One of our long time New World Risers, Om Song, also known as George Lovinglight, has stepped up and made a move to manifest his visions in reality, not only for himself but also for those who would join him. We love George, and we are totally supportive and overjoyed at his efforts to make this real. Here is a blog article about his project. Please read it, get to know our friend OmSong/George, and think about taking a trip to the beautiful mountains of Floyd, Virginia to check it out. There are other amazing projects going on in the Floyd area, too.
Eco-Farm & Wellness Center
Om Song
The Eco-Farm & Wellness Center
by Om Song
This Vision is one of helping humanity blossom, becoming more loving as well as kindhearted & wise stewards of this amazing planet. The following is a walk through of a vision I’ve had in part since 1995. In these trying days of polarized platforms and ideologies, what we need is a unifying message of, ironically, diversity & inclusion. Just like the many roots nourishing the one tree, so too can humans come from many backgrounds and unify through our basic needs; Love, Food & Shelter. This tree image is meant to grow strong roots, providing solace and healing to the larger family of LIFE & Humanity from whence we all come. This vision, though grand, is made up of simple steps that can help to lead us from a society of consumption & madness to one of sustainability and joy.
The Center is a whole with 5 Major components:
Eco-Farm – “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food”
Wellness Center – Rest and healing are equally as important as action and work.
Community – “Life lived with friends is life well lived”.
Holistic Cottage Industries – “Let us create knick-knacks of beauty that enrich our lives”
Outreach - Offering alternatives and models for others to participate in.
Eco-Farm
It is our collective responsibility to protect and nurture the global family, to support its weaker members and to preserve and tend to the environment in which we all live”~ Dalai Lama
We shall continue with the Eco-Farm, as food is the very foundation of life along side clean water & air. This is why it is first in the components. We can move with confidence and strength when we provide healthy, high energy life sustenance to ourselves and our local community. In that light, we plan on a farm that is based on the principles of permaculture & harmony with the earth. There would be animals such as cows, goats & chickens as well as other critters that make up a healthy circle of life. The eco-farm would be staffed initially by ourselves but we plan on expanding through volunteers interested in hands-on learning How we farm is of huge importance and after careful consideration the best discovered so far is the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model. The key to this unique system is that it gets the community involved and connected to where their food comes from – their local farm. This highly successful practice works on selling annual shares of one’s produce locally to families, individuals and small businesses. Families are encouraged to bring their hands and hearts to the farm and PARTICIPATE in growing their food. In this relaxed & enjoyable setting alongside others, both the food and community are nourished!
“The power of love to change bodies is legendary, built into folklore, common sense, and everyday experience. Love moves the flesh, it pushes matter around.... Throughout history, ‘tender loving care’ has uniformly been recognized as a valuable element in healing.” ~Larry Dossey
Wellness Center
“Health is Wealth”, is a common adage and with that in mind let us share about my personal favorite aspect of this vision; the Wellness Center. These days with the internet, webpages and cell phones it’s easier than ever to share a good thing with people. The property has over 8 rooms and if we reserve at least 2 of them for people to come and relax, rejuvenate and heal then we can charge $150/per person times two and make $300/weekend. Larian and I both being massage therapists can offer a wellness package that is both amazing & affordable. Health spas are usually astronomically expensive and known for sticker shock, but still folks regularly use them because, quite simply, it’s a NEED. People need to relax, tune in and receive care. People would come Friday afternoon/evening for a wonderful homemade meal from our own garden. After a nice meal folks could relax in our sauna next to the pond and reclaim the lost art of stargazing.
Community
We cannot live only for ourselves. A thousand fibers connect us with our fellow men. ~Herman Melville
Being vulnerable with each other will be one of our greatest strengths. Let’s face it – this journey wouldn’t be worth it without some jolly and dear friends to share the ups & downs with. To this effect we’ll be opening up about 4 rooms total to our extended family of friends. Many hands make the load lighter and the tune brighter. We plan on bringing artists, musicians and spiritual activists together to make magic – pure and simple. This life is waaaay more than what meets the eye only. We plan to chart a course to the center of our soul and dive deep into ourselves and each other. The plan is on having many weekly community building activities from yoga to potlucks, to sauna socials to dj dance nights. Cell by cell, bud by bud we shall grow ourselves anew. Utilizing the abundant social resources of Floyd, Virginia we shall be a healthy node in the larger matrix of consciousness exploring and healing itself. There are many many thirsty people yearning for something deeper than this shallow existence of consumerism. Our values are all mixed up in the modern world. What many yearn for is a return to simplicity – we can provide that place.
Holistic Cottage Industries
Live simply that others might simply live. ~Elizabeth Ann Seton
Humans are wonderfully creative. We can make such beautiful pieces of art. Using environmentally friendly materials such as Hemp we can both provide enriching artwork and receive financial nourishment. Larian is an exceedingly talented artist in making necklaces, wraps and such. This would be just one avenue for our arts. We plan on opening an arts & crafts center where people could come and use the community resources. There would be a kick wheel for pottery, basic recording equipment, silk-screening materials and other wonderful ways to express ourselves positively.
Any social movement needs good communication. As we’ve witnessed in Egypt; twitter, facebook and youtube have shown people the horrors of oppressive regimes. With a basic camcorder and video editing software we can bring our own “TV” to the interested. Audio/visual documentation of successful cooperative projects, such as this, only strengthens the larger “spiralwheel” of revolution/evolution. The youth learn from both history and current events – even more from what they participate in.
Workshops on the land:
Yoga retreats
Earthbag/eco-building
Woman’s retreats
Men’s Retreats
Native Ceremonies e.g. sweat lodges
Mini-Dance camps
Networking Conferences
Permaculture for you
Rest & Relaxation Tips
Outreach
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. ~William James
There is a bit of a cliché about hippies that burnout, head to the woods and form sleepy communes. My experience is that we have wonderful rest and relaxation on the land, but we will also make it a priority to reach out into the larger community. The message in a nutshell; Cooperation trumps competition & Needs beats Greeds. I feel that with all our artistic strength and talent we can use puppets, props and such for skits, plays and Guerilla Theater to inform and inspire.
Reaching out to other is compassion in action. It may start with a few summer festivals where we can bring handouts and art pieces of what we’re doing on the land. Combine a great interactive website, active youth and we’ll be growing fun & wisdom – a truly revolutionary force.
Summary
Putting it all together
So as one may see there are some grand pictures painted in this vision. Hopefully one also sees that it begins like all things – small. We are a couple of people earnestly seeking a more loving and simple existence. The first year is oriented to growing our own food, keeping our needs simple and listening. The earth is open to conversation if we can empty our proverbial cup and allow a newancient tea to fill her curves.
The ultimate aim of our life is a better world for us all. When one’s heart is true and vision humble then quantum magic happens.
Harden hearts melt,
Tears free the long imprisoned and,
Joy roars forth like a volcano –
Both destroying and creating anew.
Written by: Song & Larian
Website:
352-359-0966
May all beings be happy and loved!
- Harmony and Song said...
- awww! thanks soooo much for posting - i am lacking a current copy and it's WONDERful to have it online!!! /hugs!
