Our community is based on personal affinity, which means that persons and relationships come first and everything else follows from that. We are experimental and we embrace change. We have been working at this (under various names) for more than 40 years. We find that the community spirit is powerful and alive and needs to be nurtured every day with caring attention to each other, our feelings, and our needs. We meet several times a week for this purpose and to coordinate our action. We have six members, all with years of prior community experience.
Located in central VA, we are within an hour and a half of Twin Oaks, Acorn, Living Energy Farm, Cambia, Mimosa, and Compersia. We have close connections with members of Twin Oaks, Ganas, and Compersia communities and we exchange energies for mutual benefit.
We are lucky to live in a true beauty spot at the base of Old Rag Mountain near Etlan VA. Our 97 acres of mostly forested land borders on Shenandoah National Park. We have created (and continue to create) a great physical environment for community living, including a farmhouse, three cabins, and two gardens.
We are a close-knit group and pay a lot of attention to our relationships and our personal growth. We gather for dinner most days, do gardening and projects together, and hold meetings several times a week; this serves us well in staying connected and coordinating our efforts. We wish to grow our community in ways that are sustainable emotionally, financially, and environmentally. We want to live creatively, and in ways that are fulfilling for all our members.
We feel that sharing is essential to group living. We make group decisions and go up or down together accordingly. We expect every member to make appropriate contributions of time and money so that we all stay in balance.
Over the next several months, we want to take the time to fully integrate our new and returning members. We need to reorganize and do some thinking together about new directions. And we want to settle in to who we are now as a community. For this reason, we want to temporarily postpone visitor periods and other steps on the track to membership for new people.
Our community life is based on personal affinity, which means that persons and relationships come first and everything else follows from that. We want to live creatively, and in ways that are fulfilling for all our members.
When we are ready, Open Circle will welcome visitors who share our zest for learning and adventure. We will enjoy hearing from you—if you are friendly, open minded, and resourceful. Let’s start with an email. If you send us your phone number, we’ll be happy to call you.
At this time, we want to take the time to fully integrate our new and returning members. We need to reorganize and do some thinking together about new directions. And we want to settle in to who we are now as a community. For this reason, we want to temporarily postpone visitor periods and other steps on the track to membership for new people.
The whole membership decides collectively.
Still developing or unclear governance approach.
All member income goes into common pool for community use.
Labor: Yes
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
All members contribute to the pool by taking initiative to find income opportunities. Currently, our members create income by providing services to persons outside the community.
We expect every member to make labor contributions. We aim for balance and harmony, rather than a set number of hours.
We expect every member to contribute financially to the pool. We aim for a balanced financial relationship, rather than specific fees or dues.
Common House, Garden(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Hot tub or hot springs, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Fire pit, Internet
Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.
Communal living with shared resources, property, and often income or work responsibilities
Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace
A residential project: people live here as their primary home.
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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