Communities Articles
Here is a selection of articles from previous back issues of Communities magazine. All back issues up to issue #184 are available for download here.
For more information about Communities magazine, visit its new publisher at GEN-US.
On Community: A Graduated Series of Consequences and the “Community Eye”
Posted on November 26, 2019 byJust knowing the community has this process in place deters people from breaking agreements. People don’t want to get a knock at the door by one fellow community member, much less three or four.
Raising Troubled Children in Cohousing
Posted on November 19, 2019 byWhen the antisocial behavior of adopted boys at Takoma Village Cohousing begins to impact the larger community, their parents find open communication essential in identifying a path forward.
Whatever Happened to the Renaissance Community?
Posted on November 12, 2019 by1 Comment
Despite the lethal combination of power, ego, and spirituality that brought the Renaissance Community to an end, most of its ex-members cherish their time there as a growth experience that made them better people.
In the Shadow of the Guru
Posted on November 5, 2019 byReferring to himself as “the biggest asshole” in the county, a group’s spiritual teacher “told us if we could work with him and learn from him, we could deal with anyone in any situation.”
Missed Opportunity at the Goat Ranch
Posted on October 29, 2019 by1 Comment
Ted and Sally were truthful when they said they had no idea what they were doing, either running the business or establishing a community. They didn’t, much to the dismay of their departing managers and volunteers.
Founder’s Syndrome
Posted on October 22, 2019 byThe original founder, visionary, and main public point person for Bellyacres for over a quarter of a century laments that some members came to consider him “the root of all present, past, and future problems in the organization.”
Entrepreneurship and Long-Term Planning in an Income-Sharing Community: A Report from the Frontlines
Posted on October 15, 2019 byThe pace of running a competitive multi-million-dollar business like East Wind Nut Butters can clash with the often slow and seemingly disinterested pace of the community at large.
The Expert
Posted on October 8, 2019 byWow! This woman has it all! She’s the answer to so many of our current dilemmas! What could possibly go wrong? A lot.
Village-Building Stumbles: A few of the things Earthaven Ecovillage has gotten wrong
Posted on October 1, 2019 byThose of us privileged enough to find ourselves in an intentional community often imagine that our environment will be free of the horrors and evils of the world. But alas, we bring it all with us.
Community Communication
Posted on September 24, 2019 by“Can you put the gas in the truck, please?” A seemingly simple request provides a case study in the importance of precise, clear communication.
The Shadow Side of Community
Posted on September 17, 2019 byThe more friendliness we have towards difficult parts of ourselves and difficult aspects of living in community, the easier it will be to make the journey together.
Notes from the Editor: Exploring the Shadow Side
Posted on September 10, 2019 byA higher standard for interpersonal accountability and care makes the effect even more devastating when feelings of safety, security, and affection in community turn out to be based on illusion.
Publisher’s Note: Facing the Hard Things
Posted on September 3, 2019 byIn order to create healthy, thriving communities that are replicable models for a cooperative, sustainable, and just human society, we need to talk about what hasn’t worked.
The Shadow Side of Cooperation – get your free download!
Posted on August 27, 2019 byA natural follow-up to our Summer 2019 Sexual Politics issue, Communities #184 (Fall 2019) focuses on The Shadow Side of Cooperation. We explore problems and pitfalls, disappointments and betrayals, unintended outcomes of cooperative attempts ranging in impact from trivial to tragic. Authors’ stories describe the clash of idealism with reality, communication breakdowns, cultural patterning, internalized oppression, rights and boundary violations, founder’s syndrome, business and organizational struggles, power, ego, disempowerment, dysfunction, trauma, and strategies to address these and other challenges. Please join us!
Does Community Heal Trauma, or Reproduce It?: Challenges for abuse survivors living in community
Posted on August 20, 2019 bySurvivors of traumatic abuse face many problems in trying to form and participate in community. Trauma-informed community commits to keeping the survivor safe in wide zones of ambiguity, as challenging as that might be.
