"Community" Collections End of Year Sale!

Well, the end of 2024 is almost here ... and here we still are as well. :) Kudos to us all, since thriving in such transitionary times is no small feat!

In celebration, e-editions of both fiction & real life stories regarding the realities of doing intentional community alongside implementing collective societal change/evolution are 25% off at Smashwords from December 12, 2024 - January 1, 2025.

Enjoy!

You'll find the promo for these + a whole lot of other interesting books here: https://www.smashwords.com/shelves/promos/ beginning on December 12th.

Action: The Future Is Here

---

In this time of coming changes, long foretold, it is time, once again, to act. 

As a mixed race, modern-day, New Mexico pueblo 21-year-old, Lisel Martinez has been glad to be safely home, co-creating an odd kind of shared life with three California housemates picked up along the way when, once upon a time, she was (much less safely) trying to survive out in the larger world.

Personally, she would be content to do nothing more than keep puttering around in the ever-expanding garden out behind her ramshackle home for the rest of her life ... except Life for indians (or maybe everybody these days?) just seems to keep getting harder, even after everything her people across the nation have already been through.

A photo-illustrated, novella-length combination of fiction + contemporary/historical fact, if old-time grandmothers are correct, during times of upheaval when Earth is being reborn, it's important to act ... and Lisel's friends have come up with a once-in-a-lifetime plan to do just that.

Each e-edition of this book can be found here: https://books2read.com/u/bwrXL9

The Smashwords sale version can be acquired here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1658432

Doing Intentional Community:

Expanded 2023 Edition

---

What exactly is "intentional community?" And how does one go about co-creating it?

Are there typical hurdles to overcome?

In the Green/Sustainable Living Movement, the term "community" often means folks coming together to create some form of shared home space: from co-housing co-ops in cities, to permaculture or off-the-grid nature-based country retreats ... from separatist women's or people of color lands, to communities aimed at unplugging from the wider world's repressive "systems" as much as humanly possible.

The illustrated, creative non-fiction account DOING INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY: Expanded 2023 Edition follows building a certain type of artistic/spiritual co-home adventure on the Big Island of Hawaii from the ground up ... and how this particular, now-worldwide real sense of community continues to transform today.

Like a prismatic drop in the ocean, beyond just being a collection of individuals, global "intentional community" can also equate to entire villages, cities, and nations in the process of cultivating a common history and shared economic/political/spiritual goals. 

What is "world peace," if not that?

Each e-edition of this book can be found here: https://books2read.com/u/breABE

The Smashwords sale version can be acquired here: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1417830

Molten Mama Books

created here at Kulana Goddess/Artist Sanctuary in recent years

can be obtained via the Smashwords End of 2024 Sale here:

https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/MoltenMama

Word Magic = Ethical Wealth

Transformational Alchemy

from the Big Island of Hawaii

All e-version availabilities:

https://books2read.com/u/4DzGPA

Buy at Smashwords sale:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1609235

Messages from the Volcano

All e-version availabilities:

https://books2read.com/u/4X0qR6

Buy at Smashwords sale: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1379742

Mama Molten's Mini Memoir &/or 

Molten Mama's Transformation Tools

NOTE: the black/white PRINT edition of the "Mini Memoir" is just Molten Mama stories, whereas the E-EDITION includes this + interactive "Molten Mama Transformation Tools" as well. 

All e-version availabilities:

https://books2read.com/u/3kYxn8

Buy at Smashwords sale:

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1305421

Smashwords 25% off Sale: 

December 12, 2024 - January 1, 2025

Community Here, There, & EVERYWHERE: An Excerpt from What We've Learned

(https://www.redbubble.com/i/notebook/DREAM-A-NEW-WORLD-by-LiveVolcano/160026555.WX3NH?asc=u)

So, you know that besides exploring various in-person versions of intentional community we also co-created/compiled a book of words & images to encapsulate what we learned along the way right?

These adventures in co-creating a shared live/work/mystical environment from the early years on up through more recently were set down in the photo-illustrated "DOING INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY: Expanded 2023 Update."

