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61-465: Lama Foundation is a spiritual community founded in 1967, located in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of northern New Mexico , seventeen miles north of Taos . The original commune was co-founded by Barbara Durkee (now known as Asha Greer or Asha von Briesen), Stephen Durkee (aka Steve Durkee, later known as Nooruddeen Durkee ), and Jonathan Altman. Lama Foundation's original mission was "dedicated to

122-666: A National Natural Landmark in 1976 as one of the best known examples of igneous dikes . The mountains can be seen from as far as 133 mi (214 km) to the north from Colorado Springs , 65 mi (105 km) to the south from Raton, New Mexico , and 85 mi (137 km) to the east from La Junta, Colorado . The Culebra Range runs almost due north and south, with its northern limit at La Veta Pass in Colorado, and its southern limit at Costilla Creek , just south of Big Costilla Peak in New Mexico. Its highest point

183-515: A Communist Church before becoming a Unitarian minister. The Simon Community in London is an example of social cooperation, made to ease homelessness within London. It provides food and religion and is staffed by homeless people and volunteers. Mildly nomadic, they run street "cafés" which distribute food to their known members and to the general public. The Bruderhof has three locations in

244-462: A combination of democratic and hierarchical structure, and 16 percent do not specify. The central characteristics of communes, or core principles that define communes, have been expressed in various forms over the years. The Suffolk-born radical John Goodwyn Barmby (1820-1881), subsequently a Unitarian minister, invented the term " communitarian " in 1840. At the start of the 1970s, The New Communes author Ron E. Roberts classified communes as

305-468: A few government grants. Most of the buildings are straw bale, adobe brick, and straw clay structures and were built by residents of Lama or participants in natural building workshops. Common structures were adobe with vigas and latillas, or a-frames – with names like "Muffin House", "Tower House", and "Orange Room". A massive forest fire in 1996 destroyed approximately 20 of the community's buildings, though

366-631: A high ridge separating the San Luis Valley on the west from the watershed of the Arkansas River on the east. The Crestones are a group of four 14,000 feet (4,000 m)+ peaks ( fourteeners ) in the Sangre de Cristo Range above Crestone, Colorado . The Spanish Peaks are a pair of mountains, West Spanish Peak , 13,626 ft (4,153 m), and East Spanish Peak , 12,860 ft (3,920 m), located in southwestern Huerfano County , Colorado . The Spanish Peaks were designated

427-568: A lesser degree, more influential in Russian society. Various patterns of Russian behavior — toloka (толока), pomochi (помочи), artel (артель) — are also based on communal ("мирские") traditions. In the years immediately following the revolutions of 1917 Tolstoyan communities proliferated in Russia, but later they were eventually wiped out or stripped of their independence as collectivisation and ideological purges got under way in

488-443: A period of rapid urbanization between 1890 and 1930. About 100 intentional communities were started but data is unreliable. They often pursued nudism , vegetarian and organic agriculture, as well as various religious and political ideologies like anabaptism , theosophy , anarchism , socialism and eugenics . Historically, German emigrants were also influential in the creation of intentional communities in other countries, like

549-406: A place for people to visit and live. Construction of the first buildings began in 1968. The following year, the foundation was incorporated as an "educational, religious and scientific" organization. It was one of almost thirty communes ( intentional communities ) established in the region around that time, and one of the most well-known, along with Morningstar East , Reality Construction Company ,

610-684: A return to the social bonds and collaborative spirit found in traditional village life. The multitude of intentional communities includes collective households, cohousing communities, coliving , ecovillages , monasteries , survivalist retreats , kibbutzim , Hutterites , ashrams , and housing cooperatives . Ashrams are likely the earliest intentional communities, founded around 1500 BCE. Buddhist monasteries appeared around 500 BCE. Pythagoras founded an intellectual vegetarian commune in about 525 BCE in southern Italy. Hundreds of modern intentional communities were formed across Europe, North and South America, Australia, and New Zealand out of