The Red Flag of Hypocrisy
Posted on August 18, 2019 byThe most troubling thing isn’t when a charismatic leader uses gangster tactics, but when the people in his office, who sing the songs of love and community values, are complicit.
Do Communities Need Feminist Dissent?
Posted on August 16, 2019 byIn the midst of wider social movements in the areas of gender and sexuality, communities everywhere need a place for feminist dissent and a willingness to engage in difficult conversations. Dissent is part of how we build resilience together.
How to Stop Climate Change and Never Be Lonely Again
Posted on July 30, 2019 byEmpowered, sustainable communities are the antidote to isolation. And they are the pivotal technology that makes renewable energy, essential for reversing climate change, actually renewable.
Relationships in a Community-Forming Group
Posted on July 23, 2019 byWhile trying to start a community with poly-friendly collaborators, two monogamous partners achieve greater clarity in their six-year relationship, and end it.
Pros and Cons of Polyamory
Posted on July 16, 2019 byPolyamory comes with abundant advantages as well as numerous downsides; a polyamorist weighs the tradeoffs, grieves disappointment and loss, and celebrates love.
I Survived a Dysfunctional Polyamorous Relationship and Learned Some Lessons about Love
Posted on July 9, 2019 byLove is too strong an instinct to be dismissed, repressed, or restricted, even if it is not returned. The author recovers from a soul-crushing breakup.
The Sting of Discrimination: When Polyamory Is Considered a “Red Flag”
Posted on June 25, 2019 by9 Comments
Previously on the path to community acceptance, an applicant experiences for the first time “the direct sting of bigotry, the shock of exclusion based on stereotypes” when her family is denied on the basis of polyamory.
The Triangle of Consent
Posted on June 18, 2019 by5 Comments
Recognizing each other’s agency, addressing power imbalances, and communicating with honesty and clarity about sexual desires and boundaries are all essential elements of consent.
A Tangled Web: Sex at Zendik Farm
Posted on June 11, 2019 byWas Wulf scheming, from the beginning, to gain sexual access to nearly every post-pubescent female on the Farm? Perhaps, perhaps not; either way, he got it. But that didn’t translate into “free love” for the rank and file.
Sexual misconduct in the sphere of power: The nexus of gender, intimacy, and discrimination
Posted on June 4, 2019 by3 Comments
An unwanted, rebuffed sexual advance from a previously trusted community leader spirals into numerous, serious consequences in the victim’s personal and professional life.
Effective Community Justice
Posted on May 30, 2019 by“It wasn’t the first time someone I knew had raped me, but it was the only time I had an adequate response from my friends and community.” A rape survivor living in community recounts her story.
Community Accountability: The Struggles, Challenges, and Hope for Community Action on Sexual Assault
Posted on May 28, 2019 by1 Comment
When we think of sexual assault and boundary violations, it is common to think not in my community, or the person I know wouldn’t do that. As a result, our communities become especially vulnerable to predatory behavior.
Cooperative Groups, the FIC, and Sexual Politics: Sharing, Learning, Healing, Persisting
Posted on May 26, 2019 by1 Comment
In trying to undo generations of conditioning and trauma, we need to start with the mistakes, learn from them, learn how to love a little more, and try, try again.
Notes from the Editor: Introducing the Sexual Politics Issue
Posted on May 24, 2019 bySharing the truth is not always easy, but as #MeToo has shown, breaking the silence is the first step toward healing and toward the evolution of healthier sexual politics.
Sexual Politics, #183 Contents and Free/By Donation Digital Download
Posted on May 22, 2019 byDirectly inspired by the #MeToo movement, Communities #183 (Summer 2019) focuses on Sexual Politics. Intentional communities are not immune to any of the challenges or problems that afflict the wider culture. How can communities respond when confronting the sometimes harsh realities of human behavior and relationships, especially in the realms of power, sexuality, and gender? Authors share their stories about sexual assault and harassment; power dynamics related to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual expression; attitudes toward polyamory; understanding of consent culture; creating fulfilling relationships by combating climate change; getting pronouns right; and a host of other topics. Please join us!
