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Farm Fresh News - January 2023
Dear Friends,
There’s no doubt in my mind that the time my wife Deborah and I spent as volunteers with our nonprofit Plenty International in Guatemala from 1978 to 1980 has had the greatest impact, what I call a "peak life experience. And so it is, that we mourn the loss of Clifford Figallo, who served as our Director, leader, and friend to all during that time. The image above shows Clifford, with villagers from San Bartolo, admiring the flow from our first water system for the small village where we lived. From that day forward, our friends had a clean, pure source to this essence of life and no longer had to make daily treks to fetch water from the polluted stream below their homes. This clean water made it possible for us to implement the construction and installation of a soymilk production facility, now over 40 years in operation.
I always encourage everyone to get outside of the U.S. and see more of the world. Dedicate a part of your life to Service, as a tithe, giving back, an expression of gratitude for all the gifts you have received. No matter who we are, or where we are, we all have something to give.
Wishing everyone blessings, and good tidings as we enter the New Year!
Peace,
Douglas _____________________________________________
New Art on The Farm  artist Bernice Davidson and friends Way back in the day, when we were first building our town, people used to give The Farm a lot of big things. A water tower, a road grader, and at one point, a fire truck. I’m told it was driven here, but I never saw it move. After The Changeover in 1983, it was parked in the motor pool boneyard where it remained for decades. I remember coming across it thinking this would make a great art piece, with all its fat curves and art deco chrome.
About ten years ago I started talking to my artist friend, Bernice Davidson, and three years ago I sent a proposal to our board of directors to move the truck from where it was hidden to a position out front and center along the main road. Approval got stalled, but then last summer, a team of artists from the community united behind the project and pushed it through.
 The idea was to decorate it as a homage to John Lennon‘s psychedelic Rolls-Royce. If you click on the link below, you can see that we have stayed true to that original design. Before cold weather set in, we got it painted with a primer and a yellow background with blue waves and red filigree. When things warm up in the spring, community artists will fill in the framed squares with a variety of images. I think it looks pretty great already!
You can see pictures of Lennon's original Rolls along with a story of its history and where it is today by clicking here! _____________________________________________
 "There is no group of individuals more iconic of 1960s counterculture than the hippies – the long-haired, colorfully dressed youth who rebelled against mainstream societal values, preached and practiced love and peace, and generally sought more meaningful and authentic lives. These 'flower children' are now over sixty and comprise a significant part of the older population in the United States. While some hippies rejoined mainstream American society as they grew older, others still maintain the hippie ideology and lifestyle. This book is the first to explore the aging experience of older hippies by examining aspects related to identity, generativity, daily activities, spirituality, community, end-of-life care, and wellbeing. Based on 40 in-depth interviews with lifelong, returning, and past residents of The Farm, an intentional community in Tennessee that was founded in 1971 and still exists today, insights into the subculture of aging hippies and their keys to wellbeing are shared."
A request for an interview came through our website, as they often do, and I agreed to meet with a woman from Israel doing research about what happened to the hippies. The result, is a new book, called The Aging of Aquarius, which includes interviews with 40 of my friends, most who still live in our community, plus another group who she met while attending an annual reunion of former Farm members out on the West Coast.
I haven’t finished reading the book, but I can tell you that several of those who were interviewed feel she did a good job at finding out who we were, and who we are, and how this experience has affected our lives. Perhaps even more intriguing is to see how her connection to our community has changed her own life, providing deeper insight and direction into how she wants to live.
She changed the names so that we could remain anonymous, but you’ll find me under the name, Nicholas, in the opening paragraphs of the book where she joins us for Dances Of Universal Peace. Here is an excerpt:
"I was at the community center, waiting for people to gather for a “Dance of Universal Peace” session... The majority were older adults, and many of them were pretty slim and wore colorful clothes (including a couple of tie-dye items). Most men had a ponytail or a braid, and most women had not dyed their hair. Still, I could easily imagine how they looked when they first arrived at The Farm, almost fifty years earlier. They all hugged and kissed each other when they met, and some approached me and introduced themselves. One of them, who later became my first interviewee, took me by the hand and introduced me to the others.
