Spiritually-oriented communities for SRF devotees
This is sent to you, dedicated SRF members, in the hope you may find interest in participating in a lay disciple organization which embraces the vision of developing affordable SRF lay disciple communities in alignment with Master’s vision for community. A place which would be affordable for retirees, but which is not limited to any one gender or age group. A place that has a 24/7 chapel, affordable housing, capacity to grow food, share community facilities, friendship and expertise.
We are aware of one that was established by Yogacharya Oliver Black in Michigan many years ago. Song of the Morning Ranch. The distinctive feature of that property is that those 800 some acres were donated by one person, Mr. Black, after years of his own dedicated service and development of the compound. We know that there are collections of devotees around various Temples, Centers and Groups. In many of these areas around temples the real estate is too expensive for the development of affordable housing.
We need an SRF retirement home with decent food and an understanding
of
a meditative lifestyle. We need a place where elders are not isolated,
but part of a community. A real community which nurtures the lifestyle
Master teaches can be brought to fruition if we find ways to support
one another.
At this time there are projects going in 29 Palms California,
Prescott
Arizona, Elfrida Arizona, and Maui Hawaii.
We hope to develop this
bulletin as a forum to share ideas and find folks who might be
interested in the various projects in process.
If you have any interest in this 29 Palms area, the Prescott Valley or Maui projects, or would like to share information on projects in your area, please let us know and your news will be included in future bulletins. If you know of other SRF lay disciple compounds which are established, let us know that, too. While we are not sure which area will develop first, it seems the time has come to move these concepts along. Please pass this email to anyone you know who may be interested.
In Master’s Love and Light!
Cheryl Anne Woodard
cherwoodard@gmail.com
February 22, 2012
Several people have asked questions re Tax Exempt Organizations and legal structuring.
If you are looking at forming a TEO for your project, my question is “What exactly you expect to accomplish? What is the benefit? Do you have a significant donor right now? Each project will have to do this analysis individually.
Tax Exempt Organization [TEO] formation.
This is an expensive and
complex process. Most groups will not need tax exemption until they
have donations pledged for significant amounts. Certainly enough to
cover these costs initially and annually. My estimate for California
formation is about $6,000 and at least $2,000 annually in professional
fees, filing fees and costs. Consider, too, that there are state and
local political issues around tax exemption as well. Many agencies are
seeking income rather than exempting groups from taxes. The tax exempt
value to the community must be greater than the tax revenues lost.
In
general, Tax Exemption is a two part process in California and most
states. A non-profit organization is formed on the state level. Then,
within 27 months of formation the Federal 1023 application package of
forms must be submitted to the IRS. When the exemption is granted each
local taxing authority then needs to be notified. An annual return is
required for state and federal taxing authorities regardless of whether
there are any new donations or not. The federal form is the annual 990.
Local taxing authorities will also have local requirements for tax
exemption.
There are wonderful resources available online and in published
self-help books. Resources I like: www.1023help.org, and the NOLO Press
books. There are three. Suggest a start with the first one: How to form
a California Non Profit organization. I understand that each state has
one of these guides. Can order from NOLO or Amazon. Can download the
forms from NOLO or the state and IRS. If a person is going to form a
TEO best to read the books first, make a list of questions, and then
confer with a professional TEO attorney and accountant.
The NOLO books
recommend, and I recommend, that unless there is a real and present
benefit, wait. Read the books first and see what is involved in
starting and MAINTAINING a tax exempt organization, you may see the
benefit of just working along as you have been. Sooooo much simpler.
Learning from Each Other:
If you have experience forming and operating a TEO, please let us
know
if you would be willing to share your information.
We have a report
from Megan Wells, of Maui Hawaii. Her project is in the midst of
forming a TEO structure. She was advised by her local attorney
experienced in TEO formation and local politics to file as a
sustainable living educational group, NOT A CHURCH or religious
organization. Apparently local community political and zoning issues
may multiply if a church or religious designation is chosen. This was
Megan’s experience. Local counsel and local accountants with community
expertise in TEO formation can advise on local laws, ordinances and
political issues.
Blessings and joy,
In Master's light,
Ch
These are the projects we have found thus far:
If we have left one out that you want listed, please let us know. We
will only list those projects who want to be listed. There are others
out there who may want to connect. Help us find them. Please also tell
anyone interested that we must have email addresses. There will be no
phone calls at this point. Too labor intensive, and time consuming.
This is an all volunteer project. If you want more information on any
specific project, some have websites--Google the names. We plan to keep
this list updated and make it available periodically.
We are inviting
you to attend a meeting at Convocation this year. The date and time of
the meeting at Convocation Monday, July 30, 11:00 a.m., location to be
announced. If you cannot come, fear not. Someone will take notes and we
will publish the meeting notes.
Blessings and Love, for God and Guru,
Ch
Dear Friends,
Still dusty after two weeks on the road visiting communities in
Arizona
and Utah. Here is what I have learned. There seems to be a movement
afoot across this country called intentional communities. Some use the
words co-housing. Some are designed around the safe haven concept. This
can mean a remote, protected enclave, which could strain practicality
for seniors. Remote areas could have little access to Temples, medical
care, other professional services and cultural activities. Other
communities are focused on affordability. Some are intentionally
designed communities focused on alternative construction
techniques—earth domes, rammed earth. Others choose principals of low
traffic, green building, water conservation, solar power, off grid,
etc.
First, a report on SRF member developments:
1. Elfrida, AZ Elfrida Golden Lotus [EGL] founded by Sherwin
Stradling.
This is his report:
Years ago Brother Bhaktananda recommended devotees buy farm land
with
water. With this inspiration a small group of SRF devotees have
purchased 36 acres of laser level farmland in the heart of Cochise
county, southeast Arizona. We call the farm EGL (eagle) Elfrida Golden
Lotus. Our vision is to create a spiritual environment of plain living
and high thinking. One of our goals is to become as self sustaining as
possible. To that end we have acquired many of the tools necessary to
build. These include wood working, farming, welding, and a machine
designed to make adobe type bricks. It is our intention to build some
of the buildings with adobe block.