671-674: A rich agricultural history and has been the scene of land disputes between the descendants of Hispanic settlers and Anglo ranchers since the 1860s. The Taos Mountains span the western lobe of the range from Costilla Creek in the north, to Tres Ritos in the south. They include the highest point in New Mexico, Wheeler Peak , at 13,161 feet (4,011 m), which is part of the Wheeler Peak Wilderness . Other notable peaks include Pueblo Peak, which at 12,305 feet (3,751 m) rises dramatically above Taos Pueblo , and Latir Peak , at 12,708 feet (3,873 m). Williams Lake

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732-425: A semi-monastic life, the residents are responsible for the primary care of the foundation. In the summer, Lama is also home to a larger group of summer stewards, or interns, who are invited into the community life for shorter periods of time. At this time, Lama welcomes visitors for as little as a day and as long as a few months. Other "Lama Beans" who live nearby often join for day events and other visits. Everyone on

793-656: A significant relationship with the Taos Pueblo , the Hanuman Temple, Contemplative Outreach, the Church of Conscious Harmony, Ram Dass , Neem Karoli Baba , Murshid Samuel Lewis, Rabbi Zalman Schachter, Fr. Thomas Keating, St. Benedict's Monastery, the Sufi Ruhaniat International, and many others. Lama has itself become a spiritual home for thousands of individuals, in the neighborhood, across

854-495: A subclass of a larger category of utopias . He listed three main characteristics: Twenty-five years later, Dr. Bill Metcalf, in his edited book Shared Visions, Shared Lives , defined communes as having the following core principles: Sharing everyday life and facilities, a commune is an idealized form of family , being a new sort of "primary group" (generally with fewer than 20 people, although there are examples of much larger communes). Commune members have emotional bonds to

915-471: A time and 29 new members joined. However, in 1833 the experiment collapsed due to the gambling debts of John Vandeleur. The members of the commune met for the last time on 23 November 1833 and placed on record a declaration of "the contentment, peace and happiness they had experienced for two years under the arrangements introduced by Mr. Vandeleur and Mr. Craig and which through no fault of the Association

976-563: Is Culebra Peak at 14,047 ft (4,282 m), which is notable for being the only fourteener in Colorado on private land with an access fee. Climbers wishing to ascend Culebra must pay a fee (currently US$ 150 per person), and the number of climbers per year is limited. It is also the most southerly fourteener in the U.S. Rockies. Standing to the east of the main crest are the two prominent Spanish Peaks (West: 13,626 ft (4,153 m), East: 12,860 ft (3,920 m)). These peaks were important landmarks for 19th century travelers on

1037-589: Is communal meals . Egalitarian values can be combined with other values. Benjamin Zablocki categorized communities this way: Members of Christian intentional communities want to emulate the practices of the earliest believers. Using the biblical book of Acts (and, often, the Sermon on the Mount ) as a model, members of these communities strive to demonstrate their faith in a corporate context, and to live out

1098-407: Is Lama's primary income source, providing 50% of Lama's annual operating budget. These programs range from meditation retreats, spiritual teachings, youth programs, permaculture certification and more. In addition to the spiritual side of Lama, there is a strong emphasis on permaculture and right relationship to the land. Gardens and good land practices help maintain an environment in keeping with

1159-558: Is located below Wheeler Peak in the Wheeler Peak Wilderness. Taos Ski Valley lies just to the west of Wheeler Peak. Much of the central portion of the Taos Mountains is on Taos Pueblo land. As viewed from Taos , they are locally called "Taos Mountain." The southern portion of the Taos Mountains, between Palo Flechado Pass and Tres Ritos ( U.S. Route 64 and NM Route 518), is lower and less dramatic than

1220-456: Is notable among communal religious movements in that it embraced an eclectic approach to spiritual discovery, rather than depending strictly on the teachings and authority of a single charismatic leader or discipline. In this respect, it was similar to prior movements such as Gerald Heard 's Trabuco College . This individual autonomy is also displayed by the relative lack of communality in its living arrangements, compared to other groups founded at

