I’ve been studying the history of monasteries, as well as monasteries existing in the present time. My sense is that the purpose of monasteries is evolving. There are not many monasteries where the monks or nuns stay in the monastery and don’t associate with the outside world.

The value I see in a monastery is that when a group of people completely surrender their lives to living in alignment with their spiritual beliefs, there is a concentration of energy that radiates out to the world like a pebble thrown in a pond.

If someone came along who I could trust to facilitate the creation of a men’s monastery, I have land we can use to do that. The monasteries of old actually had nuns and monks living on the same land, although they didn’t interact a lot. We would find ways of supporting each other.

One of the reasons I wanted to start with women was because of the living situation. Right now, we would live in a small apartment, and mixing men and women would be hard. Plus, the building on the monastery land is somewhat small, and to have men and women living there would be challenging. However, the common house could be used by men and women during the day.

I don’t have fears of men and women tempting each other so much–except if they slept in the same space–that might be difficult. However, I would like us to have some separation. Also, I can easily see women living together, with me facilitating. It is harder for me to imagine myself mentoring a man who is the leader of a monastery. But again–if the right person came along, I am open.

I also envision householders living on land adjacent to the monastery. Robert, my former husband, is definitely going to live there. At this point, it is hard to deal with the legal situation where only one house is allowed per 6 or 7 acres. However, I could imagine an apartment building which could house a lot of people. I have to look into the laws.

I think there is value in taking up as little space as possible in our living space. People in Japan do this, because they have so little land. The indigenous people did this–with their hogans. And the teepees were pretty small. We have gotten used to living in such big homes.

I’m glad the tiny home movement is getting popular, as well as minimalism. People living in the householder section will have some little plot of land which they can steward. They can have a garden or meditation place–a place where they can be creative. They won’t own it, but there can be some very strong agreement where the plot of land and the energy they put into this place would be something that they can pass along to their children. I can imagine treehouse, gazebos, food forests, play grounds. I feel so happy thinking about people being able to really nurture and beautify a small plot of land.

The householders can participate in healthy vegan meals, all the classes we will teach, the retreats, meditations, prayers, worship services, recreation, and gardening. We can share the fruits of our labor with them. They can work in our businesses. They don’t have to attend anything–except for perhaps monthly community meetings where we check in. There will be conflict resolution guidelines and rules on how the land is treated. People who live in the householder section will be screened very carefully to make sure they are harmonious with the monastery values.

Then there are the neighbors who live on the Living Springs land–700 acres which we are a part of. We want to serve them in meaningful ways, and I have millions of ideas.

We will be involved in politics to a certain degree. We will teach people how to deal with their differences in constructive ways.

We can be involved with the Huntsville and Madison county politics so we can help our county be a better place. We will find creative ways to be involved in state and national politics as well. I used to think that the church should not be involved in politics, but now my eyes are opened. Everything is connected to God. Everything we do can be done in a way that shares the love of Jesus.

And, the most important of all, we will aspire to find the best ways of living in our monastery/village and then teach these ways to others. We will find ways of raising money with wildly successful business endeavors that help people on a deep level–body, mind and soul. Generous billionaires will back our efforts to help others to buy land and train leaders to facilitate the creation of more monastery/villages.

These monastery/villages will dot the landscape in such a way that the ripple effect will keep rippling and rippling so all the ripples meet.

Eventually, people will be drawn so much to this simple, joyful way of living where every single action we take nurtures each other and the earth.

The teachings of Jesus–to love God and love neighbor will be found to be the wisest, most beneficial, most satisfying and fulfilling way to live.

Even if someone is not a Christian–they will see the practical benefits of living in this way, and eventually, they will be drawn into the kingdom of God–where the irresistible love of Jesus surrounds them.

I love envisioning this. The whole world living in the way that God intended us to. Some Christians teach that this is not what God intended–that we could turn earth into a heaven-like existence. Yet there is so much in the Bible that teaches this truth, including the Lord’s Prayer where Jesus says,

“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I am praying for the right people who share this vision and values–to come very soon~

Love to all!