In this day & age when the idea of "community" has grown to encompass kindred spirits globally via a variety of technological means, there's also significant value to be found in savoring experiences IRL (In Real Life).

Here's a little paraphrased taste from our IRL "community living" project:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/doing-intentional-community-cristina-salat/1143737977

Available in color print, ebook, + b/w paperback editions

"I am so blessed to have met you and shared so many wonderful memories, ideas, and meals. The kindness you offer and your vision here have the power to change lives and the world. I go into my next life cycle with a lovely, clear, refreshed mind and joyous, nurtured heart thanks to you and this wonderful fruit of your dream time."

Christina, teacher, painter, drama coach 

Every location has its own flavor, which will impact the kinds of experiences that can be enjoyed &/or grown from there.

Here, on the Big Island of Hawaii, there is a layer of ice that never melts on top of Mauna Kea, one of our locale's five volcanoes, which may have formed, scientists theorize, back in the Pleistocene era.

On Kilauea — the most currently active volcano — startled humans often describe the appearance of Goddess Pele as either a young, mysterious woman or older, crone-like figure who materializes into view...and then disappears in the blink of an eye; sometimes with a specific message to impart; other times not.

Mystical lights and other unexplained phenomena also occur on this island regularly.

When the "Kulana" (joy-from-within) community first birthed in this magical, mystical place, the fact that vehicle electrical systems would for no apparent reason just shut down out of the blue when driving up Saddle Road was well-known. In fact, car rental companies at that time forbid their rented vehicles from traversing this road, theoretically because back then all of it was not yet paved...(though rented cars were allowed in other areas which were also not yet paved).

Additionally, there were reports of people in cars being rocked in a way that felt different from wind gusts, and folks seeing things moved from one place to another without any human hands involved.

These days you don't hear about so many mysterious happenings on Saddle Road, though reports of Night Marcher spottings around ancient heiau sites continue.

Yes, the Big Island of Hawaii, home to much magic, is quite an interesting place to live. 

Gorgeous in many places...even "paradise" in some ways, and for some people. 

But also there are underlying realities — some mystical, some more socio-political — that most people arriving to take advantage of time in paradise don't realize.

Now, each of the Hawaiian islands has its own energy...with Kauai being the oldest, most "stable," smaller-sized island in the chain...Maui being mid-size and more developed...Molokai being tiny and the most reminiscent of what old-time Hawaii used to be (only 1 traffic light, last we heard!)...Oahu, with the city of Honolulu, being more urbane...and the Big Island being the largest and most energetically volatile location in the chain, what with being home to an active volcano & all.

How we chose to cope:

Here at our little version of "community," we instituted smoke/drug/alcohol/drama-FREE guidelines right in our first year. However, no amount of good boundaries and avoidance can really dilute the intensity of the red molten energy that's here, which may be par for the course when you choose to live on an active volcano (!).

And seeing the destructive/creative force & flow of new earth/new possibilities/new realities being born is incredible...

Beautiful to behold, but also it is an energy that's not always particularly easy to live with and be immersed in or around full-time...though that's not something which necessarily affects anyone all that much if they are just here for a few weeks of vacation.

What those of us who've spent significant time in this locale noticed is: whatever qualities, quirks, flaws, emotions, or baggage someone came to this particular island with, over time (and sometimes it did not take very long!) those qualities and emotions tended to intensify.

This meant: if you came here ready to create, your creativity was likely to EXPLODE.

I watched (& personally experienced) whole soundtracks being born in a day...!

Yet as the Founder of Kulana, I & subsequent stewards-in-my-stead also saw the qualities of procrastination, disorganization, insecurity, fear, and ineptness take hold, bringing occasional misery to the reflector of those qualities...and everyone else with whom they needed to interact.

I watched people come to this location intending to bike everywhere around an island where the elevation ranges from sea level to 14,000 feet, when they hadn't even biked around the block back where they lived...and saw them receive a rude awakening around their ability to achieve this goal.

