7. My Survival Web Page contains links to lots of other information such as free books to download about nuclear survival, links to plans for building shelters, and even free consultation about building a shelter.

8. If you are SUPER concerned about nuclear survival you might consider joining the

9. If you like, you can look at our Honor List for groups that we know of that have an existing rural location. Most of these, however, have no direct interest or preparation in regards to nuclear survival. At the bottom of this page is a Directory of our contacts in Virginia. Many of the local entries for states were listed because of their Y2K concerns and may not have any nuclear concerns.

10. And finally, if you wish to be on the mailing list for my irregular newsletter in which I analyze current events in regards to the nuclear threat, you can sign-up here:

This link will take you back to the Index of all the States

Link to the Directory for Virginia

Continental US Fallout Pattern for Prevailing Winds (FEMA-196/September 1990)

This link will take you back to the Information for Virginia

This link will take you back to the Index of all the States

The Directory for Virginia

Virginia (Afton) 520 acres
Virginia (Check) 5 acres but about to expand
Virginia (Fairfax, Springfield)
Virginia (Floyd) Amount of Acreage Not Stated
Virginia (Lexington) 127 acres
Virginia (Louisa) 450 acres
Virginia (Mineral) 72 acres
Virginia (Richmond)Houses and lots for sale and rent
VIRGINIA (Other)

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

We are trying to do what we can to help make as much of Northern Virginia Y2K ready as possible.

Springfield, Virginia
Jay Golter
(703) 971-8641
(202) 898-3924 - days

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

We are Acorn Community, a group of people living and working together to build a better life for ourselves and others in central Virginia. Acorn is a cooperative, secular, intentional community started in April, 1993. Our community is working toward a diverse egalitarian society that embraces feminism, ecological sustainability, multiculturalism, diverse sexual and gender orientations, and personal spiritual growth. Acorn is an independent group, but enjoys a close relationship with Twin Oaks Community, seven miles down the road. We are an active member of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities.

Who Lives Here. Currently we are flourishing, with 20 people living here as of this writing. Our initial goal is to grow to 30-60 members.

We value diversity and the different perspectives and skills our members bring. Our experience in community varies from none to two decades. One of our members is a dual member with Twin Oaks. Our ages range from two to 50 years. Some are from urban, some from rural areas, and our class backgrounds vary. One of us is African-American. Members share a variety of sexual and relationship orientations. We are a mix of vegetarians and meat-eaters. We express our Pagan, Quaker, Zen, Christian, Daoist and Jewish spiritualities in many different ways.

We delight in the company of our three children ages 2-8, and look forward to more. We do not have an organized full-time child care program at this time and are not planning to move in this direction in the future. Instead, parents are encouraged to integrate children into their work with community support. Our goal is for kids to be naturally and fully involved in our daily lives, as we think this is a healthy approach for both adults and youngsters. Parents choose between public and homeschooling, in consultation with the group.

The Land. The land is owned in common. Our beautiful 72 acres border on the South Anna River and include a maturing woodlot, 25 acres of prime farmland, 20 acres of rich bottomland, and a small swamp. For several generations this was a family farm, and our 88-year-old farmhouse is surrounded by large oaks, a small pond, fruit trees and flowers. We are located on a quiet dirt road 15 miles from the nearest town. The organic garden generously provides potatoes, carrots, broccoli, peppers, corn, tomatoes, squash, strawberries, greens, and a variety of other crops. The herb garden supplies a portion of our teas, seasonings, and home remedies. We have developed a permaculture model for use and stewardship of the land, and are in the process of starting a Community Supported Agriculture (market gardening) program.

Buildings. The original farmhouse has been completely remodeled and now has four bedrooms. We had to install a new well, septic system, bathroom fixtures, wiring, wood heating, carpets, paint, gas cook stove, water heater, washer, dryer, and much more -- but it did come with walls and a roof.

Our first new building, Heartwood, is providing much-needed space for expansion. Almost all of the work was done by community members, from clearing the site to moving in furniture. It was planned as a multi-purpose residence and community center with 20 rooms including a large kitchen and central dining area. We are also at work on a 4000 square foot workshop which will house businesses and a general maintenance shop.

Organization. We have no one leader. Acorn decision-making is by consensus of those members attending group meetings. Facilitation rotates among volunteers. Our agreements are recorded in writing.

