Hi there Rabbit-fans! My name is Thumbs, and I’m an ecovillage nomad who has been traveling as a representative of the Global Ecovillage Network (NextGENNA), weaving together the North American ecovillage movement for the last 4 years. I first visited Dancing Rabbit in 2017 to help with a cob building project, and I’ve been riding my inspiration from that experience to this day!  

 Our latest project at NextGENNA is a podcast series on “Healing in Community.” Under this title we are exploring the four pillars of community (ecological, social, economics & worldview) and how healing presents itself in each. Since Dancing Rabbit has been around for over 20 years, I was sure to find wisdom on these topics amongst the membership there. My podcast interviews with DR members Hassan Hall and Alannah Tomich went far beyond my expectations and are a timeless gift I’m glad to share with you.  

“What is true for me right now, that’s what I’ve got to do.” - Hassan Hall  

Recording this interview with Hassan was a special treat for me because he has been a guiding light on my journey to find community. I left home on a multi-year journey of my own to find my place in community, not sure of how or where I’d fit in, but sure that community is where I belonged. Along this journey I could feel where the gifts I had to offer were welcome, and where the gifts I yearned to give weren’t eagerly received.  

Hassan Hall, who has been a member of Dancing Rabbit for about 8 years, has also performed this dance within the ballroom of community. In this interview he shares what has helped him listen to his heart, and act from a place of choice and not burden. He also shares his guidance on how to hold your passions and beliefs up, while still collaborating with others whose views may be in tension with yours. Finally, his beautiful perspective on how to facilitate a work party in which “every microbe in the prairie consents” will be sage advice for your next community project!

“Awareness practices can help us have myriad positive impacts.” - Alannah Tomich 

I first met Alannah Tomich when she was flying above in the blue skies above The Farm community Tennessee (acroyoga 😉). She reached out to me for this podcast, eager to share about the Fertility Awareness Method (FAM); an ancient yet modern, traditional yet controversial, effective yet marginalized art of tracking the female cycle for intentionally planning or preventing conception. The podcast interview with Alannah was a wonderful journey starting with a FAM 101 course and reaching a crescendo for me when we mused on using this to rewrite the rules of patriarchy. 

 Luckily, if you enjoyed the conversation with Alannah, she is a full spectrum doula and eager to hold your hand while walking down the pathways to understanding feminine cycles. Contact her at [email protected] to continue the conversation. 

Are you ready to take your next step on the ecovillage journey? The team at Global Ecovillage Network North America is hosting a holistic online ecovillage education series from June 13th-27th. Over the course of these two weeks NextGENNA will have an array of workshops addressing a wide range of topics that cover everything from founding an ecovillage, to NVC, grief, sustainable building, indigenous healing, and more. Join us and take your next step on the ecovillage journey!

~Thumbs
Abundance Manifestor at NextGENNA