I want to be more intentional in life and encourage self growth and I feel like I need to go away for a week or two to set that in motion.
I need to get away from my family and everyone I know, I need to go on a retreat or something like that.
I live in the Utah Valley and honestly I’d be down for a roadtrip to get to the place I need to be. I’d love some suggestions or stories from anyone who can relate :)
i wanna join a community but i seriously dont know how to. Like i wanna get to know more ppl but i dont like when its a BUNCH of ppl like a small group is nice. I like anime and random weird stuff i also rlly love philosophical questions so if someone liked those pls hmu.
I searched and have found a few and read all the reviews and NONE were good or have bad locations. I have ichthyosis so my body dries really bad in the cold and i prefer hot or some where just scams or bad vibes from what the reviews say. for US
Anyways I don't want to just work for nothing and they only provide housing.
im 34yo and used to make 50k usd a year so even $1500 a month is good as long as they provide everything in exchange for work.
Im living with my sister and my parents who pay for the house and they are wanting me to get a job but they dont know that I'm heavily into meditation and spirituality and working for corp. is a big no for me as I know they are all evil...
I want to further my studies in meditation and spirituality and meet friends and people like-minded souls since I cant do it here bc they want me to eat meat and study the bible and go get a normal 9-5 job.
I know we have to do what we have to do but I would rather be happy than work for any corp.
thank you in advance. please no negativity. If you dont know then no need to reply. Have a beautiful day.
Greetings!
My wife and I have been living in Costa Rica for the past three years. During that time, we have been actively visiting and participating with several intentional communities. This includes, PachaMama, Alegria, Shift Esperanza, and Rise. Of those four diverse communities we have chosen to join, and build our forever home at the Rise community in the southern mountain about an hour inland from the popular beach communities of Dominical and Uvita.
The developer of the Rise Community has been quietly working for almost ten years but the first residents moved in just over a year ago. At this point their are 10 completed homes, 10 under construction (including ours), and another dozen in the design and permitting stages. Even though it is still young, there is a vibrant community of families and adults with grown children, partly due to the presence of the Rise School, a Waldorf inspired school on the property. There are members from 21 countries with ages spanning from toddlers to several people in their 70's.
Let me know if you would like to know more.
Pura Vida.
Zev
I've been living in and obsessing about tiny home spaces in Oakland since 2014. The “pre-legal” community I started with friends in 2015, was the poster child for Oaklands VRF ordinance which makes Tiny Homes legal in Backyards and in clustered communities.
Now I'm not just a broke hipster with a dream but a Realtor who founded a nonprofit and in a strong position to finally develop permanent legal tiny home communities in the urban core, which is something I wanted to be a reality 20 years ago when I was looking a for an affordable place to lay my head. The playbook is to activate vacant small lots, run utilities and welcome in tiny homes legally. To do that I need to raise investment money or harness grants and so I’m looking for real signal about the specifics of what people want. Will you help me get this 10+ year obsession to the finish line?
Survey is 5 questions, 2 minutes, no email required:
Happy to answer questions in the comments too.
I see a lot of people romanticizing Twin Oaks Commune in Louisa, VA, but let’s look at the actual reality under the hood. It’s marketed as a democratic, peaceful alternative to modern society. In reality, it’s an uneven, controlling grindhouse that operates on false advertising and cult-like social pressure.
Here is why it’s a hard 1.5 out of 5:
The Black Mold Reality: They love to pitch their "rustic, eco-friendly" shared housing, but the actual living conditions can be hazardous. Toxic black mold has been a rampant, systemic issue in multiple residential buildings for years. Leadership ignored it for a long time, forcing people to live in literal health hazards while preaching "wellness."
The "No Bosses" Lie: They claim everyone is equal, but a tight-knit inner circle of "Old Members" who have been there for decades hold all the social leverage. They hoard the best, cleanest housing, while new members get stuck in the moldiest wings, doing the most grueling labor with zero say in how things actually run.
