The Barley Jar is an evolving Plum Village inspired permaculture training and practice centre where we are learning and practicing to live harmoniously with each other and the natural world. We aim to do this to the utmost degree possible. The community is a research and development laboratory striving to achieve the deepest level of social, spiritual and environmental permaculture based on the Plum Village Tradition and the best available science.
Our desire is to be the change we want to see in the world.
The tradition of Plum Village and Thich Nhat Hanh is a non-denominational spiritual tradition open to individuals of any persuasion ranging from atheist to Catholic, Muslim, Jewish or similar. This tradition focuses on mindfulness in daily life. Though they arise from a Buddhist vision for a global spirituality and ethic, it’s practices are nonsectarian, and their nature is universal.
We will give preference to individuals who are interested in training and deepening their practice at the Barley Jar and ultimately becoming longer term stable members of our community. We are also open to shorter term guests. Currently our community is typically comprised of 2-3 long term members and 3-4 shorter to medium term guests.
Training and deepening practice is possible through a program of courses and activities being developed at the Barley Jar with which residents and broader community members can deepen their practice of permaculture and the Plum Village and Barley Jar traditions. These also include reading and study groups and participation in local retreats and practice opportunities.
We share meals/cooking, groceries, cleaning/chores, music/art/ideas, joint parties, community dinners, collective space and household items, a mixture of privacy and community,…We have positive shared values / enthusiasm for sustainable transportation (bikes, no cars owned), local organic, vegetarian/vegan, natural materials (plastic free), fair trade …inclusion and diversity are highly valued and desired e.g. no labels / all ages / all abilities / queer-positive / all backgrounds / all social (including marginalized) groups etc.
Our house is medium to large, we really like having people around as well as having a balance of privacy, we like having guests.Our members positively contribute to our community and to the network of similar homes that we are a part of.
Physically: We live in a century home at the north end of Brunswick Ave, the house has 6 bedrooms. There are lots of shared spaces – a kitchen, 2 bathrooms, sunroom, dining room, living room, patio-deck, garden. We generally have 6-8 housemates including couples and kids…
Our members tend to be community activists, social change agents, artists and farmers.
We host:
– community wide sunday dinners once a month (last sunday of the month – potluck optional with a music jam) all are welcome
– workshops (anything and everything – politics, art, sustainability, social justice)
– music and art events (house concerts, readings and the like)
– guests from all over
Community Healing:
– The Barley Jar is engaged in an exploratory healing journey which is making available a room for anyone seeking habitation in Toronto who might want to live and practice with us. The space is reserved for those who have been without a home for long periods of time ….ask for more from any of our members…
Ecological, spiritual and social sustainability and permaculture.
We are in a period of frequent turnover so members are frequently coming and going. We only consider inquiries about membership from those who have guested with us for a month and then left. Our membership process includes the one month guest stay, essay type questions and an interview.
Contact us! Interested guests are asked to participate in the community as members with respect to our various intentions. We ask that visitors participate in contributing to food for longer stays and those who stay two weeks or longer are generally asked to share rent in some way with the collective.
One person or partnership has ultimate authority.
A single person, couple, or small group makes most major decisions.
Primary authority rests with the community’s founder(s) or designated leader(s).
We have a house coordinator who is the point person for the house.
Individuals are invited to levels of membership by members with deeper levels of community membership. Depth of membership is based on observed commitment, interest and involvement in the community and to supporting the intentions and traditions of the community. Decision making and responsibility grows with level of commitment and depth of membership. Decisions are generally made in a friendly collegial way reflecting the friendship that we share.
Most or all decision are generally made by consensus unless they involve the building itself, these decisions are made by the owning member in consultation with the rest of the membership.
Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.
Regular fees: $634
Labor: Yes (4 hrs/week)
Members with pre-existing debt: allowed
All members have chores and weekly cooking amounting to about 4 hours/week.
We contribute to a common bulk items and food pot that we all draw from to pay for food and bulk items. The monthly amount includes rent, utilities and food.
The average monthly contribution is $640. This covers costs for the room and all utilities (heating, water, phone, internet, losses etc.). Food costs are on average an additional $180. This comes to about $2 per meal. This is further adjusted to each individual according to how much they consume on average. Therefore the total for room, utilities and food is about $814 per month on average. The amount varies depending on the size of room that individuals live in. In addition to ongoing operating costs, the contribution pays for improvements to the house and infrastructure and growth of the community.
Common House, Garden(s), Internet
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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