Ella
I generally believe that meaning in life is facilitated by a collective culture, one which we cannot create ourselves if we haven’t grown up in one. Yet aside from this, meaning in my life generally comes from being a mother and nurturing plants, animals, mealworms, relationships, and community. In simpler words, meaning for me comes from being of service.
I am more process-oriented than goal-oriented. I do well with setting intentions for how to be, and not what to complete by when. I struggle with the idea of progress, both wanting it deeply and seeing it as the downfall of humanity. On the other hand, I’m fairly good with logistics, and often find myself in this role, not always to my liking. I make lists and lose them.
I’m in community to form and deepen relationships with others, to be a friend, to be inspired and enlivened by others’ passions. I’m in community to remember what it’s like to be fully human.
I am very comfortable with carpentry and tools, and love learning to work with new materials, including different varieties of wood, poplar bark, kudzu, straw, clay, bamboo, and beeswax. I’m learning how to work with metal, installing electrical, and fixing plumbing. I am currently enjoying learning to grow food through working with Commonwealth Seed Growers, connecting with the land and the life process of plants, and enjoying the physical labor of it. I enjoy reading and writing poetry and stories, playing piano, and walking in the woods. I’m attracted to and struggle with the stoicism of Zen Buddhism, but practice anyway. I question my role in politics and activism. At Cambia, I’m inspired by the ever-changing challenges of living together, and feel at home in the stability these challenges provide.
I generally believe that meaning in life is facilitated by a collective culture, one which we cannot create ourselves if we haven’t grown up in one. Yet aside from this, meaning in my life generally comes from being a mother and nurturing plants, animals, mealworms, relationships, and community. In simpler words, meaning for me comes from being of service.
I am more process-oriented than goal-oriented. I do well with setting intentions for how to be, and not what to complete by when. I struggle with the idea of progress, both wanting it deeply and seeing it as the downfall of humanity. On the other hand, I’m fairly good with logistics, and often find myself in this role, not always to my liking. I make lists and lose them.
I’m in community to form and deepen relationships with others, to be a friend, to be inspired and enlivened by others’ passions. I’m in community to remember what it’s like to be fully human.
I am very comfortable with carpentry and tools, and love learning to work with new materials, including different varieties of wood, poplar bark, kudzu, straw, clay, bamboo, and beeswax. I’m learning how to work with metal, installing electrical, and fixing plumbing. I am currently enjoying learning to grow food through working with Commonwealth Seed Growers, connecting with the land and the life process of plants, and enjoying the physical labor of it. I enjoy reading and writing poetry and stories, playing piano, and walking in the woods. I’m attracted to and struggle with the stoicism of Zen Buddhism, but practice anyway. I question my role in politics and activism. At Cambia, I’m inspired by the ever-changing challenges of living together, and feel at home in the stability these challenges provide.
Edmund
Edmund Frost has lived in the Louisa County communes since 2007. He managed an organic seed growing business for the eight years he was at Twin Oaks, and has been able to continue farming on the same land since, as a member of Mimosa Community and now Cambia.
Edmund first got interested in seed work through activism focused on challenging GMO crops and corporate control of seeds and agriculture. He had already worked at organic produce farms for several years at that point, and seed growing was a natural integration of these two passions. In 2014 he helped start a small seed company called Common Wealth Seed Growers that focuses on regional research and plant breeding, with a small group of growers producing all the seeds. He is especially focused on breeding and research work with winter squash and cucumbers.
Edmund grew up in Washington DC and feels connected to the land in both DC and Louisa. Louisa's proximity to DC was part of what brought him here. Edmund spent a few years traveling the country in the late 90s, enjoying sleeping outside, getting to know different places, and being off and on tour with the Grateful Dead. He loves the Appalachian Trail and the Great Lakes. Favorite authors are Starhawk, David Abram and Jerry Mander. He is a witch in the Reclaiming tradition, though wants to be more active at it. He is a libertarian socialist (anarchist) and especially appreciated being a part of the anti-corporate-globalization movement of the 2000s. He loves playing ultimate frisbee, which has been hard during the pandemic but will be starting again soon.
