(9) The Way Forward

That is no made-up story, but a projection of the future. The names and locales are not important. What is important is the essence, the idea, the dream! And if my story has evoked positive feelings, then people will certainly project its essence into the future, and many people will add their own details and infuse the projection with their own great meaning and conscious awareness.


 - The New Civilization (book 8.1)


It seems as though the journey is coming to an end, the last of our information notes. Appearances, however, can be deceptive. Remember the words shared between Adam and God in Co Creation (book 4):


''Where is the edge of the Universe? What will I do when I come to it? When I myself fill everything, and have created everything I have conceived?''


'''My son. The Universe itself is a thought, a thought from which was born a dream, which is partially visible as matter. When you approach the edge of all creation, your thought will reveal a new beginning and continuation. From obscurity will arise a new and resplendent birth of you, and it will reflect in itself your soul, your dreams, your whole aspirations. My son, you are infinite, you are eternal. Within you are your dreams of Creation.'''


It only appears that we have reached the end, but truly we have only really just begun. Santosha exists in the minds and hearts of hundred of people now, all contributing their own unique energy to this grand co creation. This energy will continue to grow in strength and beauty...


There is so much enthusiasm. People want to know more information, they want to visit the property and I get many offers from people who want to know if they can help in some way. I know how they feel. Once you are excited about the future, it can't come quick enough! You just want to be busy every day, somehow contributing to your dream and bringing it that little bit closer. Well I am pleased to say, there is much that can be done! There is no need to sit on your hands and wait, for we can all be proactive in helping to create Santosha. Lets look at the path ahead :)


The Books

The first step I recommend to anyone who is interested in Santosha is to read the books. If you have already read the books, my recommendation is to re read the books!


Santosha is a community crafted from the ideas of the Ringing Cedars series. If what you have read on this blog has appealed to you so far, and you think that Santosha might be your future, then come back to the books and then listen to your soul. Feel the words of Anastasia ripple across your being and fill you with inspiration. Re-connect with your own dreams of creation. 


All official publishers of ''The Ringing Cedars of Russia' series of books are presented at the following link: http://vmegre.com/en/representatives/


Please subscribe to the latest news at Vladimir Megre official site www.vmegre.com to have updated information on all editions.


Choose Your Destiny


After reading the books, and looking at all the information we have here about Santosha, take some time to really think about your life. What do you picture in 5 years? What do you picture in 20 years? What kind of world do you want to raise children in? Talk it over with your friends, your parents, your partner. This is a major decision. If after this period of contemplation, you realise that Santosha is for you, then its time to get VERY EXCITED!!


From Now to Santosha


Dialogue


There is much to do! Your first step is to schedule a dialogue with Emily and Myself. (For more information on the 'dialogue' process, see our previous not (8) Promoting peaceful co-existence and harmony within the community).


You can find our contact details on the sidebar of this blog. We look forward to hearing from you :)


Deposit


After the dialogue, the next step is to secure yourself a place at Santosha. You can choose which of the housing timeframes will best suit you, and then make a deposit (For more information on this, see our previous notes (6) Housing) and (7) The Legal Structure). 


The deposit is $3 000, and only available to people who have had a dialogue. This money goes to pay costs necessary before we actually purchase the land. They also determine the order of choice when it comes to selecting domains. 


Buying the Land

Once we have enough people (or money) to purchase the land, then it comes time to purchase shares in the company. This will only be made available to people who have made a deposit. The shares will be $60 000. The combined cost of the both of the blocks that we want to purchase is $1.4 million. That means that $50 000 of the $60 000 will go to paying the cost of the property. The other $10 000 will be set aside for community funds. This will pay for council rates, roads etc. 


Once the land is ours, we will divide it into domains and allow people to begin selecting their future home!


Don't wait, Create!

As you can see, there is much to do! We must start planning for our future now. When you go for a walk around the neighbourhood, start taking notice of the different trees that you like. Soon you will be deciding what to plant in your space of love!


