by Gabriel of Urantia 

Independence, from the system and the one percent begins in our mind. Our consciousness determines our decisions and actions but we can’t do it alone. It’s going to have to be with a group of individuals, all working together to make this independence happen. 

Buying land together may be the first physical step. Building “green” the second, but before you do either one, you should have many meetings together, deciding how to live in “green,”sustainable consciousness, because we are the permaculture—the new, permanent agriculture. 

Perhaps the most important part of sustainable living is interpersonal sustainability. 

That requires efficient and effective conflict resolution. The values of communal living must be taught to adults and children so that there is a unifying goal of self-improvement as well as community improvement. 

Living “in community” interdependently, we have to learn “to live and let live.” 

If you move to a rural intentional community, you have to get used to the sounds of children playing and laughing right outside your window, of people using a kitchen appliance while you may still be in bed, of cows mooing, goats bleating, chickens clucking, horses whinnying, and tractors plowing the fields. It’s a different type of sound from what we would hear from a city apartment’s window—the constant hum of trucks, cars, and trains; honking horns; screeching sirens; several radios blaring at the same time on different stations. 

In a community of people with sustainable consciousness we can share not just clothing but getting together as a group and watching a worthwhile film together. Afterward, people can take time to discuss the film: its meaning, messages, and artistic strengths. 

Many people have the consciousness of “bigger is better.” However, in forming a community, even if we have the money, we should consider how much land we want to buy. We should think how many acres we’re really going to be able to plant, maintain, harvest, and steward. All we may need, if we have just a few people, is a few acres. 

We also have to have a consciousness of realizing the necessity of good leadership. Using only consensus for making decisions, especially with more than six individuals, is usually counterproductive because everybody has their opinion of how things should be done and run. So if we really want our community to actually survive and grow, we need leadership—a decision maker—because when people are locked in their opinions and do not agree, someone has to decide. Many situations and emergencies come up in a community where snap decisions need to made, and you can’t go to consensus to decide what to do when your place is burning down. 

In a democracy, 10 or 20 or 30 people in an intentional community may agree on how to do something, and all of them may be dead wrong. A good leader values the opinions of others and seeks advice from others, but ultimately the leader has to make the decision in so many areas or nothing will get done. 

 Eating organic food is sustainable because it will likely save on many medical bills. Our bodies are amazing in how they can respond to healthier food. 

In community living we need to get away from the consciousness of just looking out for our own biological family, because the whole community becomes our extended family. I coined the saying, “My child is your child, and your child is mine,” for we not only share material things, we share the care and upbringing of children so that the burden of parenting is lightened. 

From cars to computers to tools, everything can be shared. That’s sustainable because we don’t have to run out and buy everything. Someone in the community probably has it or brought it with them when they came. In community-living, people can develop the consciousness of giving and sharing. 

Many people in community find that their creative abilities begin to come out, and they begin to develop a more creative consciousness. And so individuals can begin to have time to have ideas and to try to create more energy-efficient systems and machines. Some may even be able to develop free-energy devices. People begin to write songs and create art of all kinds. They discover that they can even sell their art and bring in income for the community. 

Consciousness in humans does indeed have cause-and-effect ramifications, a domino cascade of short-term and long-term impacts in every area of human and natural life. 

Is our consciousness part of the perpetration of the rapidly unraveling web of life on Earth or are we moving into a consciousness of sustainability that contributes to the correcting and healing of people and planet? 

Gabriel of Urantia is one of the most unique and distinct spiritual leaders and authors of our time. His work provides wisdom, cosmic absolutes, and answers to the questions of the seeking soul. 

Gabriel is the co-founder of Global Community Communications Alliance, a multifaceted global change nonprofit, comprised of about 120 change agents from five continents on 220 pristine acres called Avalon Organic Gardens and EcoVillage. 

Find out more:

• gabrielofurantia.org
• avalongardens.org
• spiritualution.org