Anybody ever visit The Farm? It's an intentional community in Tennessee. It's the home of Ina May Gaskin, the mother of modern midwifery. I'm going to school starting in fall 2008 to be a midwife. I dream of being able to join the wonderful midwives at The Farm and live in a community of peace and togetherness, catching babies and contributing to something worthwhile. I'm hoping to visit The Farm sometime in the next couple of years, so I'll see then if I like it and I want to live there. I think my ex husband would kill me for taking my son so far away, but he'd get over it. Does anyone here live in an intentional community/commune? What's it like? Do you like it there? What are the bad things about it?
Wow, I was so excited when I saw this thread. I must be typing 75 words a minute. Well, yes I have been to the Farm, and it was one of the most profound experiences of my life. I was living on a small commune in Washington State, and found Hey Beatnik on the library shelves, and shortly after reading the last page, I was on my way to Tennessee. I lived there for 3 months, working on the farming crew, and moving around from household to household, just checking out this new adventure in communal living. I returned to the smaller community in Washington, met my life partner and then shortly afterwards, was with child. We hitchhiked back to Tennessee when I was 7 1/2 months pregnant, and our firstborn daughter was born in Summertown. I ended up having a breach birth, two feet first, and they treated it as a natural and nothing-to-be-concerned-about event, and so I was so ecstatic that I had sojourned so far, to be in the company of such awesome people,for such an important occasion. I have had 4 more children, all born at home, and all are now healthy and happy adults. It was my experience on the Farm, that helped me have the confidence to birth at home and also live with others on a communal basis. I have lived in small communities ever since I left the Farm 28 years ago. Our family finds life with others always a challenge, yet such an alternative supports our simple living lifestyle. Well, keep on truckin!!!!!!!!!!!!
when i seen this title i thought you were talking about jail haha the farm that youre talkin about sounds kick ass
Try to get that book Voices from the Farm. It's a really interesting sort of history of people's experiences at the early Farm. Of course things have changed a great deal since then. I've kept track of the Farm ever since the original Caravan with Stephen stopped at my college way back in 1970. For a long time I wanted to move there but my wife didn't so we never made it. I had some friends who lived there but no longer do. It was certainly an all immersion experience and changed their lives. I think it would be a good place to get out of the mainstream and see what else is possible besides the rampant stupidity of Amerikan life. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
there is a diverse group of people in Summertown that's for sure : mennonites, hippies and the locals which includes my dad's family (the walkers of walker road right across the street). There's not much out there in the way of work or ammenities though.
My family and I have lived in intentional community for nearly 30 years. We lived in a small mountain community,(answered ad at Co-op),and it was my first experience with living with others. There was no way to generate income, and even though was very beautiful, there was always the issue of money. People came and went, going to town to earn money, coming back to swim in the pond, lie in the sun, walk in the mountains. (Sounds good huh?) I then went to the community in Summertown Tennnessee, the Farm. I lived there for a few months. It was very large at the time with 1300 members, and a steady stream of visitors. It was a very fast paced community, influenced strongly by political and social activism, definitely not a comfortable place for slackers of any sort. I think that many of the visitors were surprised and often times disappointed to see how "keep on truckin" they were, as everyone worked all day, every day just to keep the whole thing going. It was a bit too over stimulating for me, it seemed like no one ever slept, as activities went on day and night. It was an experiment, and as it has changed over the years, is still a very successful venture into communal living or cooperative living, as they now call it I lived on an organic farm where work was exchanged for residency, and lived there for 5 years. This was a fairly good set up, and a comfortable one. Finally realizing that I wasn't a farmer at heart, moved to less agricultural environment, and this place was based on Co-housing, or living and sharing a common area, this another form of communal living. Often times it is easier to live with people if you have your own space and share when you want to. I lived with a group called the Love Family, and spent nearly two years participating in their vision of community and it was very different from any other. We had early morning meetings at 5:00am, and meditated, and sang songs. There were anywhere from 100-200 people living together, and working in the gardens and other money-making endeavors. There was a group leader, and often times we differed on our views about how life should be lived, and we left there looking for something a little less formal. We worked on a shitake mushroom farm, got restless, moved on. We lived on a cattle ranch with a small group of folks, and worked together keeping up on the grounds and animals. Again, not a farmer or rancher at heart. So, there are so many different types of communal living. There is a directory, called the Communities Directory, and it comes our yearly. It has listings of communities all over the world, where people come together around something they have in common, and share the expenses and ups and downs of communal living. Check it out !!!!!!!!!
i believe that books actualy called the intentional community guide or guide tointentional communities or somethin like that research comminities before visiting..some have rather odd rules or expectations
my parents visited the farm in 1976, and again in 1981. they have nothing but nice things to say about the place and the people. my dads a big gaskin fan i guess u can say. he's met him and has all his books and some casset tapes from gaskins monday night classes at the dog. i read most of the books they're interesting. theres one with a little hand written letter still in it from ina may gaskin it just says something like "heres the casset tapes you wanted, hope you enjoy them." from what i see on the web page it doesnt look like they except people anymore, but you can get internships there.
