It seems everyone these days is flocking to the quartz-mountained, “high-vibrational vortex” of the Asheville, NC area and something’s been drawing us too, to these Smoky Mountains. They’re said to be the third oldest mountains in the world and unlike many mountain ranges that are still “growing”, these are the elders of the world and have softer edges as they imperceptibly recede, tho their power and potency seem to be growing. There’s wisdom here.

Do you know why they’re called the Smoky Mountains? The Cherokee, who knew these mountains to be sacred, called them Shaconage, meaning the “place of the blue smoke”. Scientific explanation… the “smoke” is fog rising from the VOCs that the millions of trees and plants here “exhale”, and these vapor molecules scatter blue light from the sky, ergo “blue smoke”. The unique combination of lots of rainfall (being one of the most diverse rain forests in the world), with high humidity and sunlight and trees that emit particularly high levels of VOCs combine to give the Smokies their other-worldly mystical blue haze. The Cherokee were tuned in..it’s sacred here.

After planning my first trip here 3 years ago, I had a session with astro-cartologist Clare Goodwin.  Astro-cartology, for those of you scratching your head, is where your astrological chart is laid over a map of the world to see where your lines lay.  Unbeknownst to me, I had planned a month in the exact area of NC where my auspicious and fortunate Jupiter line crossed.  (Hey, every bit of info helps when you’re looking for a new place to land). Looking me hard in the eye with eyebrows raised and a serious voice Clare said, “AND, you have karma there”.   

 I didn’t think to ask what exactly “having karma there” meant.  All I know is that whenever I drive into those mountains I start crying like crazy without having any idea why. But crazy-lucky things happen too…..Like, 24 hours before arrival we looked for a place to stay.  Apparently there was a huge bicycle race going on in town and everything was booked.  I called the Sky Island Campground and was told, “Oh, hon, everything in this entire area is booked with this bike race.  There’s nothing available anywhere. Wait a minute. Well, this is weird, but the girl in the office here said she JUST hung up with someone who canceled for Site 4.  That’s the best site.  Do you want it?”  Karma?

Despite having “karma” and a “positive lucky Jupiter line” running through the area, no place in the Smokies has beckoned as a place to settle over the years.  So, this exploration was a kind of “last effort” to see if NC wanted us.  We had a list of intentional communities and small towns to visit to see what might unfold….

SMOKEY MOUNTAINS

EARTHHAVEN ECO-VILLAGE

Tell someone around the Asheville, NC area that you’re interested in intentional communities and those in the loop will give a knowing-nod and state matter-of-factly, “You’ve been to EarthHaven?” 

Amidst dozens of living communities in the area, EarthHaven Eco Village has nearly cult status as THE 25 year old social experiment in community living with about 75 people ranging from infants to elders on 329 acres.  EarthHaven self-describes as a “living laboratory for a sustainable human future; dedicated to caring for people and the Earth by learning, living and demonstrating a holistic sustainable culture”.  There’s no common spirituality, but there is a deep reverence and love for the Earth here.

Off-grid and tucked way up in the mountains south of Black Mountain  on “Another Way” leading to “Consensus Circle”, we arrived with 15 other people for the 3 hour Saturday morning tour – learning about their governance, hydro and solar operations, their own currency and 100 other questions. Like us, most of the folks on the tour were curious about communal living on the land and came from all over the country – San Francisco, New York, the Northeast, we ranged in age from early 20s to late 70s - many had lived in communities before, some looking to leave the city, some crypto-currency creators, some permaculture famers. 

The way in to EarthHaven is to rent, or offer work exchange for short-term housing and be part of the community before buying in – a kind of courtship period.  But more than this, people here are committed to living in a way as to be well-rooted on the land and connected with neighbors in a way our ancestors lived. To remember how to live Well, to Slow Down even when, maybe especially when, it’s not “efficient”.  To be conscious of what we’re taking every minute from the earth just to survive. As Martín Prechtel teaches, “Efficiency kills Magic” and it seems that Magic takes the day in this small village in the forest. 

It’s both messy and beautiful at EarthHaven – like life.  There’s nothing manicured about this community in the woods, with it’s wild rhododendron lined streams, half-finished buildings and overgrown nursery – but there is a vitality and hopeful enthusiasm that’s palpable.

We returned to our campsite to re-group and figure out next steps. We were weary; exhausted; and I was covered in more than 250 itchy angry bites from sleeping in my tent, practically going mad from itching for days. Two days earlier we got the news that Dave’s bladder cancer has returned sooner and more aggressively than ever before and our hearts were heavy. It seems every other day we receive news that someone we love is diagnosed with cancer, sometimes terminal. My mother had recently died. We no longer had a stake in our community of 30 years. It’s been a year of grief and loss.  How do we keep looking for what’s beautiful in the midst of so much grief? Martin Prechtel teaches that Praise and Grief are the opposite sides of the same coin. That the way through grief is to praise what we Do love and to make Beauty while we’re here for this short time. And Sarasai Yutec observes that the Dalai Lama is both deeply happy and deeply dissatisfied. At the same time. That there’s no duality here - one can be deeply dissatisfied with one’s circumstances while being happy in one’s heart. It seems maybe in the midst of this grief year, this exploration for us is a type of “Praise Tour” (thanks to Sandy Gascoigne for coining the phrase)….to be reminded of the incredible beauty of this world and the people in it. To re-open our hearts to what’s possible and to share what we experience with others.