I saw people assume they would be able to quit smoking and drinking alcohol instantaneously, just because they chose to arrange time at a sacred substance-use-free space...and fail to do so.

I read with disbelief hastily scrawled notes from people in whom much time had been invested, as they darted off to what seemed to them a better or easier opportunity...without honoring their commitments...without even saying goodbye.

I watched people with no financial resources arrive in a locale where things likely cost more than where they'd come from, assuming somehow money, food, transportation & whatever else they might need would just magically appear...or that someone else out of the various nice people they'd just met would be willing to pick up their costs.

I consoled those who chose to get on a bus without bothering to look at a bus schedule...which, at that time, offered island-style service infrequently enough that this person wound up having to walk many angry miles back to the sanctuary.

I listened to people whose rich histories of relationships-gone-wrong were immediately followed by a wish to exercise their kundalini prowess and join forces with a next new beloved here in the tropics, where surely (they believed) things would work out differently. 

Then again, I also witnessed publishable novels taking shape in a year...

And the putting together of enough new paintings for a longed-for professional gallery show within a concentrated stretch of only six weeks.

And witnessed impossible-seeming problems, healed.

"Yeah!! Kulana Joy Within!! Thank you for your giving heart and your kindness. Kulana was perfect for me at just the perfect time. It's been a time of learning, great creativity, spiritual learning, and healing. I have always wanted to come here and here I am! Kulana will always be in my heart."

Michelle, playwrite, comic, teacher 

Want to hear more about our adventures firsthand?

Read: "DOING INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY: Expanded 2023 Update"

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/doing-intentional-community-cristina-salat/1143737977

(Available in color print, ebook, + b/w paperback editions)

OR

— especially if you happen to be forming

some sort of community

or mini-retreat center yourself — 

reach out to connect directly

with Kulana's original Founder

via the SIDEBAR BUTTON on this site! :)

(How connecting this way works: Signing up is quick, free, & you only have to do it once. Then we can chat for as briefly or as long as you like anytime that's available. $5 credit applied to first-timers. Charges only apply once chat begins.)

 

Art Gifting Across a Sister Continent!

 

Mama Molten Orgonites

Made right here at Kulana Artist/Goddess Sanctuary in recent years...

resonate, reverberate, & rumble forth across Australia!

In the spirit of the painted stone "movement" that's been rippling across Planet Earth -- with the idea of spreading a little extra soul-nourishing joy + person-to-person kindness during what some may call uncertain but we define as "mighty expansive" times -- one Ozzie woman is gifting made-at-Kulana-on-Pele's-Home-Island Mama Molten Orgonite pieces, one-by-one, to intuitive friends plus whatever lucky strangers happen to find one tucked somewhere outside in her neck of the woods.

Here are a few videos provided:

To learn more about &/or obtain our orgonites, go here:

https://kulanagoddesssanctuary.blogspot.com/p/our-spiritual-adventures-expand.html

Orgonites featured on this page were made by Mama Molten

on the volcanic Big Island of Hawaii.

Imagery + videos appearing on this page are courtesy of Danni T of Australia.

All Rights Reserved.

Guess What? Our DOING INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY book is...out! :D

  

Ever wonder how artist retreats, spiritual healing centers, and intentional communities are born?

Why they fail?

How some survive & thrive?

The primary questions we always hear at Kulana Artist/Goddess Sanctuary are: HOW did you originally DO it...& what's happening at Kulana NOW?

Can you imagine how spending pivotal holidays & building something from the ground on up with strangers might wind up transforming your life?

Some eras were blissful; others...not so much!

This new 2023 Expanded Edition of our book on community is part personal stories, part how-to manual, with lots of pix from our various incarnations. Join us for the adventure! :)

In terms of what's happening at Kulana now, in brief, these days we are prioritizing holding a stable center during Earth's rockin' & rollin' times, with an expanded focus on doing our part towards co-creating World Peace. This means worldwide community interactions are taking precedence over (i.e. somewhat replacing) the facilitation of in-person visitors here at the home space.