Insane Math ($60/Month): You are locked into a mandatory 42+ hour work week. They pitch this as a win because "chores count," but doing laundry, janitorial work, and industrial cooking for 70–100 people is high-friction, exhausting labor. In exchange, you get a tiny bedroom, communal food, and a personal stipend of roughly $60 a month. If you stay for years and leave, you exit with zero savings, a massive resume gap, and no safety net. It’s pure exploitation disguised as a utopia.
Weaponized Passive-Aggression: Direct, honest confrontation doesn't exist there. If you don't conform or if you complain about the living conditions, they won't talk to you face-to-face; instead, they use "paper wars." Expect anonymous notes in your mailbox, public call-outs on index cards left on the communal corkboard, and total social isolation if you cross the wrong person.
Financial Carelessness: Look at how it’s run. When a fire burned down their main hammock-making building—their chief economic backbone—it came out that leadership refused to buy property insurance to save cash. They lost their main income source because of cheap, arrogant management.
They demand way more than they offer. You are literally just swapping corporate middle managers for a passive-aggressive neighborhood committee that pays you in pocket change, ruins your health, and controls your lifestyle. Skip it.
I'm a 20 month Americorps and TheSCA.org Alumnus who enjoys communal living and wanted to start one on 10 Acres in northern MN but the Zoning laws, so I sold my land.
#community #offthegrid
been into skincare for years. thinking a lot about intentional community lately what it means to live with purpose, to connect with others, to be part of something bigger.
and I realized something. my skincare hobby has always been kind of solitary. just me in my bathroom with my products. but I've been thinking about how it could be different.
what if it was more communal? sharing knowledge, trading products, making things together. like a little skincare exchange or a DIY workshop.
I read something from London medicine specialists about skin being revealed not created. it made me think about how we don't have to do things alone. maybe we can support each other too.
I'm not sure what this would look like. but I'm curious if anyone else has thought about combining their personal hobbies with intentional community?
I spent time as the first Crypto Resident at 4Seas in Chiang Mai and wrote up some reflections on what struck me: how it functions more as an “embassy” model than a monastery, the deliberate openness (no gates, no membership fees), the blending of cypherpunk values with local Thai rhythms and Chinese diaspora experiences, and the emergent “third culture” that feels additive rather than extractive.
It touches on parallel construction, acculturation dynamics, and what it looks like when internet-first communities try to root themselves locally without becoming isolated bubbles.
Curious what others think about the embassy vs. monastery distinction in practice, or examples of other experiments trying similar integration.
Full piece here: https://www.parallelcitizen.xyz/p/4seas-2026
I'm a middle aged (45) single neurodiverse mega sensitive woman.
Most of my life I've lived in medium to large cities. No back in eastren Europe, my home city. I truly hate what's coming with the way of life and people. I feel like safe space is shrinking and while I'm still recovering from stress related illness, I am looking for ideas how to create life that's sustainable. Been trying to for years now. And for the few years I hoped it would mean finding a house with a wit of land/ garden in a viallge or close to nature. But I also realised in the last 2 years of illness that being single, not very strong physically (and still without figured out source of income) that dream might be not as right for me as I thought. In my last illness I am getting better from, I realised, that a single ND person like me would have a hard time far from a city for a number of reasons.
Everywhere is loud, flashy, exhausting, demanding tech skills, even to buy a bus ticket...People, are pushy, selfish, angry, cheating. I know not all, but that's more and more common.
I can't imagine going to get a job (luckly I am ok for a while), I am really unemployable and would not stand working for anyone. Likewise, co-living - as in sharing space is impossible for me. I am too much of a freedom freak. I just want a simple life.
I don't have any local friends, just online ones in other parts of the world who struggle as well. But I am determined to create some ways. I know that in various countries people come up with various ways of reinventing new ways of living. I just don;t know where to look for them for inspiration. Ideas?
As a ‘millennial’ I find that i am stuck between old school values and morals, but also love that I live in a time where women like me can be independent, work, make different choices for themselves etc. (I for 1 am glad for women’s working rights, purely because I would not have obtained a husband in the 50’smof we were relying on my house keeping or baking abilities😂 ) but I really struggle with the lack of, connection…? In the modern day. I do understand the world is ever changing and evolving and will do so long after I am gone. I am not ignorant to the fact every generation struggles with this.
