Dear Friend,

You may be aware of our Cascading Waterfall, our historic Shaker building, our Edible Food Forest, or our work to help Feed Those in Need in the local community.

You may have heard about the recent fire at our Guesthouse and Permaculture Sanctuary on Monday, November 4^th. There have been many unusual events from the day we first took over the property, to the time we turned it over to a nonprofit, and to the fire on the day before a contentious election. The mysterious unfolding continued in the days leading up to the fire itself, and I want to briefly share that story.

On Saturday, November 2, the traditional celebration of All Souls’ day in many cultures, and the Day of the Dead in Italian and Mexican culture, we had a wonderful dinner at the Cascades dining room.

Some 24 people, including many who had helped us gather food for two years that Trader Joe’s and other locations no longer found sellable, shared a common table. The food we collected was always in excellent shape, and we were able to give it to many in our local community in need. There was no charge and it alleviated both physical loss and emotional stress in circumstances where people were challenged to feed their children a healthy diet.

We also had staff members at the dinner, and all of us took the time to dialogue with each other and to remember friends and relatives who have passed from this life.

We remembered those made a positive difference in our life, and even in their physical absence continue to touch our hearts and inspire us to live a meaningful life. We took the time to share with each other those experiences and those people. At times it was touching, and the entire experience was quite meaningful. It was a beginning of the sort of heat-felt connection we looked forward to sharing with the local community.

The next evening we hosted a peace reflection in our beautiful waterfall room, looking out at the Cascading Waterfall as the sun set. We meditated together and held a space that whatever the outcome of the election all of us would find ways to remain friends rather than to see others as adversaries.

And then the hand of fate came down on us in the form of an unexpected fire that did serious damage to our 200-year-old stone Shaker building; the home of our Guesthouse and Permaculture interns.

The fire blazed on the upper stories for some 12 hours, and five fire companies poured 300,000 gallons of water onto the structure in order to control the blaze. The good news is that no one was injured, and all of us are full of gratitude in that regard.

Given the length of the blaze, and the enormous amount of water it took to the bring it under control, there were a number of miraculous events.

While the upper floors were almost completely decimated, the kitchen and common spaces on the lower floors were water logged but intact.

In addition, the second floor room of a woman devoted to universal mother love in the form of the Italian grandmotherly folk figure LaBefana, had her room virtually untouched. All around her room it looked like a bombed-out city.

Separate, but in some sense related, there was a book about the universal meaning of the Rosary, its relation to all the world’s deepest teachings on unconditional love, and its power as an approach to prayer and contemplation that was completely untouched, not even damp from a drop of water.

Hard to know what to make of these and other occurrences, such as every statue of the Buddha left untouched despite water, fire, and falling beams all around. Our presence as a Guesthouse & Permaculture Sanctuary modeled an atmosphere of peace and reverence. For some reason the symbols of the deep peace that marked our common spaces were left untouched.

While the water and fire damage is significant the sturdy Shaker structure is sound, to a large degree the main level with five rooms, the library and kitchenette remains; and the ground level with the kitchen and dining room is intact, albeit not useable without repair. In addition, the waterfall room, our prize jewel, and the workshop can be made useable with a reasonable effort.

The intent of this endeavor has always been to serve a higher purpose by offering a venue for sacred hospitality, to facilitate genuine connection and deep learning. In that context we helped to feed the local community and to provide opportunities for individuals, particularly young adults seeking a life and a living to develop skills related to food and farming. Healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people and a healthy planet has been our mantra and that continues.

The good news, then is that no one was hurt, that our Permaculture and Agro-forestry efforts were undamaged, and that through some miraculous energy, many resources remain fundamentally intact

At the same time, our historic building is in need of love, repair and financial resources in order to bring it back even more beautiful than before the fire. We need support to continue our nonprofits higher purpose: to provide a profitable venue for all those seeking their life’s purpose and to contribute in significant ways to their own well-being, the well-being of future generations and the well-being of the Earth.