Edmund Frost has lived in the Louisa County communes since 2007. He managed an organic seed growing business for the eight years he was at Twin Oaks, and has been able to continue farming on the same land since, as a member of Mimosa Community and now Cambia.
Edmund first got interested in seed work through activism focused on challenging GMO crops and corporate control of seeds and agriculture. He had already worked at organic produce farms for several years at that point, and seed growing was a natural integration of these two passions. In 2014 he helped start a small seed company called Common Wealth Seed Growers that focuses on regional research and plant breeding, with a small group of growers producing all the seeds. He is especially focused on breeding and research work with winter squash and cucumbers.
Edmund grew up in Washington DC and feels connected to the land in both DC and Louisa. Louisa's proximity to DC was part of what brought him here. Edmund spent a few years traveling the country in the late 90s, enjoying sleeping outside, getting to know different places, and being off and on tour with the Grateful Dead. He loves the Appalachian Trail and the Great Lakes. Favorite authors are Starhawk, David Abram and Jerry Mander. He is a witch in the Reclaiming tradition, though wants to be more active at it. He is a libertarian socialist (anarchist) and especially appreciated being a part of the anti-corporate-globalization movement of the 2000s. He loves playing ultimate frisbee, which has been hard during the pandemic but will be starting again soon.
Gil
Sometimes I wonder if a mere perceptual deficit of mine had led me to construct elaborate theories of what’s wrong with this world and how to fix it. like a man who needs glasses, but instead keeps trying to create find a place with greater clarity and focus. I’ve met lots of people who don’t doubt the world is full of injustice and misery and might end soon, but they feel about as upset by it as I do when I hear about how the red sox might not be in the NFL this year or something complicated like that. and why don’t I? obviously the red sox are featured in the news more than the desertification in northern india. and obviously there are a lot of deep emotions wrapped up in it.
Well I have a better question than that: if I’m so concerned about misery why am I not interested in supporting research on brain stimulation or genetic enhancement that could free humans of their condition? that’s a really good question. I have an answer for it but the answer is rarely as good as the question so I’m not going to answer it yet.
ok, I was going to write about myself. I think I have a perceptual deficit and I can’t perceive meaning and significance out of mere conformity. which believe it or not, has made me interested in collectivism rather than individualism. I’ve always felt a strange degree of identification with the one dude in “Life of Brian” who refused to yell with everyone: “we are all different!” instead said “I’m not” and got shushed by the crowd.
Oh no, I’m being told I’m not doing a good job writing about myself. so I’ll try again:
I like to cook, I don’t like to build things, I’m really bad at it, but I’ve always done a lot of construction because I like planning structures and have a lot of ideas so I’m compelled to put my poor skills into work.
let’s see what else do I not like to do: reading. I’m sooooo bad at reading and writing, but I do quite a bit of it, someday google would do a sufficiently good job reading everything to me and writing what I say.
I’m avoiding the question! I have a passionate aesthetic vision for community. which is very different than what is modernly adored or at least done in modern houses, but somehow is not very different in essence from what’s in the romantic-nostalgic-realist oil painting that hang inside these sheet-rock monsters. is the contrast part of the aesthetic? don’t know. so I spend a lot of time envisioning creating cuteness in the landscape. I have in the past been awarded very honorary compliments from a big-shot architect who came to see my work. the architect happened to be my mom, but I’m sure she was at least partly honest.
yes, right, I’m here at cambia to build an awesome playground in the forest! it will take a couple of years but I’m excited. also to create seasonal solar-thermal water storage experiment that would be fun to play in.