1281-458: Is to provide a residence for people of all spiritual and religious (and non-religious) traditions to live together and explore the common, and uncommon, ground of their spiritual practices and identities within community. This is a year-round and ever-evolving exploration. Residents live at Lama anywhere from one to several years. Unlike many spiritually-focused communities, there are no permanent residents, directors or teachers. In addition to leading

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1342-728: The Bruderhof in the United States of America and Kibbutzim in Israel. In the 1960s, there was a resurgence of communities calling themselves communes, starting with the Kommune 1 in Berlin , without knowledge of or influence by previous movements. A large number of contemporary intentional communities define themselves as communes, and there is a network of political communes called "Kommuja" with about 40 member groups (May 2023). In

1403-539: The Cenozoic Laramide orogeny . They are bounded on the west by the Rio Grande rift and on the east by a series of reverse and thrust faults . Vertical displacement along the faults is at least 4,200 metres (13,800 ft), and gravity measurements suggest the uplift has been thrust eastward great distances. This faulting places Precambrian basement rock in contact with sedimentary strata along

1464-555: The Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC), reported that 54 percent of the communities choosing to list themselves were rural, 28 percent were urban, 10 percent had both rural and urban sites, and 8 percent did not specify. The most common form of governance in intentional communities is democratic (64 percent), with decisions made by some form of consensus decision-making or voting. A hierarchical or authoritarian structure governs 9 percent of communities, 11 percent are

1525-525: The Hog Farm , New Buffalo , and The Family . By 1973, the vast majority of these communities had closed, but the Lama Foundation was able to continue because it had more structure and discipline than most others. The community has gone through several stages, ranging from the search for spiritual enlightenment to a more recent focus on permaculture and natural building. Ram Dass was a friend of

1586-466: The Pecos River . The peaks include Truchas Peak , 13,102 ft (3,993 m), as their highest point. Other notable peaks are Santa Fe Baldy (12,622 ft (3,847 m)) and Jicarita Peak (12,835 ft (3,912 m)). The Pecos Wilderness is crossed by many trails and is popular for backpacking and for fishing in its high alpine lakes. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains were uplifted during

1647-566: The Sangre de Cristo Wilderness in Colorado and the Pecos Wilderness in New Mexico, as well as some smaller wilderness areas, such as Latir Peak Wilderness . The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve lies on the southwest side of the mountains in Colorado and are managed by the National Park Service. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are divided into various subranges, described here from north to south. Use of

1708-613: The 1890s. There is a long history of utopian communities in America that led to the rise in the communes of the hippie movement—the " back-to-the-land " ventures of the 1960s and 1970s. One commune that played a large role in the hippie movement was Kaliflower , a utopian living cooperative that existed in San Francisco between 1967 and 1973 built on values of free love and anti-capitalism . Andrew Jacobs of The New York Times wrote that "after decades of contraction,

1769-551: The Afrikaans language and the Afrikaner culture. By 2022, the population was 2,500. The town was experiencing rapid growth and the population had climbed by 55% from 2018. They favour a model of strict Afrikaner self-sufficiency and have their own currency, bank, local government and only employ Afrikaners. A 19th century advocate and practitioner of communal living was the utopian socialist John Goodwyn Barmby , who founded

1830-555: The American commune movement has been expanding since the mid-1990s, spurred by the growth of settlements that seek to marry the utopian-minded commune of the 1960s with the American predilection for privacy and capital appreciation". The Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) is one of the main sources for listings of and more information about communes in the United States. Although many American communes are short-lived, some have been in operation for over 50 years. The Bruderhof

1891-541: The Foundation. So did other spiritual leaders, such as Samuel L. Lewis , who was buried there after his death in 1971. In 1974 the Lama Foundation published The Yellow Book , the first book of the silent master yogi Baba Hari Dass , a collection of aphorisms in question/answer format about life topics. Proceeds from the sales of Be Here Now helped to fund the Lama Foundation in subsequent years, as did other publications, craftwork projects such as prayer flags , and

