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Who we are 

We are currently a community of ten households and several others interested in membership, living close to the land on 135 acres of mixed woodland and pasture.  We range in age from 2 to 90, with 19 adults and 6 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, sheep, and other livestock, and produce piles of pesto. We also support several local farms through CSA shares (that's Community Supported Agriculture).  We use Quaker processes in our self-government, including consensus that seeks God's will, discernment, and the clearness process. We value equality, diversity of experience and viewpoints, and deep listening. We come together around five guiding intentions: 

Our Five Intentions

We believe conscious culture creation in community can be a means to advance our intentions:

1. To live in worship, increasing our mindfulness, spiritual focus, and God-centeredness by intertwining our daily lives with others who share these intentions

2. To create a village setting that values and engages participation by people of all ages, expands our experience of family, and supports our expression in the world.

3. To create wealth that embodies integrity and Truth by carefully examining our engagement in the current economic order and stepping away from its destructive elements

4. To live in unity & harmony with the earth by considering the near and far environmental impact of our actions while striving for thrivability

5. To include a good measure of joy, fun, creativity, and service in our lives

We believe that our community's success in achieving these five intentions will be aided by membership diverse in race, age, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference, and economic situations, and therefore it is our aim to gather a community 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 info@qivp.org or call Sandra Beer at 518-392-1971 (between 7pm-9pm ET please).