The Land

The Vision

The Plan

Legal & Financial

Architecture

Inspirations

Photos

Details

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Motherwood is a forming community in Northern California.

Together we animate our deepest desires for a joyful life as we develop our craft and honor our wild indigenous selves. We pool our resources and live more simply in order to free our time to cultivate ourselves. We nourish ourselves and each other through our own grit, rather than rely upon a life-destroying system. We are inspired by ancient ways of living in a sacred fashion with Mother Earth. What we plant together will serve as a model and a beacon for other communities.

  Model Ecovillage with school and hospice
  Center of Learning
  Craft Guild and cottage industries
  Deep Permaculture and Organic Farm
  Wellness Center

 

Click here to download much of the information on this website as a printable Word document.

An exceptional site for the project has been secured, 920 acres that abuts thousands of acres of protected public land. It is rare to find land this large, or this beautiful, with ample water, so close to a major city; the property is less than 2 hours north from San Francisco, 45 minutes east from Santa Rosa, 20 minutes south from Calistoga. It is located a mile from the town of Middletown, famous for its retreat, Harbin Hot Springs. This is in southern Lake County, the county which borders Sonoma and Napa counties, and which claims the cleanest air and water in the state.

Lake County is unique among counties in California in that it encourages further development, as it is in need of revenue. There is a history of retreat centers in the area. The planning department has indicated its openness to initial proposals for this center, and permitting costs are very reasonable.

The land is also unique as it is considered a very sacred site to the local people. There are park-quality forests, three creeks, and acres of open meadow. There are no seismic faults in the area (although it is famous for thermal springs), and the climate is warmer and drier than the coastal climate of Sonoma or San Francisco. There are many ecotypes here, such as California native meadows, mixed oak and manzanita woodlands, ponderosa and doug fir forests. Most areas are close to pristine. Because the land is adjacent to public land, it forms a wilderness corridor that spans many miles. It is rare to find land with intact wildness and life forc and life force this close to civilization. Megafauna appear to be living well there: so far we have seen deer, bobcat, fox, mountain lion, coyote, and black bear. The opportunities for ecological study and learning in this landscape are enormous and we have only begun to grasp the implications of it.

Click here to see pictures of the land.

We are creating an emergence center, an ecologically-sound incubator for creative consciousness and human potential. This will be a place to be conceived, born, raised, initiated; to bloom, to die with dignity, and be buried. This is not a "spiritual community", but a place for sane and reverent people who feel connected to each other and to our place. Imagine living in a beautiful nature preserve with like-minded friends, a link in the chain of such communities all around the world.

We will be able to offer artists, musicians, and writers a sanctuary for creation, and a beacon for wise teachers from around the world. We will serve as one model of the settlements of the future: places of great beauty, created and sustained with minimal use of precious resources.

Sustainability is a buzzword that is often used these days. This center's goal is to be literally, actually sustainable: to eventually be able to sustain ourselves, creating what we need to live, for generations to come. This concept is the most radical imaginable, because it allows for an independence from a system that controls access to resources. It also encourages us to develop vital and relevant skills for living. Even if civilization were to decline, we would have the foundation to nurture and keep alive our skills, knowledge, and materials. As the world we find ourselves in becomes more toxic and isolating, we endeavor to live in a pristine place, more connected and endowed toward each other.

In an age where food sprayed with poisons and genetically modified food are rapidly replacing vital healthy food, it is critical to maintain the plant diversity by growing it ourselves. This property offers land with good soils and could provide organic produce to the whole area.

We plan to leave 95% of the property untouched and wild except for foot trails, and place this majority of the land into a trust or conservation easement to be preserved for perpetuity. Most building will take place on the eastern perimeter of the property.

All buildings will be built according to strict ecological guidelines: small footprints, no toxicity, local materials; as well as aesthetic guidelines: exquisite dwellings in harmony with the landscape, inspired by ancient sacred geometry. Beauty, grace, quality and craftsmanship lift, heal and inspire the human spirit.

In addition to the built environment, we plan to enhance the natural surroundings, such as with water catchments and ponds, erosion control, soil enrichment, habitat inventory and restoration. The opportunities for ecological study and learning in this landscape are enormous. This property contains the watershed that feeds the wells in the valley of Middletown, and with permacultural techniques we can raise the water level in the wells, drawing attention to the critical role land stewardship can play in an age of declining resources.

Click here to download a site map of the master building plan.

  Sanctuary for wilderness retreat, hiking, vision quests.

  Village to accommodate up to 50 adults. The Village can be structured as a housing co-op or as a Homeowners' Association, with some members renting and others buying homes or building their own. Most homes will be clustered in one village, with a small number of outlying homes for those who desire more privacy. Meditation huts will be provided in remote areas for residents wishing for temporary privacy or retreat.

  • Community center with a full kitchen, gathering space, and bathhouse.
  • 'Humanarium', a glass greenhouse where food is grown in an tropical environment -- a paradise with fountains for gathering and relaxation.
  • School for children
  • Elders Center to provide care for the aging
  • Store to sell community crafts and products to the public
  • Visitors Center to model and demonstrate sustainable practices
  University of human potential, structured as a nonprofit educational center. Teachers from all over the world will teach workshops and classes in sustainable and spiritual practices. Groups can visit the center to see a working model of an ideal human settlement. Ancient techniques of sustainability will also be studied and modeled (after all, our agricultural ancestors lived in large towns sustainably for thousands of years).
  • Craft Guild revives the ancient tradition of apprenticeship in vital skills such as metalworking, pottery, textiles, primitive skills, sculpture, and other arts. The craft guild can work in an area built as a model prehistoric village from 3500 BC, which will also serve as an educational center for youth and adult to learn about the past.
  • Dance and Movement Center will offer a sprung dance floor for dance and movement classes and gatherings, with top-of-the-line exercise, circus, and yoga equipment.
  • Permaculture Institute focuses on a practical set of ecological design principles and methods for human settlements and developing a vital relationship to sustenance.
  Wellness center provides dedicated healing practitioners for those wishing to lose weight, become more healthy, or achieve their highest potential.
  Amphitheater in which to stage plays, ritual theater, circuses, conferences.