Sirius Intentional Community
Last Updated On: enero 6th, 2022 at 10:25AM MST
Contact information
Farm Address:72 Baker Rd
Shutesbury, Massachusetts, 01072
Primary Contact: Llani Davidson
Secondary Contact: Linda Reimer
Primary Phone:
Type: Cell
Number: 413-230-4905
Email: lan119@hotmail.com
Secondary Phone
Type: -----
Number: 413-259-1251
Email: info@siriuscommunity.org
Email: info@siriuscommunity.org
Website: http://www.siriuscommunity.org
Internship information
General Farm Description: Sirius Community, founded in 1978 by former members of the Findhorn Community in Scotland, is a spiritual intentional community located in the foothills on 90 acres of land in western Massachusetts. We are a non-profit educational center with a fourfold purpose as an intentional community, a conference center, an aspiring eco-village and a place for spiritual growth and development. We practice organic gardening, natural building, attunement to nature and meditation in our daily lives in hopes of living more lightly on the planet. We host conferences, workshops and intern programs year round. The community of about 25 people ranging in age from 4 to 75, is made up of individuals and families whom all live on the land and participate in decisions, shared meals, work and play. We had a great intern season in the last few years and would love to have more participants starting in early April 2022. . We are now accepting interested applicants who can arrive in the spring beginning in April. Ideally participants would stay for several months with some options for staying then entire growing season April-November. If you go to our website, don't be alarmed that is says we are closed due to covid. We are still hosting interns, just not other shorter term guest programs. If you are interested, I am now taking serious inquiries for the 2022 season. Thank you!CRAFT Member Farm? No
Internship Starts: April 1st 2021
Internship Ends: Decemeber 1st 2021
Number of Internship Available: 6
Application Deadline: Rolling until filled
Minimum Length of Stay: Usually about three months. Its flexible with some people staying the entire season.
Internship Details:
The garden itself is about two acres including two orchards and some fruit production. We do all our work without tractors in a raised bed system using the principles of permaculture, attunement to nature, companion planting and biointensive agriculture. The garden has been in production for 42 years and supplies food for the community kitchen and the surrounding neighborhood. In the garden, interns help us plant, water, weed harvest and eat our amazing produce. They get a taste for community living, learn new skills and often grow internally gaining new insights about themselves and their life goals.
Volunteers also help with some of our other projects which in 2022 may include using natural building to reconstruct one of our buildings, making firewood, cutting lumber on our saw mill, potentially erecting our 10 kw wind generator, learning the basics of our wood working shop and power tools, driving the tractor and helping with any other task that may arise.
The intern volunteers work Tuesday-Saturday midday with the rest of the time off. Our main goal is education and we offer a once a week sit down class along with a check in, plus regular hands on teaching sessions each day as we go about our work. Some the the topics include: introduction to permaculture, how to gardening, food preservation, green and natural building, biodynamics, herb processing. community living, spiritual growth etc.
Volunteers also interact with community members and participate in community life. We have a sauna on the land, a small swimming pond and our own system of hiking trails.
The surrounding area is also college town with many places for outdoor recreation. We have hiking trails, many swimming holes, canoeing and mountain bike trails.
The valley also has a thriving food culture with local CSAs, farm tourism and festivals. The college culture provides a late-night scene with restaurants, local music, dancing and open mike nights.
We love working with young people and helping to develop their skill set. People will realize they are way more capable than they give themselves credit for. I love teaching carpentry as we create something both functional and beautiful. Participants connect with using thier bodies and getting thier hands in the soil. They learn how to properly use tools, make lumber, gain some proficiency and permaculture and organics and have exposure to skills and techniques they might not know existed.
They get a taste for the promise and knowledge of permaculture and community.
We also have 90 acres of land which includes forest, community, passive solar buildings, a swim pond and the ability to be in a beatiful place. It creates time to get back to some basics, abd take stock of one’s life in a safe environment surrounded by nature.
I love talking with pepole, hearing thier life stories and give a listening ear to what inspires them and where they are headed in their life journey.
Please browse our website for more information. Thanks!
Educational Opportunities: Yes. See the description above. Our main goal is education and to have you walk away with a new set of skills in carpentry, organic food growing, permaculture non violent communication, mediation, group process and your own life goals.
Skills Desired: While some gardening and carpentry skills are useful, we tend to gear our programs towards beginners and curious learners. If you are a curious, don't mind getting dirty and willing to work and learn, you may be a good fit. We take the time to educate you and explain as we go. If you do have more skills, this is also great as we can give you positions of leadership to help the newest beginners and even perhaps offer your own classes to others.
Meals: We provide a basic organic vegetarian diet using much of the food that we grow and accommodate most dietary concerns . Some meals are on a shared community cooking schedule, while on your free days, you have access to all the food provided. Our commercial kitchen is certified vegetarian and we do not offer meat to interns, There is a small separate location to cook meat at your own expense on your own time.
Stipend: Not at this time.
Housing: Yes! We offer a few private rooms, plus a small shared dorm, access to our community center kitchen and conference hall, a sauna pizza oven 90 acres of trails and a separate cob house for use, If someone so chooses, there is a lot of room for tenting. We hope that you learn interact and integrate with the long term community members.
Preferred method of Contact: Email