We have water--16 inch shared agricultural well with a capacity of
50
thousand gallons a day and a 4500 reservoir tank. We do not use that
much water, but the capacity is available. The well equipment was new
when we bought the property three years ago. The property is served by
public electric lines. There is no natural gas, people use propane
tanks. The sewers are septic. It is our intention to eventually enhance
our systems with solar and wind energy. Telephone, satellite and cable
are available.
The land is located between the Chiricahua Mountains and the Dragoon
Mountains in the Sulfur Springs valley. With an elevation of 4200 ft.
the area is designated 'high prairie.' Winter temperatures range from
20's at night to 60's in the day time. Summer temperatures range from
70's at night to low 100's in the day time. Until monsoon which begins
mid-July bringing thunder and heavy rains. According to the weather
services Elfrida averages 12 inches of annual rainfall most of which
drops during monsoon.
Two full time families have settled on site: Roth and Sis Bouillon
and
Jeff Curry and his mother. Both have created lovely homes. Sherwin
Stradling and Roger Meyer are in the process of building homes. We also
have some members from the Phoenix Temple that may start building and
planting soon. We started with two or three trees on the property and
now have over 300. About 50 pecan and 60 pistachio trees have been
established. Sis and Roth have many varieties of fruit bearing trees.
According to the farm reports, the pecans grown in this area are
considered some of the best tasting in the world.
There is potential
for expansion. The land is surrounded by a 300 acre farm that is
available for sale.
EGL is centrally located to the SRF groups in the
SE Arizona area and 90 minutes from Tucson. We plan to provide a chapel
for SRF meditations and services. Currently we are 45 minutes from the
Spirit and Nature Retreat Chapel in Dos Cabezas. We hope to attract
other families and create additional housing. We see the potential for
young people, retirement housing, and a commercial area.
All are welcome to come and see what we are building. Please
contact:
sherwinstradling@yahoo.com
My impression: Guru's love flows through the sweet hearts of Elfrida
Golden Lotus. Sherwin has not asked for help, but this place could use
some volunteers ready to camp bringing tents or RVs, muscles, pure
hearts and a desire to serve God and Guru. Monsoon starts around July
15 bringing cooling rains and breezes. And it would be lovely if
someone would come along and buy the neighboring 300 acres and dedicate
this to a land trust or some such for the community. Would be lovely to
see this project grow.
2. Dos Cabezas, AZ
Spirit and Nature Retreat and Dos Cabezas Bed & Breakfast This
property is for sale by SRF owners John and Charmayne Samuelson.
Charmayne describes it best:
DOS CABEZAS SPIRIT AND NATURE RETREAT B & B
This historic adobe retreat and bed and breakfast is devotee-owned
and
sits on 3 acres in the mountainous village of Dos Cabezas, AZ, and is
just minutes away from the amazing Chiricahua National Monument and
world-class hiking at the Wonderland of Rocks. The retreat and B &
B is open all year-round, and is also For Sale. The property has three
buildings, a beautiful adobe one-bedroom owner's residence and two
guest houses and includes a peaceful, onsite meditation chapel. The
property is served by filtered well. The property comes with a county,
and valuable, B & B license, and the current zoning would enable a
new owner or group to add two additional residences as well as a
separate building for a chapel with building permits, but without
needing zoning variances. This site is one of the rotating meeting
places for the Southeast AZ SRF group and already has another new
enthusiastic Kriyaban who lives a few hundred feet ‘across the way.'
This B & B has an established income, and as a bonus, the existing
historic adobe buildings can easily be remodeled to create three
additional guest rooms, taking it up to five guest rooms, which could
potentially double the income.
The property is bordered by state land and snuggled into the
mountain
valley which guarantees peace and privacy for many generations to come.
Dos Cabezas itself is just 15 minutes from the old west town of
Willcox, AZ. Access to this unique retreat and bed and breakfast is
from Interstate 10 at Willcox, AZ, then head south following Hwy. 186
toward the mystical Chiricahua National Monument and mountains. The
drive south of the 10 to this area is beautiful, uninterrupted vistas
of high plains, desert, and the Dos Cabezas Mountains which lead into
the Chiricahua mountain range. The local crops in this area are beans,
dairy, and pistachio orchards. Willcox is a thriving small town with
plenty of commercial and shopping resources. It has its own historic
strip and a full calendar of community activities. The town chamber
members report the area also has a budding local wine industry. The
area is very affordable by California standards.
For more information
to stay as a guest, or to purchase this spiritually-inspiring property,
please visit their website at www.doscabezasretreat.com. Or call
Charmayne at 520-384-6474 or email IWantToStay@doscabezasretreat.com.
My impression. This is exquisite historic adobe home and retreat is
in
an excellent location for folks who want an income producing property
and wilderness hiking opportunities. The charming town of Willcox is 15
minutes away affords easy access to community, services, and shopping.
It also looks to be about 90 minutes from Tucson.
3. Prescott, AZ - Quad Cities [Prescott, Prescott Valley, Dewey,
Humboldt]
SRF [Retirement] Affordable Community in the planning stage.
This area has a blazing SRF group and a group of SRF members headed
by
Chris Ashley who are planning a community for devotees which may
receive the name Golden Lotus Prescott.
Prescott is reported to have
mild winters with an occasional dusting of snow, and gentle summers. It
is a haven for Phoenix folks in the summer and snow birds from northern
states including Canadians in the winter. The quad city area has clean
air, expansive vistas, cultural activities, a Trader Joe's !!.
Christine and I spent three days viewing possible sites, talking to
brokers/ranchers/developers, architect/land planners. I have written a
detailed report on these meetings which I will not include here but
which may be of some value as this project moves along.
In my view the
Prescott area, is an excellent area in which to plan and build an SRF
village. The area is urban enough to provide cultural and medical
services, but no so urban to feel crowded with a combined population of
100K.
