Farm Fresh News - May 2023
 
In this issue:
 
The Maypole! An annual family-friendly celebration!
Dear Friends,

Spring is out in full, even as we experience the near-freezing temperatures of "Blackberry Winter." The burst of life always brings with it a renewal of hope.

I will be speaking about building community and living outside the box at Live Free Academy in Texas on May 20. It is a full weekend dedicated to sustainable living and following your dreams. Come on out!

Some friends visiting the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC were pleasantly surprised to see a display of back-to-the-land history, which included one of our first publications, Hey Beatnik, this is The Farm Book.

But for a more vivid look at our story and history, you'll want to watch American Commune, streaming on Amazon Prime. Read more below.

Thank you for your time and attention!

Peace,
Douglas
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A New Roof for the Horse Barn
The Horse Barn at The Farm has been an important part of our history. It is one of two original buildings that were on the property when we purchased the land back in 1971. As a semi-enclosed building with a roof, it became the location for meditation and Sunday Services during the first winter, as well as meetings with the local Church of Christ that had a lot to do with our being accepted by the local community. Click here to read the article from the 1972 Tennessean Newspaper.
The Horse Barn also became a center of activity for our kids as they grew up, led by Dr. Dawn Huddleston (pictured lower right). It taught them responsibility and confidence as they learned to manage and control an animal much larger than they were. In recent years, the Barn has once again become important to a new generation of young ones exploring relationships withe these noble creatures.

During recent storms, the tin was ripped up on half the roof. A GoFundMe campaign has been started to repair the Farm Horse Barn and get The Farm Pony Crew back in the saddle (or bareback)!  
The immediate plan is to stabilize the structure, repair the roof and hopefully add gutters to direct the water away from the building.  After that, we will mouse-proof and update the tack room and hay storage area. We also plan to assemble a memorial exhibit to honor the ponies, horses, and crew members that have meant so much to our story.  Thank you for any generosity you can offer. Click here to visit our GoFundMe page.
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In the Smithsonian
This publication is now a collector's item, with copies on Amazon and Ebay selling for over $120. It was a handbook on how to start a community, with everything from farming to spiritual philpsophy, and the first writings of what would become Spiritual Midwifery, our most successful book, now available in 12 languages around the world.

The name was always seemed a bit weird, something which came from Stephen, calling ourselves beatniks rather than hippies to thow off the squares. It probably did get people to pick up the booklet and give it a second look, stirring their curiosity.
 
Here is an excerpt, which still rings true today:
 
State of the Union

This is the most spoiled generation in the history of the planet. That's because of that entire psychological trip of the last twenty or. thirty years that says, "Oh, poor baby, you're so determined, you can't help it." And he says, "Yeah, yeah, spoil me some more" This whole society is in a condition of overcorrection, like a car that's fishtailing on ice. Our grandparents were strict with our parents, and our parents were loose with us, and we're the sloppy beatniks. And we got to raise our kids halfway in between where our grandparents raised our parents and where we were raised. What it looks like to me is that Freudian psychology and Doctor Spock and greed and B.F. Skinner and a few details like that taught this country that morality didn't count and that all that counted is what you got caught for, and that there was no abstract absolute morality, so it didn't matter what you did - you could just do anything. And you could freak out as much as you wanted to, and it didn't matter. But it does matter. It can get you crazy.
 
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The Way Out Is In - A podcast from Thich Nhat Hahn's Plum Village 
I often listen to podcasts by different Spiritual Teachers, finding them to be good for my head, especially in the early morning or late evening, provoking thoughts and reflections. One that I find most interesting is “The Way Out is In,” basically an interview of Brother Phap Huu, Thich Nhat Hanh’s personal attendant for 17 years and the abbot of Plum Village’s Upper Hamlet.
 
His co-host and the person asking the questions is Jo Confino, who works at the intersection of personal transformation and systems change.
 
Brother Phap Huu provides a unique perspective as someone who served one of the most important teachers of our lifetime, allowing us to observe how the teachings have been embodied by the next generation and made relevant to the current times.
 
Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and other platforms.   https://plumvillage.org/podcasts/the-way-out-is-in/
American Commune, a movie documentary
 
From Amazon Prime:
"Raised in America's largest utopian socialist experiment in the 1970's, siblings and filmmakers, Rena and Nadine return to the commune where they were raised for the first time since leaving in 1985. They confront a past they've spent years hiding, while exploring the rise and fall of the most successful American commune."
 
It has now been 10 years since the original release of the documentary film, American Commune, by sisters Rene and Nadine Mundo. My wife Deborah and I re-watched it again the other night and came away with a good feeling. Those of you interested in a deeper look at who we are and where we've been will get a lot from this telling of our story.
 
When the film was first released, I was a bit turned off by the emphasis in a lot of the promo on "the rise and fall" and on our "failure" to remain as an income-sharing communal economy. The film does bring to light that it appears that the FBI was involved in pressuring the banks to call in our loans in hopes that we would finally collapse and go away, which had been a constant since our early beginning. This came to a head with the country's shift right and the election of Ronald Reagan.
 
Because it uses their personal story as the framwework to build the storyline, we get a better understanding of the difficulties and challenges faced by those who left the community during the time of The Chageover, which was very real and a shock to the many who went through that experience, and as the film illustrates, especially to the kids.
 
As one who stayed on The Farm through that most difficult time, I can say it was gut wrenching but in a very different way. I am proud to call the Mundo family friends and honor the beauty and depth in this exploration of the tale.
 
The Farm Market Day is May 13 and is a great way to visit and get to know The Farm!
Food from local Farmers and Artisans - Food Trucks (Grab lunch!) - Live Music - Arts and Crafts - Yard Sale items
If you're interested in vending, playing music, teaching a workshop, or volunteering, contact us at thefarmmarketday@gmail.com
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Thank you for your time and attention!
 
 
A big thanks to everyone who has become a patron of Farm Fresh!
When you become a subscriber, your contribution helps spread the word about community-based alternatives and the spiritual path.
Take this one small step to be part of the solution!
 
 
 
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Speaking Engagements
At the same time, I recognize that I can reach a lot more people if I go outside the community. One of my goals is to speak at colleges and universities where I can talk to young people about Right Livelihood, Service, and Finding Sanity in an Insane World. This is a time when people need to hear an uplifting message of hope.
 
If you are part of an organization, event, or school (or you just want to learn more about my life's work), I invite you to visit my website www.douglasstevenson.com, where you'll find information on my lecture topics and how to bring me to speak in your area.
 Thank you for your interest, and your support. I hope to see you down the road.
 
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My wife Deborah has retired from practicing midwifery on The Farm but continues to teach midwifery workshops and classes at the Farm's College of Traditional Midwifery. If you, a friend, or family member are considering a midwifery-assisted birth, I encourage you to visit The Farm Midwifery Center's website and make an appointment with one of the midwives currently taking on clients.  
 
Deborah's birth resource web sites for families seeking guidance on subjects such as
  • Choosing a Care Provider.
  • Health and Diet
  • Challenges and Complications
  • and much more!
  • The Awakening Birth podcast is available on iTunes or at www.awakeningbirth.net
www.awakening birth.net - The Podcast 
 
 
 
Village Media Services
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.villagemedia.com
www.douglasstevenson.com 
 
 
 
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