The way we deal with work has changed many times as we search for something between anarchy and rigid structure. We want our labor system to treat us as individuals and take into account the numerous factors which affect how much and what kind of work is reasonable to expect from each person. Individually and in teams, members take responsibility for areas such as building, gardening, auto maintenance, cooking, accounting, and firewood. Some members have chosen to maintain careers working outside the community. Most people prefer a mix of different types of work: indoor and outdoor, physical and mental, learning new skills and using established strengths, etc.

At the time of writing, most of us are using a looser version of the Twin Oaks labor credit system, where each member contributes a minimum number of work hours, and extra hours translate into extra vacation time. As a young community we have a clear need for stable income, so there is an expectation that every member contributes significantly in our businesses unless that person is working on other projects which the group agrees are equally urgent.

Finances. Acorn is an income-sharing community, meaning the profits from our businesses go directly into housing, food, utilities, etc. The community takes care of people's basic needs, and provides a small monthly allowance for personal spending. Each person has their own bedroom and may keep private ownership of their possessions and pre-existing assets. However, no one spends from savings while on the farm, owns their own housing, or drives their own car here.

We work toward being frugal and making the best use of resources around us, often fixing up things that have been discarded by others. This plus mutually advantageous economic cooperation with Twin Oaks has contributed to Acorn's good financial health. Twin Oaks loaned us capital for land, buildings and other long-term investments to get started, and Acorn does much-needed production work in Twin Oaks' established hammocks and tofu businesses.

We are also developing Acorn's own industries. So far this has mainly focused on small craft items such as baskets, dolls, and tinnery made from recycled cans, however we are very open to new business possibilities. Eventually we would like to develop facilities for teaching and hosting workshops and conferences on a variety of progressive themes.

Culture & Recreation. We are still a young community, just past our 3rd anniversary at the time of this writing. Some of the current challenges we face include: putting our infrastructure in place (building adequate housing and work space); hearing the truth in each other's words; feeling connected and building a core sense of community together; appreciating our diversity; and deciding our long-term goals.

While we're in the process of figuring out a lot of things about how we want to live together, we also have a commitment to trying to take care of each person in our extended family. We strive to pay attention to the needs of each member and balance the giving of our resources over time. Our policies tend to be flexible and we reserve the right to make exceptions to them by consensus at any time.

Over time we are improving our communication and conflict-resolution skills. Periodically, each member becomes the center of the group's attention for an evening clearness session. Here we discuss the member's role in the community, appreciate their strengths, and may bring up difficulties in a supportive atmosphere, as we strive to find better ways to live together.

Acorn emphasizes group recreation, with abundant celebrations of one kind or another. Some are planned, many happen spontaneously. For those long nights after a hard day's work, we have a large wood-fired hot tub. It's an open-air affair in the woods and has been the highlight of many a party. We regularly host sing-alongs, dances, birthday parties, and rituals. Other small group activities include co-counseling and yoga. Many of us participate in leisure activities such as bicycling, nature walks, volleyball, playing cards, frisbee, watching videos, canoeing, and reading, plus we have ping-pong and a pool table. Members can also take advantage of social and cultural opportunities at Twin Oaks, Charlottesville and Richmond. There are occasional trips to Washington, DC or the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Visiting & Membership. If you'd like to explore becoming a part of Acorn, please contact us in advance with a letter of introduction. We want to know why you are interested in our community, some personal history, and when you would like to visit. We ask visitors to donate a daily fee if possible along with joining in our work and events.

If during your visit you decide to apply for membership, there is an interview and meeting process, after which the group meets to make a decision by consensus. Once accepted, there is a provisional period of one year. For people who wish to be involved with the community without being in residence all year, an associate membership option is also available.

We enjoy meeting new people, but we limit the number of visitors we take in at a time in order to provide a quality experience for both you and the community. Contact us for current information on visiting or to ask further questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

We Are Actively Seeking New Members! If you'd like to explore becoming a part of our community, write or call for more information.
Acorn Community
1259-W Indian Creek Road
Mineral VA 23117
(703) 894-0582
(540) 894-0595

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

A School of Living
Land Trust Community

HISTORY

  We began as an extended nuclear family of three households, meeting to explore and create a cooperative land trust community. Having several decades of various homesteading and community experiences among us, we shared ideas and looked at rural land in western Virginia. In 1980 we committed ourselves to this endeavor by purchasing a parcel of land in Rockbridge County.