Start researching planting techniques and the growth cycles of plants. Make drawings of your future domain. Allow inspiration to BECOME you!


Equally important is the practical side of all this preparation. There is money that must be raised. Granted, if you consider that we are buying land in the most desirable part of the South-West region, the cost involved in Santosha is relatively inexpensive. For the same cost that we will be getting 1.5 hectares, a sustainable house and beautiful neighbours, here in Perth city, you would probably only be able to afford an apartment. 


Having said that, in Santosha you cannot take out a mortgage on the house. For us young people, we don't have the money simply sitting around waiting to be spent. Emily and I have had to make budgets, investments (silver) and plans for the future so that we can raise enough money to pay for this amazing future. In the short term, it means working a lot. 


It is a labour of love though. Each day of studying, or working brings us one step closer to our dream. It is important to formulate a financial plan for how you can pay for your share of Santosha. Don't work toooo hard though. Remember, if your not having fun then your doing something wrong :P


Can we Help?


It is so heartening to say, that one of the most common questions I get is - ''Is there anything I can do to help''? I am pleased to say that YES THERE IS!!! :)


We can absolutely use your help. In fact it is essential!


Right now, Santosha is in the 'promotional' stage of its development. We are currently making ourselves known to the world. We rely on word of mouth for the dream of Santosha to reach the ears of those who have read the Ringing Cedars of Russia series. Please share our information with your email lists. Please pass our information on to anyone who has read the books and is interested in living in a domain community. At parties, if the subject comes up, please tell everyone about what we are creating at Santosha. 


Truly, it is through your words that Santosha will come into being. If you are planning to live with us at Santosha, then talk about your future to everyone you meet. If you have read this blog, but are not planning on living at Santosha, please keep this information in the back of your head so that when the universe delivers to you someone for whom this information is intended, you can help destiny along by pointing them in our direction. For all the generous words spoken about Santosha so far, and for all of the words spoken in the future, I offer my heartfelt thankyou!


In the future, there may be other opportunities for people to help out (in fact i'm certain of it) but for now, we need help in sharing this information all over Perth (and the world!).


The Collective Dream Circle


Once we start taking deposits, and we can officially recognise the future kin of Santosha, then will begin our collective dream circles. Can you recall in the Ringing Cedars series when Anastasia elucidates the virtues of collective thought? She tells Vladimir how to create a flying saucer using the mental energy of a dozen individuals who possess conscious awareness and purity of thought. She also explains how the Vedruss civilisation learned to even control the weather with collective thought. 

The lesson appears to be that, while one individual possesses enormous energy with their thoughts, many individuals together can significantly boost their strength, and bring about creations with greater speed and accuracy. We aim to utilise the potential of this energy when creating Santosha. 


Occasionally we will be hosting gatherings called 'The Collective Dream Circle'. Don't be intimidated though, these events are just a chance for you to get to know your future neighbours and chat about Santosha and the Ringing Cedars. After people have had a chance to chat, we will then begin the Collective Dream Circle. People are free to speak their hearts about the future they see with Santosha, and we can all hold the beautiful energy of that vision. Our collective thoughts will undoubtedly see the rapid manifestation of these dreams :)


The Blog Lives On!


This is not the end of the blog. The blog will continue to be a place where we share information about Santosha. There are new developments all the time, and I will keep you updated on all of these goings on by this blog. That way, everyone is up to date on Santosha and you can follow the progress live as it happens! Look on the side-bar of this blog, you will find an option that says 'Follow us on email!'. Be sure to enter your email address here, so that you can stay up to date with all things Santosha!

We are also planning our 'Santosha Kin' series. This will be a series of interviews with the future kin of Santosha (people who have secured their place by deposit). This will give blog readers a chance to get to know all the lovely people that have heard the calling of Santosha and are ready to begin their new life. We will ask them about how they found out about the Ringing Cedars, why drew them to Santosha and what their plans are for the future. 


