Orchard of the Spirit

  • Community
  • 0 followers

About the Community

  • Forming
  • Rural

What we do

Hi there! We are ready for another couple to move in and be family with us. Ellie is the shepherdess more marketing guru for the produce, sheep’s milk, baked goods, anything for the honor system farm stand. Cal is more the engineering and maintenance guy who stays at the house to plan the next steps of infrastructure or gardening. You would be the perfect fit if you would be excited to get naked and dirty growing vegetables and farming livestock for food; if you would be happy to pile in a car and go to a job with us every once in a while (house painting, deck building, odd jobs). The right couple will be a man who desires to embody a strong healthy masculinity and a woman who desires to embody a strong healthy feminity (no children, and of course both energies are at play in both.. but men mostly masculine and vice versa). You need to be at a stable place in your relationship, not aggressive or cheating and you tell each other everything. You live in the world but are not of the world of consumerism and competition. We want another couple to join our family with open hearts, a brother for Cal a sister for Ellie. You must desire to be the best version of yourself and make actionable steps toward embodying that version of yourself. You would be able to hear or offer constructive criticism should the need arise, and compassionately communicate should any conflict arise. This being said, we forgive each other if conflict arises, and give the benefit of the doubt that we are all doing the best we can with the consciousness we have. We are also working to improve these consciousnesses! You recognize that God/Source is within us, and we can create our realities. You will want to be healthy and fit, physically, mentally, and spiritually. You don’t plan on having kids while living here.

As for more physical matters, we have 2.5 acres in a small rural town adjacent to the river (we have access to the water and a private beach, sailboats, etc.). On the land is the tiny home and sunroom addition with rocket mass heater and large tub. It is semi forested and we have a tractor. There are woods on 3 sides of us and a swamp behind. There is land most likely available for purchase behind us. Available at family’s home nearby, there is a sawmill, car lift, excavator, and pigs and boer goats. Across the street are dairy sheep (with wool!) in a large pasture with a barn with power and water. We are currently rethinking whether to get another big AC inverter or switch to DC more fully. We have running water and solar electricity on the property currently. Our next steps are perimeter fencing, some kennels for dog sitting, setting up rotational grazing for the sheep, switching to DC power more fully, using the lumber to mill enough wood for a better quality barn for the solar array and the batteries, as well as storage for tractor, hay, storage, etc., and also setting up hutches for meat rabbits, some enclosure for quail. We also plan to purchase many fruit and nut trees this Spring. We also have a garden and we have been semi-successful so far. We are dedicated to growing the most possible and want to sell the excess.

We’re interested in almost all spiritual practices though we don’t have much of a routine, especially now with much to do in the physical realm. We do often focus on mindfulness as we work. We also listen to our bodies and if we’re tired from working, sometimes we laze about and simply stretch and nap.

For fun, we – both of us – play chess, make music, do natural building, spend time watching our chickens or cuddling with the dairy sheep flock, garden, do fun cooking like homemade sourdough and pastas and pizzas, play pickleball, swim in the river across the street or lay on the beach, and we are slowly improving in our ecstatic sex practice! Haha As for me, I also am the stronger music-maker with songwriting as a passion and novice skill with uke, guitar, piano. I love to dance, crochet, ride horses (across street), learn silly things like how to juggle and taxidermy, am writing a novel, read fiction as my addiction, and participate in other artistic endeavors. As for Cal alone, he loves reading technical stuff about engineering or soil science and usually is the guy for learning whatever we need to for the next project. Back when it was set up, he was working on a 3d printed robot project, and he is also working on a concrete spray gun. He already made a prototype of a concrete mixing machine. He also is learning bitcoin, and enjoys learning to fly a drone on this simulation app.

Feel free to email us at [email protected]!

Our Vision

We want to be self sufficient and find more family, another couple. In Feathertree’s words, “learn to live harmoniously with each other and the environment”.

Our Mission

We want to be self sufficient and find more family, another couple. In Feathertree’s words, “learn to live harmoniously with each other and the environment”.

  • Community type
  • Cohousing
  • Ecovillage
  • Commune
  • Activities
  • Others
  • 2 Total members
  • Open to new members
  • Open to visitors
  • Open to volunteers
Total
2

How to join

Our visitor to member protocol is as follows:

 

1. Communicate over phone, video chat

2. Meet out somewhere to camp and ensure we get along for a couple nights.

3. For three weeks, act like in community already. Trial run to see how both parties like it. Work to build a separate structure if not content to live in our same tiny home.

