The Launch and Relaunch
A lot has changed since the first inklings of this project during the pandemic, in 2020; it seems that a space like OMR is even more needed now. Here is the OMR’s origin story, that I spoke to during the opening event in October 2021, then I will share a bit about this relaunch.
Welcome to Original Mind Residency, welcome to Mt. Teneriffe. A cedar house on six acres of mountain slope, it has a small footprint and an expansive view of Mcclellan Butte, which at over 5000 feet has snow on it ten months out of the year. It is a place of retreat and solitude, and of engagement and conversation with the beautiful second-growth forest surrounding it. It is a place of creative practice, whether it’s painting, writing, making music, social innovation, or something formless and emergent. It is a place where creative and diverse people with a common ethos come together, for the sparks and co-creation that we all know and long for.
I came to this house in 2006, with the strange, unknowable steps of fate, without knowing what I was getting into. I struggled and suffered, and benefited from others, and learned not only some mountain skills but also a lot about myself—which changed the trajectory of my life. I’ve done a lot of work on it over the years, in particular last year during Covid—physical work kept me sane and was redemption for a few hard years. One year later, the house became empty again, and I wanted to offer it in some way. At this time of complexity and insecurity, there’s no reason to wait to do what we have always wanted to do, and I’ve always wanted to create community, in a place. So here I, with the help of many, and especially Kimberly for being the first creative resident and daring-doer, we offer this place for whatever needs to emerge.
The other red thread is that I once had a vision quest in the Lakota way, and the Chinese character for Return, Hui 回, came to me. Its simplicity on so many levels appeals to me, and has been a guide for my life. Return to what? Return to nature, return to original mind. A mind like a mirror, without increase or decrease. Here, looking at these countless varieties of green and the endless shapes that are all part of an indescribable whole… Words become unnecessary, don’t they?
I do want to mention that the ethos of this place includes a kind of quiet rebellion. Against current structures of power. I think this has been a shared characteristic of reclusive Taoists and alchemists for thousands of years. It does not come from a desire to be against anything, but is part of seeing, and feeling, structures at a different level. My favorite quote is one by Einstein—one can not solve a problem with the same level of consciousness that created it. And we’re clearly at a pivotal time that this kind of problem solving is needed—the trust and optimism of problem-solvers and makers are also characteristics of this ethos.
I recently heard something I loved, which is to think about gifts instead of rights. This house and this forest, with its own destiny and identity, is a gift. And a gift is a burden if not given in a good way. Please enjoy this place, and value it, and I trust something of value will emerge, just as this forest grows and regenerates.
An intense phase of healing started for me in mid 2023 and I paused OMR to give more energy to it. I’ve also continued to live my life as an experiment, including moving a short distance to join a coliving project co-developed with chosen family, and actively building the field of cohousing/coliving. It’s clear to me that the only resilience is with close proximity to community, and re-villaging/re-localizing a viable response to the polycrisis.
One of the things that I’ve felt frequently in this forest is that it’s sentient. Five years ago it was a bit of an edgy thing to say, but it doesn’t anymore. In the last year, the signals became more clear that I need to relaunch this space as a postcapitalist experiment/prototype. The house went through challenging times recently, but the forest is vibrant, every inch of it alive. The coming together of people in this space were in flow and in magic. I accept my responsibilities as the steward of this place (which is in the very good Forest Stewardship program), part of that is to offer it to kindred souls. I ask your help in this endeavor, to learn from its sentience, to create the countless prototypes that will realize a future we want.
