Journal TOC



	Light Morning JOURNAL Table of Contents
	Spring 2001

			Cold Frame Gardening Over the past several years, Jonathan has taken our humble cold frames and transformed them into a highly sophisticated tool for year-round gardening. In this four-part article (first published in the county Museletter) he passes on some of what he's been learning about how to get a significant jump on the spring growing season.

			The Need for Deep Healing On January 24th of this year, a young friend and neighbor took his own life. Nate's suicide was an 8.9 on the psychic Richter scale of this neighborhood. Over a hundred people crowded into our new community shelter to pay their respects and share their anguish. At the request of Nate's parents, Robert offered these thoughts and feelings.

			The Shop-Keeper's Assistant Last Spring, Lauren and her friend Alysia (both of whom were home-schoolers) took and passed their G.E.D. exams. In September, Lauren enrolled in a German class at the local community college. The Shop-Keeper's Assistant is a paper she wrote for that class.

	Summer 2001

			A New Kind of Family Last year the community experienced an unprecedented population explosion, followed by a gradual contraction back to more "normal" numbers. One outcome of this roller coaster ride was a series of "renewal pages"—an attempt to briefly articulate what Light Morning is and where it's going. Three of these pages are shared here. Others will be included in later editions of this Journal.

			Still Mowing (After All These Years) Marlene has a coffee cup. One side says, "Do what you love." The other, "Love what you do." Marlene loves to mow. The sight of her making the weekly rounds atop her beloved John Deere riding mower, and the comfortable smell of fresh mown grass, are a deeply familiar feature of our summer landscape. Here Marlene explains why her enjoyment of mowing comes naturally.

			Letters From Light Morning: 1974-1975 Our first Journal was published in 1975. It was a selection of passages from letters that Joyce had written in response to people who had questions about the community, and was illustrated with several of her pen and ink drawings. While our lifestyle today is less austere, our roots, the rhythm of the seasons, and many of our growing edges remain unchanged.

			Training Tomatoes We have a lush, abundant garden this year, thanks largely to Jonathan. (For visuals, see An Extraordinary Garden, in the Photos section of the Summer Journal.) In this article, which describes how to train indeterminate tomatoes, Jonathan also manages to convey one of the secrets of his success—he is keenly interested in his plants, how they grow and what they need.

			Harvesting Elephant Garlic This is a brief story about transmuting problems into opportunities. Turning lemons into lemonade. And then setting up a lemonade stand! In this case, the lemons were elephant garlic, which had become something of a nuisance in the garden, until Marlene learned to see them in a new way.

	Autumn 2001

			The A.S.U. Students Weekend On a beautiful fall weekend in early October, Light Morning hosted a group of college students from Appalachian State University. This is the fifth year that Harvard Ayers, their professor, has brought his "Human Ecology of the Southern Appalachians" class here. On Sunday morning, before pancakes, we had a closing circle. Some of the sharings from that circle are included here. (See also two pages of photos from the weekend.)

			Who's Douglas?! On Good Friday of last year, Douglas passed into the mystery. He was 70 years old. He and Stan had lived "just down the road" from Light Morning since 1976. In this eulogy, offered at Doug's memorial service on Beltane (May Day), Robert gathers a bouquet of memories about someone who was both a close personal friend and a passionate, prickly figure at the heart of this community for over two decades.

			Remembering Tom Tom started visiting Light Morning soon after we arrived here and eventually moved into the community in 1985. He died a month after Douglas. (Both of them are buried just below the fire-circle on Temple Hill.) In this letter, which was sent to Tom's family and to his many friends, Marlene invokes the generous, playful, questing spirit of someone who graced our daily lives for many years.

			Choosing to Age in Community One of Tom's greatest gifts to us was his inspiring example of someone who was choosing to age with dignity, grace, and awareness. His path of aging certainly had its share of bumps and bruises, but he took them in stride, refusing to yield to the stereotypes about "old age" and all the cultural expectations and pressures that go along with these stereotypes. In this 1995 interview, Tom shares his remarkable life story and his views on living, aging, and dying well.

			Associations of the Light Morning Light Morning is the name of the community. Associations of the Light Morning (or ALM for short) is the more encompassing name that was offered to us in 1973, when we first came together as a group. The distinction between the two names is an important one. This article, or "reading", explores some of the implications of the phrase light morning. It also explains why the word associations is plural rather than singular.

	Winter 2001

			A Transformational Journey The Summer Journal featured an article called A New Kind of Family. It was described as the first in a series of "renewal pages—an attempt to briefly articulate what Light Morning is and where it's going." A Transformational Journey, the second article in this series, has four sections: The Soul Is Not Human; The Four Cairns; A Prayer Bead Necklace; and The Gift of Beauty.