  We started with 47 acres of hilly farm land with a bold spring, a pond, and a few falling down buildings. The open land was overgrown with thorny vines and small trees. There was no electricity nor roads. It was beautiful but we had lots of hard play ahead of us. Since then three more households have joined us, with some of them coming from previous community experiences.

  In 1987 the land was put into a regional community land trust with the School of Living. Four parcels of land have been bought totalling 80 acres with less than 10 acres usable for agriculture, the rest being forested mountain land. It is situated 16 miles southwest of Lexington, Virginia and about 45 miles northeast of Roanoke, Virginia.

  We have cooperatively developed roads, water, electricity, one half acre of garden, a swimming pond, a shop-shed barn and, with the greater community, a community center. Individually we have each developed our own personal homestead area.

  We intentionally wish to remain small, to perhaps double our present size, but we stand ready to help others establish separate communities, preferably in the local area.

  Some of the challenges we now face are that we are just too busy, that we need to improve our communication and listening skills, and that we need to clarify and prioritize our personal and community objectives in an all too full life style.

GOALS

NEW MEMBERS

  Individuals are accepted into membership by consensus or failing that, by a 3/4 vote of the membership after a 6 month to 2 year Provisional Member status. We are accepting new members and have 3 home sites now available. We limit ourselves to considering two prospective new households at any one time.

   We have very limited living accommodations and expect people to find or negotiate their own temporary lodging. Also, we have no provisions for people to earn their livelihood while here, though with our gardens we can help out on food requirements.

  Some independent financial capability will be necessary to build a modest home. At the present time an up front non-returnable fee of $1750 is required upon becoming a member and a monthly fee of $80 per household covers current obligations to Common Ground.

  Our cooperative orientation and earth friendly life style has taught us that homesteading skills are needed to assure success.

•DIETARY PREFERENCES:

  Most members prefer a vegetarian diet but may have an occasional non-vegetarian meal.

•SPIRITUAL INTERESTS:

  There is no central religious theme, each member following their own spiritual leadings. Some specific paths include Wiccan, Quakers, Native American practices, and Surat Shabd Yoga. Acceptance of the oneness of all people is the basis of our spiritual unity.

•SCHOOLING:

  Methods of educating ourselves and our children are individually chosen. Some families have chosen home schooling with a home schooling cooperative that currently meets four days a week. We have no formal child care program.

•COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:

   We usually celebrate birthdays with pot-lucks, song-fests, etc. We occasionally play baseball,volleyball, etc. Our swimming pond is heavily used all summer. Three of our members play the guitar. We sometimes see a video movie or program together. But the most common community activity is the voluntary work-day which occurs most Saturdays when we enjoy each other and the satisfaction of improving our community. Fruits of past workdays include building and improving our Shop Shed, our roads, swimming pond, fencing out the deer, etc. We grow as much food as we can for ourselves. During the warmer months, most Saturdays are spent developing and tending our organic gardens. Harvesting and canning keep us busy through the fall.

•INTER-PERSONAL RELATIONS:

  We encourage the development of listening skills and looking at disagreements as an opportunity for growth. Training and classes in conflict resolution have been held. When needed, we support the use of mediation. We strive for win-win solutions to our inevitable problems and disagreements rather than traditional win-lose solutions.

•BUSINESS:

  The membership meets once a month in business session using consensus. We also have Discussion Evenings to share personal preferences on various issues that face the community. All meetings are open.

•OCCUPATIONS:

  We have two carpenters, a car mechanic, a lawyer, a weaver, an entrepreneur, a teacher, an audio-visual technician, a housewife, and three retired persons, but no cottage industry yet.

•INCOME:

  We do not share income, although individual families have tried some home based income producing ventures. We are open to sub-groups pursuing this type of option.

  Over half of the acreage is being managed cooperatively by the community. A yearly budget is adopted and each household is assessed a monthly fee to cover the expenses of maintaining and developing this acreage.

•MANAGEMENT:

  Managers and committees are selected to plan, to coordinate and to supervise community work to be done.

•VISITORS:

  Visitors are welcome on weekends during warm weather (April through October) upon pre-arrangement. We have tent camping space available at $2.00 per day. We are working on additional visitor space.

