For Rent + Shared
4 weeks ago

Cohousing Home for Rent in Snohomish WA

Beautifully maintained and spacious home in the woods! The first floor features an open-concept kitchen with granite countertops and island off the great room, which includes a river rock wood fireplace in the living room. Large windows and skylights let the light shine in year round. Walk out the French doors onto a covered patio and pavered area for outdoor living. A bonus room is included on this floor in addition to the single-car garage. A large laundry room with lots of storage and a 3/4 bathroom complete the first floor. Solid oak flooring is throughout the home. The second floor includes 3 nicely sized bedrooms and a bathroom with a large soaker tub, dual sinks, and newly remodeled shower enclosure. Walk out the second floor to a large grassy area that is part of the shared community space. The top floor is a spacious room with skylights and a full bathroom. Total rooms is 3-4 bedrooms + office and 2-3/4 bathrooms. This home is part of the Sharingwood Cohousing community. The neighborhood incudes 23 acres of greenbelt where a stream flows during fall and winter. The common areas include a common house, play structures, a greenhouse, and community garden. Get to know your neighbors in this community of 29 single-family homes. Residents join teams and volunteer a few hours a month as participants in the community. Applications are subject to qualification requirements. Additional terms and conditions apply. Reach out to request a viewing! Owner pays HOA fees. Renter pays all utilities including water, garbage, electric, gas, and internet/cable. Renter maintains plants and gardens around home. Renters are expected to sign a cohousing agreement that outlines community expectations (available in advance upon request). Rent is $4500 per month, deposit $4500. Pets negotiable for additional damage deposit fee.
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
2 months ago

Do you feel called to help co-create a small, newly forming eco-spiritual community?

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

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A residential project: people live here as their primary home.

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An institution, business, network, or project that isn’t a residence (e.g. a learning center, farm, or network with no one living there full-time).

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