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1952-607: The German commune book, Das KommuneBuch , communes are defined by Elisabeth Voß as communities which: Kibbutzim in Israel , (sing., kibbutz) are examples of officially organized communes, the first of which were based on agriculture. Other Israeli communities are Kvutza , Yishuv Kehilati , Moshavim and Kfar No'ar . Today, there are dozens of urban communes growing in the cities of Israel, often called urban kibbutzim . The urban kibbutzim are smaller and more anarchist . Most of

2013-766: The UK. In Glandwr , near Crymych , Pembrokeshire , a co-op called Lammas Ecovillage focuses on planning and sustainable development . Granted planning permission by the Welsh Government in 2009, it has since created 9 holdings and is a central communal hub for its community. In Scotland , the Findhorn Foundation founded by Peter and Eileen Caddy and Dorothy Maclean in 1962 is prominent for its educational centre and experimental architectural community project based at The Park, in Moray , Scotland, near

2074-477: The awakening of consciousness, spiritual practice with respect for all traditions, service, and stewardship of the land." Now the Lama Board of Trustees is an active board, ensuring that traditions are "transmitted". Lama engages in two seasons: summer "open" season and winter "closed" season. First and foremost, Lama is a spiritual community dedicated to the "meeting of the ways." A core practice of its mission

2135-403: The central complex survived. In 1969, Lama published Steve Baer 's Dome Cookbook , and in 1972 published his reprint of Buckminster Fuller 's 4D . During its early days, the Lama Foundation was an early innovator within New Mexico in greenhouse design, constructing a so-called "pit greenhouse" with added heat storage to reflect biosphere principles. It permitted year-round cultivation of

2196-475: The commune. It was set up with a population of 22 adult single men, 7 married women and their 7 husbands, 5 single women, 4 orphan boys and 5 children under the age of 9 years. No money was employed, only credit notes which could be used in the commune shop. All occupants were committed to a life with no alcohol, tobacco, snuff or gambling. All were required to work for 12 hours a day during the summer and from dawn to dusk in winter. The social experiment prospered for

2257-552: The community's crops. Since 2012, CU Boulder's Environmental Design Program has been designing and building small off-grid cabins on the Foundation to accommodate a wider range of guests as well as increased seasonal visitation capabilities. The cabins serve as a practical design build experience for the students of the University of Colorado. Currently there are three student designed cabins that utilize sustainable architecture and cost effective construction. The Lama Foundation

2318-518: The country, and internationally. The Lama Foundation was founded in 1967 by Barbara Durkee (now known as Asha Greer or Asha von Briesen and Nooruddeen Durkee), Stephen Durkee, and Jonathan Altman. The Durkees had been in the communal media arts collective USCO in Rockland County, New York , before moving to New Mexico. Lama began with Altman's purchase of 100 acres (0.40 km) of land adjacent to federal forested land, and continues today as

2379-607: The east side of the Cimarron Range. This is a minor subrange, significantly lower than the rest of the Sangre de Cristos; it lies east of the southernmost portion of the Taos Mountains. Rounding out the Sangre de Cristo Mountains are the Santa Fe Mountains, which include all peaks south of NM Route 518. This group lies near Santa Fe and surrounds the Pecos Wilderness , which protects the source watershed of

2440-420: The eastern margin of the uplift except where igneous rocks have been intruded along the fault. Intentional community An intentional community is a voluntary residential community designed to foster a high degree of social cohesion and teamwork . Members typically unite around shared values, beliefs, or a common vision, which may be political , religious , spiritual , or simply focused on

2501-421: The education, employment, and daily lives of adults and children with developmental disabilities , mental health problems or other special needs . Many cultures naturally practice communal or tribal living, and would not designate their way of life as a planned "commune" per se, though their living situation may have many characteristics of a commune. In Australia , many intentional communities started with