But the world is changing faster then it ever has before. Everything is dispose-able. A new and improved version will be available tomorrow. And we place such high value in having the latest and greatest.
I propose for those of us that are finding it hard to watch the world become so impersonal, we put our heads and our wallets together and create our own community. What would this look like for you?
My ideal is
- a semi/partially self sufficient community. Every bit of land is divided equally, no one benefits more or less purely because they were or weren’t born to a family with money.
-We all grow or care or tender to something that is contributed to the community as a whole. I grow tomatoes, you look after the chooks, and we share everything.
- it wouldn’t be so much about serving a community, but maybe ensuring your own needs are met first, to minimise how much support we have to give others. Which of corse wouldn’t be a problem, but is only intended to be short term whilst recovering, getting back on your feet etc.
- but all having the frame of mind that we only: *take what we need, not in access.
*We all contribute in whatever way we can for the betterment of the community as a hole.
*simplistic, no need for the flashier things in life as physical possessions aren’t of value
* transparency
* safe
Well, i guess that’s as far as I have thought so far.
I guess I can see how this would sound cult like 😂 and hay it’s just an imagination for me. But let me know what your perfect future world/community looks like in your mind. Or raise your hands if you think my ideal might be okay. :)
The price of land is proportional to the density of people living on top of it.
If we buy land that is empty, it is practically free. Then if we all move there, it becomes valuable as soon as we arrive.
Is this a motivation for intentional communities? A way to get a good place to live, without needing to spend a lifetime of making mortgage payments.
As the title says, I'm curious if there's anywhere where people are less active on their phones, more "90s" vibes in a sense where people are friendly and such. Skate park, board games, dancing
I miss when life seemed real.. like it was before tech. I feel so numb and can't have a conversation without someone opening their phone
I'm leaving my search broader, hence why I haven't written much detail, as this is a rarity in society
Maybe I sound silly, but I have dreams lol
Also if ever, I'd just like a tech-free buddy then, I've sorta given up on dating but still need some companionship. My tv used to help me replace the loneliness, watched a lot of romance / sit-coms and lived vicariously through the film, same with books and such
I currently live in Montreal, saving up tho
Two communities with long histories and potential, but both known for high drama. What's the latest on them?
I heard that East Wind has hit a population low. I heard that after the founders of Alpha Farm departed this life, things got ugly in new ways.
Those 2 communities absorb the energy of hundreds of visitors, so potential visitors should be aware of their current state.
I've been thinking about this idea for a long time.
Every platform seems to reward outrage, anonymity, or superficial interactions. I'd like to build something different...
Not a huge community, but a small circle of people who genuinely want to become better human beings and help others do the same.
The kind of people I'm hoping to find are those who:
Believe integrity matters, even when nobody is watching.
Stand against corruption, dishonesty, and exploitation.
Value discipline, responsibility, and emotional maturity.
Can disagree respectfully without turning everything into tribalism.
Care about restoring humanity in everyday interactions.
Have faith that there's something greater than ourselves, while remaining open-minded rather than blindly following any ideology or religion.
Prefer understanding over judging.
This wouldn't be a political group or a religious group 🤞🏻
It also wouldn't be about "saving the world"...
The goal would simply be to create a community where people push one another toward becoming more principled, capable, and compassionate.
One thing I'd do differently:
Because trust matters, membership would neither be anonymous nor paid.
Everyone would go through identity verification (for example, a short video call and government-issued ID verification). The purpose isn't to invade privacy but to ensure accountability and reduce fake identities, trolls, and bad actors.
Sensitive personal information would need to be handled carefully and securely, and I'd only move forward with a verification process that respects people's privacy and complies with applicable laws.
I already have a name for the community that I genuinely love, so I'm keeping that part a surprise for now.
Right now I'm simply asking if you all would wanna join something like this?
If yes:
What would make you trust it?
What values would you want it to uphold?
What would make you stay?