Hopefully we can all take heart from the stories of Santosha's future kin. It is inspiring to see anyone who has a dream of creation, and is living their life to put that dream into practice. In the words of Anastasia's Grandfather in The Ringing Cedars of Russia (book 2)


''A breathtaking dawn of a new day is something to be admired''

And so here we are. At the end of our information notes, and at the beginning of a new dawn. The journey is far from over. Indeed, more people join the journey every day. For this is not just about Margaret River or 28 families. This is not just about Australia. This is about a new consciousness that is sweeping across the Earth and being felt in every corner of the universe. 


For the first time in so many years, God has heard talk about the perfection of His creations. Millions of his sons and daughters now aspire to create their kin's domains, their own space of love. At the time of writing this, I am actually very emotional....


Blessings to you all x


Thank you, sons and daughters, for your aspirations.


 - The Energy of Life (book 7) 

(8) Promoting Peaceful Co-Existence and Harmony within the Community

The Truth has been there right from the start in each one's soul. Not tomorrow, but here today each Man may be happy and whole! The creator has filled each moment of every year with gladness. And in his thought there is no room for His beloved child to feel torment from sadness.


 - Space of Love (book 3)




We want Santosha to be a place of divine creation, where people feel happy and free and each day brings exciting new challenges! We have many grand ideas of what life will be like, living on our domains, and I am confident that they will all come true! All of the amazing feelings of inspiration that you felt when reading the Ringing Cedars, we hope to embody that energy with our gardens and our way of life. 


In the process of creating Santosha, I have done a lot of research into other eco-communities, particularly those in Russia. Its amazing how many flourishing domain communities already exist in Russia, inhabited by conscious beings who feel their connection to the earth. Many children are being born in these communities. Gardens have been planted!


However, in the mixture of all this positive news, there have also been reports of failed communities and conflict. From my research, I have ascertained that the main cause of this has been poor planning. The organisers of these communities were not realistic in their expectations for how people would relate to each other. We all know that we are returning to our pristine origins, and soon every interaction and relationship will be spiritually fulfilling. Having said that, I don't believe it helps to be hopelessly idealistic. People sometimes have disagreements. Even 'spiritual' people have gotten into arguments before. 


In this blog post what I want to talk about is how we plan to minimise conflict and promote harmony within the community. Our focus will be on Freedom and Prevention.




Freedom

Im a big fan of freedom. Montessori education (where I have worked and studied) is based on the philosophy that each individual child knows best what to study, and so they are granted that freedom. In this way, the child maintains a passion for learning and embraces the responsibility of shaping their own destiny.


The philosophy of liberty communicates great respect to those granted freedom. I have made mistakes before in my life, but those close to me did not forbid me from making those mistakes. They trusted me. They believed that I could learn from every experience and so did not try and control me. If a parent is overly controlling of their child, the child senses that their parents to not really trust them. 


We feel that is is absolutely essential that each person at Santosha can stand up their own domain, feel their connection to the land and KNOW that they are free. 


Santosha is a community. However, the word community can mean many different things. In my research I came across a domain community that was being formed in New Zealand, where every person was going to be an employee of the community. There would be mandatory work hours in the collective fruit orchard amongst other things, and people would be allocated a wage. Perhaps this kind of arrangement might suit some people, but it is very different from Santosha. 

We envisage a domain community as a union of independent families. Each family is given their freedom and autonomy. 


To this end, Santosha will not be a place with a lot of rules. Some rules perhaps are necessary. For example, no genetically modified seeds will be allowed, because the wind will blow them to the next domain and compromise the neighbours ability to grow healthy produce. 


For the most part though, there will be as few rules as possible. Santosha must grow organically, based on the voluntary actions of people expressing their creativity. 


Leonid Sharashkin gave the example of one community that mandated that every person meet in the community hall every morning for a group meditation. Great idea! I think group meditations are wonderful, and I would enjoy participating in an event like this. However, just because I think this message has a lot of merit, I would never want to create a rule FORCING people to attend.