As a complete community could take several years to develop, this
project needs dedicated members who are ready to relocate to Prescott
NOW. The area already has a multitude of affordable manufactured
housing opportunities: Orchard Ranch, Village at Lynx Creek, and more.
Land owned houses in these parks range from $40K to $150K. At $150K the
market widens to Stoneridge and a multitude of other beautiful
traditionally built developments.
Chris's vision is a planned community designed to accommodate about
30
manufactured homes. It would include a chapel, social hall, and
community gardens. It may be designed to encourage off grid solar, wind
power, water catchment, grey water systems and native landscaping.
Chris has experience in the manufactured housing industry and has lived
in Prescott for 9 years. She reports that the SRF group has been
established and thriving since the 1980's. She has developed a pro
forma which will be posted on her revised website soon. The website and
progress of this project will be noted in future bulletins.
For more information, please contact Chris Ashley at
cashley121@gmail.com
Other groups in Arizona, not SRF.
4. Prescott, AZ
Manzanita Village. This is an intentional community that took 18 years
to complete--from the formation of the group through present--a village
of homes with a no traffic street [except for moving vans and emergency
vehicles], community center, garden, water catchment system, open
areas, and community activities. Chris and I visited this village, met
with several homeowners and had a meeting with the founder architect
land planner, Jeff Zucker [zooker]. Our meeting with him was a
revelation. His disclosures on what he went through to complete the
village were sobering. And his time line reconfirmed my time estimates
on what it will take to plan, finance, build and develop a stick built
planned community. A manufactured home community or modular community
could go much faster.
For more information they have a website:
manzanitavillage.com
5. Paulden, AZ
Buddhist Development in Paulden. This is a remote development of about
100 acres that Jeff is working on now. We did not see it this acreage,
but did look at a parcel nearby. It is isolated, but only 45 minutes
from Prescott, a full service community
Okay, that was 750 miles of driving in Arizona with my blessed
traveling partner, Leslie Carol King who did ALL the driving. I flew
home for a two day breather, and then on to Utah. My sister, Carol,
lives in Salt Lake and was up for an adventure. I flew in on Monday and
Tuesday we drove to southern Utah.
6. Kanab, Utah
Sue Reeves Straw Bale home and 10 acres. Okay, this is not a planned
community, but it could be. It is an amazingly innovative home about 12
miles east of Kanab Utah set against a wall of red cliffs. And it is
for sale.
Sue offers a hand crafted home engineered for passive solar.
It has a huge jet bathtub. A well with a 2500 gallon tank, irrigation
to an organic garden with deer fencing, green house, and a hammock
under the trees. Lots of juniper trees. And a Kiva--ceremonial sunken
round house. She is located an hour from Page, 45 minutes from Jacob
Lake. When I heard about this home, I had to go meet her and see it.
Our afternoon with Sue in the glory of her accomplishment was worth the
trip. Photos are listed on the website
http://greenhomesforsale.com/listing.php?id=19287, and her contact
information is suereeves@kanab.net
Note: Sue Reeves told us about
another community farm in Oregon. When she heard about it, she drove
1100 miles to see it. Oh, my.
Other group in Utah--not SRF
7. Safe Haven Village, Spring Valley Utah. I was able to interview
some
of the members by telephone and got the map. Although they reported
there was nothing on the property, and the 'resident' who was to have
been our tour guide was not available, we drove out to see it anyway.
This group purchased property of 90 some acres about a year ago. One
member reported when they found the property he and his family sold
their house and rented expecting to be able to move to the property
soon. After a year of pre-development, they bought a house in town.
Another clue as to how long it takes to build a community of what he
called ‘a more exotic form’ of construction.
The community has started carving out a road system complete with
culvert. We could not see any well head and wondered about the water
supply. This is high desert area. According to reports a well in this
area would be about $25K. The community appears to have acquired road
building equipment, and set up temporary tented community facilities
with a community room, out buildings and outhouses. About 10 RVs were
situated at what appear to be future home site locations. There are a
few earth buildings as well. The website shows some of these. This
budding community appears to be nicely laid out. Their mission
statement from the www.safehavenvillageutah.org website is:
Safe Haven
Villages are intentional communities based on principles of
sustainability, educational outreach, healthy living, natural healing,
individual responsibility, cooperation, and renewable energy. We are
dedicated to an earth-friendly, family-friendly environment through
commitment, honor and integrity (CHI).
That sums up the communities visited in Utah.
General note on the cost
of land in various areas. I am told that land around Elfrida is about
$1,500 an acre, Prescott ranges from $20K to 40K depending on size and
projected use. Farm land in central Utah is about $500 to $5,000 an
acre, again depending on size of parcel and intended use.
This tour
through Utah was a delight. We found home kit companies, a guest ranch
for sale, a beautiful farm for sale, manicured townships, an open and
operating ski resort at Brianhead complete with snow blocked roads.
Talk about affordable: We found a tiny single wide manufactured home
community in which land owned homes were selling for $20K.
In other
news: Allen Schmidt already has a great website and devotee network.
New and contacts for other projects may be available on that site. For
example, Megan Wells of Maui has posted her Breath of Heaven Retreat
address on Allen's site: SRFdevotee.com. To join his newsletter
distribution, please contact him at Allen Schmidt
schmidtz@srfdevotee.com
For God and Guru! Cheryl Anne Woodard, Mt. Washington.
Dear Friends,
At Last! We meet at Convocation on Monday, July 30 at
11:00 a.m. at a location to be announced. The purpose of this meeting
is to give you a chance to meet one another, hear presentations on
projects in process and learn about development concepts that work!
We
have invited Allen Smith of the Orcas Island Land Trust to make a
presentation on the land trust concept and he has accepted. We also
plan to have reports on several other projects in process as well.
Please respond if you plan to attend this meeting by July 1. No need
if
you have already responded. The location [size of the room we use] will
be determined by the number of people who confirm in response to this
email. The room has to be coordinated with the hotel in advance.
If you
would like to be included on the agenda to make a presentation on your
project, please send a summary by July 1. We want to have a complete
agenda in time for the next bulletin.