At least for now.

Therefore, the easiest way one can learn about what we've been up to -- & what we're up to now -- is by checking out what we put lots of good mana into sharing via the recently released book:

* DOING INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY: Expanded 2023 Edition

https://www.lulu.com/shop/cristina-salat/doing-intentional-community-color/paperback/product-qrjv8p.html

https://books2read.com/u/breABE

where all kinds of questions are answered in photo-illustrated depth. ;)

Part true life stories, part Operations Manual on how to create sustainable, "drama-free" community in this day & age (which, as anyone who has ever lived in intentional community for any lengthy of time can tell you, is no small feat!), the volume is available in color hardcover, paperback, & e-editions, + b/w trade paperback.

What a fun — & somewhat breathtaking! — stroll down memory lane.

It -- along with the other books that Kulana's Founder & friends have been busily seeding into the world -- are the best way to catch up on all our adventures co-creating & living "Intentional Community" throughout the years, including how we handled money, magic, love, forgiveness, being 'pono' with integrity here in Hawaii, etc.

But here's a quick disclaimer for anyone hoping that this community-related material will be a juicy tell-all that names names: it won't.

In respect for people's privacy, we delve into the overall dilemmas + lessons explored throughout Kulana's eras of "doing community," rather than churning through specific interpersonal moments.

For readers who might LIKE a more explicit look at precisely how relational conundrums can & do unfold...how they sometimes take hold...and sometimes can even explode within intentional communities of one kind or another, those sorts of stories can be found within the 'Gathering The Dreamcatchers' series of companion fiction instead. Most specifically:

* Paradise Found (https://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Found-Gathering-Dreamcatchers-Novel-ebook/dp/B07DS7FGVZ/), a novel about folks trying to create a truer sense of home & community, while endeavoring to change the world & navigate friendship, love, sexuality, personal growth, + the challenges Fate can throw everyone's way...(can you relate?!) ;)

along with the books that directly precede & succeed that novel:

* Esoterica

https://www.amazon.com/Esoterica-Gathering-Dreamcatchers-Book-3-ebook/dp/B01HUJFFL2

* Action: The Future Is Here

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/action-cristina-salat/1142656388

. 

* Living In Light

https://www.lulu.com/shop/cristina-salat/living-in-light/paperback/product-kz4y7v.html

https://books2read.com/u/3yWWYJ

(As we're sure anyone can guess, it is much kinder to examine detailed real & imagined intricacies of potential complications, choices, + human/community mistakes in the guise of carefully crafted fiction, rather than within a non-fiction volume of personal reminiscences/operational 'how to's'!)

Feel free to reach out with thoughts about what resonates with -- or is different from -- your own community experiences.

We love comparing notes!

Sample Kulana visitor comment:

"A refuge of sanity. Swedish fish & board games & extension ladders & mile markers & bananas & turtles...the American experiment continues." Bef & Jen, writers, students

Meanwhile, other books have also been whirling their way out into the world from this magical location from our mystery school co-creators that anyone particularly interested in what life, in general, is like on the active Big Island of Hawaii volcano &/or those working with our orgonites might find useful include Molten Mama's recently published:

* MESSAGES FROM THE VOLCANO

More an experience, a portal, an invitation into Sacred Space with a friend than a "book," this creation aims at energetically hitching one's stars to the divine energies currently afoot: 

https://www.lulu.com/shop/molten-mama/messages-from-the-volcano/hardcover/product-9ykyp4

https://books2read.com/u/4X0qR6

In closing this post, let's be grateful that a fact of Life here on Planet Earth at this time is: whatever people support is what continues to exist.

And what thrives!

So thanks very much for your interest over the years...for the monetary expressions of appreciation via our Paypal donations button in the sidebar...& for all sorts of other types of support from those who have spent time here at Kulana, as well as those who have not.

Your care is tremendously appreciated.

Warmest aloha blessings to all!