What if someone doesn't feel like meditating one morning? Will there be some kind of punishment? Ridiculous! hahaha!!


Events like this need to be organised on a voluntary basis. If I think it would be a good idea to have group meditations in the morning, I will suggest the idea and encourage people to join me if they choose. They are completely free in their decision. I would not go to the shareholders meeting and try and enforce participation by the creation of a rule. The philosophy of liberty encourages us to trust individuals and feel confident that change is best affected by voluntary means, not coercion.




Prevention


Two people can read the same book and get two completely different interpretations. Just look at Christianity. Although all Christians claim the bible is the source of their religion, there are over 39 000 different denominations operating in the world today!

In a similar way, people may have read the Ringing Cedars series and foresee a completely different future for themselves than what we are creating with Santosha. That is wonderful! There is nothing wrong with diversity. How dull the world would be if everyone was the same. I believe that Santosha will be a very diverse place, with each family expressing their freedom in their own unique way. 

However, it may happen that the differences between our vision and someone else's may be so vast that it makes more sense that we each 'do our own thing'. If we have vastly different ideologies operating within the same community, there is potential for conflict. It would be preferable that we both say to each other, ''I fully respect your right to live your life however you choose but it makes practical sense that we live in different communities. That way, we can admire each others differences from a distance rather than butt heads as neighbours.''


For example, we have noted differences from some of the people we have chatted to regarding our emphasis on freedom. One person felt that we should make it mandatory that every person in the community is vegetarian. Another felt that we should have tight restrictions on intellectual property, so that neighbours don't copy each others techniques for growing vegetables etc.


I understand that some people might be passionate about being vegetarian, and there is nothing wrong with that. I suspect that some time in the future, vegetarianism is something I too will consider. However, if I ever made the change from eating meat to being vegetarian, I would want to make that decision myself, not because some rule forced me to or because someone made me feel guilty. To exercise my freedom to make that decision would be an empowering experience. 


The main tenet of our strategy of prevention is a process that we call 'dialogue'.




Dialogue


A dialogue is the last step before making a deposit. Its where you sit down with Emily and I and we chat about life, and about Santosha. It is designed to see if we are on the same page about what we want out of a Domain Community. It is our hope that by ensuring that we have like minded people in the community, inspired by the vision of freedom, that we will have a very peaceful and harmonious future.  


We will have questions for people, and we hope that they have questions for us! Joining a community like Santosha is not a small decision. We want people to feel comfortable to ask any question they like, to bring up any concern. We also encourage people to make suggestions of their own. Of course, we have our own vision for Santosha, but there is great freedom within that vision. 


If we picture very different things for Santosha, it will quickly become clear during the dialogue and at that point we will part ways. There can be numerous Domain Communities throughout the South-West, each with a different focus. They can co-exist in cooperation, rather than competition. Such is the beauty of freedom.


We will now share some of the things we will be talking about during these dialogues.






The Ringing Cedars Books


Santosha is a domain community inspired by the ideas of Anastasia and Vladimir Megre. The philosophy that guides our vision is contained within the Ringing Cedars series. We have had one person ask us why the Ringing Cedars, why not just an eco-community? Its because we LOVE the Ringing Cedars!!!

These books have changed my life. I feel as if I have found some piece of myself that I lost long ago. My appreciation of nature, my views on children, on God! It is my soul that feels this connection, but the Ringing Cedars pointed me there. The Ringing Cedars contains a complete philosophy of life. 


Before a dialogue it is essential to have read the books. We will talk about the concepts contained within. Was there anything in the books that you did not agree with, or any parts that have got you especially excited?




Children


Emily and I are especially interested in discussing how to raise children, if you have children already or if you have plans to start a family. When I first read what Anastasia said about raising children, my heart sang with joy. It was such a revelation and it resonated so strongly with me. Her insights into the nature of children, along with conception and birth, are so incredible, she may be the first person in thousands of years to elucidate a philosophy so beautiful.

