Scenic view of Valley of Light with river and lush green hills.

Valley of Light

  • Communities

About the Communities

  • Established
  • Ecological
  • Rural

Founding year

  • 2010

What we do

The Valley of Light (“VOL”) is a sustainable, spiritual micro-community located in the rural town of Independence, Virginia. Our 23-acre campus is situated in the Appalachian Mountains and it borders the ancient New River – the oldest river in the Western Hemisphere and possibly the oldest river in the world.
VOL was founded by team members of The Oracle Institute, a 501(c)(3) educational charity and socio-spiritual think tank. Oracle operates an award-winning publishing house, a spirituality school, and a global peace practice. See: www.TheOracleInstitute.org. VOL and Oracle share the campus, and Oracle serves as the community’s tax-exempt teaching vehicle.
VOL Members are aware of what is happening in the world and understand that humanity is on the verge of a major paradigm shift. The global decline of democracy and emerging New Age theosophies are just two indicators of the polarization, confusion, and looming transformation. VOL Members also are cognizant of the many unprecedented factors contributing to this turbulent period, including: global warming, food and water shortages, clean energy delays, pandemics, terrorism, and lack of visionary focus by political and business leaders.
We believe the key to a smooth transition into the 21st Century is the adoption of new ways of living based on an awareness of the interconnectedness of all life. To that end, VOL is seeking committed “Cultural Creatives,” who wish to build a model micro-community that operates in every sector of society (like the Federation of Damanhur in Italy).
The “Peace Pentagon” is the heart of our campus, and it functions as the VOL community center, Oracle’s headquarters, a training center for progressive and pluralistic programs, and a wisdom center that spans cultures and creeds. The interior chapel of the Peace Pentagon is maintained by Oracle Temple, our esoteric and multi-faith church. See: www.PeacePentagon.net.

Our Mission

The Valley of Light is a sustainable, spiritual community dedicated to the Principle of Peace and the Universal Laws of Truth, Love, and Light. We seek social architects in all sectors of society – people who want to build new world and who are in service to humanity.

  • Purpose
  • Ecological
  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Coliving
  • Ecovillage
  • Activities
  • Property management
  • Education
  • Experiences
  • Networking

Commemorative dates

  • January 1, 2010
  • Started planning
  • January 1, 2015
  • Started living together
  • 8 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
Total
13

How to join

1. After your Valley of Light visit, we will write to invite you to join VOL or provide an explanation as to why we have decided not to extend an invitation. We also may offer you a Non-Resident membership.
2. For Resident Members, there is a 3-month trial period, during which you will live in community housing and get to know us (and vice-versa). If the initial Trial Residency is successful, then you will be invited to complete a full year trial residency.
3. After one year as a Resident Trial Member, we will engage in a series of interviews and evaluations. If it is deemed a good fit by a super-majority vote of the existing Members, then you will be invited to become a Resident Member of VOL.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

1. Potential members should read these informational pages at our website:
www.TheOracleInstitute.org/About-Our-Community
www.TheOracleInstitute.org/Community-Principles
www.TheOracleInstitute.org/Paths-of-Perfection
www.TheOracleInstitute.org/New-Member-Profile
2. If it feels like a good fit to you, then please fill out the Valley of Light Interest Form.
The form can be accessed at our website: www.TheOracleInstitute.org/Valley-of-Light-Visit
Or you can email us to get the form: In**@***********ht.org
3. We will schedule a Zoom interview with you after we receive the completed VOL Interest Form.
4. If it still feels like a good fit, we will schedule your VOL Visit!

Primary decision-making authority

  • Small Leadership Group

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

Decision-making process

  • Majority Vote

More than 50% agreement needed.

Governance structure

  • Representative/Democratic

Members elect leaders who make decisions within defined roles.

Conflict resolution approach

VOL has a Constitution and By-Laws, which are reviewed every year during the annual VOL gathering. The VOL governance structure is democratic and includes an elected board of trustees (the “Council of Sages”). Members discuss and agree on day-to-day issues. Large decisions require a super-majority vote of the community and the Council of Sages.
Members select a primary area of focus within the community (their “Path of Perfection”). Currently, there are five paths:
(i) Path of the Native, for those who wish to focus on the grounds, gardens, and livestock;
(ii) Path of the Scientist, for those in technology, energy, and health related fields;
(iii) Path of the Peacemaker, for those passionate about social activism, mediation, and justice;
(iv) Path of the Artisan, for builders, writers, artists, musicians, and performers; and
(v) Path of the Oracle, for those who wish to focus on spiritual growth and oversee our community church, Oracle Temple.

Economic model

  • Independent Finances

Members maintain separate personal finances with minimal sharing.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a one-time fee, investment, or share purchase to join the community separate from accessing housing
  • 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

Join fee: $5000
Regular fees: $100
Labor: Yes (5 hrs/week)
VOL members are financially sound and contribute to the maintenance of the campus. Members pay dues to support the farm animals and common areas, including: the community garden, internal roads, the Peace Pentagon (our community center), campground (with kitchen pavilion and bathhouse), trails and recreational areas (along the New River and Saddle Creek), outdoor sacred space (medicine wheel, labyrinth, and kiva), our shared farm equipment and tools, and county real estate taxes. All our property is DEBT FREE.

