Community & Interbeing
Community as inter-being
““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.””
In a culture where our capacities for inter-being have been diminished by a perceived separation between human beings and the natural world, there is a great need for Sacred spaces where the bond of intimacy with our living Universe can be renewed and reverenced. In practical and contemplative ways, SMS provides a space of Sanctuary where humans of all ages can explore their unique role in this shift and cultivate a sense of inter-being with the land, water, animals and numinous vitality of our living Earth.
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 monastic or 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 sacredness and vitality of the whole that supports oneself and all living beings. SMS offers a variety of immersive pathways to reside in the sanctity and beauty of our Sanctuary.
At Sacred Mountain Sanctuary, individuals are invited to reside and abide in their native intimacy with Earth, and enter an ensouled Presence to the living Universe.
Eco-Contemplative Hermitage
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 rustic dwellings nestled within a Sanctuary of peace and privacy where communion between the individual and the natural world is supported. Our wish is for those who experience an eco-contemplative hermitage in the Sanctuary to carry with them an abiding sense of wonder and inter-being that inspires a lifetime of meaningful, mutually enhancing participation in Earth’s living community.
Click on the button to learn more and apply for an eco-contemplative residency.
Sacred Mountain Sanctuary Residential Community
The residents of Sacred Mountain Sanctuary Community endeavor to reflect the values of Sanctuary in their presence to everyday life. To reside in a Sanctuary, is to abide in durational reverence for the land and all life that it supports. Living and house-holding at SMS is an opportunity to practice Presence- in one’s relationships with self, others, and the natural world, each and every day.
Sacred Mountain Animal Sanctuary
Sacred Mountain Sanctuary is a home for sheep, rabbits, bees, chickens, longhorn cows, dogs, cats, and native wildlife of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. In keeping with our mission to provide a space of inter-communion and Sanctuary for all living beings, we honor a covenant to do no harm to the animals here. We also encourage and facilitate human-animal communion through therapeutic, educational and contemplative animal programs and experiences.
