Casa De Paz

Students from the Woolman School visit Canticle Farm.

It's a community within the city of Oakland and it resides at the Canticle Farm. Canticle Farm is located in an area of eastern Oakland where a majority of residents are low-income, marginalized, and disenfranchised. This little community in the bigger city brings a lifestyle of nonviolence and hope among neighbors who have seen the worst of urban despair. It is a lifestyle of sustainability, supporting life, within a post-industrial world.

Imagine a place where the front door is always open, that is, 24/7. It's a welcome mat to the community, also primarily Latino, that surrounds it. CASA DE PAZ models its daily schedule on that of a Santa Clara family, which has been pursuing the same lifestyle for more than 15 years. The lives of the members of Casa De Paz includes vegan meals, daily meditation, no type of intoxicants, and community service.



Part of that community service is accomplished on Friday, which they call "Wednesdays on Fridays". Participants from the community don't have to bring anything and there is no charge. There is an hour of complete silence, followed by a short reading, and then a vegan meal offered in silence. Those who wish can stay for discussion about the pursuit of life sustainability amidst the slowing of industrialization.

Yes, this community has a website. There is room for readers to connect with some sixty other communities throughout the world. You can experience the readings, since they are posted online, and you can interact with this community on Saturdays, interacting with a designated speaker through Awakin Calls. In a sense, technology has extended this community from its physical site to connections around the world. This community also provides enough information that you can host your own Awakin Circle, based on their "Wednesday on Fridays" gatherings. Always within this community are messages of life affirmation, positive engagement, and wisdom.

Peace Pole at Casa De Paz.

Life at Casa De Paz also consists of giving back. There is gardening work at the farm community; volunteering at Karma Kitchen, a meal it forward kitchen; and engaging in nonviolent protest. Of course, Casa De Paz has everyday living expenses, and the members of the community receive monetary contributions to keep their community in existence. It's not a lifestyle for everyone, but for those who partake of it, it is life-sustaining.

Casa De Paz

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/casa-de-paz/; and this article from Daily Good: http://www.dailygood.org/view.php?sid=127.

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