lama foundation 1

''the purpose of the lama foundation is to be a sustainable spiritual community 

and educational center dedicated to the awakening of consciousness, 

spiritual practice with respect for all traditions, service and stewardship of the land.''

this is the mission statement of the lama foundation.

the dome

dome window

dome up

mom and aaron(old kitchen behind)

the new kitchen building

lama and view

i have heard about the lama foundation for years and have always wanted to visit.  lama was founded in 1967 and is one of the first intentional communities in america.  in the 1970' it evolved to become a place where teachers from all traditions/religions/spiritualities can come to teach and share their knowledge. the center is located about 20 miles north of taos new mexico and is roughly around 110 acres of land up on a mountainside at about 8600 feet.  the views are amazing! we were only there for two days and one night and it was cloudy most of the time but it did clear a bit so i could get a few photos of the view.

there was a forest fire in 1996 which took out most of the original buildings but the foundation has worked hard to restore the lands and build new buildings to accommodate the people who live here all year round and the summer retreat goers.  

more view

solar panals

the library

old burned tree snag

the hermitage

all of lama's electricity is solar powered and there are solar showers.  there are many green houses where food grows.  there is not one center person who is the boss or who runs the show here.  there are a group of usually around 12 people who choose to live here in community all year, these are the ''residents'' and they take care of the land and organize the retreats and facilitate the organizational side of things as well as carry the spiritual focus of the land/community.  there is a position called ''the watch'' which rotates every two weeks where one resident takes on the role of over-seer of all affairs of the community. this is how they operate without having a boss or main teacher who has control of everything.  it is a wonderful way to govern an intentional community, the flare of the place changes with every change of ''the watch''. there are also daily meetings where things are voted on and decided on with consensus. every day the residents meditate together and every friday they offer shabbat. in the summer the ''summer stewards'' arrive to help with the retreats.  they join the residents in taking care of the people who come to this beautiful place for different spiritual workshops and retreats,  permaculture seminars and gatherings.  in the summer sometimes the numbers swell to 100 or more.  

the bathhouse

sink circle

green house

music is made here

food is made here

friends in the round kitchen

well organized spices

green house

samuel l. lewis, a sufi teacher and the man who developed the ''dances of universal peace'',  circle dances  respecting and honoring all traditions/religions/spiritualities is buried up on the mountain over looking lama as well as murshida vera another sufi teacher.  this is a beautiful place to sit and reflect on the oneness of all things and all beliefs.  

here lies sufi sam

a peaceful place

here lies murshida vera

of all the communities we have visited so far, lama foundation feels the closest to home for me.  the friends who live here are welcoming and sweet.  the spirit that i felt as i entered the circle of open hearts was familiar to me and i at once decided that i want to come back to this place and spend more time.  i am coming back here from the 21st to the 27th of may and join in the first retreat/workshop of the summer.  ''community camp'' is a time for people to come help the residents get the land, the buildings and the gardens ready for the summer program.  

going in coming out