Introducting the nucleo community of Cornucopia
Living in a community is a completely different experience than living alone or in a family. And a community house is definitely not the same as a regular house. At Damanhur, we have about 25 community houses, each with its own personality and project.
When you live in community, you have different needs. Having only your room as your private space, you need extra communal spaces for quiet time, group time, and other activities, such as house meetings and movie nights. Your kitchen rivals that of the best commercial kitchens in town and the washing machines tend to take a beating.
There are many advantages to living together, which I will go into in future posts. Among my favorites is the chance to transform a space because there are so many hands working it. My house, Cornucopia, has 25 people, including three children. With 2+ hectares of land in the main area (we have a secondary house with more land right in front of us that is connected to the business of two of our family members), we have a small fruit orchard, pigs, rabbits, chickens (for eggs), four greenhouses, berry bushes, nut trees, a spiral for walking meditation, altars, fire pit, and new things popping up all the time. From practical considerations to art projects, there is never a lack of ideas!
It is hard to describe in words everything Cornucopia offers and how much work it is to maintain it, so better to use a video. Here is my house starting and ending from the Greeting Tree. This is only one angle, so you can imagine that there is so much more to see.
If you are wondering if you can visit, the answer is of course, YES! Damanhur is open to all visitors. We also have a special program called New Life where you can be a temporary citizen for three months, living and learning with us. And in some cases, we offer work exchanges, for people who want to experience community specifically with a given nucleo community.
Have questions about community living? Ask me anything!
My video is at DLive