For our first update there is much to report! 2005 has certainly been an eventful year, well, relatively speaking of course.After more than two years of hard and happy work here on the farm it was gradually becoming evermore apparent that despite our best intentions there was one rather major factor conspicuously lacking. In all that time not one person had shown a genuine interest in joining our community! Certainly numerous friends and visitors have passed through and even stayed for up to three months, but they always moved on as forgotten travel plans and itchy feet returned.
This pattern eventually caused us to question various aspects of our situation. Was the fact that we prefer to be meat, drug and alcohol free deterring people? Or was it that we're so isolated? We'd had some interest, but often families were seeking a community with more people and children for their own little ones to play with. A bit of catch 22 when you're trying to get people to join, but they won't because of a lack of people! Since our publicizing usually remained within the same circle of friends we decided to make our existence more known.
In February 2005 we entered our farm on two well-known community directories. Then, about three months later, with a friendly hand, we built the first foundations of the Khula Dhamma website. Admittedly, however, it wasn't the World Wide Web that attracted our first prospective members, but, more likely, the
clear invitation that we sent out to the Universe for like-minded pioneers to come and join our fun-filled, yet vital quest.
It's quite remarkable how swift the responses came to our call. We started receiving several e-mails per week from all over the world inquiring about our community. As the interest continues to grow, any doubts we might've had about the future of KD have been completely dispelled. Indeed those factors that we
thought might have been deterring people actually turned out to be an attraction.^M\n^M\nIn August we welcomed our first shining member to-be bearing with her a second that was due to be born the following month. Lila was the second baby girl to be born on the farm and another lotus birth to boot.
Building has begun on the first owner-built dwelling as well as the first hut for the meditation retreat. As we are still few members, each with our own plans for the moment, building is a gradual process.
Since the shift in interest we have started to take significant steps towards manifesting our vision. Our "supporting membership program" was launched towards the end of November 2005 and along with it a website upgrade and the update you are reading now.
As 2005 draws to a close and interest from kindred spirits steadily continues we look forward eagerly to the many hidden fruits that will soon reveal themselves and allow KD to continue flourishing.
Already January 2006 brings the promise of an enthusiastic couple with two young children coming here with intent to join!
It's all good.