But I was having trouble that afternoon channeling the Dalai Lama and when Dave said “We need to leave here tomorrow – where should we go?”,  I had no ability to summon the energy for the logistics required. I was bone-tired and felt like ripping my itchy skin off. It was hot, humid and starting to rain.  I wanted to go Home.  But this IS home.  It suddenly felt like we were looking for a needle in a haystack and I wondered “WHAT are we doing?”  Because I couldn’t think of anything else to do and was feeling sorry for myself, I said to the Universe “I give up – YOU think of something”.  A few minutes later, a link appeared to Russian Chapel Hill Winery, a beautiful hour south, in the town of Tryon, where we could stay tomorrow night.  Maybe, I just need to get out of the way.

RUSSIAN CHAPEL HILLS WINERY, SALUDA & TRYON

Weaving our way south on twisty narrow backroads, through mountains and farms, we arrived at Russian Chapel Hills Winery owned by Andrey Medvedev.  Medvedev had a magnificent large 17th century icon and so did what anyone might – he bought a vineyard and then built an idyllic traditional Russian log chapel – St. Anna’s Chapel -  in the midst of the grapes to honor said icon.  The land here is rolling, softer; we’re in the foothills of the Smokys, close to South Carolina and it’s hotter but gentler.  The price to stay is to purchase a bottle of wine or do a wine tasting.  In the tasting room, we meet our camp buddies Joanne & Jerry who are traveling north in their RV.  Having lived in California, Colorado and now Florida, we told them our story and how we’re looking for a new place to settle – they said, “Us Too”.   And this is one of the most common refrains we hear.  We know there’s a new Great Migration going on, but seeing and hearing the vast numbers of us looking for a new abode that calls to heart and soul is both daunting & comforting.

Saluda is a small charming town in this southern quadrant – a small quaint Victorian artist community in the mountains with a good French restaurant, a friendly crystal shop and a population of 3600.  Dinner Sunday evening was enough to know it was too small for us, but fun to see.  Interesting fact about Saluda – Saluda Grade is the steepest standard gauge railway in the US gaining 606 feet of elevation in less than 3 miles.

Tryon was Monday’s stop, after visiting Adawehi Intentional Community.  Tucked into 125 acres of woods with hiking trails, organic gardens, a natural food store, healing & wellness center and pristine perennial beds, Adawehi has a long waiting list to get in, and a covenant where no individual can own their own house, so we went out of curiousity more than anything else; plus one of the rules is that residents of each house meditate together every morning and we didn’t know how Dave could possibly fit that into his already busy morning routine of fruit, news and vitamins.   But, we’re on a mission.  Everyone we spoke to were 20+ year residents and spoke of their home almost reverently.  With it’s manicured beauty it seems the antithesis of EarthHaven, but the energy here is so peaceful, harmonious.

Less population than Saluda but with a vibrant down-town in the mountains, Tryon is most known for TIEC (Tryon International Equestrian Center) a fancy world-class equestrian center and also offers a performing arts center and the Tryon Arts & Crafts Center with art and craft classes of every type.  I was about to quickly dismiss Tryon as being “too fance” after a brief look, but Dave needed a coffee and we hit it off immediately with the local (similar age as us) barista who moved there a few years ago, telling us how much she loved it,  how great the community is, how everyone meets and creates at the art center.  I’m reminded to not judge a book by it’s (fancy) cover.  One of the locals came in for a coffee and to talk RVs with us (seems Everyone wants to know about sweet Serenity Rose) , but we had a reservation to stay 60 miles north, so we meandered the backroads to…

Chuck Blethen and his Jewel of the Blue Ridge Vineyard

Chuck Blethen, a zesty, feisty 81 year old, started planting his mountaintop teaching vineyard outside Marshall NC 14 years ago and is propagating & disseminating native, cold-hardy Muscadine grapes to be a new, economically viable, replacement crop for the tobacco fields that stretched across these mountains for centuries.  Since the 1930s the government regulated the tobacco market with a quota system and pricing.  When tobacco became unregulated, there was a 10 year transition period of subsidies for farmers to transition to new crops, but many didn’t and when the subsidies ran out in 2004,  the area around Marshall was in a serious economic depression according to Chuck.  Many didn’t want to invest in grapes at that time, because it takes at least 6 years to see a return on the investment.  But a new generation of young farmers are looking at vineyards as a way to hold on to their families’ farms. 

