Meeting of Vegan Intentional Community on Sunday March 31st

[Guest guest]

Please join us if you are interested in developing community in Santa

Cruz. The meeting is from 4-6PM with a potluck afterwards. Below is

our vision and other information.

 

Do You Have a Dream of Living in Community?

 

We are looking for like-minded people to join us in creating an urban

community in Santa Cruz.

 

Our Vision:

 

It is our intention to work with others to create a community where

we live and play together, a welcoming and joyful place, where we

connect with others in respectful ways and support each other in

healing, growing, learning and transformation. We value service,

diversity, sharing, interdependence, honesty, integrity, creativity,

unconditional love and respect for the planet and all life. We honest

communications, active listening, keeping current, compassion, play,

living our values and bringing a high level of consciousness to our

actions. The community allows for connection and the feeling of

oneness with others and also respects individual needs for privacy.

Our community serves as a model of new ways of living and relating

with others sustainably, and is part of a greater social change

movement. Our guiding principle is that all members of the community

have equal power and that we create decision making strategies that

reflect this principle.

 

Location and Community Criteria:

 

The following non-negotiable criteria are an outgrowth of our values,

included in the vision statement above. It is our intention to find

people who are closely aligned with us in terms of shared values.

Many more decisions need to be made collectively, however we have

created the following criteria in order to attract others who would

opt for the same kind of community we desire.

 

Physical Location:

Close to town

Room for gardens & private space

Sunny lot, good for growing

Respectful/community minded neighbors

Close to public transportation

Child friendly neighborhood

Big kitchen & large gathering space

Community Guidelines:

Non-discrimination

Organics/sustainable/eco-friendly

Shared spiritual activities (non-dogmatic)

Alcohol & drug free

Respect life (meat, egg, and dairy free/natural foods)

Weapon free environment

 

Interested? Please call or email to find out about our next meeting:

Call Golden or Beth: (831) 466-3405 or email:

beth or: goldend

 

 

Community Statement Regarding Principles of Veganism:

 

It is our intention to create a model for social change. In

accordance with this intention, the community is dedicated to

principles of vegetarianism/veganism. Members of the community have

varying reasons for aligning with this principle, including respect

for all life, environmentalism, health reasons, spiritual beliefs,

economic reasons, etc. These principles are put into practice as

follows:

 

Diet: all food produced, prepared, brought to, or consumed within

the community will be meat, egg, and dairy-free. This includes the

community kitchen and any other units and grounds. (A possible

exception is if carnivorous pets are present, foods containing meat,

dairy and eggs may be purchased for and consumed by these pets.)

Individual members are encouraged to follow the dictates of their own

conscience with regard to other dietary choices including honey,

sugar, supplements in gelatin capsules, coffee, chocolate, etc.

Members are also encouraged to follow their own conscience when away

from the community.

 

Cosmetics/Body Care Products: Members are strongly encouraged to use

cruelty –free products.

 

Other: Members are encouraged to follow the dictates of their own

conscience with regard to purchase and use of other products

containing animal products or byproducts including tires, leather,

photographic film, silk, wool, etc.

 

Community Statement About Spirituality

 

 

Spirit is in, as, and through all things. We recognize this Spirit as

our one true leader. We collectively and individually go to it for

guidance, support and answers to our questions. We recognize this

power as a light within each one of us and we commit to interacting

with each other in ways that nurture and honor the Spirit within.

Since Spirit in all of its wisdom and clarity is within each one of

us, we share the responsibility and privilege of shared spiritual

leadership. No one person in our community has any more power or

rights than any other.

 

We strive to live consciously to the best of our abilities. Living

consciously means being in a constant state of remembrance that

Spirit, a power for Good, is in everything, and coming from this

place with conscious intent to align with that energy for good in

every act and deed. Living in alignment, we seek to be the most

respectful, the most kind, the most loving, to all, recognizing that

Spirit is in all.

 

Before we act we seek guidance from Spirit. The chief vehicle for

receiving direction collectively is visioning, a process in which the

group meditates on the issue at hand and collectively opens ourselves

to Spirit's divine plan.

 

The community engages in other shared spiritual practices that are

life-affirming in nature. We regularly come together for the purpose

of building and sustaining our group's spiritual process, and also

support each other in our individual spiritual journeys. We pray

together before meals and meetings and at other times. Other possible

activities include: meditation, healing circles, yoga, lighting

candles, singing, dancing, and rituals that have meaning to the

participants. The community will include a sacred space to

accommodate these activities. Members may share prayers, songs and

rituals from various spiritual traditions as our community embraces

many paths.

 

We cultivate an attitude of gratitude within ourselves, regularly

giving thanks for all of the gifts of Spirit.