Latest News
Here at QIVC we’ve moved from the busy, “doing” seasons into the contemplative season, giving more time to worship and examining our intentions for right living in this world. There’s still activity -- for example, solar panels are being installed on the roof of one house and people are out and about daily to tend to animals and firewood and go for walks. Woodsheds have been the most popular construction project this year and some are still under construction in the cold.
Among our pleasures are frequent explorations of the streams, which are not yet frozen over, amazing pink sunrises for those up early, and occasional bonfires made of the brush piles collected in the meadows. When it snows, the sledding hill is very busy.
We invited friends from our larger neighborhood to join us for Christmas Eve and had a good turnout for Christmas caroling and hot homemade apple cider. On New Year’s Eve, we gathered to make Ecuadorian hot air balloons out of tissue paper and then once night fell, went into the middle of a field and launched them. Well, at least we tried to launch them. The first one floated up and away and was stunningly beautiful. The second and third ones were buffeted by wind and caught fire before they were released. The flames were quickly blown out and those balloons are in the “shop” for repair.
As to topics for contemplation, here are some questions under discussion:
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What makes an intentional community different from a close neighborhood?
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What balance do we seek between “doing” and “being” in our lives, individually and collectively? How much action and projects vs. discussion and going with the flow?
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We seek economic diversity, but are we open to the implications? Are some members prepared to pay significantly higher annual dues to allow for economic diversity -- even to the point of covering the cost of others’ basic needs?
If you’d like to share your thoughts in writing, we would welcome them. Just send them to info@qivc.org.
Even better, come join us in participating in the rhythms of the planet, gathering at the fire circle on top of the hill at 10:00 p.m. whenever the moon is full.
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read earlier news)
Who we are
We are currently a community of six member households and two families interested in membership, living close to the land on 135 acres of mixed woodland and pasture. We range in age from infant to 60s, with 14 adults and 13 children. We strive to live spirit-focused lives that are simple, sustainable, and joyful, benefitting from and enjoying our close connections with each other and the land. We don't all need to identify explicitly as Quaker. We welcome diversity of all sorts. (More about us)
Where we are
We are in the gorgeous Hudson Valley of upstate New York (2.5 hours from NYC/Boston, 10 minutes from our local Quaker Meeting), in the foothills of the Berkshires.
How we live
We are thriving in a range of green homes such as strawbale, slip and chip timberframe, stickbuilt, passive solar; many of us built our own. Many of us farm our land organically, raise chickens and sheep and other livestock, and produce piles of pesto, and we also support several local farms. We use Quaker processes in our self-government, including consensus that seeks God's will, discernment, and the clearness process, and we value equality, diversity of experience and viewpoints, and deep listening. We come together around five guiding intentions:
Our Five Intentions
We believe community can be a means to advance the following five intentions:
1. To increase the mindfulness, spiritual focus and God-centeredness of our lives by finding and living near others who share these goals and thus will reinforce, on a daily basis, our desire to live in worship.
2. To strengthen our family life both by creating a "village" setting in which to raise our and others' children, and by caring for our elders. This includes an emphasis on leaving behind cultural obstacles that interfere with providing the time and energy that healthy family life requires.
3. To examine carefully our participation in the national/international consumer economy and begin to build the critical mass necessary for viable business networks and sources of goods and services more appropriate to our Quaker testimonies.
4. To focus on a lifestyle that is environmentally sound and that attempts to give back to our planet as much as is taken from it.
5. To include a good measure of joy, fun, outreach, and service in our lives as we strive to meet the first four objectives.
We believe that our communities' success in achieving these five intentions will be aided by memberships diverse in race, age, ethnicity, sexual preference, and economic situations, and therefore it is our aim to gather communities whose members are diverse in these ways as well as others.
If you have questions about QIV-C and would like to find out more or visit us, please e-mail qiv-c@qivp .org or call Spee Braun at 518-392-0891 (between 9 and 9 please).
