There is no guarantee that joining a cohousing community in and of itself will enrich our souls, but the structure for a deeper experience of community is there if we are willing to take advantage of it.

The opportunity to be intimately involved in the lives of a variety of unique individuals is there if we choose to immerse ourselves in the life of our cohousing community and the larger community that surrounds us. Having community in our lives is not a passive activity, but then neither is caring for our souls.

And as Thomas Moore points out, community and interaction with others is but one side of the coin. We also need reflection and solitude.

Again, cohousing is not a panacea, but it is structured to allow for a balance between privacy and community with a design for community that allows for many gradations in between, including private residences complete with some private outdoor space with nature close at hand, semi-private gathering nodes and a mixture of active and shared common areas such as a common dining room, kitchen, laundry, game room, woodshop, crafts room, library, yoga and meditation room and little nooks and getaways throughout the site.

Of course, the availability of these facilities and structures is not enough to ensure well cared for souls, but together and individually we can proactively choose the collective and individual paths that best suit our individual and collective eccentricities.

At Culver Way Ecovillage we are looking for a few good people who are not carbon copies of ourselves. We want and need variety and, as Thomas Moore points out, so do you.

Join us for an orientation and tour on Saturday, July 12 or 26, at 11:00, followed by a potluck lunch. You are welcome to come early either day and/or stay late and pitch in on the garden workday with the Green Beings CSA.