Maitereya's Blog

This is going to be a mini series about my trips to communes. I’m not too sure what direction to take this blog so I am experimenting with different ideas. Feedback is appreciated.

The first commune I went to was called Enota. Some Indian name, they had a scary looking sign with an Indian on it at the entrance to the park. I found it on the internet. It sounded cool and at the time I needed to experience something extrodinary.

I had just finished reading ‘On the Road’ for my second time, I was inspired. It sounded like a lovely fantasy to travel around, hitchhiking and meeting girls. Little did I know it wasn’t going to be the fun fantasy.

This was my first expedition. I was 18. I had never left home, I cried when I got on the bus. I was hung over as hell, and had to ride a Greyhound bus for the next 24 hours to get to my destination. I barley slept.

I wold my mom I would get a taxi when I got there. I believed my own lie. When I got to the middle of nowhere town it was Sunday. The bus stop was closed. No phone book, no taxi. I was so damn tired.

I start walking down the road with my backpack and suitcase. I was miserable. A truck pulled into the little strip mall and offered me a ride, I took it. We talked and he advised me to “stick my thumb out”. I took his advise. It was what I wanted to do anyways, but could’nt find my balls.

I got a string of rides to my destination. One was a sheriff, I think he felt bad for me. I hitchhiked roughly 50 miles in 5 hours through beautiful northern Georgia. I had made it to Enota in one piece.

Im not sure what to expect when I get there. I just hope there’s a bed and shower. I get the tour, get pointed to my bunk and fall asleep. I must have slept 15 hours that first night.

The property is beautiful. Its in a small valley and has several waterfalls, one over 400 feet high. It’s run as a campground slash rv park. I got there in spring, before the tourist season. There are about 10 or 15 people that are living and working there. Basically you work a few hours (5-8) each day and get room and board.

The first few days are a blurr now. It was so long ago. There is a young couple my age. The girl is pregnant and the guy is a ruccus. He and I dodge work, drive all over Georgia and get into trouble. I went there trying not to get involved in this kind of mayhem but I’m just drawn to it. He enjoys remote control boats and buys one on his step dads credit card. This person lacks emotional inteligence and his pregnant girlfriend is moody. It wasn’t long before I had to distance myself from them.

Luckily there’s a good lookin chicklet there and I spend time with her. She has been there for 4 months.

There is a rule sheet when I first arrived. One of the rules is no flirting. I forget exactly how it was worded but thats basically it. The leader, Swan, was trying to control sex. Classic cult move. I wasn’t having any of it.I would pursue the girl in my off time, sometimes Swan would be there to break it up. Sometimes not.

By the end of the week I was enjoying myself and getting used to the way things worked. On the first day I taked to a guy who had been there a week. He told me that most people don’t stay there for over a week. I wasn’t sure how to take this. What was wrong with this place? Why wouldn’t anyone stay here?

He left a few days later. There is a mom dad and 2 young boys who leave a few days later. An old lady who has been there for a while left a few days later. The chicklet left a few days later. I left a few days later.

Sometimes I feel like I am a catalyst for change. I also realize change is always happening, I can’t get my ego involved in the way things are. Enota was about to change.

part 2 coming soon

I was thinking about death this morning and what it means to me. There are some fundamental ideas behind it. That I want to fully understand and reiterate with whoever may be reading this. Death for many people is a hard thing to deal with and it is often met with sadness and tears. I try to understand it for what it is and see it on a different level.

The biggest one is that death is going to happen. We will all die, its going to happen. We were born to die, just accept it. I find that people are running around all day oblivious to their impending doom. I often do it and I see people doing it constantly. I’m not saying dwell on death or stay inside and hide. What I want to get across it to acknowledge the fact.

I said that acknowledging death is the biggest one. Lets just say these are equal in magnitude. The second point is that this plane of existence isn’t the real. Bodies, cars, computers and material things are impermanent. What we are experiencing now is but one level of reality and it is taken for the whole of reality more often than not. Its like a dream. One day we are going to wake up (death) and say “Wow I just had this crazy dream there were all these people in it. There were machines that would take me wherever I want. These beautiful flowers and trees were everywhere.” Just like we woke up from a dream this morning, one day we will wake up from this dream of life.

I read several blogs about minimalism. One of these blogs raised the question of whether minimalism is just an ego race (I have less than you, na na na na boo boo) or actually helping better ones self.

The whole minimalism thing is an interesting one. Getting rid of everything we own is one thing but is that really it? Is it satisfying not having stuff clutter up our life? Do you find yourself saying ‘I have less than Everette Bogue‘?

A cluttered self is worse than a cluttered apartment. We can live with 50 things, that’s the easy part. But to have control over ones own thoughts, now that’s the real issue.

Having few possessions is helpful in finding some sort of peace, but is not necessary. Someone living in a mcmansion can have all sorts of material junk and be at complete peace of mind. At the other end of the spectrum, someone can own 10 things and be in mental turmoil.

Minimalism is for everyone. Maybe you cannot get rid of everything you physically own, that’s okay. Minimalism about getting rid of everything that is wearing us down mentally.

Im reading a book called ‘The Artist’s Way’ and it has sparked some spiritual insight that I’d like to share. There was also a Ted talk

What these have in common is how creativity is a spiritual endeavor. It is not me who is creating something, it is creation itself. Its a feeling you get when things just happen and its brilliant.

Now I would like to take it one step further. I cook meals almost every day, I can bring that same creative universal energy into my cooking. It can be brought into anything and everything.

Some would say its a form of walking meditation.

Bringing this energy into everything we do has a definite effect on our lives. It makes the day brighter and seemingly limitless; what am I saying? It is limitless.

It seems the basic way to uncover this energy is to go create something. Anything you like or have wanted to try. Something as simple as drawing a picture. While doing the creative work dont take credit for it. Say to yourself, “If this is great its not my doing, If this sucks its not my doing.”

This being my first post on wordpress, I would like to discuss setting goals. I have been reading on this subject lately and its struck a chord with me. We all have goals and sometimes it is hard to achieve them.

The first thing is to decide what to focus on. Sure there are a million things to do in the world, but we have to remain focused on just a few of them. If we try to achieve a million things at once its chaos and stress and with that stress nothing gets done.

So decide on a few goals. Mine will be; yoga, developing this blog, relationships and personal development.

I wouldn’t try to do more than four or five goals. There are only so many hours in the day. Daily chores and work obligations can take up vast amounts of time. There are 168 hours in a week, use them wisely.

Id like to elaborate on my goals. First with yoga, id like it to involve everything yoga. Not just the cliche postures, but meditation, mindfulness and reading scripture. I would also like to develop much of this blog around some sort of spiritual ideal and personal development.