I’m also working on starting a research institute to study intentional communities, why they succeed and why they fail. mostly why they fail I suppose… there’s much more data about that
Sometimes I wonder if a mere perceptual deficit of mine had led me to construct elaborate theories of what’s wrong with this world and how to fix it. like a man who needs glasses, but instead keeps trying to create find a place with greater clarity and focus. I’ve met lots of people who don’t doubt the world is full of injustice and misery and might end soon, but they feel about as upset by it as I do when I hear about how the red sox might not be in the NFL this year or something complicated like that. and why don’t I? obviously the red sox are featured in the news more than the desertification in northern india. and obviously there are a lot of deep emotions wrapped up in it.
Well I have a better question than that: if I’m so concerned about misery why am I not interested in supporting research on brain stimulation or genetic enhancement that could free humans of their condition? that’s a really good question. I have an answer for it but the answer is rarely as good as the question so I’m not going to answer it yet.
ok, I was going to write about myself. I think I have a perceptual deficit and I can’t perceive meaning and significance out of mere conformity. which believe it or not, has made me interested in collectivism rather than individualism. I’ve always felt a strange degree of identification with the one dude in “Life of Brian” who refused to yell with everyone: “we are all different!” instead said “I’m not” and got shushed by the crowd.
Oh no, I’m being told I’m not doing a good job writing about myself. so I’ll try again:
I like to cook, I don’t like to build things, I’m really bad at it, but I’ve always done a lot of construction because I like planning structures and have a lot of ideas so I’m compelled to put my poor skills into work.
let’s see what else do I not like to do: reading. I’m sooooo bad at reading and writing, but I do quite a bit of it, someday google would do a sufficiently good job reading everything to me and writing what I say.
I’m avoiding the question! I have a passionate aesthetic vision for community. which is very different than what is modernly adored or at least done in modern houses, but somehow is not very different in essence from what’s in the romantic-nostalgic-realist oil painting that hang inside these sheet-rock monsters. is the contrast part of the aesthetic? don’t know. so I spend a lot of time envisioning creating cuteness in the landscape. I have in the past been awarded very honorary compliments from a big-shot architect who came to see my work. the architect happened to be my mom, but I’m sure she was at least partly honest.
yes, right, I’m here at cambia to build an awesome playground in the forest! it will take a couple of years but I’m excited. also to create seasonal solar-thermal water storage experiment that would be fun to play in.
I’m also working on starting a research institute to study intentional communities, why they succeed and why they fail. mostly why they fail I suppose… there’s much more data about that
Resa
Resa’s gifts which she would like to share with community are her capacity to be emotionally present and her natural tendency to nurture. She is often found hanging out with the cats as they have been her best friends since childhood. She enjoys gardening, dancing, being silly, and letting her inner child shine. She occasionally practices yoga asanas and has been certified as a teacher with the desire to share her practice when life provides opportunities for that, though she isn't as excited to step into that role of teaching in that form at this moment. Instead, she has a deep commitment in her life to invite and hold all aspects of her own being and others into a space of relationship as best as humanly possible; she has been in deep practice around this with her husband, Kalyan. She has listened to her heart’s deepest desire to be met in this way and this intention has brought her into living in community where there is space to co-create a life in which all flavors of our human experience matter. She sees and feels the great pain of a life lived in separation from our needs. Now living in community she is experiencing how community brings that unfolding process of becoming clear in our hearts about how we feel and what we need to the forefront of our everyday life. This is her most sacred space and a journey for her into the depth of her heart and soul. She finds great purpose and love in serving her heart’s impulse and at times she has crumbled into pieces witnessing her greatest pains. Her intention is to courageously show up with her heart open so she can continue to understand herself in deep, intimate and meaning ways. She is accepting and learning to be within the life that she has been given and becoming a vehicle for life force to move through her. One way that life force has been moving through her here is through cooking and serving yummy food. She also has a practice of drinking ceremonial cacao and has a deep felt connection to the plant spirit in her everyday life. She hopes to continue to explore a variety of containers that can support living and growing together in community in sustainable and life affirming ways.