•LAND TITLE:

  The School of Living holds title to the land as a community land trust. Common Ground, a cooperative (not communal) community, holds a perpetual land-lease. Common Ground then gives a personal homestead area agreement (PHAA) for two plus acres to its members. Individual developments (improvements) on the PHAA land must be negotiated and approved at a membership meeting. Such developments are owned by the members.

If you would like more information about Common Ground or would like to arrange a visit contact:

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

Our vision is to connect with this beautiful rural land beneath the sky, moon, and universe, work on spirituality and healing, and live in community. We are returning to consciousness through Love, connection with rural land, and Dreamspell

We are a growing community focusing on sustainable and spiritual living. We are considering forms of organization, at this point, a land trust of about 20 members looks promising. If you are interested in our lifestyle, please e-mail us a brief questionnaire as a way to get acquainted.

We are an evolving intentional community focusing on sustainable agriculture, spiritual development and art with an emphasis on Mayan and shamanic influence. 100 acres with endless springs, creeks, a two acre spring-fed pond, mostly mixed woods and rhododendrons. Very low air pollution and clean water; no mosquitos. Floyd County contains the nation's fourth largest community of artisans and crafters.

Our membership is growing towards about 20 shareholders collectively owning the High Flowing self sufficient Ecovillage. We envision a strong tribal family meeting regularly in general consensus decision making and enlightened relation. We live and work here in conscious action. In our daily circles we open up to peaceful solutions, truth of our hearts and honor the spirit of    ALL IS ONE.

The Mayan Calendar of Galactic synchronization brings us into universal timing and opens gateways to the past and universe. We want to define ourselves as a "Love and Light, New Time, Ecovillage,Permaculture, Art and Music, Healing, Spiritual community". Starting this April we will offer Dreamspell teaching and building workshops to finish the Earthlodge, community kitchen,solar showers,solar housing. We practice daily Mayan focus.

There is also adjacent land for sale from 1-25 acres tracks,where interested folks could be affiliated with our community and maintain private ownership. Some of the buildings here are:

One romantic cabin, completely winterized, wood heater, overlooking the pond.

3 bathrooms with showers.

HIGH FLOWING community lies 13 miles south of Interstate 81. Within 8 miles you can reach an excellent health food store, alternative school, good restaurants and live musical performances.

VA Tech University 25000 students is a 30 min drive. Radford University 10000 students is a 25 min drive. Roanoke Colleges are 40 minutes away.

    According to a study conducted by Mother Earth News, this area is one of the safest for SURVIVAL. All land is covered with boulders of milky white crystals.

   If you feel drawn to our vision, please contact us:
P O Box 496
Floyd, VA 24091-0496
[540] 763-2651

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

Location and Climate

Together, we own 520 acres in the Rockfish Valley, a rural area about four miles east of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Since 1974 we have been building a community that is now the home of about 60 adults (ranging in age from the late teens to the 70s) and 18 children. We enjoy a moderate climate year-round with a 7-8 month growing season, dependable rainfall, and winters averaging about 20 inches of snow. Shannon is 30 miles southwest of the town of Charlottesville, location of the University of Virginia.

Land and Buildings

Over 70% of Shannon is wooded, with the remaining acreage including good river bottom land. The Rockfish River and several spring-fed streams run through the farm, and we've created a small lake, which is a much-enjoyed addition to our recreational facilities. Rather than scatter houses over the land, we designated eight residential cluster sites and a workshop area. Building plans require community agreement to encourage thoughtful designs in harmony with the land and group needs. Several small cabins and 27 one-to-three bedroom homes have been built so far. We also have three group houses, with community space in one of them, and farm buildings. Some of us live alone, some in nuclear families, and others in intentional groups. Most of us live on the land. Some live elsewhere - when they first move to the area, or because of personal circumstances.

Principles and Ideals

Although we share many values, no particular belief system or activity defines our community. Each of us is free to pursue her or his own choices. Some of us are vegetarians, for example, while others are not. We value individual freedom, and welcome the diversity of life styles and belief systems that make up the community. Through bonds of friendship, we strive to cultivate cooperation, trust, generosity, and compassion in our everyday life together. We are committed to our intentional group and, at the same time, are connected to the larger society through jobs, friendships, and activities related to our personal interests.

Because we make decisions by consensus in our meetings, we tend to be conscious of the skills required to resolve differences. We are constantly working on improving our consensus methods / procedures and recently we've been using C.T. Butler's Formal Consensus Process as a model for our process. We reserve the option of deciding issues by a 60% majority vote, although we have resorted to that method only once since 1974. Through committees, we decentralize day-to-day management to the simplest functional level.