The potential for raising happy children, eating food grown on your own domain, in close connection with nature is extremely exciting. From one perspective, her ideas seem utterly simple. Be authentic when talking with children. Allow them to communicate with nature. Avoid interrupting their thoughts. Listen attentively when they speak. Honour the purity and wisdom that every child is capable of expressing. 


However, from the perspective of the old paradigm, this method of child raising could be seen as bizarre or even extreme. See what Anastasia says about playing with toys:

Anastasia, along with all her forebears, treat a newborn as a deity or an immaculate angel. They consider it totally unacceptable to interfere with a child's thought process. Anastasia says that the very moment I observed little Vladimir contemplating something in the grass, he was becoming aware not only of the bugs but of all creation.

According to her, a bug is a more perfect mechanism than any manufactured product. A child provided with the opportunity to communicate with these perfect beings will himself become more perfect than through communication with primitive lifeless objects. Artificial objects have no connection to the universe and do not arrange priorities and values in the child's brain in the right way.

 - Space of Love (book 3)

You might think that this is common sense to anyone who has read the Ringing Cedars, but we feel it is an important area of discussion. Emily and I once visited a family who was setting up a kin's domain along the lines of the Ringing Cedars series. They were a lovely family, and the father spoke very eloquently about the ideas of the Ringing Cedars. One thing that we found strange, however, was the number of toys in the house. We felt it would be impolite to ask about them, but we wondered why this family had all these toys for their child? It seemed to be antithetical to the philosophy that guided the rest of their lives.

The lesson I took from this experience is that, just because two people have read the Ringing Cedars books does not mean that they automatically agree on how to best implement those ideas. 

If not discussed, this issue could become an area of conflict between families. One family may be keen to create a natural environment where their children play with animals and plants. Another family might fill their environment with plastic toys. This might concern the first family, that their children will be playing and their child will be exposed to objects that they had wanted to limit.

As we stated already, we don't believe that rules would help this situation. A rule such as 'No toys' would just generate resentment from people who don't appreciate being told how to live. I personally would not want to join a community that had such strict regulations. 

Having said that, we hope that we can avoid conflicts like this arising through the dialogue process. By ensuring that everyone is on the same page, there will be no unexpected surprises when we get to Santosha!

Organic Food

Man uses the fruits of nature for food, and if he begins to feed himself with mutant fruits, he will be gradually transformed into a mutant himself.

 - Who Are We? (book 5)

As I stated before, I assume that most of this is common sense for people who have read the Ringing Cedars books. We are interested in growing healthy, organic produce without the use of genetic modification or harmful chemicals.

Television

Of course there won't be any rules about use of television in Santosha, but we are curious to know peoples views on this. Personally, we don't plan on having a television in our house. I consider that for most of my life I was actually addicted to television. For many years I could not fall asleep without the TV on, which I'm sure was very harmful. 

In the Ringing Cedars series, television advertising is described as aggressive mental suggestions. We are particularly vulnerable to this kind of programming while watching TV, as we are in a vulnerable state. 

Ultimately, we want our children to be raised by nature, not be television. Television and video games are very seductive for children. One family having a playstation may have an influence that ripples throughout the whole community. 

Drugs and Alcohol

I have the personal belief that people should be allowed the freedom to use whatever substances they wish. I'm disappointed that our government thinks it is necessary to regulate what we put into our bodies, especially with regards to natural substances. Even though I don't use any of these substances, it seems bizarre that medicinal plants made by God are illegal.

Of course, there will be no rules against things that are already against the law. What we want to talk about is about peoples specific views on drugs and alcohol. Personally, the message Emily and I want to portray to our children is that there is no need alter their consciousness. There is nothing wrong with how they are already :)

Pets

Everyone loves animals, and as we talked about in our previous note '(5) The Property' part of the community is set aside specifically to keep animals. What we really want to chat about is cats and dogs.