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

Common House, Garden(s), Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Outdoor Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Stage or Auditorium, Fire pit, Swingsets & play areas, Waterfront access, Internet

Frequency of communal meals

  • About once a week

Significant food acquisition practices

  • Locally sourced
  • Livestock / Animal Husbandry

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
  • Neighborhood, Community Housing, or Homeowner's Association
  • Organization, Resource, or Network
  • Festivals, Conferences, Events

Substance use culture

  • Substance use appears in public spaces but no pressure

Gender composition

  • Majority cis (over 60%)

Age demographics

  • Multi-generational (all ages well represented)

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

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

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Community type

  • Cohousing

    Private homes with shared common facilities, designed for neighborly
    interaction while maintaining independence.

  • Coliving

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

  • Ecovillage

    Integrated communities designed around ecological principles with sustainable living practices.

  • Spiritual Retreat Centers

    Residential communities focused on providing space for meditation, spiritual practice, and personal growth retreats.

Self-produced energy

  • Up to 33%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar
  • Biomass (from wood or other organic materials)

Self-produced food

  • Up to 33%

Local, organic, or fair trade food

  • 33 - 66%

Food systems

  • Community garden
  • Land area size
    23 acres

Guest Book

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

Location

  • Virginia, United States

Valley of Light

Needs and Offers

Connecting people and communities through an intentional online marketplace

  • Promoted
Need
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
4 weeks ago

Beautiful 3+ Bed, 2.5 Bath Townhome in Established West Emerald CoHousing, Seattle

A rare home is available at West Emerald Cohousing, an established all-ages intentional community in West Seattle. For those considering a move to the Pacific Northwest—or hoping to join a mature community rather than one still in the forming stages—West Emerald offers decades of community life, beautiful gardens, shared resources and a peaceful setting within the city in a convenient location since 1999. This unit has a unique floor plan that is ideal for co-buying, co-living, or for one household. The home itself offers a flexible 3+ bedroom, 2.5 bath layout: Garden-level room with a separate exterior entrance and half bath—ideal for a home office, studio, guest space or client-facing business Main-level bedroom and full bath, laundry, making one-level living possible Open great room with large windows overlooking gardens filled with birdsong Well-designed kitchen with generous storage and pantry Two additional light-filled spacious bedrooms and a full bath upstairs Thoughtfully maintained and updated Located at the end of a common pathway for added privacy and garden views, Just feet from parking, which is out of view West Emerald community amenities include: Common House with gathering and activity spaces Community meals and events Mature gardens and shared outdoor spaces Workshop/maker spaces and bike barn Exercise room EV charging opportunity Excellent Metro access to Downtown Seattle just minutes away Nestled into a dell, it’s Seattle’s best-kept secret South Seattle College and lifelong learning, NW Wine Academy, the Seattle Chinese Garden are nearby, with easy access to Alki Beach, Lincoln Park, magnet schools, ferries, and the shops and restaurants of the West Seattle Junction. 6000 17th Ave SW, Seattle, WA Is a wonderful opportunity to have your own comfortable, private home while becoming part of a vibrant and well-established Seattle all-ages cohousing community. For more information contact the friendly Realtor at 206-579-9066, or at ki**********@**********te.com who will be happy to meet you there or do a facetime tour.
  • Promoted
  • Events
1 week ago

Healing Love Healing Money: Trust As The Foundation For A New Culture

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/  
October 27, 2026 13:00 – November 17, 2026 15:00
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Promoted
Offer
  • Communities with Openings
4 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
Offer
  • Real Estate For Sale
2 days ago

Lot of Goodness

Are you seeking to live in a sustainable, wellness-oriented community that prioritizes nature and environmental conservation? Lot 6 in the Living Well Ecovillage offers the perfect opportunity to be part of a vibrant, self-sufficient community committed to holistic health and ecological harmony. This lot, approximately 1/3 acre in size, is equipped with city utilities and fiber internet access. It is located in a unique mixed-use community with a variety of land uses planned for the future, including small business/commercial spaces, tiny houses, cluster housing, and a 10-acre farm. Your home could face the street or look North to the Living Well Park &  Pavilion where we enjoy many activities together as a Community.  Lot 6 would be ideal for someone who wanted to be close to the action.  Maybe you’d like a large, shared home. Or a business location. The Ecovillage is home to a diverse range of homes, such as timber frame, Deltec, hempcrete, and Net-Zero energy designs—all built with green building principles in mind. This community prioritizes sustainability and wellness in every aspect of life. About the Living Well EcovillageSpanning 126 acres, the Living Well Ecovillage is bordered by the Deep River and Sandy Creek, offering stunning natural beauty and a tranquil environment. The Ecovillage includes shared spaces like a community garden, a Greenway/Rail Trail, and a neighborhood park. Over 53 acres of natural land buffer the river and creek, preserving the area’s pristine beauty and offering residents a true connection to nature. Your Dream Home AwaitsLot 6 is the ideal spot to build your sustainable home, surrounded by trees, rock outcroppings, and abundant wild edible plants. Experience breathtaking views and a peaceful setting, perfect for those seeking a slower, more connected way of life. A Community That Supports WellnessThe Living Well Ecovillage is not just about space—it’s about community. With access to the Folk School, residents engage in hands-on learning, sustainable practices, and personal growth, fostering a sense of belonging and purpose. Perfectly LocatedJust two miles from Highway 64 in Franklinville, North Carolina, the Ecovillage is easily accessible to Greensboro, Asheboro, and Siler City, and a short drive from Raleigh, Durham, and Charlotte. It’s centrally located between the mountains and the ocean, with easy access to cultural and recreational amenities. Join Us in Building a Better FutureLot 6 offers more than just land—it’s an opportunity to be part of a community with a shared vision for a sustainable, resilient future. Ready to start the next chapter of your life in the Living Well Ecovillage? Visit Living Well Ecovillage for more information and to explore your future home. For an aerial and street level view, visit Google Maps.

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