Convocation Monday at 11:00 is an ideal day and time as there is a
break after the morning kirtan meditation from 11 a.m. to 2:30
p.m.--enough time to meet and have lunch before the class at 2:30.
We
have identified the following projects in design, currently operating
or in construction:
I know there are more, but these are the folks who we know about and who have responded. Please add to this list if you know of another project that should be included.
Very much look forward to hearing from you. Please do forward this
note
to others who may be interested, and if you do not want to participate
or receive future bulletins, please let me know.
In Master's service,
Cheryl Anne Woodard
Lay Disciple Community Group
cherwoodard@gmail.com
End of Bulletin #5
Suggested
Lay Disciple Community
Founding Principals and notes on
community. 7/12/2012 1:33 PM
By Cheryl Anne Woodard, prepared for
LDC Convocation Meeting July 30.
2012
Dear Friends,
We now have 30 devotees who have responded to attend
the meeting set for Monday July 30 at Convocation and the number is
growing. There is a glitch. The room which was reserved is not big
enough for everyone, and the hotel is completely booked.
There is an
excellent room available at the Biltmore--the Athenian Room which is
two doors from the Roman Room, the Biltmore meditation room during
Convocation. These rooms are located on the Mezzanine level which is
accessed by stairs just south of the main lobby. I have reserved this
room, and unless you receive further notice, this is where the meeting
will be held. This room cost is substantially over the original budget.
This means that in order to confirm your attendance, an advance
registration with the suggested donation of $20 is needed. Please send
your checks payable to me at
Cheryl Anne Woodard
4122 Glenalbyn Drive #317
Los Angeles, CA 90065
The schedule is as follows:
11 a.m. Register, meet and greet
11:30 Presentations
Stephen Wilkinson, Escondido, CA, will make a presentation on the
SRF
Retirement Home he is developing. Steve has been a Kriyaban over 30
years. He is a recently retired quality control engineer. When he lived
in the Los Gatos area, he participated in the leadership that made the
Los Gatos Temple happen. Prior to that his father owned and operated
White Cloud Retreat in PA. More recently, Steve and his wife Rudelphina
have developed their own beautiful home and 5 acre mini-community and
compound which has been operating for over 10 years. Anything Steve
develops will be done beautifully and in alignment with Master's ideals
and standards.
Allen Smith, President of the OPAL Community Land Trust, Orcas
Island,
WA, will discuss the Land Trust concept and topics around how this
works in action. That land trust has constructed over 100 affordable
homes. Allen has been a Kriyaban for over 30 years. He has developed
and been president of multiple companies in the electronic and various
other industries. He and his wife Sara currently own and operate the
Victorian Wedding Chapel in Orcas Island, WA. They have also built a
home and retreat on their exquisite rolling some 40 acres on the
Island, and welcome retreatants on a donation basis. He prefers that
attendees read up on the Land Trust concept on line before the meeting
so that we can discuss more relevant topics such as how to form
effective Lay Disciple community. I plan to email his article and
documents before the meeting. Allen's years of experience with OPAL
will be invaluable. Go to www.opalclt.org
Carol and Richard Armour will
make a presentation on Song of the Morning Ranch and Clear Light
Community. Carol is Chair of Golden Lotus, Inc. [GLI] is the umbrella
entity that owns and operates of Song of the Morning Ranch and Retreat
which has been in operation for 40 years. GLI also owns and operates
Clear Light Community, a residential community operating since 2000.
Richard is manager of Clear Light. Carol and her husband Richard have
been Kriyabans for over 40 years. SOM is an 800 acre compound donated
and founded by Yogacharya Black who began with Master around 1937.
Clear Light is a 200 acre part of the SOM 800 acres. The Armours and
four other residents of this community will be attending our meeting
and will be bringing documents and a wealth of information to share. Go
to: www.songofthemorning.org
12:30 p.m. Round robin introductions.
1 p.m. Close and break for lunch before the next class at 2:30 p.m.
This portends to be a ground breaking gathering. If there is time,
we
may be able to hear from several other groups as well. Ken Drummond,
formerly of Hidden Valley Ashram, currently of the Wonder Valley
Compound, 29 Palms, CA, and representatives from Elfrida Golden Lotus,
AZ will be in attendance.
If you know of SRF lay disciple members who
may want to attend this meeting, please circulate this bulletin and ask
those interested to make their reservation by July 1. And if we do not
already have this, your complete name and contact information and the
name of the group or temple you attend will be helpful.
We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at this meeting
as
we embark on this great adventure.
In Master's service, Ch
Dear friends,
Our negotiators have been hard at work to improve our program!
The Lay Disciple Community Convocation meeting for July 30 has been
moved from the Biltmore to the Bonaventure Brewing Co., and now
includes a wonderful lunch at the same price of $20. We will meet at 11
a.m. at the Bonaventure Brewing Company, which is located on the 4th
floor south side [garden side]. The restaurant has agreed to reserve
the entire dining room for us, and our program.
The menu will be a selection of either a veggie burger or their
hearty vegetarian 'Cabo' salad. Here is the plan:
We will place our orders first at 11 a.m. before the program
presentations so that we can focus on the presentations. Lunch will be
served immediately following at 12 noon. This will enable us to linger
and continue the conversations without having to scatter and scramble
for lunch before the next class.
This program just gets better and better.
Please get your reservation in by July 15 by check for $20 per
person payable to me and mail to:
Cheryl Anne Woodard
4122 Glenalbyn Drive, #317
Los Angeles, CA 90065
Many people have asked for all the prior bulletins. This request is
coming in almost daily from new people. In order to make sure we
include everyone, these will be sent closer to the meeting time along
with Allen Smith's articles as attachments for your convenience.
Also, if at any time you want to be removed from this list, please
let me know. Thanks, It will be a great pleasure to see you at the
meeting. Hope you can come.
In Master's service, Ch
Dear Friends,
Convocation is only days away!!
