Last month our friends and favorite facilitators Violetta Ilkiw and Alex Bulkin left after a 10-month internship as our bi-monthly weekend “group conflict and organizational change” cross-mentors.

We’re “cross-mentors” because we were mentoring them in the challenges of doing their humble work in the field of an intentional community while they were teaching us about (and modeling) patience and forbearance under many levels of stress.

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Here’s what’s most exciting to me in the talk about 2012: the ancient stories are in step with results of scientific research and measurement!

These correlations may not be getting into the major newspapers or on the radio, but that doesn’t make them any less true.

Many scientists now understand that there are geometric, spiraling, interconnected rotational movements of energy from the atomic to the intergalactic, everywhere. Everywhere!

As Earth approaches the evolutionary peak that, according to the fossil record, occurs every 25 to 26 thousand years (and is anticipated between 2012 and 2014), it’s interesting to ask…..

Is it time yet for us all to evolve to a more life-affirming condition as human beings

Our body-minds may be in an evolutionary shift that could activate perceptual powers in us, allowing intuitive, direct experience of life to gain precedence over our generally abstract and mental approach.

One thing seems especially possible: as we build our skill base in so many ways at Earthaven, each of us doing what we can, we also build a non-physical energetic grid that could help boost our evolutionary potential.

In our ecovillage, if we can maintain the view that challenges give us opportunities to offer and receive guidance, understanding and support from each other and from our mentors, we are likely to mature as connected beings, more ready than not for the unexpected and the unbelievable!

The images in this article are by artist Ryan O’Sullivan, who currently lives at Earthaven on a natural building internship. Ryan has been drawing since he could hold a crayon. His fine art portfolio can be viewed here and his cosmic paintings under the name Black Wolf can be viewed here.

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Culture’s Edge

We have also become the umbrella organization for independent educational projects, including the Forest Children Program, Camp Katuah, The Natural Building School, Patricia Allison and Friends’ Sustainable Living Skills internships and classes, and a program we simply call Earthaven Ecovillage, our volunteers who host tours and facilitate long-term on-site work study opportunities.

This year we are planning to sponsor workshops in Qigong, The Power of Manifestation, Homeopathy, and Plant Wisdom.  See www.earthaven.org for a listing of current classes.  Tax-deductible donations of any size can be earmarked for any of these programs.  You can support scholarships for education, or tell us that you want us to use your donation wherever it’s most needed for education and outreach.

Culture’s Edge was established as a not-for-profit company in 1996, shortly after Earthaven was formed. Culture’s Edge was a way to focus our passion for education and create opportunities for livelihood.  At first we offered courses in the three areas central to our own development: permaculture, natural building, and consensus decision making.  Over time, training in the agricultural arts, building arts, communication arts, and healing arts were added, filling almost every weekend from May through October for several years running.

While focusing on internal reorganization in 2006, we slowed down and most of the classes held that year were privately organized.  This past year, the introduction of Health Dept. requirements into Earthaven’s midst (see article, Are You Hep?) cut short our educational calendar for the season, which, though hard on the village economy, did give us the opportunity to consider how our future plans might branch out.  In particular, we feel excited about expanding longer-term internship programs, in which the opportunities for life changing experiences are the greatest.

This year, Culture’s Edge is offering the courses and programs that nurture a healthy & sustainable world and offer you practical solutions.  Our programs are taught by a dynamic team of instructors and contribute to Earthaven’s village economy.

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