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2562-458: The founders, and he stayed at the Lama Foundation as a guest when he returned to America from India. During his visit, he presented the Durkees with a manuscript he had written, entitled From Bindu to Ojas . The community's residents edited, illustrated, and laid out the text, which ultimately became a huge commercial hit when published under the name Be Here Now . Ram Dass also held seminars at

2623-603: The hippie movement and those searching for social alternatives to the nuclear family. One of the oldest continuously running communities is called " Moora Moora Co-operative Community" with about 47 members (Oct 2021). Located at the top of Mount Toolebewong , 65 km east of Melbourne, Victoria at an altitude of 600–800 m, this community has been entirely off the electricity grid since its inception in 1974. Founding members still resident include Peter and Sandra Cock. The first wave of utopian communities in Germany began during

2684-1150: The intellectual foment of utopianism . Intentional communities exhibit the utopian ambition to create a better, more sustainable world for living. Nevertheless, the term utopian community as a synonym for an intentional community might be considered to be of pejorative nature and many intentional communities do not consider themselves to be utopian. Also the alternative term commune is considered to be non-neutral or even linked to leftist politics or hippies . Additional terms referring to an intentional community can be alternative lifestyle , intentional society , cooperative community , withdrawn community , enacted community , socialist colony , communistic society , collective settlement , communal society , commune , mutualistic community , communitarian experiment , experimental community , utopian experiment , practical utopia , and utopian society . The purposes of intentional communities vary and may be political, spiritual , economic, or environmental. In addition to spiritual communities, secular communities also exist. One common practice, particularly in spiritual communities,

2745-422: The land is invited into the daily practice of meditation, morning "tuning" or meeting, and weekly events like Shabbat, Zikr, Heart Club, and a variety of scheduled and impromptu events. In particular, Lama has held a Shabbat service for over 35 years which draws people from all over northern New Mexico, including travelers. Lama is also a retreat center. Summer retreats are offered by a variety of teachers, and this

2806-628: The last words of a priest who was killed by Native Americans. Much of the mountains are within various National Forests: the Rio Grande and San Isabel in Colorado, and the Carson and Santa Fe in New Mexico. These publicly accessible areas are managed by the United States Forest Service and are popular for hunting , camping , hiking , mountain biking , backpacking , climbing , and cross-country and downhill skiing . The mountains include two large wilderness areas ,

2867-581: The late 1920s. Colonies, such as the Life and Labor Commune , relocated to Siberia to avoid being liquidated. Several Tolstoyan leaders, including Yakov Dragunovsky (1886-1937), were put on trial and then sent to the Gulag prison camps. In 1991, Afrikaners in South Africa founded the controversial Afrikaner-only town of Orania , with the goal of creating a stronghold for the Afrikaner minority group,

2928-554: The mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail . The western slope of the Culebras and the San Luis Valley are located within the Sangre de Cristo Land Grant , dating back to the 1840s but still a factor in the pattern of land ownership within the grant. The San Luis Valley is arid. The town of San Luis, Colorado has an annual precipitation of only 9.6 inches (240 mm).The surrounding area, traversed by Culebra Creek , has

2989-457: The mountains may refer to the occasional reddish hues observed during sunrise and sunset, and when alpenglow occurs, especially when the mountains are covered with snow. Although the particular origin of the name is unclear, it has been in use since the early 19th century. Before that time the terms "La Sierra Nevada", "La Sierra Madre", "La Sierra", and "The Snowies" (used by English speakers) were used. According to legend, "sangre de Cristo" were

3050-470: The northern section, with its high point being Cerro Vista, 11,939 ft (3,639 m). The Fernando Mountains are a small subrange lying in this section, just south of US Route 64. The Cimarron Range lies across the Moreno Valley to the east of the Taos Mountains. It is a lower range, with its highest point being Baldy Mountain at 12,441 ft (3,792 m). The Philmont Scout Ranch lies on

3111-432: The practical benefits of cooperation and mutual support. While some groups emphasise shared ideologies , others are centred on enhancing social connections , sharing resources, and creating meaningful relationships. Although intentional communities are sometimes described as alternative lifestyles or social experiments , some see them as a natural response to the isolation and fragmentation of modern housing, offering