1. LDC Meeting notes. We are aware that many will not be able to
attend the meeting July 30. While there is no way to replicate the
nuances of personal attendance at this event, there will be a report.
Possibly more than a report if we are able to summon technical support.
. .
helpers welcome. . .
2. Tech support.
a. One of the discussion leaders would love to offer a power point
presentation, and we may need a mike. The restaurant does not provide.
If you have power point--sound equipment and the capacity and
willingness to handle this, please let me know.
b. Digital Video Recording. We dream big. If anyone can or knows of
someone who can digital video record this meeting and make it into a
DVD, wow. That would be great. Have had several requests for some type
of video recording.
3. Allen Smith has prepared some articles on consensual governance
and land trust. These are attached in the hope they may trigger
questions and enrich our discussion. He is also available for questions
at asmith@chapelvalleycorp.com
4. Archived Bulletins. Some of the early bulletins require editing.
A work in progress. I can see that as our collective wisdom
accumulates, even the edited efforts, will be superseded repeatedly by
new improved thinking. Nevertheless, since so many have asked for the
early stuff, some of the edited bulletins are attached.
5. Volunteer effort. LDC is an all volunteer effort. To keep cost to
a minimum, it is an all email communication system. If you know of
anyone without email who wants to be informed as this adventure
progresses, please encourage folks to connect with an email companion,
helper, public reference librarian, and get on the list. Reference
librarians ache to help folks get online and learn email. Most public
libraries offer free computer services.
6. Nice place to eat, meet and discuss. We had a heck of a time
getting a location for this meeting. The Biltmore wanted $800 just for
the meeting room, plus $48 per person for lunch. AAAK. Needless to say
those negotiations stalled. The Brewery jumped in with the promise of
their dining room and lunch at $20 per. I will be speaking to the
restaurant event planner on Monday, July 16. And will learn at that
time if they are still willing to give us the entire dining room for
our meeting. We currently have 22 paid registrations and several more
are promised. I am told we must have at least 30 to have the room to
ourselves. They can accommodate up to 70. It is a big deal for them to
give us this space. If you are unsure whether or not you will be able
to attend, register anyway in the hope that you can attend. Take the
lunch to go. Another way to serve. : )
7. Brains and Brawn Volunteer Posse. Several projects could use some
help. Consider a working vacation.
Breath of Heaven needs a landscape designer to help design the
meditation garden. Qualified people please apply. Contact Megan J.
Wells at www.breathofheavenretreat.com Phone (808) 244-231
megan.wells@hawaiiantel.net
Elfrida Golden Lotus could use some construction muscle. If you want
to help this community in progress, please contact:
sherwinstradling@yahoo.com
All for now. Hope to see you at Convocation. Blessings and Joy in Master, Ch
Dear Friends,
Convocation is almost here! There are very few spaces left for the
luncheon. We must have prepaid reservations, so if you have anyone who
wants to attend, please ask them to mail the check with all contact
information including email address by July 20 and email to me when the
check has been sent. I must have email addresses to send out the
confirmations.
We currently have 55 attending and about 120 on our list of
interested
folks which grows daily. Does this mean 120 different concepts of what
it means for Master’s devotees to live in community? 120 different
visions?
Hollywood Temple has a formalized Lay Disciple Group which began
many
years ago. It involves a vow and requirements for membership which
include 'mandatory' attendance at monthly Lay Disciple meetings,
membership on a volunteer community and at least two hours of service
on that committee each month. This is a time commitment of about four
hours a month. Most serve much more. There are dues of a nominal
amount. The vow and membership is by invitation after an interview with
the minister.
Brother Anandamoy started a group at Lake Shrine in the
late 70's under the name Voluntary League when many of us were there.
That name was dropped in later years [1989?]. We now have a Kriyaban
League that meets once a month at the Lake. There is no written vow,
and no written commitment. The Lay Disciple concept as defined at
Hollywood seems to remain as the only Temple with this clear definition
and structure.
Because this term ‘lay disciple’ is a defined term and has a
distinct
use and meaning at Hollywood Temple, it will no longer be used in the
bulletins. Instead we will use the term Intentional Community for [SRF]
Devotees [ICD] until we find something better.
That said, it would now be appreciated if we could hear more from
you.
1. What is your participation in SRF?
a. Where do you serve?
b. How do
you participate?
c. What group do you attend?
d. Do you have a group
within a 2 hour drive?
2. What is your vision of devotee intentional community? Details
please.
a. Where is it located?
b. What does it look like?
c. Who lives
there?
d. What is the operating structure?
e. What are the facilities,
services offered?
f. What is the purpose?
In 100 words or less. Okay,
maybe 200.
3. What do you plan to do to bring about your vision? Same
thing, 100/200 words or less.
4. What is your expectation for this meeting? a. What do you hope to
learn? b. What do you want to take away? c. What would you like to
contribute?
5. What information do you have about what Master wanted
for lay disciple communities? What is the source?
We have an article
published in East West Magazine during the Great Depression, April
1932. Copy attached. The world has turned several times since that
publication. Not sure we can follow the ideas articulated there
literally. For example, we have searched high and low, for 25 young
married couples living in reasonable proximity. We found a few, but
primarily we are folks working in established careers, boomers and
retirees. We need to follow the spirit of the article.
Some have ideas gleaned from conversations with senior monastics.
Perhaps we can gather that lore. Please relay what you have learned and
its source. We want to be in attunement with Master's omniscient
guidance, and will reach with devotion and intuition. At the same time,
it would be nice to have some verification from reliable sources.
Intuit and verify. Intuit and verify to the extent possible.
Notes re Meeting Logistics. If we find a video recorder, and you do
not
want to be in any pictures please sit out of the camera frame, i.e.
behind the camera. Since we will be coming out of a 2.5 hour meditation
at 11 a.m., and lunch will be served after the first three
presentations/discussions at 12:30 p.m., please prepare accordingly.
Maybe nibble on something between before the meeting begins.
Notes re
Agenda. We will introduce several other discussion leaders during lunch
and the panel of our presenters will be expanded to include Ken
Drummond and Dr. Gita Elgin.