This is mostly from the perspective of protecting peoples property rights. We want people to know that they don't need to worry about the neighbouring dog coming onto their domain and digging up their vegetables. Cats are known killers of native wildlife, and we want to ensure that Santosha is a sanctuary for native animals. 

None of this means that there can't be cats and dogs at Santosha. We want to make sure people are aware that it will be necessary to contain their pets by some method to their own domain.

Living on your Domain

One of the areas that I came across in my research which I had never really considered, that caused a lot of conflict in some of the Russian communities was the issue of kinsmen vs townsmen. 

A kinsmen is someone who is living on their domain all year round. A townsmen is someone who owns a domain, perhaps has a holiday there, but otherwise lives in the city. It turns out that these two groups have very different interests. According to my research, townsmen are often very reluctant to spend community funds, since they are not living in the community. Townsmen are also more idealistic about solutions, while kinsmen, living on their land, are more practical. 

Our solution to this problem is to make sure that we only attract kinsmen to Santosha. In the dialogues we will talk about our plans and intentions. We want to make sure that people who are signing up to Santosha are going to be living there. We want beautiful neighbours and children for our children to play with!

Your Questions!!

We do have a list of dialogue questions, and in our dialogues so far they have all stimulated fascinating discussions. However, this process is about more than our set list of questions. We want to get to know you, and we want you to get to know us. We are curious to know if there was anything about Santosha that you have heard or read about that concerns you or are interested to know more. 

We want to hear your questions!

In our experience so far with the dialogue process, mostly it has consisted of lots of creative energy and lots of excitement. There have been heaps of ideas about what we'll create in the future, lots of fun really. It is such a pleasure to be around people passionate about the Ringing Cedars. Especially when these people might be your future neighbours!!

Look and see, see the power of a woman, the power of pure love. At the very last moment before death it is capable of giving new life. Capable of lifting up any Man, rescuing him from the tenacious paws of darkness and carrying him into the brightness of infinity. Capable of surrounding him with the Space of Love and giving him new life, which is life eternal.

 - The Ringing Cedars of Russia (book 2)

(7) The Legal Structure

God gave each and everyone equal authority. Consequently, the only social structure that can claim perfection is one where there is no centralised authority - where every individual is endowed with equal power.


 - Rites of Love (book 8.2)


While spending time with Emily, I have discerned she is a combination of two different personalities. I call one of them 'Silly Emily' and the other one 'Serious Emily'. I love both of them dearly. Silly Emily wants to cuddle all day, make up funny sounding words, be tickled and generally pretend to be a lot younger than she really is. Serious Emily is more inclined to action focused on achieving a particular goal, and she has no time for tickling (though I still try!). 


I have come to understand that Serious Emily is what gives room for Silly Emily to express herself. One is necessary for the other to exist. I too have the multiple personalities of 'Silly Alex' and 'Serious Alex', and I would not give either of them up. By having purpose in life and being disciplined in reaching set goals, we give ourselves permission to have fun!


In a similar way, Santosha exists on two levels - each is necessary for the other to exist. There is the 'Spiritual Santosha' and the 'Practical Santosha'. The Spiritual Santosha is where we direct all of our dreams of creation. We aspire to live in harmony with nature, to live sustainably, to raise healthy children and to delight in the company of our neighbours and friends. However, these dreams will amount to nothing if we don't take the concrete, practical steps of putting our dream into practice. 


In this post, I want to explore some of the legal structures of the community. Many communities begin with noble aspirations of living a spiritual lifestyle, and neglect the importance of addressing the 'bottom line'. I sincerely believe that it is essential for the worst case scenario to be outlined in detail so that people feel secure and comfortable. Any vagueness breeds doubt and doubt can quickly become fear. 


If everyone has full awareness of where they stand from a legal perspective, then they are free to concentrate on creation and joyful contemplation. There is so much to look forward to in the future. Sometimes in my daydreams I become overwhelmed by the sheer beauty of the future that awaits us! It is the Spiritual Santosha that inspires me along the journey to complete to necessary tasks of Practical Santosha. 