If you feel drawn to our mission or would like to know more about us please check out our website or connect with us directly. Even more important as winter approaches, you might feel drawn to helping bring this amazing structure back to it full glory by a contribution of your time, your creative talent, or your financial resources. Any help you can offer will be deeply appreciative. Please follow the link below, and we hope to hear from you as we engage in the next step of our important journey to support the health and well-being of the earth and of our children and grandchildren.

XXXXXXX

Dear Friend,

You may be aware of our Cascading Waterfall, our historic Shaker building, our Edible Food Forest, or our work to help Feed Those in Need in the local community. You may have heard about the recent fire at our Guesthouse and Permaculture Sanctuary on Monday, November 4^th. There have been many unusual events from the day we first took over the property, to the time we turned it over to a nonprofit and to the fire on the day before a contentious election. The mysterious unfolding continued in the days leading up to the fire itself, and I want to briefly share that story.

On Saturday, November 2, the traditional celebration of All Souls’ Day in many cultures, we had a wonderful dinner at the Cascades dining room. Some 24 people, including many who had helped us gather food for two years to feed those in need, shared a common table. We remembered those who made a positive difference in our life who, even in their physical absence, continue to touch our hearts. It was a beginning of the sort of heat-felt connection we looked forward to sharing with the local community on a regular basis after 8 years of hard work to make the 200-year-old Shaker Guest House welcoming to all.

And then the hand of fate came down in the form of an unexpected fire that did serious damage to the Cascades. The fire blazed on the upper stories for some 12 hours, and five fire companies poured 300,000 gallons of water onto the structure in order to control the blaze. The good news is that no one was injured and that our Permaculture and Agroforestry efforts were undamaged.

Given the length of the blaze, and the enormous amount of water it took to the bring it under control, there were a number of unusual events worth noting. While the upper floors were almost completely decimated, the structure and the kitchen and common spaces on the lower floors were waterlogged but intact; and the waterfall room, our prize jewel, and the workshop can be made useable with a reasonable effort. In addition, the second-floor room of a woman devoted to universal mother love, in the form of the Italian grandmotherly folk figure LaBefana, had her room virtually untouched, while all around it was a bombed-out city. Hard to know what to make of these occurrences, such as every statue of the Buddha, of Mary, of St Francis and of sages from around the world were left untouched despite water, fire and falling beams. Our Guesthouse & Permaculture Sanctuary modeled an atmosphere of peace. For some reason the symbols of that hospitality were left untouched. At the same time the revenue provided by the Guesthouse, a primary support of our agriculture and community initiatives, has been eliminated.

We aim to serve a higher purpose by offering a venue for sacred hospitality in order to facilitate genuine connection and deep learning. In that context we helped to feed the local community and to provide opportunities for individuals, particularly young adults seeking a life and a living, to develop skills related to food and farming. Healthy soil, healthy food, healthy people and a healthy planet has been our mantra and that continues.

Our historic building is in need of major repair; and financial resources are needed to bring it back even more beautiful than before the fire. We need support to continue our nonprofit’s higher purpose: to provide a profitable venue for all those seeking their life’s purpose and to contribute in significant ways to their own well-being, the well-being of future generations and the well-being of the Earth.

If you feel drawn to our mission and would like to know more please check out our Nonprofit's Website or connect with us directly at 203-430-0777. Even more important as the cold approaches, you might feel drawn to help us get through the winter and then to bring this amazing structure back to it full glory by a contribution of your time, your creative talent, or your financial resources. Any help you can offer will be deeply appreciative. Please follow the link below, and we hope to hear from you as we engage in the next step of our important journey to support the health and well-being of the earth and of our children and grandchildren.

Nov 20 - Help Us Rebuild the Permaculture Sanctuary

By Center for Regenerative Ecological Education & Enterprise Development

Nov 20 - Help Us Rebuild the Permaculture Sanctuary

We work for a Thriving Future for the Earth & Future Generations