A View Into The Life of
The Template Homestead
A View Into the Life of The Template Homestead
artwork by Lise Meijer
"Far away in the remote, untraveled Tennessee River Valley, nestled snugly between the foothills of the Ancient Smoky Mountains, there is a very special place known as the Template Homestead. Near the fields of echoes and the hills of future dreams, hidden from most everything coarse and modern, the Homestead is a little known paradise with magical powers. Everyone who passes through has a story that unfolds during their visit to the land. Weary travelers are immediately taken by the natural beauty of the surroundings, finding a special peace they have been without for quite some time. There is certainly a happiness here that feeds the soul, and all who spend time at the Homestead, leave with the promise of "I'll be back" lifted by the vision of the future they are determined to help create, their hearts and minds transformed. Some never leave...
Welcome Friends!" by Given
Some Snapshots from 2023
The North American Template Homestead just celebrated its 20th Birthday!
You may want to take a moment to call over what qualities you have that helped you through a challenging moment in life and once revealed, strengthen that quality in yourself refreshing it in the currency of all that enhances life.
Here is a piece of music to accompany your contemplation .... and/or companion your way through this web page. Much support to you...
Here is a bit of a 2023 snapshot of some of the small miracles that abound in this multi faceted amazing endeavor we call the North American Template Homestead now into its 21st year...
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Pictured here is a seedling from a Tulip Poplar tree that when looked at closely resembles a small sword. One day this small sword appeared lying in the middle of a round exposed root neatly at the base of a tree, as if it was placed there deliberately for someone to discover. Perhaps, one of the gnomes or nature spirits put it there to encourage us all to stay the course, stay strong in thy purpose and that there is much that supports a collective Emin endeavor. A sense from the 'Sheen of Amethyst' writing...
This little discovery lead to the gnome regal art pictured to the left, which in turn developed into a community ceremony promoting strength of purpose, inner support between a mutuality of companions, and strengthening the signal of qualities that each individual uniquely carries and lives...
Ryan, Ela, and Horizon gazing at Jupiter's return...
Many new ecology projects began this year along with the ongoing maintenance of the buildings and the land from the devotional service life of many that is at the core of Homestead life...
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The colored balls around Orin and Agent weren't in the original picture but an artist's addition which fits so well considering the unseen worlds friends that are apart of us all.
The Pool entrance moved which opened up a whole new landscape of flow
Some new paths were created as the landscape of the Homestead is changing with multiple new residents and new housing along with refining and repurposing existing structures.
Ceremony is a rich part of the life of the Template Homestead of which there were many in 2023....
A Mark of Recognition and Settlement Ceremony was held for Grace on May 20th to offer good wishes, endearment, and a token of value and support for our dear companion.
A Mark of Appreciation was held for Sean on April 9th, to give recognition to the many years of dedication and service he has provided. After 20 years of service, Sean had decided to retire from the Board of Directors. Sean has been instrumental in the establishment and ongoing development of the North American Template Homestead, including financial counsel that continues to this day, to give security.
Along the many paths and trails, the little people of God say hello in their own special way demonstrating the natural interconnection of all things.
A bit of a living Taro...
... and the amazing 'Homestead' rainbows!
Branch
Hope
When on a walk about, village life creates many moments and opportunities for exchange in the many goings on of daily life in the full range of pioneering a new template for the future.
Tan
Tena and Zenig on Tena's arrival day. Many folks come out to help unload the moving trucks. Its always a very special and exciting moment!
The Homestead welcomes Tena who arrived in September
Squirrel doing yoga at the Toad Hall
As the updating and refinement continues, the Northside of the Homestead received a new mailbox platform as a 20th birthday present courtesy of the craftsmanship of Galein and Pacific. Some new mailboxes too!
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The Spectrum Healing anchorage continues to take shape with Cas, Action, and Galein regularly generating into this project.
Horizon stargazing from Ayeli hilltop
The Template Homestead Loom process continues to gather into its 3rd year casting its nets into the open enquiry, 'What does it mean to pioneer a North American Template Homestead?'.
The 12th annual ‘Memorial Ceremony’ for those of Emin kind who have departed was held on October 31st at Ayeli.
The intention of this Memorial Ceremony is to make a conscious remembrance of recognition and value for each life departed, their qualities and strengths, along with generating a signal of recognition of the continuance of human life inside the universal purpose.
Ayeli gets an addition!
The community had a process for quite some time about designing a new addition to Ayeli. And this year the work began and now it is making its appearance! See the photo carousel below. This addition is to create dedicated spaces for The Emin Way and The North American Template Homestead offices along with a new specific ecology for the Inner Sanctum Library.
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Currently, the North American Template Homestead is the only place where the Inner Sanctum Library of The Emin Way is lodged.
We are fortunate to be able to provide a secure place to hold in safe custody this special opportunity, which over the years many have had the occasion to dwell with the codings therein.
It will be a new experience to open the Inner Sanctum Library housed within a room intended and dedicated for that purpose. We look forward to seeing you there sometime in the future.
The Cameos of Connection landed on the North American Template Homestead September of 2023. With great willingness, folks from different parts of the world gathered around self-arising researches and passions flowing from our companions.