I completed half of a law degree before found the courage to leave the course and follow my heart. I understand now how useful this legal background will be in creating a solid legal framework for Santosha. I won't say that the world of contracts and companies is a world that I was eager to return to, but it is good to know that some skills from my old life will have some purpose in helping create the New Earth. 


While Emily and I are directing this process, we also have professional advice. Aside from our main consultant, we have friends and family who are lawyers, accountants and city planners, who will be double/triple checking everything. 


I also want to make it clear that we are finding out more about our legal needs for Santosha every day. I have tried to give a comprehensive overview of the legal structure in this post, but please note that it may be subject to change. As we discover new information, and as we better clarify our needs, we will refine the legal components to reflect this.




The Company


According to the advice I have received, the simplest structure for Santosha is a company. We need a legal entity capable of taking deposit money, as there are certain costs for Santosha that will need to be paid before we can buy the land (housing estimates, legal contracts etc).


When the time comes to purchase the land, money will be paid into this company, and in return for that money each person will be allocated shares. The company will then buy the land. Please note that when we have enough people/money to purchase the land, we will be making an offer 'pending approval' from the council for our plans. This ensures that we don't take on any risk of the council not supporting our plans after we have already given over our money.


The company itself will hold the deed of the land. It is important to note that you cannot borrow against the land to pay for your share of Santosha. We have explored this option, and ultimately deemed it an unacceptable risk. If the company takes out a loan against the land, if even one person fails to make their payments, it might put everybody's domain at risk. If you are seeking a loan from a bank or credit union, our advice is to not mention land at all. 

To become a shareholder in this company, it will be necessary to sign a contract that outlines your rights as a shareholder. One of these will be the right to set up your domain on the piece of land purchased. By owning shares, you will be guaranteed full property rights. Please note, however, that the basis of these rights will be contractual, not on possession of a deed (which will be held by the company).


The company will have a policy document that will outline functions and procedures. The decision making body of the company will be composed of every person living in the community (shareholders). We will make the contracts and an overview of policy document available for people who have made a deposit into the trust. As the policy document will be defining shareholders rights, as well as guidelines within the community, it is essential that all relevant information be included. To some extent, this can be a collaborative process, and so before finalising the policy document, we will be welcoming input from anyone who has made a deposit.




Deposits and Domain Allocation


In order to secure your spot in Santosha (there are 28 places available) it is necessary to make a deposit to the trust that we set up. In legal terms this deposit will be called an 'option'. You deposit this money and buy the 'option' of purchasing the shares that will entitle you to a domain at a later date. The deposit will be $3 000. 


We understand that circumstances can arise that are out of peoples control, and so we have made provisions for  most of this money be refundable. However, we have decided that $500 of this will not be refundable. This is to act as a deterrent from people casually depositing money without being serious about following through when it comes to buying the land. It would be disastrous if it came time to purchase the property and people began to drop out.



The other important factor involving deposits is that they secure your order in the community when it comes to choosing your domains. While your choice will be naturally limited to the housing timeframe you have selected (see note '(6) Housing'), you are otherwise free to choose your place in the community. 


When the land is purchased, and divided into domains, it is time for people to choose their future home. Choices will be made in order that people placed their deposit. Each person will have one week to register their choice, before the next person's turn. In this way, everyone in the community should know which domain is theirs within 3 and a half months! If someone fails to register their choice within their 1 week allocation, then the next person can register their choice. At that stage it is 'first come - first served'.


For example, consider this is a deposit list.

Order of Deposit

1. Bob

2. Greg

3. Alice

4. Joe

5. Mary

6. Vanessa

The first week, Bob chooses his domain. The second week Greg can choose any domain, except the domain that Bob chose. In the third week, Alice fails to register her choice in time, and in the 4th week Joe chooses a domain. However Alice can still choose any domain in that 4th week (though she cannot choose the domains that Bob, Greg or Joe have chosen) etc.




