“What can a transformative community actually look like? In my experience, it has been about including. It’s about honoring diversity. It’s about being aware of power differences. It’s about playing with art, with music, bringing in ritual, different kinds of wisdom. It’s about going beyond individual disciplines.”
– Marilyn Daniels, in Crone Wisdom

Article Transitioning

Find the Others | Start A Conscious Change Collective

By Joe Lightfoot

The central idea is to form a trust network of relationships with a group of people that share the same core values, and then to cultivate as many opportunities as possible to share meaningful experiences with one another...and work together to bring about radical and positive change across wider society.

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Article Local Resilience

Are Transition Towns Our Key to a More Beautiful Future?

By Lester “Skip” Shuda, Sari Steuber, Joanne Rosenbaum

The Transition Town movement has given me hope where I could not find any before. I’m referring to a network of grassroots community groups that aim to increase self-sufficiency, resilience and localization to reduce the effects of climate/environment destruction and economic instability.

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Article Restorative Justice

Prisons as Monasteries

By Marcus Ratnathicam

Unconditional Freedom Project stands for the principle that true freedom is available to every human being, irrespective of external conditions. In fact, we believe that places like prisons, where residents’ lives are strictly regulated, can foster introspection, help heal emotional wounds, and lead individuals to discover purpose and meaningfulness in their lives.

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Mixed Media Nature

The Art of Life | a Documentary

By Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo

As a rising star in the field of abstract mathematics, Michael discovered that he could see beauty and pattern where others could not. But his path was not to be inside academia, or even inside society. He went on a grand adventure to unify his Buddhism with his ability to see an expanded view of reality. He created beauty in a place where nobody else would, and made his friends amongst dolphins.

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Conversation Personal Growth

Crone Wisdom | The Soul of Community

By A Circle of Women

Andrea Mathieson, well known for building community through her women’s circles and webinars, recently invited four remarkable women to share some of the unique crone wisdom they had collected over decades of community involvement. 

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Essay Relationship

The Way Out | End of the Egoic Era

By Dieter Duhm

The image of a healthy world lies deep within our own souls. There is a spiritual willpower where this image can no longer be destroyed by external counter-forces. Today, many people who do their service in helping humans and animals have learned to work with this image.

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Credits

Staff and Advisors

Blessed Community The Families We Make

Introduction

Editorial
Becoming ‘Blessed Community’
Rhonda Fabian
Keynote
Love, Care and Community
Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee

Articles

Local Resilience
Are Transition Towns Our Key to a More Beautiful Future?
Lester “Skip” Shuda, Sari Steuber, Joanne Rosenbaum
Intentional Community
Mindful Living at MorningSun
David Viafora
Journey
What I Learned Visiting Intentional Communities
Travis Redtail and Dania Trejo
Restorative Justice
Prisons as Monasteries
Marcus Ratnathicam

Mixed Media

Nature
The Art of Life | a Documentary
Zaya and Maurizio Benazzo

Conversations

Personal Growth
Crone Wisdom | The Soul of Community
A Circle of Women
Communication
Way of Council | Speaking and Listening from the Heart
Jackie Parker and Frank Phoenix

Poetry

The Rope Bridge | Monument
Edward Dougherty

Galleries

Beauty
Wild Love
Various

Essays

Relationship
The Way Out | End of the Egoic Era
Dieter Duhm
Governance
A US Department of Peacebuilding?
DJ Chandler and Laura Brown
People Power
How to Have a Community Conversation
Michael Ratner
Wayfinding
The Bridge to Tomorrow is a Work-in-Progress
Sheersty Stanton