Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: Groundblessing

[PattyMara (PattyMara]

At Tierra Nueva, on the central California coast near San Luis Obispo, we had
a couple of groundblessings.  While planning we discovered that we had both
the need for a more private celebration, with the members and their extended
families attending, as well as a need to go public, inviting the dignitaries
and the press.

For the private blessing all of our local families, and some of the out of
town members gathered at the common house site.   We spread out musical
instruments, mostly percussion in the center of the circle.  Everyone was
encouraged to choose a rattle or drum or flute or whatever.  We even had pots
and pan lids to clang together.  Then we began to make a joyful noise.  The
intention was to honor the land and the trees (some of which would be cut down
soon, some of these would be harvested for lumber) and the ancestors of the
land.  Then we did a slow procession making music/noise around the perimeters
of the 5 acre site, with the intention of shaking out any negative energy from
the past (years and years of surrounding neighbors squabbling with one
another) and welcoming a new harmony into the land.

Then we had a potluck picnic, which are legendary.  The closing part of the
ceremony was for each family or homeowner to go to their chosen homesites, dig
a bucket or bowlful of earth and carry it to the common house site at the
heart of the land.  We dug a little depression into the earth, sang some songs
like "Inch by Inch Row by Row, Gonna Help this Garden Grow. . ."  and then
each family dumped their homesoil into the hole as a symbol of the common
house being the heart of the community, the connective tissue of our families.
As each family poured their dirt they contributed a poem, a joke, a song or a
gift.  One of the gifts was bags of avocado fertilizer to put around the trees
that will be surrounding all of our homes.

THEN, a couple of weeks or so later we had a public celebration, invited all
our professionals, local dignitaries, neighbors and the press, plus all of our
local mailing list of interested folk (all those years of earth day booths,
gathering names and numbers) and our families and friends.  We hired our two
17 year old teens to "cater the food" and brought in lots of champagne and
sparkling cider.  We rented tables and linens and a stage.  The food was
elegant, garden party-like and very very beautifully presented.  And devoured.

The program was simple.  We first honored our kids.  Brought them all  up on
stage and told them how much we appreciated their patience with all of the
meetings we have had to attend over the long haul...and gave them each a road
trip party (the younger ones got tickets to our wonderful local children's
discovery museum-directed by a member) and the older ones got a trip to the
Santa Cruz boardwalk.  

Then we gave out Keys to the Community to those folks who really helped up
along the way--either with encouragement, professional consultation,
financing, as well as our neighboring community and old friends. The keys were
embedded in a hand made ceramic tile.  

Then we unveiled our beautiful mosaic tile cornerstone for the common house,
raised our glasses high and toasted to the health and happiness of our
community.  

Everyone hung out for a long time, eating, drinking, looking at blueprints etc
and having a good time visiting.  It was a delicious success.  The local paper
printed a cover story with pictures and we all had a blast.

I suggest that your groundbreaking ceremony be your own recipe--one that
incorporates your members' rhythms and cultural roots.  Rule of thumb for a
good ceremony is to include every age group, appreciate all the contributions
and provide ritual elements that weave them all together.  Stay simple and
heartfelt.  

Our group has a lot of families, artists, musicians--so our ceremony reflected
these aspects.  Yours should reflect yours.

Good luck and have a good time!

Patty Mara Gourley
Tierra Nueva, where almost half of  the houses are framed and windows and roof
tiles are on the common house.  I'm off right now to help bolt in the
cornerstone so the stucco-ing can begin.