Resa’s gifts which she would like to share with community are her capacity to be emotionally present and her natural tendency to nurture. She is often found hanging out with the cats as they have been her best friends since childhood. She enjoys gardening, dancing, being silly, and letting her inner child shine. She occasionally practices yoga asanas and has been certified as a teacher with the desire to share her practice when life provides opportunities for that, though she isn't as excited to step into that role of teaching in that form at this moment. Instead, she has a deep commitment in her life to invite and hold all aspects of her own being and others into a space of relationship as best as humanly possible; she has been in deep practice around this with her husband, Kalyan. She has listened to her heart’s deepest desire to be met in this way and this intention has brought her into living in community where there is space to co-create a life in which all flavors of our human experience matter. She sees and feels the great pain of a life lived in separation from our needs. Now living in community she is experiencing how community brings that unfolding process of becoming clear in our hearts about how we feel and what we need to the forefront of our everyday life. This is her most sacred space and a journey for her into the depth of her heart and soul. She finds great purpose and love in serving her heart’s impulse and at times she has crumbled into pieces witnessing her greatest pains. Her intention is to courageously show up with her heart open so she can continue to understand herself in deep, intimate and meaning ways. She is accepting and learning to be within the life that she has been given and becoming a vehicle for life force to move through her. One way that life force has been moving through her here is through cooking and serving yummy food. She also has a practice of drinking ceremonial cacao and has a deep felt connection to the plant spirit in her everyday life. She hopes to continue to explore a variety of containers that can support living and growing together in community in sustainable and life affirming ways.
Bruce
is an ethicist who answered his question, a hitchhiker who put down roots, and a big bald guy in a colorful sarong.
Bruce cares about ethics. He studied philosophy on and off for years, at school and alone, hitchhiking around the country during off semesters. The street and woods were laboratories of right action. He's an aretaic turn ethicist; in his case, that means he cares about particular relationships and stories. He did theory work for many years, but for the last two he's been more interested in putting what he learned into practice. He doesn't care to convert, but can give some pretty unusual advice.
Bruce cares about egalitarian community. Capitalism seems to offer a variety of life choices ranging from being exploited by others to exploiting others, so he's doing his best to avoid capitalism. He's spent time at several very different intentional communities. You may have heard of Ganas or East Wind; you won't have heard of the others. He's in community to form meaningful relationships with places and people, and to work in honor of those relationships. He's at Cambia because we make it so easy to do just that.
is an ethicist who answered his question, a hitchhiker who put down roots, and a big bald guy in a colorful sarong.
Bruce cares about ethics. He studied philosophy on and off for years, at school and alone, hitchhiking around the country during off semesters. The street and woods were laboratories of right action. He's an aretaic turn ethicist; in his case, that means he cares about particular relationships and stories. He did theory work for many years, but for the last two he's been more interested in putting what he learned into practice. He doesn't care to convert, but can give some pretty unusual advice.
Bruce cares about egalitarian community. Capitalism seems to offer a variety of life choices ranging from being exploited by others to exploiting others, so he's doing his best to avoid capitalism. He's spent time at several very different intentional communities. You may have heard of Ganas or East Wind; you won't have heard of the others. He's in community to form meaningful relationships with places and people, and to work in honor of those relationships. He's at Cambia because we make it so easy to do just that.