Ownership and Livelihood

The land, houses, and other buildings are all owned by Shannon Farm Association, a non-profit corporation controlled by a Board of Directors composed of all the full members. Householders are responsible for financing the construction of their house, and they hold a long-term lease on the completed structure. Personal assets are the primary source for home financing, though matching bank loans with Shannon Farm Association as co-signer are available to a limited extent.

Many of us work in towns up to 30 miles away. Members are engaged in a woodworking collective, a computer collective, market gardening, childcare, teaching, health, food and domestic services, photography, management in the non-profit sector, data processing, construction, landscaping, insurance, retailing, home renovation, etc.

Activities

We join other local people in supporting area alternative schools, civic groups, political activities, fitness programs, and sports. We also network with other intentional communities at regional and national levels. Agricultural pursuits include individual gardens, a one acre organic market garden, an orchard, a vineyard, and berry patches. Some members maintain and harvest the hay fields and care for farm animals.

Membership and Dues

Prospective members are responsible for securing their own jobs and their own housing off the farm. They need to spend some months getting to know us before petitioning for provisional membership, which requires support from one-third of the full members. After six months, a provisional member may become a full member by obtaining support of two thirds of the full members. Membership turnover has been low, with a third of us here for over ten years, and another third for over eight. Provisional dues are 5% of income after taxes, and full members pay 7%. No capital investment is required for membership.

Because we are a rather large community, establishing close personal ties with a significant number of us is important for a prospective member. This usually happens by getting involved in shared interests with members: community issues, potluck dinners, construction, social events, childcare, recreation, committee involvement, etc. Shannon continues to evolve. We are still open to a limited number of new members of diverse ages, lifestyles, backgrounds, and interests, especially those who are committed to communitarian values, who would help build the community.

On Visiting

First time visits can only be planned for Monthly Meeting day, the first Saturday of the month. The meeting starts at 1:00 p.m., may be preceded by a work project, and is followed by a potluck dinner. This provides you the opportunity to meet the largest number of people, and to gain insight into the decision-making process which is an integral element of the community. Advance arrangements are definitely required for overnight visits. Most of us are occupied with our off-land jobs during the week, which limits time and energy for visitors. We are not set up to provide long stays for first-time visitors. After we get to know you, and if you want to return for a longer exploration, you may arrange to come back as a personal guest of a member. If you can bring a tent for camping and can be self-sufficient for meals, there are available kitchen and bathroom facilities. Another option is to sleep at a nearby inn such as The Acorn Inn (804-361-9357) and visit with us during the day.

Requested visitor fees are $5 per person per day, or $1.50 if you camp. Fees are to be given to the visitor coordinator or your host household. There is no charge for children under 12.

We are especially interested in visitors who are serious about living in community and are ready to make a move in the near future. It's only fair to tell you that available space at Shannon is limited. Some members favor further growth, while others think we are big enough now. You need to be aware that membership cannot be assumed. On the other hand, Haiku, one of our group houses, is now looking for new residents.
Charlie Hickox at:
Shannon Farm Community
274 Shannon Farm Lane
Afton VA 22920
No email address known

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

Tekiah is a subgroup, or "pod," of Abundant Dawn Community, whose vision we share: "We are creating a loving and sustainable culture." We live close to one another, cooperate, and share resources so that we may live more lightly and joyously on the earth. As we seek to realize ourselves through service, and work towards ecological and social responsibility, we respect the diversity of our members' life choices. "Whether in times of peace or conflict, we meet each other face to face, with openness and caring. We are each individually committed to reaching through our hurts and fears to find and share our deepest truths. We honor the spark of the divine in all beings."

Within Abundant Dawn, pods interact, cooperate, make community-wide decisions, and hold some things in common. Issues such as membership, work arrangements, economic agreements, and family structures are decided on the pod level. In this way, we can accommodate individuals and families with different needs and desires under one umbrella. Tekiah pod belongs to the FEC, and shares its values. We pool all our income, make decisions by consensus, and do our best to meet the individual needs of our members and their children. Sustainability, particularly in agriculture and social structures, is at the heart of our focus as a group. We dream of a large, connected village that encompasses our own land and the greater web of neighbors and friends around us.