Future bulletins will come as an attachment for simplicity and
convenience unless we hear big objections. Lots of suggestions are
coming in re tech improvements. First, let’s do lunch.
Would be lovely to have your survey thoughts and replies before the
meeting or bring them.
In Master's service, Cheryl Anne Woodard Intentional Community for [SRF] Devotees
Happy Janmashtami!
Here is a brief report on the luncheon meeting.
We had about 70 attending, and due to space limitations, we had to turn
folks away. Folks were kind enough to endure the challenges presented
by space limitations, and the feedback we received deemed the meeting a
SUCCESS!
We now know much more than we did before. We know that the word
community evokes a great deal of interest. However, these interests are
diverse.
We discovered several additional communities in process, and several
more speakers came forward with items to present.
We wanted to give as many speakers as possible a chance to present.
This meant less time for each one. In order to give each project more
time, break out sessions during the week were arranged. If we do
another Convocation meeting, we now have secured a larger space for a
general meeting, and the lobby area worked well for the smaller
breakout sessions.
More about the meeting . . .
Allen Smith, Orcas Island WA, spoke about the OPAL, the Orcas Island
Land Trust Community and their consensual style of governance. While
Allen is a longtime Kriyaban, this land trust is NOT composed of SRF
members. It is an island community effort to maintain affordable
housing on an island of primarily affluent owners. He explained that
board members are invited on the basis of their ability to work in
harmony, and all decisions of the board are unanimous using a
consensual meeting style. He has outlined his presentation in the
articles previously sent and attached. Allen’s experience with
harmonious decision making is of enormous value. Harmony in group
efforts is one of our biggest challenges. Master’s key principal is
harmony first.
In his breakout session on Wednesday, I asked Allen:
Q. Where did the land come from to use for the affordable housing that
has been built on the island?
A. Allen reported that OPAL, a tax exempt organization, conducts
fundraisers to acquire the land, and sometimes real property is
donated. OPAL then builds the homes, and offers these for sale to
applicants at below market rates. He said that OPAL, has been operating
this way for about 22 years. The land is owned by OPAL, and the housing
which is sold to the applicants is governed by OPAL rules which include
a resale pricing formula so that resale values remain affordable in
light of market conditions. OPAL is tax exempt, but property taxes are
paid on the land by the homeowner so the community as a whole benefits
as well.
He has been a board member of OPAL for about 6 years and chairman
for the last four. His entire board has been honored with an invitation
to participate in a demonstration governance competition in Chicago
this fall.
Allen has generously offered to respond to further questions via
email: ssmith@chapelvalleycorp.com. See also www.opalclt.org,
www.cltnetwork.org, for more information.
Carol and Richard Armour, Vanderbilt MI, spoke about Song of the
Morning Ranch and Clear Light Community. The 800 acre community which
has been operating for 40 years as a tax exempt organization was
donated by one person, Yogacharya Oliver Black. The Clear light living
community part of this complex offers land leases, upon which
leaseholders can build homes. About six community members attended and
they distributed newsletters and flyers and have a website for further
study and information. They also offered a breakout session on
Wednesday afternoon. For more information on the Ranch and Clear Light
see www.goldenlotus.org/community.
Christine Ashley, Prescott AZ, reported on her conceptual plan for
an intentional community in the Prescott Arizona area. She has
researched available land in proximity to community services, and is in
the process of developing an offering. Chris went into more detail on
Tuesday morning at the break. For more information see
www.devoteesintentionalcommunityprescottaz.yola.com
Linda McBride, Mesa CO, reported on Spring Creek Ranch near Mesa.
She described the land and water issues. Her land is about 2 hours from
Grand Junction. In a later breakout session, she further detailed water
issues. Apparently one must buy expensive shares of water rights in
order to irrigate the land for farming. Water catchment systems are not
permitted as all surface water is controlled by state law and must flow
into the Colorado River watershed. Linda’s experience highlights how
important it is to understand local water rights, and that water is a
primary issue in building any landed community.
Albert Schinazi, Indianapolis IN, spoke about his services as a
community planner and green building consultant.
Albert@EnergyHomeChek.com
Ken Drummond, 29 Palms CA, spoke of his experience at Hidden Valley
as that ashram community developed starting in 1979, and his efforts to
build community in 29 Palms.
Linda, Al, and Ken were not available for a separate session.
Steve Wilkinson, Escondido CA, spoke of his design plan for
community development now in process. Steve’s concept of careful market
study and planning is valuable as it is based on his lifetime
experience with White Cloud in Pennsylvania, and subsequent experiences
with community formation. Steve emphasized two points. A successful
landed community must have a plan, and must have a form of governance
which promotes and sustains harmony.
Steve and Allen met with a small group on Wednesday morning which
was attended by Linda Mc Bride as well.
Where do we go from here?
The first question everyone asks when the subject of SRF Lay
Disciple community is mentioned is WHERE? WHERE will it be built?
After this luncheon, the break out sessions during the week, and
interviews with folks there and those who are coming forward daily with
their prior experiences in developing landed SRF lay disciple
communities . . .
I now believe I know where community begins.
In our hearts. Community is right now, right where we live, right in
our present circumstances. Community is a state of mind. It is an
ability to focus and gain clarity on what we want. An ability to look
around, perceive and serve the needs of others. Selfless service builds
community.
Developing a landed community is like a marriage. If we are looking
for what we will get, it won’t work. If we are looking to come together
to serve God, Guru and our neighbors, we have a chance. Community is a
state of mind each one of us can cultivate right now. No buildings are
required. No moving vans. No risky investments. We can start right now
in our hearts and minds.
At the same time, . . .
The inner urge to live with other devotees in proximity, in more
healthy and secure environments, to meditate and support one another in
our spiritual quest—this urge drives this movement forward. There is a
movement afoot across the country toward pocket neighborhoods,
sustainable living compounds, co-housing communities and land trusts,
but ours is a very specific need. Sadhana.
Now what? What do we have that we did not have before the luncheon.