Kalyan
has dedicated his life to a life of service. For him that means to live in a deeply humbling process with a lot of shedding of all that is not necessary and learning through experience that his actions and intentions can facilitate the transformational integration process for discovering his gifts. He inspires to offer his gifts freely in life to each other and humanity. He is discovering his actual gift and service to life is through Active Listening. This is where he finds natural effortless joy and he is deeply nourished by being the space to receive the moment and bridging the gaps for connections to flourish. True Listening for him is a spiritual practice and he has been engaged in this practice for few years now as well as his meditation practice that has been a central part of his life. His practices have deeply transformed his relationships and to life itself. He is aware of his fear and anxiety and how that effects the quality of relationships and our movement in life. He is cultivating body awareness and when possible stepping into his experience to share with people around him how he is feeling and his needs for staying connected though the process. He sees there is another way of being that respects and honors our humanity. He is witnessing how listening and hearing what is arising in the moment are key aspects for connecting to himself and others especially while living together in a community setting. He is connected to how human being both consciously and unconsciously brings up a lot of inner conditioning by engaging with each other and he is wanting co create a life which supports connection through having safe listening spaces and containers to have our experience validated, reflected and integrated. He is very excited to explore this in community setting. He also comes from computer and engineering background and is intuitive and curious about technology which has the capacity to connect and as well disconnect us. He sees when technology is centered around connections where each other’s needs are discovered and met then it can bring natural joy of being and nourishment into life.
has dedicated his life to a life of service. For him that means to live in a deeply humbling process with a lot of shedding of all that is not necessary and learning through experience that his actions and intentions can facilitate the transformational integration process for discovering his gifts. He inspires to offer his gifts freely in life to each other and humanity. He is discovering his actual gift and service to life is through Active Listening. This is where he finds natural effortless joy and he is deeply nourished by being the space to receive the moment and bridging the gaps for connections to flourish. True Listening for him is a spiritual practice and he has been engaged in this practice for few years now as well as his meditation practice that has been a central part of his life. His practices have deeply transformed his relationships and to life itself. He is aware of his fear and anxiety and how that effects the quality of relationships and our movement in life. He is cultivating body awareness and when possible stepping into his experience to share with people around him how he is feeling and his needs for staying connected though the process. He sees there is another way of being that respects and honors our humanity. He is witnessing how listening and hearing what is arising in the moment are key aspects for connecting to himself and others especially while living together in a community setting. He is connected to how human being both consciously and unconsciously brings up a lot of inner conditioning by engaging with each other and he is wanting co create a life which supports connection through having safe listening spaces and containers to have our experience validated, reflected and integrated. He is very excited to explore this in community setting. He also comes from computer and engineering background and is intuitive and curious about technology which has the capacity to connect and as well disconnect us. He sees when technology is centered around connections where each other’s needs are discovered and met then it can bring natural joy of being and nourishment into life.
Avni
has lived at Cambia for almost his whole life. He knows all the best mossy rocks in the forest and can identify more plants than most of us. His unorthodox lego creations impress visitors; his emotional literacy impresses everyone. He likes numbers and history and magic. He enjoys computer programming, taking electronics apart and putting them back together, spreadsheets, and backing up our files. He likes handling seed orders for Commonwealth Seed Growers, and chasing ducks.
has lived at Cambia for almost his whole life. He knows all the best mossy rocks in the forest and can identify more plants than most of us. His unorthodox lego creations impress visitors; his emotional literacy impresses everyone. He likes numbers and history and magic. He enjoys computer programming, taking electronics apart and putting them back together, spreadsheets, and backing up our files. He likes handling seed orders for Commonwealth Seed Growers, and chasing ducks.
Turtle, Schmutz, Kitty, Raz, Yotzki
The picture is of Turtle (cat) and Yotski (opossum) having a nice time on the indoor hammock. Cambia also comes equipped with Turtle's sister, Schmutzdeke, who goes by many names, including Schtukata Rikita Kikita Loveta Coveta Kindius, an elder kitty named Kitty, and grumpy old cat named Raz. They are still working out their social dynamics in a house also occupied by the opossum, Yotzki, who now that he is grown is more often called Jovoschk.
The picture is of Turtle (cat) and Yotski (opossum) having a nice time on the indoor hammock. Cambia also comes equipped with Turtle's sister, Schmutzdeke, who goes by many names, including Schtukata Rikita Kikita Loveta Coveta Kindius, an elder kitty named Kitty, and grumpy old cat named Raz. They are still working out their social dynamics in a house also occupied by the opossum, Yotzki, who now that he is grown is more often called Jovoschk.