SIZE, LOCATION, AND FACILITIES

Floyd County, Virginia, serves as our base. Floyd is a lovely land of mountains and springs, with cooler summers and colder winters than most of Virginia, due to a higher altitude. The county is blessed with a strong "alternative" community. We love it here, and thrive on our connections throughout the area. The large city of Roanoke and the university town of Blacksburg are both about a 45-minute drive away. As of spring '96, most of us are living on five acres we call Windswept Farm. We are preparing to put the property on the market and begin our search for a larger, more secluded piece of land in the county.

Our current location has a big old farmhouse for Tekiah pod, a barn, several outbuildings, and a renovated cottage housing another, non-income-sharing pod. We have a large garden that provides food for us as well as produce to sell through the local Community Supported Agriculture farm and the organic growers' cooperative. We will be building portable yurts this summer.

WORK AREAS

We don't have a "work quota" system. Rather, we discuss labor and income at our weekly business meetings, where everyone gets a chance to share their plans and receive feedback on their work scene. We also use our meetings to sign up for chores and review projects. Major resource allocations require discussion and consensus. We intend to maintain our commitment to face-to-face communication and meeting members' work needs as we grow.

Our larger community of Abundant Dawn embraces both income-sharing and economically independent living groups. We at Tekiah prefer to structure our lives together so that we share income and work responsibilities. We value equal access to opportunity and resources as a vital part of egalitarianism. We adhere to the principle of "from each according to ability, to each according to need." Thus, we accept that everyone's abilities and needs are different. Rather than allocating identical resources and expecting an identical contribution from everyone, our form of egalitarianism takes individuals into account.

Work opportunities abound here. We all pitch in on domestic tasks: cooking, cleaning, gardening, food processing, building and repair projects. Our busy garden also provides us with some income. Two of our members have started a new business, doing custom wood cutting locally with a portable sawmill. The long term vision includes logging with draft animals and drying wood with a solar kiln. We are developing a worker-owned cooperative structure to apply to this and future ventures, so that members of Abundant Dawn as a whole can work for and collectively own community businesses. Another member is planning to take some business and accounting classes in order to start a bookkeeping business. A couple of Tekiah members have regular employment at the nearby CSA farm, for whom we grow vegetables. One of us has been employed doing sustainable agriculture research for the USDA. Another member has a job managing a bicycle shop in Blacksburg. In the interests of resource conservation, community culture, and sanity, we wish to develop enough income work on the property that people don't have to do outside work if they don't want to. We are making hammocks for Twin Oaks Community as a short-term cottage industry while we develop our own.

CHILDREN

We generally believe that the extended family/community model provides an ideal medium for raising healthy children. At the same time, we respect and support the role of primary care giver that a parent fulfills. We all take part in the lives of our children and make a place for them in our daily lives.

As adults, we are models for our children. Much of what children absorb depends on the values and actions of the adults around them. Therefore, we choose to promote loving, egalitarian, and respectful attitudes toward each other and our children. We actively work to eradicate racism, sexism, and other forms of oppression from our lives and theirs. We strive to create a supportive, safe, and nurturing environment.

We have one child at this time; a teenager who has grown up in community and was homeschooled until last year. We enjoy his high spirits, clever and sometimes crazy inventions, and problem-solving abilities. The other pod living on the property had a baby last year. We spend lots of time with her as well. Tekiah welcomes visiting families as space allows and is open to accepting more children, depending on current resources.

We live closely with each other every day and what one person does often affects us all. We try to live in cooperation and with sensitivity. Major decisions are made by consensus, with others left to individual discretion. How we reach decisions is often as important as what we decide.

With our small size we have little need for governing structures, except that some work areas have facilitators or managers to watch over them and see that things happen, or at least are worried about. Managerships evolve on the basis of interest, knowledge, and group trust.

ECOLOGY AND LAND STEWARDSHIP

Self-righteousness is not sustainable. Neither is self-flagellation. We maintain a sense of humility and humor about the disparity between our visions of the future and our current reality. Our future includes straw bale and earth-bermed solar-heated houses, ram pumps, and draft animal power. Our present includes on-the-grid power and fossil fuel-eating vehicles. We can only keep moving forward and laugh about how far we have to go as we keep our vision before us.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

As individuals and as a community we are committed to developing our interpersonal skills. We believe that maintaining clear and open communication is essential to developing a close community. We hold regular meetings, called "Trapeze," where we swing out into the sometimes scary territory of interpersonal issues. We address the things that keep us from being close, and give each other gentle but truthful feedback, with the support of our fellow members. We also do some personal work and group problem-solving at Trapeze meetings.