We have some key items of guidance.
SRF Lay Disciples.
We have been advised that Master used the term SRF Lay Disciple more
broadly than just for the group at Hollywood Temple. So, the use of
that term will be resumed. What is a Lay Disciple? This has been
offered: An SRF Lay Disciple is one who serves the work of Paramahansa
Yogananda by regular meditation, study of the SRF teachings, loyalty
and service to Master’s organization, and living Master’s How to Live
principals, all to the best of our ability.
Financial Autonomy.
Second, we have been advised by many sources that financial autonomy
for participants advances the cause of harmony. Here is just one
example. Sometime around the 1970’s a group in Canada bought several
sections of farm land together, and attempted a joint ownership
‘communal’ project. A monastic visited. Efforts to meld the ‘community’
were failing; but nevertheless, the group said nothing about their
struggle and wrote to Ma to thank her for the monastic visit.
Ma wrote back. She responded to the question the group had not
asked.
She reported that Master tried to form a Lay Disciple living community
for 15 years and gave up. This effort was after the 1932 article that
was published. Master, an avatar, gave up. Ma reported that Master
decided that the time was not right, and most folks were not ready to
live together in communal harmony. She advised against joint ownership
of land and pooling of money.
With this stunning revelation from Ma,
the Canadian group sold the land and refocused their efforts on group
meditation and personal sadhana. The Canadian devotee is searching for
that original letter from Ma, and perhaps she will find it. If and when
she does, it will be shared.
As an attorney, I have been grappling with the concept of Lay
Disciple
Community for as many years. How to bring it about, how to structure it
legally, so no one gets hurt when those inevitable life changes come
along and someone needs to move on. In 1975, in a conversation with
Brahmachari Phillip, now Brother Ramananda, he also stated that Master
wanted Lay members to be financially independent, no pooling of money,
no joint ownership of real estate. He, too, reported that Master stated
we were not ready. This report from the Canadian devotee and others is
a confirmation of that advice from Brother Ramananda.
That was almost 40 years ago. Where are we now? Are we ready? Here’s
a
test to consider: How well do we get along with others? Are we at peace
with those around us?
We do know this. The concept of condominiums and
co operatives, once distrusted, is now well accepted. So, too,
apartments rented to financially independent participants is another
well accepted legal forms. The construction of a condominium complex or
apartment complex take large investments, but no staggering costs and
time commitments are involved if a group identifies an existing
complex. There is an apartment complex on Mt. Washington in which
about half the units are occupied by devotee singles and couples. About
25 households. There are multiple apartment complexes around Hollywood
Temple also occupied primarily by devotees. Each occupant has financial
independence. These are not the 25 family groups mentioned in Master’s
articles, but these clusters of devotees share many aspects of
community.
Donations of funds and realty made to a tax exempt organization like
OPAL or SOM work if the donations are real gifts with no expectation of
return.
There seems to be a consensus that communal pooling of money to
buy land is not recommended where the investor expects any return. The
OPAL experience of privately owned homes and the SOM experience of
individually leased property—these structures make financial sense.
Each owner has a clear idea of what they own and what they can do with
the property. Elfrida Golden Lotus is based on this principal of
financial independence as well. Each person has his or her own acreage
with an understanding of what can or cannot be done.
Further notes on consensus governance.
A consensual decision making model and meeting style similar to that
offered by Allen Smith was introduced by Brother Devananda with the
help of Everett Howell at Lake Shrine during the design, construction
and early operation of the Lake Shrine Temple dedicated in 1996. This
model was used over a period of about 5 years. The team leaders were
trained first in how to work a very specific meeting model and then the
model was placed in use. Once we got the hang of how to operate the
meetings, this style albeit a bit cumbersome, worked well to enable us
to arrive at consensus in lay disciple input to the Temple design.
In
addition to the consensual model, Brother Devananda also introduced
additional techniques to encourage the bonding required to work in
harmony. Here are some of the techniques he gave us:
a. The ‘Strength Bank.’ In our monthly team leader meetings 15
minutes
were set aside to honor one person. Each leader in turn would mention
one positive thing about the honoree. We were asked to be concise,
authentic and sincere in our comments, and mention specific qualities
or incidents. We were asked to stay away from vague generalizations.
One person would serve as scrivener and write down the comments which
were then given to the honoree. This was an experience in constructive
support rather than a roast. Over a period of time, each person was
honored at least once. It was strengthening to that person and the
group as a whole.
b. Team Nurturance. The Lake Shrine serving community went from
about
120 members to about 450 in a very short time. It was an enormous
challenge recruit, train and blend in all these new personalities in
harmony and in tune with Master’s plan. Brother Devananda labored over
each team leader to bring us to a new state of consciousness. We were
taught that our job was to learn to delegate and to take care of each
team member. The team members were to do the substantive work and the
team leader’s job was to make sure that each team member had a clear
idea of the task, encouragement, and had what each needed to do the
job. This included getting to know each team member personally and
making sure each one felt seen, known and cared for. It was our job as
team leaders to be the servants of our team members.
Each team leader
met with Brother and Anibal Rivarola on a regular basis to review the
team efforts, receive comments, and how each team member was doing. If
anything was going off track, we discussed strategies on how to
delegate with increased effectiveness and harmony.
c. Classes in
Change. In order to eventually live in landed community, devotees will
have to move and to adapt to a whole new culture. This concept was real
at Lake Shrine. We were going from a congregation very attached to the
Windmill. Everyone asked if the services were to be piped in
downstairs. Few wanted to attend services upstairs. Something needed to
be done. By happy coincidence [not], a woman whose profession was
teaching adapting to change came along.
Mara Markam, Kriyaban and senior design engineer was by profession a
designer of control panels for fighter jets. As each new jet was
developed with a new panel of controls, part of her job was to train
jet pilots to adapt to and use the new controls. At mach speeds, there
is no room for error. She volunteered to offer us the series of classes
on adapting to change she had developed for the pilots. Brother
Devananda had the vision to gratefully accept her offer.
