Why Communities Fail
More than likely, the main reason most intentional communities failed in the past was due to inadequate and hurtful communication. No one likes the feeling of being judged; learning and practicing non-judgment and compassion is vital to a healthy human experience.
Conflict Resolution and Healing
Presently, one of our core members appears to be a natural with her conflict resolution abilities, which is inspiring more trust in this type of process. Consistently choosing understanding and cooperation leads to an environment of trust and love. We also have members with significant abilities in the healing arts, whose skills in helping a person access and resolve deep trauma can address root causes of ongoing conflict.
Opportunities for Growth
Communal living provides a perfect container/context for inner growth. This lifestyle serves to challenge us on all levels, physically, emotionally, mentally/psychologically, and spiritually. By healing and strengthening all four of our bodies, we can gradually learn to integrate them in a balanced manner. Thus, you naturally begin to live your life as a spiritual practice, using every challenge as an opportunity for growth, every day another chance to express that growth as love in action. Those of us living at Valle Armonia endeavor to live the expression: healer, heal thy self. As we heal and evolve ourselves, we become better vehicles for healing those in the world around us.
Inner Work Supports the Group
Being fully committed to one's personal growth is an essential ingredient in the creation of a thriving community. Although we are spiritually eclectic as a group, we all have a common commitment to our inner growth process. We support and encourage each other to take adequate time for self-introspection and all forms of self-healing. This supports the development of a balanced and healthy ego structure, one that confidently believes it will get its needs met. Ultimately, this leads to a group of individuals who can put their egoic desires and needs aside when circumstances dictate it's more important to serve the common good.
Integrity and Tribal Life
Living with integrity and a deep commitment of service to the whole of Creation is a high ideal. Considering the painfully obvious lack of integrity within the human power structures on our planet, some people feel a compelling need to live their higher ideals, and a venue in which to express them. Those of us who are attracted to the concept of intentional community are very possibly feeling a deep calling to return to our tribal roots. Tribal living has flourished on every continent on Mother Earth for tens of thousands of years. Some, if not many, of those tribes existed within a Garden of Eden type of reality. Maybe we just need to remember how to do it. We also need to discover how to achieve this within a modern context.