At all of our meetings we take turns assuming the roles of facilitator, note-taker, and timekeeper. When everyone has the opportunity to practice these skills, we all get better at working together to come to consensus decisions. We're proud of our meetings, which are usually smooth, productive, and empowering. Of course, there's always room for improvement.

SPIRITUALITY AND PERSONAL GROWTH

We fully support an individual's choice of spiritual path, be it traditional or otherwise, as long as that path is one of peace and tolerance. While we expect our community to derive strength from the coexistence and sharing of many spiritual practices, Tekiah does not endorse any specific belief. We do enjoy varied rituals and celebrations, some purely secular and some containing religious elements. Many such events are held by groups in the broader Floyd community. We recognize the power of rituals in social life, but do not make any of them compulsory. We encourage members to create rituals of their own to celebrate and mark life's milestones, if they wish.

We are committed to the growth and well being of our members, supporting them as fully as resources allow. This includes helping our members to pursue their interests both on and off the property, to maintain relationships important to them, and to further their educations. We provide for our members' health care needs as much as possible, with both material and emotional support. Our members make use of both conventional western and other healing disciplines. We also grow various medicinal harbs and make use of the resources of our local health food store.

MEMBERSHIP

We are actively seeking new members. Though most of us hace years of community living experience, this particular project is at the beginning stages. Highly motivated self-starters will feel at home here. If you are anxious to plug into a system that is already well established, we are not the community for you right now. If you are excited by the prospect of pioneering a new community, being involved with the creation of fundamental structures, and seeing things develop before your eyes, then we may be the place for you.

Our membership process begins with a short visit of a few days. If all agree to further exploration after that, then a longer visit of 3-4 weeks takes place. During that time, we will formally discuss your membership at a meeting, as well as check in frequently on an informal level. At the end of that time, we will meet do decide whether to accept you for provisional membership. We may request another visit. So may you.

Throughout the provisional membership, we check in frequently to see how it's working for everyone. At the end of 6-12 months, if we all agree, full membership is established. Members are expected to share income with the group, but may maintain ownership of prior assets. There is no fee for joining Tekiah. New members are moving onto the property as space allows.

Visiting

An initial visit of 2-4 days is required of visitors seeking membership, and recommended for all others. We are fairly flexible, but need to plan ahead because of limited space and busy schedules. Please try to give us as much notice as you can, preferably at least a couple of months. Write a letter of introduction, telling about yourself, why you are interested in community, and when you would like to visit, with alternate dates.

We ask that visitors contribute $5/day, if they can afford to do so. If you enclose a SASE, we'll be happy to send you more information about ourselves and/or our umbrella community, Abundant Dawn.

We are a small community located in the beautiful Appalachian Highlands. Our vision is of the community as a whole consisting of a number of clusters, each of which might center around common interest or personal affinity. We presently occupy two large farmhouses across the road from each other. We support ourselves through teaching, agricultural research, and our new food business. We plan to start a school as part of our community structure in the future.

Tekiah Community
Rt 1 Box 35-WEB
Check VA 24072
(703) 651-3412

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

Twin Oaks is a community of 100 people living on 450 acres of farm and forest land in rural Virginia. Since the community's beginning in 1967, our way of life has reflected our values of equality, ecology, and nonviolence.

We are economically self-supporting, and partly self-sufficient. Our hammocks and casual furniture business generates most of our income; indexing books and making tofu provide much of the rest. Still, less than half of our work goes into these income-producing activities; the balance goes into a variety of tasks that benefit our quality of life - including milking cows, gardening, cooking, and childcare. Most people prefer doing a variety of work, rather than the same job day in, day out.

A number of us choose to be politically active in issues of peace, ecology, antiracism, and feminism. Each summer we host a Women's Gathering: "Women - Celebrating Our Creativity," and each fall, we host a Communities Conference where we welcome both experienced communitarians, and seekers who are new to community living.

Visits are arranged by letter, not over the phone; first write to us (well in advance of your proposed stay) for our visitor info, including a schedule of our upcoming visitor periods. If you visit and are accepted for provisional membership, the wait to join may be a month or longer. We currently have open spaces for new members. Please write to us for more information.