The Lake Shrine team leaders were blessed to have her guide us
through
the process of weaning ourselves and our congregation from the Windmill
Chapel to the whole new Temple complex and serving environment.
Perhaps some of these techniques will be of value as the movement
toward landed communities develops.
We of SRF seem to be getting more accustomed to change. A similar
challenge faced the Pasadena Congregation when it moved to the new
Glendale Temple, and again with the transition from Richmond to the new
Berkeley Temple.
So, what can we do right now?
1. Think and plan. What
do you want? What is your primary interest?
What do you need? What are your non-negotiables?
2. Introspect. What is your capacity for community? Selfless
service?
What is your capacity for change?
3. Investigate - Contribute. This bulletin will continue to offer
information regarding SRF Lay Disciple projects and resources. And your
input is most valuable. We have discovered additional communities from
your input which will be reported on in future bulletins. We appreciate
hearing your contributions.
4. Identify a shared vision, an existing complex and have a group
move
into the complex.
5. Work with one of the projects in development or design and build
your own.
We intend to morph these bulletins into a website which supports and
serves all the SRF Lay Disciple communities now in existence and those
in development. Feel free to forward these bulletins to anyone you
believe will be interested and if you let us know, we will add them to
the list.
Several people have asked for our email list. We decline. This is an
all volunteer operation, primarily via email with nominal expenses. A
few kind souls made additional donations at the luncheon event which
were used to cover nominal expenses.
No endorsement is given to any
group mentioned. If a project or service is of interest, it is your job
to carefully investigate each project before making any commitments of
time or money.
In Master’s Service, Cheryl Anne Woodard, Lay Disciple Community Development a project of and for SRF Lay Disciples
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Greetings. The luncheon is over, and it is time now to move forward
with some practical steps, something we can do right now to serve SRF
Lay Disciples.
We have an increasing number of SRF Seniors can use some help.
A substantial group of senior and disabled lay disciples now need
assistance in various ways, and shortly we will have another wave of
those who need help.
Young Adults, heck, lots of SRF folks, need opportunities.
We have a growing number of SRF people who need employment, work
experience, letters of recommendation, college credit. This initiative
is a baby step toward developing a work-study program to serve a broad
scope of SRF seniors and SRF LDC landed communities. Most colleges have
work study programs for students with the initiative to set up their
own earn and learn work study program for college credit. These
services could include anything from nursing to construction.
Teens need opportunities, too. Teens also need letters of
recommendation for college applications and work experience. A letter
stating a job well done helps immeasurably in getting that first real
job or a college acceptance.
Big Donations
While it would be lovely to have the funds now to build a LDC landed
community or a retirement community, or a care center, and all
donations are welcome, we do not have these funds at this time.
Perhaps, if enough funds are donated earmarked for this purpose,
someday, such facilities will be built and run as tax exempt
institutions by SRF lay disciples. In the meantime . . .
What can we as SRF Lay Disciples do right now?
Care at home.
Often the most comfortable care for someone in need is AT HOME. Many
elders want the vibration of a home in which they have meditated for
years. The peace, the silence. Also, it can be a great environment to
serve in the vibrations of a devotee home.
We begin a new LDC initiative.
We CAN set up a help network.
We have begun a roster of caregivers. You are invited to join in this
effort. It does not matter where a person lives in order to be listed.
SRF devotees who need help and want work are worldwide. If professional
services are offered and licensing is required, this must be listed.
Please also register if you offer non-professional, practical home care
such as laundry, cooking, cleaning, appointments, grocery shopping,
child care, errands. Unlicensed caregivers are as welcome as
professionals.
What does matter is that complete and accurate information and
references are given. If you would like to be a helper/caregiver please
complete the attached form
and return it as a WORD attachment so it can be attached to future
bulletins. Any other format cannot be attached at this time. We intend
to eventually post these to a website.
Thinking ahead, consider this: a pool of professional, experienced,
tried and true caregivers could become staff in an eventual facility.
Even in our lifetimes. : )
If you know of someone who would like to offer care services of any
kind, please DO forward this bulletin along to them and encourage
folks, young adults and teens to register. If you know any one seeking
help, please forward this and future bulletins, perhaps listed
caregivers can help.
Another thing.
We CAN set up a list of recommended communities and retirement
homes.
There are some lovely three and four level retirement communities in
many cities. If you know of a community or facility you would
recommend, it would be a great service to your fellow devotees to send
along this information.
For example, we recently toured
Solheim Lutheran Home, 2236 Merton Avenue, Los Angeles 90041 [in
Eagle Rock very close to Mother Center]. This is reported to be a five
star four level community: independent living, assisted care, skilled
nursing and memory care. They offer long term, short term and respite
care and short term rehabilitation services.
It was founded 1923 by Norwegian Lutherans in one 12 room house. It is now a very large complex,
with a lovely chapel, senior gym, and rehabilitation center. Perhaps
someday an SRF facility will begin like this, first on a small scale
and then grow into a complete service community. For more information
visit www.solheimlutheran.org.
Registered Care Givers to date:
Marisa Dhanasene, practical home help, unlicensed, Mt. Washington/Glendale area.
Recently relocated from Midwest, cell 312.731.1287. Hours available, flexible.
More caregivers and facilities will be noted as our list grows.
Until we have our website with a complete registry, please do keep
these bulletins for your own reference.
Your choice, checking people out is your job.
Each individual seeking help must understand that the choice of
caregiver requires good chemistry and careful attention. Interview your
applicant thoroughly and check references. NO WARRANTY can be given. It
is your responsibility to interview and completely check out any
facility or person you find through these bulletins. Same for
caregivers. Check out your new employer. Make sure financial
arrangements are clear. A written understanding is recommended.
Stay tuned, more to come . . .
LDC is an all volunteer project which we endeavor to keep as simple as
possible. In order to keep costs down, please communicate and register
via email. You may see your application attached to a forthcoming
bulletin! This budding LDC effort has been created to serve you NOW.
Your suggestions and comments are welcome.
In Master’s service,