			Healing Deep Within In this article, Marlene offers a poignant view of life inside the cocoon. It's an intensely personal account of the traumatic, long-lasting effects of abuse upon a young child's psyche. It's also the story of how two transformative dreams brought a promise of healing, and the long, slow, ongoing assimilation of these dreams into the daily life of the dreamer.

			A Hero's March Lauren has been doing computer tutoring at the library recently, teaching people (mostly elders) to get online, to do internet searches, and to use email and instant messaging. This poem grew out of her deep appreciation for the heroic challenge that many old--and not so old!--people face as they confront an often bewildering new technology.

			Snowberry Renovation Now and then we glimpse a world not predicated on duality. In such a world there are no accidents, and the sharp distinction between inner work and outer work is blurred. Even a seemingly mundane project like renovating a fire-scorched cabin can become imbued with unexpected significance. Jonathan wrote this letter to friends and neighbors just before the Winter Solstice.

			Meditation, Prayer, and Dreams This "ALM Reading" was given in 1973 for a woman who wanted guidance on the use of her dreams, and "how to better understand the communications that take place in this state of consciousness." The response to her request indicated that dreams can be fully understood only when they are used in conjunction with meditation and prayer.

	Spring 2002

			Living Close to the Earth This is the third in a series of Light Morning renewal pages, an attempt to clarify and communicate the vision which anchors us here. The first, A New Kind of Family, appears in the Summer 2001 issue of this Journal. A Transformational Journey is in the Winter 2001 Journal. Living Close to the Earth has three sections (see below).

			Stretching Toward Radiant Health Can you recall a time when you were really sick? How hard it was to remember, while lying in bed, what good health felt like? How far away it seemed? There's a comparably vast distance between normal health and radiant health.

			Working Close to Home Developing a labor-intensive economy, in which many of our primal needs for food, shelter, and fuel can be met more directly, and within the context of a tightly-bonded family, allows us to work close to home. And close not only to the home that Light Morning has become for us. Close to our home planet as well.

			Embracing the Earth Albert Einstein once observed that, 'the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing knowledge.' Fantasy, like dreams, gives shape to our vague intuitions and secret longings, luring us beyond the hypnotically safe confines of the known.

	Summer 2002

			A Magical Equilibrium Every community, I believe, weaves an intricate web of forces that strive to maintain an equilibrium of magic. Over time, a community develops a sense of identity and purpose. Much like an ecosystem’s complex, self-regulating system of checks and balances, it will preserve its core focus, sometimes even in the face of drastic interference.

			Exploring the Vortex My intention for a longer visit was to more fully explore what life is like at Light Morning; to find out more about the place, the people, and their purpose. It sounds pretty simple, but boy, I sure didn't know what I was getting into!!

			Reaching Out Perhaps what I’m trying to say is that the planet will reflect back to us our personal despair. To the extent that we give up, we will see Her giving up. Our constancy in the face of darkness, therefore, becomes an act not of denial, but of defiance. You are a warrior! Don’t go under! It’s important!

			Visiting Light Morning A supportive environment is essential. Whether what we’re striving to establish is a meditation practice, reliable dream recall, or a promising approach to conflict resolution, we all need help. Sometimes, when our motivation wavers, we find ourselves wondering, "Why bother? What’s the point?" In an isolated environment these doubts can be debilitating.

	Autumn 2002

			The Lofty Chronicles: Prologue The Lofty Chronicles are based on a daily journal that I was keeping for several years in the early 1990's. The entries... were then sent, each season, to Lauren’s geographically distant grandparents, aunts, and uncles. They were intended, as well, for a future, grownup Lauren, curious about her roots. The reason for sharing them in Light Morning’s current Journal is that, peeking through the day-to-day concerns, wonders, and routines of parenting is a startlingly intimate view of the three core values of this community.

			Saying Goodbye to Childhood (The Lofty Chronicles: Part One) "Look at all the lights," she murmurs, kicking at the edge of the water. The smooth surface instantly refracts into dozens of little suns, dancing and sparkling on the waves. It takes me a few moments to overcome my sense of familiarity and fully enter into the fresh perceptions of the moment. When I succeed in doing so, I am dazzled by the brilliant display of lights on the water. We stand there for maybe five minutes, Lauren occasionally kicking out new ripples...

			Striving to Die Smilingly Terrell Jones, a good friend and fellow Vipassana meditator, died at his home just down the road from Light Morning in mid-August, shortly after having been diagnosed with a rapidly metastasizing melanoma. Many of us in this area are deeply indebted to Terrell. For not only did he introduce us to Vipassana, he also modeled for us the exceedingly rare quality of being able to die well. To leave with awareness. As a small token of my personal appreciation, I'd like to share a few stories about my Vipassana relationship with Terrell.