From movement work, to creative writing, to improv, to theatre, to ceremony, the Cameos of Connection offered a space in which to create with the encouragement of others, an expressive response to having been given a life and the opportunity that the Emin has granted us, mixed with warmth, endearment and companionship.
The Ruby Burial Grounds continues to provide an ecology of respect, care, and dignity for those in their theater of change, as well as family and friends which swells the value, connection, and fortification of the significance of human life in a greater universal purpose.
On January 26th, our dear friend and companion, Dar, went into her theater of change and was interred in a mausoleum after a special Mark of Fortification ceremony held at Ayeli, with the participation of the Homestead community. Dar was the first resident living on the Homestead to make this transition.
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Self-assembling, self-initiating, self-generating, self-correcting, fueled by a strong sense of responsibility, her inner compass was magnetized to the true north of ‘things as they are meant to be’, underpinned by the solid, unwavering, worked out
foundation of principles, values and love. Her living map was well laid out. A fortress
of readiness, a tool maker, she knew where she wanted to go, how to get there, what
was needed for the journey. More importantly - knowing the reason why.
Her Emin Journey was full of love, devotion and dedication and she did it with no
conditions.
And a few more photos...
North American Template Homestead Gazette
a small mark of recognition to the future forming
prepared and written by Grace in the summer 2023
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Click on the pdf below to open.
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Some Snapshots from 2022
The Living domain of Ruby says ...
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You only ever meet one person in life.
It is not you that you meet, but the struggle of God to evolve,
To re create itself in a multiplicity of enactment and process in a flow and mutuality of purpose.
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When you look out of your eyes and interact with life, remember the unifying principle, look for the signature of God in the different threads that are creating a tapestry yet to be fulfilled.
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Understand that all is not the same for all, so the sameness isn’t in the individual journey but in the reason of the creation of the journey in the first place. With this in mind, you are not meant to conform, to compare, to be other than who you are, and this is where you will need kindness, patience, care, hope, tolerance, and respect as you embrace the difference of that which is not assembled like yourself, allowing the rubbing up against life to blossom a flower and then to a fruit. A fruit harvestable to that which granted life.
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Without the soil, in which the Ruby is the fertilizer, there is no flower, and without a flower there is no fruit, just a dominance and regime of a barrenness...
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Tan
1.08.22
Since July, a steady heartbeat of process has continued in the domain of discovery, pathfinding, and update into the starter question of, 'What does it mean to pioneer a North American Template Homestead?'
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It is 25 weeks into its concentrated gathering and spinning which is starting to create a Template Homestead Loom of intelligence.
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A Loom is made up of many threads and it is the process of weaving the loom, from the many aspects of its life before one can see the full beauty of it, the purpose and reason of it. It is in the gathering of all the separated pieces, finding them, putting it together in the right kind of way that can bring us closer to a framework of agreement from which freedom and new growth can blossom.
The focus of the process will be to continue to make space, to allow what may be appearing from a larger inclusion into the consciousness of our collective engagement, as we attempt to create a framework of agreement that honors all that blesses the Template Homestead, cultivating a deeper sense of care into the multiple relationships that give stability to all that is possible.
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You too are invited into this gathering of intelligence as the Homestead is not only a physical anchorage, but also a network of unseen worlds where the best can merge. You are welcome to send your contributions. And perhaps in the coming year, there will be new opportunities to engage in this unfolding domain we endearingly called, The Template Homestead.
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A Frost flower from the morning of December 23rd ... its appearance, its uniqueness and beauty, and then its melting in the sun in its return, can tell us a lot about the nature of things and opens many questions....
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As you wonder through these pages and the images, here are two pieces of Winter Solstice music to hopefully create an atmosphere for inner dwelling, stillness, and renewal.
Along with the internal process that continues to challenge our durability of intention as individuals and as a collective, there were refinements appearing all over the place to better the ecology, to support that intention and shed what is no longer needed or out of date with the currency. There were upgrades and improvements to the 'driveways', to the home directional signs, to needed tree care. The Emin Way office and the Homestead office moved into a dedicated new space. The pool got a new extended deck from the devotional care of a dedicated ecology team. And a new bench turned up along a pathway to take a moment to soak it all in.
With a little help from our friends and companions, a new home 'appeared' which welcomed some new resident homesteaders adding to what's possible. And this year, Pacific and Ruby, who were building their own home out of a questionable fixer upper to say the least, moved in and wow!, what a place!
The Spectrum Garden team continues this anchorage project with love and devotion. The Homestead is blessed to have such topaz take-up to do that extra bit to make this place shine just a little brighter.
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The Ruby Burial Grounds was commissioned into service assisting another in their transitioning process. These community ceremonies and practices are uniquely special and because of the Homestead anchorage, the service and ecology of a family cemetery is possible. Landscaping refinements also continue in and around the grounds.
There were two ceremonies for children on the Homestead and so much more, too much to write of here on this occasion. Here are a few more photos from the year to include you in, inside the life of the Template Homestead.
And a greeting from Ela and Ryan
Yachin viewing an opalesque sunset on the Tennessee River - December 26th