WSC
Wind Spirit Community Overview
The times they are a changin'
(updating July 2010)
When you look at most community websites you might
think they are close to the utopian ideal, glowing descriptions
 of
goals, values, visions that most anyone would desire. We are not immune from
choosing some of these descriptions on our website but I will add that when our community is functioning at
a high level it can seem like a utopia. I wish it where that way all the
time, but that is not the case The ever changing paradigm, the up’s and
down, negative/positive seem to be a process of life. Who wants to write on
their website about some of the not so good experiences we have gone through. All we will say is that we get a little
better at community living all the time learning form all our past
experiences. So as you read through our website keep this in mind and do not
build unrealistic expectations only to be disappointed. We like to promote the positive, not be naive about the negatives but
to view these issues as growth opportunities on our path.
GENERAL
Wind Spirit is located in a narrow valley
surrounded by mountain ranges,
 The closest town
Globe is 20 miles away. We continue to nurture the
community land, an AZ non-profit corporation, and update our
bylaws and vision as we experience and grow. We are committed to 100%
organic methods of food production along with continually working to bring
our 16 acres more in line with permaculture practices. A canopy of thousands
of mature fruit, nut and native trees feed and shelter us, several gardens
provide us with more food.. All this bio-mass also creates a sanctuary for a
large bird population as well as for many other animals.We aspire to live in harmony which is not always easy, be good stewards of the land and be as sustainable as possible, while also being realistic about what we can afford to do with the resources we have. Community is really all about our relationships with each other everything else is secondary. Along with this we are committed to keeping WSC affordable through simple living without the poverty mentality that can often accompany low cost living. We are not a cult in any way, we have no leaders but feel it is wise to except wisdom found through experience. We honor diversity of thought and spiritual practices.  We are primarily a vegetarian community but not exclusively we do encourage people to eat a healthy diet of whole fresh foods as opposed to a denatured food diet. We have an outdoor gas barbecue for cooking meat/fish/fowl. We are not dogmatic about eating, there are people here who like to eat meat/fish/foul once or so a week. If you are very strict about what you eat you will need to find the space within to allow others their choice as well. If you are a one-sided meat eater this is probably not the place to be. The Co-Creators Agreements are a great way to bring about transformation in a society where most of these agreements or values are not incorporated or discussed. We value them as a foundational body of work that will help foster better communication and hence a better place to live.
HISTORY
Wind Spirit is a 14+ year old community,
located on the same land as the
 old
Christmas Star Community (1979 - 1993) started by John Cohen family and
friends. Our community has been experiencing
many changes in the past 7 years. We have lost two core members, dear
friends, Richie and Patricia who have passed on. Three other core members
have left to seek other experiences. Brian has moved
to Oregon, Kimmy to pursue music with the band
Woodland and Clark
whose business demands all of his time.
There is now only one
co-founding/core member living on the land working with long and short term visitors to move the community ahead. Don, the
remaining member is trying to heal from chronic
Lyme (tick) disease so at
times it is a difficult journey. There are 12 of us right now (July 2010) and that
number changes seasonally, some have lived here for months to several years.
MEETINGS
We use a consensus minus one voting system in
making major decisions during meetings. Our meetings are generally run by a
facilitator to keep people on track and make sure everyone gets a chance to
express their views. Members and visitors are asked to attend weekly
meetings where announcements for the week are made and it is also a good
opportunity for visitors and guests to introduce themselves. We also allow
anyone living here to call a meeting to discuss whatever topic they would
like to explore, emotions and spiritual topics are the most common. These
meetings are usually a rewarding experience for everyone but are usually not
mandatory to attend. It is our goal to be as authentic as we can with each
other and support each other's spiritual growth.
WORK
We strive to attain balance in the areas of work and free time yet accomplish what needs to be done. Our work here includes, gardening, wood working, all aspects of building, irrigation systems, music, solar and more. We use solar ovens, solar water distillers, solar food dehydrators, some solar electric and solar water heating along with conventional methods. We welcome innovation and sharing with the many visitor who travel here locally and from around the world.
Hosting retreats and workshops has shown not
only to bring in some needed funds but introducing the community
 and ourselves to many new friends and connections. In the last couple
of years our improvements include a gift shop, underground sauna, garden
shed and continual work to our extensive irrigation systems. There are also
continuing upgrades to existing plumbing, electrical systems and buildings.
These are aside from all the little improvement and ongoing maintenance
projects that happen here every month. We desire to present an eclectic
showcase of green building techniques that harmonize with the desert
environment. We have the ground work to develop a small cottage industries
but with the lack of long term commitments along with Don’s health issues
these are slow to develop.
FUN
We like to have community gatherings to celebrate solstices, equinoxes and holidays  along with the enjoyable group experiences while hosting
retreats We usually have at least one community meal weekly but spontaneous
community meals happen more often. In the cooler months our sauna is a
bi-weekly event and can vary from music to meditation to facilitator led sweats
or just sitting quiet or good conversation. At our large fire pit next to
the sauna we have occasional fire circles with music, discussion or just a
fun get together. We have an above ground pool that is a refreshing break in
the heat of summer. We have many interesting visitors come here throughout the year who share  music,
stories, knowledge, wisdom and more with us. We encourage people who feel
drawn to Wind Spirit or just to the southwest to come visit with us and
experience our community. Please thoroughly read the visitors
section which will give you most of the information you will need about
coming for a visit. A sharing mutually beneficial experience is had by those
who come here. Most say it is a very peaceful, healing place and many
experience a transformational time while living here.
Would you rather be Happy or
Right?
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"the
times they are a changin' ". Serious issues with the environment, dismal financial predictions,
peak oil, wars, erosion of civil liberties, the list is long, makes it a time to come
together and seriously consider community in it's many forms. But don't think
living in community is easy, it entails a significant lifestyle change but
the rewards are worth the effort for people willing to do the work in the
realms of body, mind, spirit and place. It is much easier to live
independently where most problems are solved by simply closing the door
behind you. So consider moving to community as moving into a personal
growth workshop if you are serious.