The Grove

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Spiritual
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2022

What we do

WHO WE ARE

We are an intentional community and retreat center where inquisitive minds and deep souls from all faith practices convene to share ideas, learn from and about each other, and practice acceptance and interdependence.

OUR WHY

We envision courageous people living together in a new way, without exercising power over each other, transforming ourselves, each other, and the world.

WHAT WE DO

We are cultivating a loving, inclusive, and sustainable community and retreat center that inspires and empowers each other to live and lead courageously.
We achieve this by fostering open dialogue and consensus-based agreement building within a non-hierarchical leadership framework. Here, diverse seekers and inquisitive minds learn, share, and grow together.
We so believe in the power of intentional living and collective effort to cultivate a thriving world that we are also dedicated to creating a retreat center where all are welcome to experience life in community on a short term basis.
Our retreat center and accommodations will be a sacred space to retreat from the busyness of life, slow down and reconnect with God, yourself, and others, which allows for the renewing of your body, mind, and spirit.
We envision a wide variety of programs, retreats, and services being offered in the future. Some examples are depicted in this image.

OUR VALUES

Everyone Belongs-All have value simply because they exist. All have a piece of the truth and none of us have all of the truth. We believe all can thrive when we are known, accepted, loved and experience a sense of belonging.
People First-We practice valuing our relational connection above all else, by keeping our attention fully present in each moment and interaction, while listening “for” as opposed to “against.”
Loving kindness-We practice walking in harmony, releasing our judgments, and choosing the kindest thought towards ourselves and others.
Honest, KInd, and Direct Communication-We practice acknowledging and accepting what is in the current situation with the people directly involved, so that the full range of possibilities are available. In addition we practice seeking clarity and resolution with others when difficulties arise.
Freedom to Be You-We practice sharing all of who we are with each other in honor and respect so that diversity is cherished and thrives.

HOW WE DO IT

We do this by providing a space for people to live and learn intentionally together, with all the beauty and messiness that life and learning in community brings. We believe that it’s the “bumping up and into each other” that allows us to uncover our true selves and discover our purposes. We do this while practicing exercising our power with each other, not over each other. In other words, we all give something up in order to actually live together
How we are organized-We are currently informally organized. We are in the process of searching for 10-20 acres in the Texas hill country area, which will initially be held by Greater Grounds LLC. Our long term intention is to establish a non-profit organization to hold the land and all operations.
How we make decisions-Our practice for making decisions is Consensus Agreement Building. To learn more about this practice read here.
How we lead-We practice a non-hierarchical leadership framework, based on a circle as opposed to a pyramid. No one is above or below anyone else in terms of importance, power, or weight of their contribution.

Our Mission

We are cultivating a loving, inclusive, and sustainable community and retreat center that inspires and empowers each other to live and lead courageously.
We achieve this by fostering open dialogue and consensus-based agreement building within a non-hierarchical leadership framework. Here, diverse seekers and inquisitive minds learn, share, and grow together.

  • Purpose
  • Spiritual
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2022
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2023
  • Started living together
  • 4 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
4

Basic expectations or agreements for members

Contact the community, or a member they personally know, to schedule a time to visit.

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

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

Decision-making process

  • Full Consensus

Everyone must agree before moving forward.

Governance structure

  • Collaborative/Horizontal

Power and responsibility are shared relatively equally among members.

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
  • 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: Yes

Frequency of communal meals

  • 1-3 times per month

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure

Gender composition

  • Roughly balanced (no group over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Mixed adults (few or no children)

