The Eco-Villages of Damanhur

By Larry Morningstar

“The hatred of thousands is offset
by the light of one loving heart.” -Gandhi

The Federation of Damanhur was founded in Italy in 1975 when a group of researchers who had gathered around the philosopher and healer Oberto Airaudi decided to create a new kind of society in which spirituality could be applied to everyday life, where the growth of diversity is encouraged, and the uniqueness of every individual is valued. With each person’s talents, whatever they may be, honored and included, they succeeded in creating a complex and holistic society that would normally be considered impossible. Damanhur, an eco-society consisting of a federation of communities and eco-villages with a continuously evolving social and political structure and known world-wide as a center for spiritual, artistic, and social research, has the following goals:

• The liberation and reawakening of the human beingas a divine, spiritual, and material principle.

• The creation of a model of a self-sustaining way of life based upon ethical principles, communal living, and love.

• The integration of—and harmonic collaboration with—all the Forces linked to the evolution of Humanity.

A member of GEN (Global Eco-villages Network) Europe since 1998, Damanhur is an NGO made up of communities and research centers whose main objective is to sustain and encourage the evolution of sustainable settlements around the world. GEN has been recognized by the United Nations as a consultative member of the ECOSOC Commission and in 2005 the Federation of Damanhur was honored by the UN as a model of sustainable society. In 2007 Damanhur hosted the International Communal Studies Association’s (ICSA) worldwide conference.

The Federation of Damanhur, which comprises 20 communities each with approximately thirty members, has more than 400 supporters living in the surrounding valleys who regularly participate in Damanhurian activities. Community life encourages the creation of a social model based upon solidarity, volunteering, respect for others, environmental protection, and the sharing of spiritual and ethical values.

Encompassing more than 500 hectares in Valchiusella—a picturesque valley in northern Italy— the Federation includes woodland, gardens, over a hundred private homes, artistic studios, artisan workshops, companies and factories. Damanhur, with centers in other parts of Europe and in Japan, collaborates with spiritual groups and communities all over the world.

Because education is considered to be an extremely important component of Damanhurian life it has its own schools—from nursery to middle school level—and constant care and attention is paid to the educational curriculum. There is also an active interchange of information with other scholastic institutions.

To facilitate the exchange of information within the community, Damanhur publishes an internal daily newspaper and also provides a quarterly magazine which offers news of events and current projects to friends worldwide. Damanhur has its own publishing house and an Open University which offers courses and experiential training to researchers from all over the world. It also has a Constitution and its own complementary currency system.

The objectives of Damanhur are directed toward the planet, to opening a new social pathway that is clear and honest which can be followed by others. The basic ingredients of the Damanhurian formula are:

• Strong ideals based on a spiritual philosophy.

• Freedom from dogma.

• The reawakening of one’s divine nature.

• The harmonious participation in the physical and spiritual ecosystem of which we are all a part.

• Ongoing research.

• Art as a form of prayer.

• The expression of individual potential.

Damanhur’s Temples of Humankind, an awe inspiring underground complex constructed completely by hand by its members over the last thirty years, are dedicated to the union of the divine forces of all the peoples of the Earth, each with its own diversity directed toward a single central source: The celebration of the divine inside every human being. Akin to a vast library of ancient texts, they tell the story of the knowledge of the ages and embody a message of hope for the planet, transmitted through artistic creativity. The Temples—and Damanhur itself—are a wondrous inspiration for humanity, demonstrating that a small group of people animated by grand ideals can produce amazing, almost unbelievable, results.

For more information, read Damanhur, Temples of Humankind, by Esperide Ananas (CoSM Press, 2006) or visit www.Damanhur.org and www.cosm.org/damanhuraa.htm.

Ambassadors from Damanhur will be in Ashland, Oregon October 15-17 offering presentations, classes, a community potluck and private sessions. Contact Larry Morningstar at DamanhurAshland@gmail.com or (541) 201-8787.

Larry Morningstar, a resident of Ashland, Oregon, has resided in this bio-region for over thirty years. A product of the ‘60s, he’s a father and a grandfather, and has worked for peace and eco and sustainability issues since the days of the war in Vietnam.

October/November 2007

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