Chuck tells us “He’s in it for the Long Haul”, experimenting with his propagation; convincing UNC to send researchers to his farm for studies and last year building a walapini for his saplings to winter over. His diligence and focus about everything he does is remarkable; and his curiosity and enthusiasm for life is infectious- like the pizza oven he built himself, explaining that he carried a notebook around for 3 years, researching pizza ovens – what worked and what didn’t - before building his own gorgeous jewel-box of a pizza oven that works like a charm.  Plus he offers to teach knife-throwing and ax-throwing.  Or, teach you about his Scottish Highland Steers who I learned will die of loneliness if you only have one since they are highly social beings.  Or teach you primitive fire-making along with wine-tasting etiquette.

We were lucky to be Chucks’ Harvest Host guests for 2 nights, perched 2100’ on the top of the world with 360 degree views of the Smoky Mountains and legendary sunrises and sunsets.  People like Chuck are what we’re most inspired by; not the little towns or the intentional communities (we also visited Mountain Meadows Community while staying at Chucks’) but by all of the people we’re meeting through Harvest Hosts and what they’re doing on the land.  Everyone quirkily expressing their own creativity on the land in their own unique way and sharing their love with others.

At this point, I needed to land somewhere serene, with stable internet to participate in a 3 day/25 hour session of Wisdom Course for the Arts.  The course is (among other things) a deep but playful exploration about how we fully express our unique creativity in the world, and how to transform where we’re stopped in doing that.  I had no idea where to go, but it’s said the best way to have a miracle is to expect one. So… I asked for one.

Anahata, Floyd Virginia

 Anahata means Heart or Heart Chakra; in Sanskirt it means unhurt, unstruck and unbeaten and is associated with balance, calmness and serenity.  I’ll take that. We were back in the funky, musical and arty town of Floyd Virginia.  A sidenote here.  Do you know where Virginia got its’ name?  Apparently Virginia is named for Queen Elizabeth I of England, known as the Virgin Queen, i.e. Virginia.  Sir Walter Raleigh suggested the name around 1584 and it just so happened that Elizabeth gave Raleigh permission to colonize Virginia later that year.  Hmmm.  So much for the Pamunkey, Chickahominy, Mattaponi, Rappahannock, Nansemond and Monacan.

 Anahata is a 35 acre sanctuary, retreat center and living community tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains along the Little River; a 40 year labor of love of Luke and now Ashera Rose.  Luke & Ashera are the loving, playful and vital elder energy behind this community and they infuse love, inclusion, singing, music-making and creativity into everything they do. One arrives at Anahata and feels immediately welcomed - like you’re back in the womb.   The land has a dream-like quality about it and art is woven into the design of the buildings and into the fabric of the land Herself.    It was the most nurturing place we could have imagined, to catch our breath.

As synchronicity would have it, Anahata was hosting a Creative Gathering Week - A co-created week with everyone sharing their own creative expression – some were artists doing large murals or weavings on the property and teaching their skills for others to participate, others offered yoga/meditation classes, shamanic journeys, collaging, dance journey, drumming, sketching classes.  I led a free-write session.  With three love-filled,organic meals each day, beautiful people to play with and a spring-fed river to plunge in, I couldn’t have planned this if I tried.  There was more synchronicity – like the fact that Ashera lived across the street from our previous home in JP back in the ‘70s and intimately knew our neighbor of 20 years. Saying goodbye took hours, and we finally inched up the steep driveway, driving 10 miles to stay at Rocky Knob Campground, while we called a realtor to look at a 130 acre farm that just hit the market.

 Fred Gordon, Campground Host at Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Ever wonder about the people who are “behind the scenes” at campgrounds?  Making sure everything is super welcoming and well-run?  I wondered about Fred Gordon, 5 year host at Rocky Knob Campground, from Loxahatchee, Florida. What was Fred’s story?  Fred is warm and funny and super welcoming and helpful and kind.  A management consultant in the ‘60s working in the US and India, independent business man in the 70s, he and his wife Linda moved to Germany for 17 years both teaching on a military base.  They camped all over Europe, were there for the fall of the Berlin wall, and were involved in a service organization in Europe.  Their first year home, they RV’d from Florida to Alaska and deep in Denali National Park, they met a couple their age with “volunteer” badges – the campground hosts.  Fred and Linda were hooked.  They wanted to continue to be of service; to be useful in their retirement and as the campground hosts at Rocky Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Floyd Va is now their “summer home”.    You rock Fred!  Thanks for making our stay fun and sweet!

Fred shared magic stories of his own.  Like when he got to talking to a camper who had just come from Australia.  Curious, Fred asked where, whittling it down to the town and street address.  Turns out this guy had just come from housesitting for Fred’s brother-in-law in Australia, not having any idea of the connection between Australia and Rocky Knob! 

It was now approaching mid-August - coming up on that magical point where the air has just the briefest sniff of autumn…just the tiniest bit cooler and drier, when the goldenrod starts to bloom and the humidity starts to lift. It’s my favorite time in New England and it seemed time to turn back, to enjoy summer harvests and the warm ocean waters for the few weeks that it lasts.

We drove north with our hearts a little lighter, loving how small the world is, how we’re all connected by a thread and feeling the wisdom of the quote…  “Whatever it is that stirs your soul, listen to that.  Everything else is just noise.”  Nicole Lyons

Next leg… Signs in Staunton VA, Italy in Connecticut and a return to Westport