Nicholas – who led the event – taught us the lyrics of each song we were about to dance to. The words combined different languages, including English, Hindi, Hebrew, and Arabic, but the contents were all about love and peace. Next, he taught the melody and only then demonstrated the steps. Occasionally, his spouse stepped in and explained the meaning of a specific word or movement. Putting our palms together and then “pouring” what was in them over our heads, for example, meant “bathing in love.”
The dances were simple and involved a lot of mutual touch, such as holding hands or putting a hand on the next dancer’s shoulder. The atmosphere was positive and even humorous at times. Often, the participants laughed at their dancing skills, and one even asked if Mother Earth – the theme of one of the songs – could pay his bills. However, most of the time they were pretty focused and intentional, often closing their eyes while dancing and taking a deep breath between the dances. Because my first name means “wave,” and I was there to conduct a study on aging, one of the participants asked Nicholas to include a “Grandmother Ocean” dance for me. I was touched. In another dance, participants were split into couples and had to switch partners after each repetition of the song, so eventually, we each danced with all the other participants. The words of the songs were, “I accept you just the way that you are, I accept me just the way that I am…” and while singing these words, we all looked into our current partner’s eyes. After several rounds of that dance, I realized I was smiling."
Click here to see a Chapter by chapter review by Cambridge University You can also purchase an e-book or a print version.
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 In 1999 video my company Village Media was engaged to produce a video for the newly formed Global Ecovillage Network, an organization founded with the goal of linking intentional communities and ecovillages around the world. The video received a standing ovation when it premiered at a UN Conference on Habitat and Human Settlement. It features ecovillages in Germany, Australia, India,The Farm Community and more. I think it still holds up pretty well. Click here to watch the video. Visit the Global Ecovillage Network website
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Dances of Universal Peace in Puerto Morelos, Mexico
February 2-6, 2023
I invite you to join me at one of my upcoming dance events, including five days of Dances in Mexico, with song circles, art projects, and whatever else appears, along with time for walks on the beach, snorkeling, dining with friends, conversations, and laughter. We come together to be with each other to remind ourselves that we are energy beings, and at our strongest when we are together in community. Click here to learn more about Dances in Mexico.
with Dance Leaders Sky Roshay, Jennifer Friedman, and Douglas Stevenson
I have been a musician pretty much all my life. By far the most fulfilling music I have ever played comes from leading group singing, chanting and dancing. It empowers each person to find their voice and link our spirits in a shared vibration. The group singing and chanting moves to a new level with the added movements known as the Dances of Universal Peace. The synchronicity of movement creates unity and builds community, and fills the space in our hearts with joy and love, so needed in today’s world.
We are so happy to welcome Murshid Allaudin Ottinger, one of America’s best-loved leaders of the Dances of Universal Peace, as our dance leader for the weekend, his third visit to The Farm. A senior teacher in the Sufi Ruhaniat International, Allaudin inspires one and all with his humility, clarity, and inclusive nature, raising the energy to a state of profound joy.
We are so happy to welcome Murshid Allaudin Ottinger, one of America’s best-loved leaders of the Dances of Universal Peace, as our dance leader for the weekend, his third visit to The Farm. A senior teacher in the Sufi Ruhaniat International, Allaudin inspires one and all with his humility, clarity, and inclusive nature, raising the energy to a state of profound joy.
- A Weekend of Dance, Music and Celebration
- Guided Nature Walk
- Farm Community Tour
- All Vegetarian Meals Provided
- Click here to learn more
I believe you will find The Farm to be a unique place in the world. I look forward to dancing with you on liberated land, and sharing with you the vibrational space created by our life in community.
I hope to see you in the circle!
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.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!
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Take this one small step to be part of the solution!
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!
You can help keep Farm Fresh going by pledging $2, $5, or $10 a month, or by making a one-time contribution.
Peace,
Douglas
Watch my TEDx Talk: Out to Change the World - Living the Hippie Dream
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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
Village Media Services
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.villagemedia.com
www.douglasstevenson.com
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com
Douglas@villagemedia.com
www.villagemedia.com
www.douglasstevenson.com
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com
