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Dragonvale And Sacred Lands: An Ishmael-Inspired Sustainable Community And Organization

It only takes one thought to change the direction of someone's path in life, and that is exactly what happened to the individuals who are now engaged in the Sacred Lands organization and in forming the Dragonvale Community in Central Massachusetts. Many of the individuals had been meeting with one another for a Monday night discussion group for a couple of years when someone introduced Ishmael by Daniel Quinn. One by one, as individuals from this group read the book, they realized that something needed to be done and, one by one, they realized the Monday night discussion group was no longer meeting those needs.

Therefore, a few who had embraced the ideas early on got together and started discussing way to follow the ideas growing in their minds and hearts. There were many growing pains in the beginning, but eventually two entities were devised: Dragonvale and Sacred Lands. Dragonvale is the name of the sustainable community that this group is focused on creating, and Sacred Lands is a nonprofit organization formed to educate the public about sustainability, while taking the first steps towards making it a reality through Dragonvale.

Presently, Dragonvale exists in the hearts, minds and spirits of about twenty people. They imagine the physical aspects of Dragonvale to be those of a sustainable community with a Rennasiance theme that educates others of a new world vision and the importance of community. Therefore, when the Dragonvale community is physically built, it will not be in a remote area, but rather in close proximity to other peoples. The Rennassaince Fair will be a large part of how they interact and educate people from the main stream culture, but perhaps the community will also be service oriented, offering classes and sessions with Reiki, Henna, manicures and other things not yet come to fruittion.

Until the physical location of Dragonvale is born, the twenty or so people mentioned above are finding ways to build the bonds of the community. All meet on Friday night for discussions concerning a changed mind as inspired by Ishmael. Some individuals are choosing to live together to cut down the cost of living. Some are combining their finances to take out a share to support a local farmer.

Meanwhile, some of the members are contributing time and energy to Sacred Lands, a non-profit organization created to educate others with a new vision sparked by reading Ishmael, as well as to raise funds for Dragonvale's final land. By supporting Sacred Lands, the individuals are learning about working together, sharing, compromising and supporting one another. Sacred Lands is an organization created to work within the modern world as it exists now, and the individuals are working hard to make it a viable tribal business. It was created as an umbrella organization to allow for Dragonvale to do what's important: educating people with a new vision and building communities.

The principles behind Sacred Lands are ones that respect the earth and all life on it as well as the building of community bonds. Therefore, even though individuals are working within the exisiting system with Sacred Lands, they are also keeping in mind to do things differently than the average corporation. They are focused on sustainablity and service, diminishing the emphasis on selling products. Sacred Lands has been created to protect members of Dragonvale and other communities born under it.

The dedication of Sacred Lands best describes the vision and pupose of both Sacred Lands and Dragonvale. It states: "Recognizing the necessity for the affirmation of life on Earth, the Communities and Councils of Sacred Lands do seek to re-establish balance on this planet. We seek to restore a normal, healthy state of evolution and diversity that has functioned for billions of years; a system that is now on the verge of collapse. We are dedicated to the preservation of the Earth and all the life that rely on her for survival. We seek to teach the human inhabitants of the Earth that there is a healthy way to live in harmony with all other life that is not based on the premise that the world is a resource to use as we see fit. We propose the realization that ultimate human destiny is not to rule the world, but to live as an integral part of it; that humankind belongs to the Earth. We believe the Earth to be an embodiment of the divine and hold her sacred."

For more information on Sacred Lands, email them or visit their website, where you can read a detailed description of their vision and learn about other sources of information that have opened their eyes.

Learn more about sustainable communities inspired by Ishmael and Daniel Quinn.

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