	Winter 2002

			The Founders' Dilemma The "founders' dilemma" is the creative tension between affirming the original intent of a community, while at the same time being deeply responsive to the need for growth, flexibility, fresh air. New people arrive with strong and good dreams of their own. How can their visions be woven into the original tapestry without obliterating it? I have been on both sides of this dilemma. I grew up in Arden, one of the oldest of today's intentional communities, but left there in the early seventies...

			On Loan From the Universe (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Two) ...And Lauren can help us learn to work, if only we have the eyes to see. Pleasurable work is playful work, and children are the masters of play. Day by day she models her mastery for us, if we will but wake up enough to recognize and value it. We come from the pole of responsible work; she from the pole of spontaneous play. Together we seek a common ground called pleasurable work, one that both eases Lauren's transition into adulthood and that restores our own child-like delight in the tasks before us.

	Spring 2003

			Sifting Through Your Mind (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Three) The next two weeks are an agony of waiting. Lauren's attention is riveted to each and every incoming package. Finally it arrives. Joyfully she rips open the box and carefully examines all the different blades and tools. Then she lovingly ties it to her belt loop and slips it into her pocket, where it's remained ever since. The rest of us are happily impressed by how cooperative the universe can be at times.

			A Traumatic Revelation (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Four) In late July we learned that Adam, who has lived at Light Morning for over six years, had been fondling Lauren and her friend Myra since early Spring. We were stunned, outraged, sickened, and bewildered. We were also plunged into a maelstrom of simultaneous and often competing needs...
	Summer 2003

			Trial By Fire (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Five) How appropriate that the summer Olympics are under way. What we’ve been going through recently feels like a qualifying meet for the inner Olympics. It's as though Light Morning has spent most of the past two decades training for moments just like these.

			The Turning Tide (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Six) The tide of this crisis seems to be turning. Several days ago, Lofty and Rose spent most of a day dressing up in fancy dresses. Lofty borrowed one of Rose's hair bands and later got some for herself. She's also taken to painting her finger nails again. And yesterday she took along a backpack full of dresses when she went to play with Claire.

	Autumn 2003

			A Healing Impulse (Moving Toward an Open Hearted Community) I became aware of a startling symmetry--the girls needed to vent their long-repressed and volatile feelings, while Adam needed a profound exercise in empathy. These two needs, I suddenly realized, dove-tailed perfectly. Accompanying this realization was a visual impression that Lauren and Myra’s "confrontation" with Adam should be the culmination of an inward-spiraling series of encounters that would include the girls' parents and some of our concerned neighbors.

			Gifts and Synchronicities (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Seven) Then our conversation turned to the special gifts each of us has, and how deeply the Earth needs these gifts. Lauren, throughout this talk, was over in a corner reading a book, paying no apparent attention to what we were saying. But we've come to know better. Her antenna is always up. It's almost frightening how totally tuned in she is to the nuances of her environment, and especially to the words and emotions of her parents.

			Learning How to Wish Wisely (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Eight) Maybe that's what we're doing here, I muse. I mean here on this planet. Learning how to wish wisely. Maybe all those magic stories are true, and we can have just about anything we wish for. The only thing is, it takes a long time before we begin to see that we're already getting what we wish for. Once we see it, we can learn to wish more wisely.

	Winter 2003

			A Three-Legged Stool (Exploring the Renewal of Light Morning) Once some semblance of equanimity had been regained, the three remaining active crew members took stock. We began by reaffirming the need for patience, given that the full realization of Light Morning's core vision will span at least several generations. Then we nurtured a willingness to give renewal another go. Acknowledging that the tuition for round one had been pricey, we resolved to approach round two with a greater measure of caution and awareness.

			Guardians (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Nine) Most of the will-work was pretty straightforward. My father had sent a model will, along with some comments and suggestions. The one real stumper concerned Lauren. In the unlikely event that Joyce and I should die simultaneously, my father recommended that we name a guardian for her, in order to forestall some judge rendering a decision about her placement without the benefit of knowing her, or us, or our wishes.

			Earrings, Bicycles, and Power Bracelets (The Lofty Chronicles: Part Ten) When the invitation arrived in the mail several weeks ago, Lauren was thrilled to see that it was addressed to "Marlene, Joyce and Lauren." I could almost see Lauren's self-image shifting as she studied the envelope--one of those subtle, transitional moments in a child's life, like losing the first baby tooth or spending the first night away from home. The invitation told Lauren that she had been accepted into the special circle of Lisa's "women friends."

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