Clear creek water is flowing musically in my direction, over the rocks below the bridge, upstream of where I sit. It follows the stream banks toward the confluence, one of several sacred spaces tended here and there by faeries, elves, and the occasional nature worshiper. I place a special rock on the altar and then just chill out on a hot afternoon.

Weeks ago, Rainbow and I went to visit the Peace Garden, sat on the bench like I’m doing now, and imagined a “Refresh the Peace Garden” party. That got me eager to welcome Moe and Juanpa back from Argentina and propose a date. Kaitlin, the sacred site steward of the Peace Garden, was all about it. I was excited to think of the kinds of art projects and landscape sculptures that might result in a new gathering among the boulders and the bamboo.

At the last Peace Garden work party that I attended, about a dozen folks spent hours in this shady and slightly hidden retreat space behind the hedges, rerouting overflows, rearranging sit spots, cleaning up fallen branches, stopping to appreciate what a lovely thing it is to make an art project out of a chosen responsibility! Juan Pablo hung the swinging bench I’m sitting on, so that it faces the oncoming flow, facing exactly where the creek rushes through the giant culverts. You have to really sit here to appreciate it!

Drinking in, through all my cells, the perfection of this place, it’s actually possible for me to put aside the temptation to dwell on the thoughts and reflections that weave through our intentional lives in this ecovillage. I’m looking forward to another work party here soon, such a graceful way to balance all the mental and emotional efforts our minds and hearts take on to keep this complex boat afloat!

In a place like this, where a wooden bench dangles above a flowing creek, the view and the sound actually soothe the remaining tension of an after-meeting concern. I return to stillness; balance is possible.

Where is your peaceful place? Please share in the comments.

The post A Place Like This… The Peace Garden appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

Suchi has been living at Earthaven since 2002. She began searching for community after her partner died, hoping to find social connections and a cooperative living situation.  Now, eight years later, Suchi is intensely involved in community life.

Suchi gives tours, is on the visitors’ committee, created the Peace Garden, and has been a leader in social organizing. She also started the Coffee and Trade as well as the weekly happy hour, and helps run the Trading Post. “Hospitality is my passion,” she said. Recently, Suchi became involved in starting a workers’ cooperative to build a code kitchen that can serve guests.

When she’s not busy organizing, Suchi spends her time maintaining her share of the household at Tribal Condo. She also enjoys reading, studying, and walking the land.  “If you wanted to imagine a perfect retirement this is pretty close to it,” she said. “As a Quaker, this appeals to me because we live simply here. We are very close to nature.”

Before coming to Earthaven, Suchi was running an Independent Living program for people who were developmentally challenged. She also spent time as a librarian and an electrician. “I wasn’t passionate about any of those jobs,” she said. “If I had it to do over again I’d be a psychotherapist.”

Suchi is currently studying Nonviolent Communication, Body-Centered Psychotherapy, and Zegg Forum. Everywhere she looks there are new opportunities to learn. “This is a beautiful community,” she said. “It’s very diverse and it’s very dynamic. It’s never dull.”

As much as she loves life at Earthaven, Suchi admits that there have been some challenges. “There have been difficult times. The thing about community is that you go through it instead of flying away from it. It’s hard to imagine living anywhere else.”

Davene Wasser came to Earthaven in April 2010 with her son Eli and husband Jamie to simplify her life and live more closely to nature. She is a writer, editor, educator, and artist. After ten years of researching community, Davene is thrilled to be living her dream.

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Community can sometimes be an un-peaceful place, as we deal with a myriad of personalities and the rough edges of unresolved issues. And even when we are feeling peaceful in community, we can still feel deeply unsettled by our knowledge of war and oppression in the world. Of course it’s not a bad thing to be moved by the plight of others, but at some point we need to collect ourselves, enjoy what we have, and creatively make our contributions. Thinking about this led me to the idea of creating a peace garden at Earthaven, where those in conflict might sit with one another to work it out, those feeling inner conflict might find some serenity, and those wanting a deeper and quiet connection to nature could find it. Community is a busy place. Perhaps the peace garden can also be a place to just slow down, or where friends can have a quiet conversation. A conversation could be entirely different in quality if it took place in a quiet, beautiful setting.

The peace garden at Earthaven, which was begun in February 2007 and should be finished by summer, is situated in the heart of the community, yet in a secluded area where bamboo grows and two creeks converge. It will have a peace pole, pathways, benches, fruit trees, and a living fence to separate it from a parking lot. An entrance archway can be added as members offer their creative suggestions and labor.

Another idea has sprung up, not yet approved, for a small bridge that would connect the garden with another park area.

After beginning the planning for the Earthaven peace garden I came across reference to another such garden in Tamera, a community in Portugal; at O.U.R. Ecovillage in British Columbia; and at Ecovillage Training Center at The Farm community in Tennessee. It seems there is a growing world consciousness that we must have peace. I like that we let our visitors know that we hold this value and make room on our land for a place to express it.

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