Not for Profit


Emily and I did not create Santosha as a business to make money. The company is really just a convenient legal structure that allows our beautiful community to come into being.


Ours will be the first deposit, paying to set up the company, get estimates on the housing costs etc. When it comes time to purchase the land, Emily and I will be paying the same amount as everyone else. It doesn't make sense to extend to yourself special privileges in a community like this, only to incur the resentment of your neighbours. However, I don't believe in martyrdom either. 

I do believe in fair compensation for work. As anyone can imagine, creating a community that will be the future home to 28 families is a large undertaking requiring many different skills. At the time of writing this, Emily and I have contributed a combined total of more than 200 hours. For our time, we will receive an hourly rate, the market average for someone doing this kind of work in a not-for-profit organisation. 


We have kept records for all of our hours, the nature of the work we did and the dates of that work. Everything is designed to be completely transparent. For anyone interested, we can make this information available during the dialogue process (There will be more information on the 'dialogue process' in our next note '(8) Promoting Peaceful Coexistence within the Community').


There will be two permanent positions within the company. One of these will be the book-keeper. This person is like the accountant for the community, keeping track of the community funds and making payments when necessary (council rates etc). Emily has been trained in how to run a business and will be in this position. Again, transparency is the name of the game. All books will be open for inspection by all members of the community. 


I will be filling the other position in the company, the 'Hired Hand'. This position is responsible for liaising between the community and the council, or other bodies. Essentially, this position carries out the decisions made by the shareholders of the company. 


It makes sense in the short term for me to fill this position, as I am familiar with all of the details of Santosha. Having said that, as we stated in our note '(2) The Process' Emily and I never set out to create a domain community. Our intention was to live on a domain, surrounded by beautiful neighbours, plant a garden and start a family. Had we been able to join an existing community, we would have. As there was no community in W.A that suited our needs, we recognised that we needed to create one. 


I sincerely hope that the position of 'Hired Hand' is one that can be rotated among community members in the future as a way for people to give back to the community. Once we are already established, there should be considerably less work to do and perhaps people can volunteer for the role, or be elected by the shareholders for a period of time. 




Buying/Selling


Anastasia states that one does not take a domain as an investment property or a holiday home. You establish a domain with the intention of living there and eventually passing the land on to your descendants. 


We hope that everyone who takes a domain will be able to live out their lives on their land. We must be prepared for the bottom line though. What if someone, for whatever reason, needs to sell their shares (along with their domain)?


In the contracts people will be signing before they can purchase shares, there will be very strict conditions that govern the buying and selling of these shares. First, the shares must be offered to the company first. From the time of this offer, the company has one year to buy the shares. If, after one year (or earlier if the shareholders of the company decide) the company has not bought the shares, the owner is free to sell the shares to whomever he wishes. 


Furthermore, the price of the shares will be fixed at their original purchase price, adjusted for inflation by the gold/silver index. In the case that someone needs to sell their shares, they receive the just return of how much they invested. After the company has bought the shares, they are free to sell them on at whatever price they wish, or keep the land as community land. This allows the company to decide who can join the community, ensuring that only like minded individuals sign on. 



This information gives the basic idea of the legal structure of the community. For those serious about joining the community, by making a deposit and securing your place you will have access to the contracts and the company documents for review. Then you can really examine the specifics and feel safe that your rights have legal protection. Then you can busy yourself with those things that are really important. Co creation and joy from its contemplation :) 


 If we really listen to our hearts, together, we ought to go from simply talking about spirituality to its material embodiment. One hectare is but a tiny dot on the face of our planet Earth. But millions of these dots will transform the whole planet into a flourishing garden. Trillions of flower petals, along with the happy smiles of children and oldsters will tell the Universe that the people of the Earth are ready for a grand co-creation.


 - The New Civilisation (book 8.1)