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3172-641: The same time. Roots and Wings Charter School , affiliated with the Questa Independent Schools school district , is in Lama. The meals at Lama are primarily vegetarian , they maintain a separate storage and cooking facility for meat products as meat is not allowed to be cooked indoors. The electrical power comes predominantly from solar panels but is supplemented by propane as necessary. Sangre de Cristo Mountains The Sangre de Cristo Mountains ( Spanish for " Blood of Christ ") are

3233-685: The southernmost subrange of the Rocky Mountains . They are located in southern Colorado and northern New Mexico in the United States . The mountains run from Poncha Pass in South-Central Colorado , trending southeast and south, ending at Glorieta Pass , southeast of Santa Fe, New Mexico . The mountains contain a number of fourteen thousand foot peaks in the Colorado portion, as well as several peaks in New Mexico which are over thirteen thousand feet. The name of

3294-498: The surrounding Carson National Forest . Lama is off-grid , providing all power from solar technology, and all water is sourced from a spring on the land. Buildings are sited thoughtfully and built with natural building techniques. Food waste is composted, and all waste, as much as possible, is kept from landfills. Choices, from what to eat to whether to have gasoline-powered vehicles, are routinely considered from this perspective. Lama holds visitors days, Shabbat, and other events for

3355-442: The surrounding community, which includes Taos and much of northern New Mexico. At these gatherings thousands of meals are served free of charge throughout the course of a summer. Thanksgiving and other events at Lama provide a place for people without family nearby to go for community at times when they need it. Lama has no affiliation with any religious organization, though it maintains relationships with many. In particular, Lama has

3416-525: The teachings of the New Testament , practicing compassion and hospitality. Communities such as the Simple Way , the Bruderhof and Rutba House would fall into this category. Despite strict membership criteria, these communities are open to visitors and not reclusive to the extent of some other intentional communities. A survey in the 1995 edition of the " Communities Directory ", published by

3477-549: The terms "Sangre de Cristo Range" and "Sangre de Cristo Mountains" is inconsistent and may refer to the northernmost subrange, the southernmost subrange, or the mountains as a whole. The Sangre de Cristo Range, the largest and most northerly subrange of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, runs directly along the east side of the Rio Grande rift , extending southeast from Poncha Pass for about 75 miles (120 km) through south-central Colorado to La Veta Pass , approximately 20 miles (32 km) west of Walsenburg . They form

3538-518: The urban communes in Israel emphasize social change, education, and local involvement in the cities where they live. Some of the urban communes have members who are graduates of zionist - socialist youth movements, like HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed , HaMahanot HaOlim and Hashomer Hatsair . In 1831 John Vandeleur (a landlord) established a commune on his Ralahine Estate at Newmarket-on-Fergus , County Clare . Vandeleur asked Edward Thomas Craig, an English socialist, to formulate rules and regulations for

3599-718: The village of Findhorn . The Findhorn Ecovillage community at The Park, Findhorn, a village in Moray, Scotland, and at Cluny Hill in Forres , now houses more than 400 people. Historic agricultural examples include the Diggers settlement on St George's Hill , Surrey during the English Civil War and the Clousden Hill Free Communist and Co-operative Colony near Newcastle upon Tyne during

3660-535: The whole group rather than to any sub-group, and the commune is experienced with emotions that go beyond just social collectivity . With the simple definition of a commune as an intentional community with 100% income sharing, the online directory of the Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) lists 222 communes worldwide (28 January 2019). Some of these are religious institutions such as abbeys and monasteries . Others are based in anthroposophic philosophy, including Camphill villages that provide support for

3721-471: Was now at an end". In imperial Russia , the vast majority of Russian peasants held their land in communal ownership within a mir community, which acted as a village government and a cooperative. The very widespread and influential pre-Soviet Russian tradition of monastic communities of both sexes could also be considered a form of communal living. After the end of communism in Russia , monastic communities have again become more common, populous and, to

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