Guest Book

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Location

  • Texas, United States

Needs and Offers

Offer
Offer
  • Marketplace
6 years ago

Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves Books for Sale

Cohousing: A Contemporary Approach to Housing Ourselves, Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant introduce Cohousing with stories and pictures of both Danish and American communities. Beautiful photographs and line drawings illustrate the warmly written account of how these communities came to be. Specific information on legal and financial aspects of working with developers, group process, and design issues make this book informative as well as inspiring. This is the book which brought Cohousing to North America. This book is the much prized second edition which has become a rarer and somewhat of a collectors item. Its community case studies were not included in the more recent publication. It preceded Creating Cohousing which is widely available. I acquired 25 cases from a local distributor who closed down. If you would like three or more copies for yourself, to share with your friends or to market your group, please let me know. I would love for them to be made useful and find great homes. Books are paperback (hard copy was not an option at the time from the publisher) all brand new, in Oakland (CA) so could be picked in Oakland or mailed to you. I would very much like to recuperate what I paid which is $10 per book. So, If you would like three or more shipped, I will add the postage, packing and handling fees. I have sold several cases (18 books per case) for $150 per case ($8 per book). I have a little wiggle room on the pricing. Please let me know if you are interested. Use the Send Message button on this page.
Offer
  • Housing For Rent + Shared
18 hours ago

Turn-key commune opportunity on 30 acres in beautiful rural Minnesota (~$500-550k)

Hi everyone! Our founding group of queer women is transitioning ownership of our rural Minnesota homestead, and we’re looking for new stewards to keep it running as an intentional community! Let me give you a tiny window into what to expect: Picture yourself stepping out of the overwhelming corporate chaos of the city, into an idyllic little slice of a slower life – there’s a certain look of relief we tend to see on our visitors’ faces. When you enter, the path is surrounded by vibrant flowers in every color that come back every year. To your left is a stone path to the organic gardens, growing easily without much effort. Straight ahead are the barns and pathways to the fields – you might pass by the occasional honeybee or butterfly. To the right is a large farmhouse, behind which there is a mossy forested area where you’ll find a conversation circle fashioned out of old logs and stones, and a small sitting platform up in the trees.    The Highlights: 30 Acres: Forest, pond, creek, permaculture gardens (HĂĽgelkultur), native plants, perennial flowers and future fruit trees, and ~1 acre dry-farmed. 9-Bedroom Farmhouse: ~4,000 sq ft across 3 levels. Solid heating, great bones, in good shape, quiet layout. Outbuildings: Garage, woodshop barn, event barn, quonset storage, a silo, plus honeybees & resident farm cat! Location: Quiet and peaceful. Remote with off-the-grid features like a well and pending solar installation, yet under 10 mins to hospital/town. Zero flood/fire risk, and a wonderfully welcoming, queer-friendly local network.   Ideal for an established group of 2+ people ready to take on a relatively large farmhouse and property. We are open to an outright purchase or a gradual transition/shared-ownership arrangements with existing members. -> Full details, photos, and contact info here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ONZk-TUYQg3Xzh5Q7yl14PPeuwl5NYXu9ZDTgFGT4sY/edit?usp=sharing   Feel free to message me or share with anyone looking for land!  
Offer
  • Forming Communities
1 month ago

Create Home in Greece, Together

There are two ways into Greece’s first community-led cohousing network: a new-build mountain-foothills village in the Peloponnese, or an adaptive-reuse project where you help choose the property itself. Both are shaped by the vision and values of the people who will live there. PATH ONE: TAYGETE COHOUSING VILLAGE — NEW-BUILD, PELOPONNESE A mountain agrihood at the foot of the majestic Taygetos Mountains, inspired by the UNESCO village of Monemvasia — pristine national forest and hiking, olive groves, a vineyard, farm, surounded by mountain villages and close to extraordinary beaches. Common House with a full coworking suite, incredible kitchen for indoor/outdoor dining, workout room and lounge with fireplace. Includes a pool, gardens, soccer field, and village plateia. Adjacent to a luxury wellness resort with spa and farm-to-table restaurants now building. 2.5 hours from Athens International Airport, 20 min. drive to a vibrant town with nightly filled tavernas and a new hospital, 25 min. drive to beaches and charming fishing villages. Project Advantage: This project does not require the group to take out a collective construction loan — a rare, significant risk reduction most forming cohousing projects can’t offer. This project also provides the opportunity for a Golden Visa permanent residency in Greece, with the advantages of European healthcare, university access, Schengen business and travel. Stage of Development: Site Selection Completed. Feasibility studies completed. Development Partner Selection Completed. Collaborative Site and Village Design Process Completed. Finance Plan Completed. Architectural and Environmental Studies are completed and in the modification process. A current building permit exists and is in the modification process. Once the permit modification process is complete, member investment opportunities will open. Utility infrastructure excavation is underway, and only 12 investe

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