4. Go away for 3 weeks so original members and visitors applying can have a clear head to decide if it makes sense for us to move forward.

5. If yes, nearly full community members. Access to all but land trust. That is available after another 3 years but open to discussion.

Basic expectations or agreements for members

This is visit and membership policy:

We would like to talk on the phone to discern whether we could be a good fit before a visit occurs.

At this time, we are not looking for members who have children.

Well behaved dogs welcome or an outside cat.

We look forward to hearing from you :) when you contact, tell us why you think you’d both fit well into life with us here and what resonated with you about us.

Primary decision-making authority

  • All Community Members Together

The whole membership decides collectively.

Governance structure

  • Sociocratic/Circle-Based

Organized in circles or domains with distributed authority.

Economic model

  • Complete Income-Sharing

All member income goes into common pool for community use.

Economic scenarios for this community

  • There is a labor obligation

Additional economic information

Labor: Encouraged or suggested
Members with pre-existing debt: Yes
Money will go to necessities that the group decides on, consensus.

 

Shared resources and amenities that are accessible to everyone in the community

Garden(s), Greenhouse(s), Vehicle Share, Library, Workshop, Outbuilding(s), Swimming pond or pool, Hot tub or hot springs, Outdoor Kitchen, Tractor & Farm Equipment, Waterfront access

Frequency of communal meals

  • Approximately all meals

Substance use culture

  • Substance use is prohibited in the community
  • Religions
  • Christian
  • Buddhist
  • Unitarian Universalist

Property status

  • Privately owned

Property owner

  • By several individuals through an LLC or a Tenancy In Common agreement

Setting

  • Rural

Countryside locations with significant distance from urban centers.

Self-produced energy

  • Over 66%

Energy sources used

  • Photovoltaic Solar

Self-produced food

  • 33 - 66%
  • Land area size
    2.5 acres

Reviews

Location

  • Virginia, United States

Orchard of the Spirit

Promoted Needs and Offers

Need
Need
12 months ago

Travel to visit intentional communities with Ecovillage Tours ✈️

Ready to actually visit some communities? Take the next step on your journey towards intentional community living. Join an Ecovillage Tour! ✓ All-inclusive guided trips ✓ Visit a variety of communities, cohousings & ecovillages ✓ Meet community founders & residents ✓ Learn group governance, permaculture, eco-living & more ✓ Make lifelong friends within your traveling group ✓ Transformative adventure awaits! About Ecovillage Tours The only transformative travel experience that brings you to regenerative intentional communities. Find your next home, get guidance on how to start a community, or simply have a values-aligned vacation. www.ecovillagetours.com Upcoming Trips  Vermont | Jul 19–26, 2025   Italy | Sept 30–Oct 9, 2025   Hawaii | Jan 4–11, 2026   India | Feb 26–Mar 12, 2026  Bali | Jan 26–Feb 4, 2026  Costa Rica: Central | Jan 17–24, 2026 Southern | Feb 4–15, 2026 Caribbean | Mar 21–30, 2026 Guanacaste | April 12–21, 2026 See all the pricing, lodging, and itinerary information on the webpage for each tour. Or explore them all at www.ecovillagetours.com/upcoming-tours. Spots on trips are limited and fill up quickly. Book your spot today!   Questions? Email us at [email protected] Call us at +1 (734) 245-8745 Or schedule a 30-min Discovery Call with our team.   We look forward to hearing from you! Excited to journey together soon, —Cynthia Ecovillage Tours, Founder Hear what many past tour participants have to say about their experience:   “For anyone thinking of joining or starting an intentional community, or an ecovillage, this is an absolute must.” — Adam Bates, tour participant       “I had an amazing time on the tour!  It gave me an opportunity to experience things that I could have never done on my own.” — Lobsterbird, tour participant       “It is an experience worth paying for. You get to know places and people who are on the real hands on effort for bringing change and make local ecosystems more resilient.” — Eduardo Bryce, tour participant
Need
Need

Join our newsletter to stay up to date.

By subscribing you agree to with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

Free Plan

Free plan
Free

Advertise in our Directory

  • Subtotal

    {{ currencyFormat( pricing_summary.total_amount ) }}

Become a + Member

  • Send Direct Messages and see contact information
  • Find communities based on your profile tool
  • Post Needs & Offers Listings and Events
  • Access to resources in the Members Library /// like vetted documents uploaded by communites (e.g. bylaws )
  • Member badge on your profile
  • View communities detailed reviews
  • Create Private Groups