I'd love to hear honest feedback, especially criticism. If the idea has flaws, I'd rather know now than after building it.
In radical honesty, cursing, yelling, accusatory and insulting language is OK: it is part of their process of restoring connection. It is less "OK" in NVC/compassionate communication.
When someone's boundaries are tested, are they expected to remain calm and communicative or are anger fits and tantrums considered useful?
Thousands of people resonated with the idea that modern life doesn’t seem designed for families to thrive.
Many people talked about burnout.
Loneliness.
Isolation.
The loss of belonging.
One comment in particular stayed with me.
“You’ll have to build it yourself, piece by piece, relationship by relationship.”
I think they’re right.
Over the past couple of years, my family has been intentionally creating a small version of what we wish existed.
Every Sunday, a handful of families gather together.
Nothing fancy.
No agenda.
No one trying to impress anyone.
The kids usually disappear almost immediately.
They’re off catching tadpoles in the pond.
Picking flowers.
Climbing trees.
Collecting star fruit.
Making art together.
Inventing games that no adult could have planned.
Every now and then one of them runs back inside, proudly holding a tiny frog or some strange leaf they just discovered.
Meanwhile, the adults naturally settle into their own rhythm.
Someone starts cooking.
Someone else chops vegetables.
A few people end up deep in conversation over tea or coffee.
Some conversations are light and playful.
Others become surprisingly meaningful.
Ideas get exchanged.
Friendships deepen.
People naturally help one another.
What I’ve noticed is that these gatherings naturally attract people who care deeply about how they want to live.
Entrepreneurs.
Artists.
Builders.
Parents.
Creatives.
People asking bigger questions about the kind of life they want to create for themselves and their families.
And what strikes me most is how normal it feels.
Nobody is networking.
Nobody is trying to build a personal brand.
Nobody is trying to impress anyone.
We’re simply sharing life together.
Watching our children grow up alongside one another.
Sharing meals.
Sharing stories.
Building trust.
Spending time like this every week has quietly changed how I think about community.
I used to think communities began with land.
Now I think they begin with relationships.
Not hundreds of acres of land.
Not some grand master plan.
Just a handful of families choosing to invest in one another, week after week.
I’m beginning to believe that the village is something we patiently build one conversation at a time.
Over the coming months, I’d like to keep sharing what I’m learning as our family continues experimenting with different ways of living, raising children, building community, and helping families thrive in the modern world.
Not because I have all the answers, I definitely don’t, but because I think many of us are asking the same questions.
If those are conversations you’re interested in, feel free to follow my profile. I’ll be sharing ideas, experiments, stories, and practical lessons on creating healthier families, stronger communities, and a more connected way of living.
I’d love to leave you with one question:
What do you do to feel more connected to the people around you?
Who down??? We don’t have be strict, I’ve been dreaming of this. This is my backup plan incase if I don’t get married I mean I if do I’ll still start or be co founder of communal. Build the biggest compound, live in middle of nowhere. Repopulation in case something happens.
If you down message me… still doing research don’t know who reach out. Dont have no friends chat with this or family nobody get along! Lmk
Not a weirdo, not a criminal….but my kids are grown now, and I am looking for other like minded individuals. Preferably already established. No, I don’t have any money to invest, sorry, but I would like to find a good group living simply. if there are any out there.
I've lived in several intentional communities in the UK. I spent a healthy part of four years among progressive communities. This concept is a pathfinding hypothesis to many of the trouble-in-paradise wrinkles of alternative living, issues of consensus, scaling, informal power, and alternative systems. At the ambitious end, it may be a scalable, decentralised, modular alternative to institution-led governance. It concerns itself with provisionality, subjectivity, transparency, and self-governance, using direct sampling of community sentiment, representation and equality of opportunity. All of these are tradeoffs. It's agnostic to any individual group's why. It's more like an API for communities and connecting communities.
I'm floating this here as thought space. It's free to use or iterate independently. I'm looking for and receptive to any form of criticism, feedback, collaboration, refinement, or perhaps it's a false start entirely.
Github: https://github.com/Alexisnthere1/Distributed-Inference