Please do not drop in and expect to get a tour or be able to stay overnight. To be a guest here you will need to have someone here who will host you.

Since 1967, Twin Oaks has grown to over 85 adults and children on 400 acres in central Virginia. We're two hours from Washington, DC, one hour from the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our age and size mean both diversity and stability. We offer a wide range of facilities and social and cultural opportunites. Income work includes hammock-making, wood working, book indexing and various small jobs.

Twin Oaks Community
Rt 4 Box 169-WEB
Louisa, VA 23093
(703) 894-5126
TWIN OAKS
138 Twin Oaks Road, Box W
Louisa, VA 23093
(540) 894-5126/ FAX (540) 894-4112

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

Christian Y2K-ready Mission-based Community Forming in Virginia.

We are in the initial stage of forming a mission-based Christian Living Community in Virginia (in the pattern of a YWAM mission-based community).

...Will have large and small lots, single-family homes, and common house appartments for sale and rent. Looking for families, businesses, and ministries.

Join our news list now.

Our goals are:

1) a better place to live and raise children and grandchildren, (work-close- to-home, strong sense of community, honor and protect the family, community- home school learning environment, agrarian living, close-to-nature, ownership: private property w/community and co-op facilities).

2) a place to creatively explore ministry potential with likeminded Christians.

3) to prepare and produce to the level that we can serve and reach out in a post-Y2K world.

4) to explore alternative agriculture and energy, exploring both old and new technology, low-cost building and co-housing approaches, redeeming the earth and learning to depend on God alone and the natural resources, creativity, and wisdom He provides.

5) to establish a Prayer Center as the 'heart' of this community (in the place of America's birth) for the rediscovery of God's purposes and His 'redemptive gift' for America, for healing of our land, and for the reconciliation of conflicts and people groups.

6) to establish a community to minister to God in prayer and creative worship, and in intercession for a hurting world, and in concert with this, establish a place of support, encouragement, and release of the arts into the high purposes of God in our land.

7) to help young people discover the callings and purposes for their lives and to be trained, equipped, and released into it. Establish a vocational/trade/agri school and schools of missions and ministry appropriate to the emerging realities of their world.

8) to begin the community-formation process by sponsoring prayer journeys, reconciliation events and conferences, and practical homesteading weekend workshops. We're seeking individuals and families even now with skills and experience to contribute. We are exploring community enterprise ventures to facilitate creative, low-cost ways for families to prepare more effectively for Y2K (whether living in or near the communities). There will be options for large and small parcels, cohousing with community gardens, shopkeeper apartments, and many small businesses, farms, and ranching parcels.

The emphasis will be on becoming a model ministry and Christian-living community which can inform the pioneering efforts of others. We have a strong desire to be a place for students, to learn and build with us, to equip them for team-ministry mission adventures and come back to be "renewed and resupplied" in a multi-generational, full community setting. We also want to provide for the 'community of memory' and the transfer of the wisdom and experience of past generations to young people via hands-on projects and every-day community settings. Our beliefs and values are orthodox Christianity, unity in diversity, a faith that embraces the whole of life, honoring of family and heritage, stewardship of creation, servant-based, equipping leadership and ministry to the world, and responsibility to personal calling as a link in the providence of history.

As God provides and directs, we would like to foster the creation of a network of communities from the tidewater area to the western mountains of Virginia. A website will soon be set up as a national forum for these mission-based communities.

If you're a looking for a protective and prosperous community that has a positive, outward ministry focus...if you're looking for high adventure in a post Y2K world and have an interest in one of these emerging communities, we need to hear from you. Please email us today. Tell us a little about yourself, your dreams, and your journey with the Lord. God bless you...Hope to hear from you soon!

P.S. We're also looking for likeminded communities and Christian leaders to form a supportive and informational national network.

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

Abundant Dawn
ACCESS
Changing Water Ministries
Community House
Consciousness Village (VA)
Cranberry Creek Community
Gesundheit! Institute
Innisfree Village
Light Morning
New Land
North Mtn Community Land Trust
Oak Grove
Reina del Cielo
Guru Ram Das Ashram
Springtree Community
Yogaville - Satchidananda Ashram

For an Explanation of "other"

Click here to return to the
VIRGINIA Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!

Do you know of another survival community? If so, please tell us at:

Click here to return to the
Virginia Directory List
INDEX of STATES
Your Locality Registry
Be SURE to REGISTER before leaving!