All intentional communities have some sort of membership process.
Ours begins with the person or family contacting us to arrange a visit. After a period of getting to know each other through visiting (that could be a single visit or many), the prospective member writes a letter asking to become a resident. This is similar to the process of asking for a prolonged stay at Plum Village. A resident is someone who lives on the land and participates in community practice, but is not yet a member who takes part in community decisions. Residents can live in community-owned housing, rent space, or be the guest of a member. During this time, a resident chooses a member as their “second-body” and meets with that member often to discuss community life. The resident will also use this time to really get to know all of the members and explore the rightness of their fit in the community.
After living on the land for a substantial amount of time (often 6 months), a resident can apply to become a member. There is a meeting of all members and the membership committee of the Board of Directors with the resident to reflect on taking this step. It is very similar to the process of an aspirant applying to join the Core Community and receive the 14 Mindfulness Trainings. If there is a consensus, then a celebration is organized to welcome the new member.
