community
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The natural world is the larger sacred community to which we belong. To be alienated from this community is to become destitute in all that makes us human.”
Community at Sacred mountain sanctuary
To take up residence in a Sanctuary is to live in sacred intimacy with the land and all life that it supports- whether humans, animals, plants, rocks, water, or the unseen ‘elan vital’ that inspires, animates, and ensouls our Earthen community. Residing full or part time at SMS is akin to living in a ‘practice community’, where residents strive to reflect the values of Sanctuary in practical, everyday ways. Although SMS has no specific affiliation with a single spiritual or religious tradition, residents here are deeply connected to one another through mutual devotion to the ‘vitality of the whole’, so that it may support oneself and all living beings. SMS offers a variety of immersive pathways to reside in the sanctity and beauty of our Sanctuary.
Eco-Contemplative Residency
Sacred Mountain Sanctuary invites individuals who are working within the vital streams of eco-contemplative tradition to enjoy a short term residency in our Sanctuary. Residencies are hosted in the SMS Residential Community at Tortoise Lodge, a Sanctuary of peace and privacy where communion between the individual and the natural world is supported. Click on the button to learn more and apply for an eco-contemplative residency.
Service Hermitage
A Service Hermitage residency at SMS offers the opportunity to cultivate an intimate relationship with the land, one's self, and others through service to SMS initiatives. A Service Hermitage may function as a temporary or seasonal opportunity to share skills and passions within a supportive service learning environment, or as an introductory process for permanent residency, employment, or a deeper, participatory role in one of SMS's many realms of activity.
Living at Sacred mountain sanctuary
The Sacred Mountain Sanctuary residential community is located on 41 acres of rolling pastures in the Hominy Valley, surrounded by thousands of acres of forested, conserved land. Many residents of the SMS Community are SOLA teachers or staff, have children who attend programs here, or are involved in conservation, animal stewardship, biodynamic agriculture or affiliated associative economic initiatives.