Builders of the Dawn: Community Lifestyle in a Changing World [Paperback]

Corinne McLaughlin (Author), Corrine McLaughlin (Author), Gordon Davidson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 091399068X | ISBN-13: 978-0913990681 | Publication Date: January 1990 | Edition: 1

Life in communities can provide powerful training in the art of relationships-learning to live as an interrelated part of a whole system. Advice on how to start intentional communities, and the principles, benefits and challenges of choosing to live cooperatively or communally.

Product Details

• Paperback: 372 pages
• Publisher: Book Publishing Company (TN); 1 edition (January 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 091399068X
• ISBN-13: 978-0913990681
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,218,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Corinne McLaughlin is co-author of The Practical Visionary, Spiritual Politics: Changing the World from the Inside Out (Forward by the Dalai Lama) and Builders of the Dawn, and is Executive Director of The Center for Visionary Leadership, based in California and North Carolina. She is co-founder of Sirius, an ecological village in Massachusetts, and is a Fellow of The World Business Academy and the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland. Corinne directed a national task force for President Clinton's Council on Sustainable Development and taught politics at American University. She has lectured around the U.S., Europe and South America for over 25 years, and has been interviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Fox News. She can be reached at: The Center for Visionary Leadership: www.visionarylead.org or at www.thepracticalvisionary.org or email [e-mail]

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A WONDERFUL STUDY OF INTENTIONAL COMMUNITIES, January 13, 2010

By 

Steven H. Propp (Sacramento, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Builders of the Dawn: Community Lifestyle in a Changing World (Paperback)

Corinne McLaughlin and Gordon Davidson are co-founders of the Sirius Community in Massachusetts, as well as former member of Scotland's Findhorn community. In 1985, they published this book they dedicated to the "builders of the dawn - the courageous pioneers of the new communities who are inspiring us with visions of a positive future for humanity." However, they note that "This book appeals to a wider audience than those living in an intentional community ro contemplating joining or creating one, for it is about much more than just community living. Specifically, it is about the power we all have, whether we express it through a community or not, to envision the future we want for ourselves and for humanity and to make a positive contribution to the emergence of that future."

The authors lament that "Information on today's communities is lacking even in books with comprehensive overviews of the new consciousness today, such as The Aquarian Conspiracy: Personal and Social Transformation in Our Time and Networking, the First Report and Directory. Today's communities are a very well-kept secret!"

There is a wealth of fascinating information contained herein, such as:

"The majority of community members today are in their late twenties to mid-forties..."
"New patterns of male/female relationships are being tested and experimented with in communities."
"most communities today do not refer to themselves as 'utopian.' Instead they prefer to call themselves 'new age communities,' 'earth communities,' or 'planetary villages.'
"Many people drawn to communities tend to be the 'workaholic' types."
"Unlike communities of the 1800s, nearly all modern commmunities use some kind of psychological techniques, such as gestalt or psychosynthesis."

Numerous examples from real-life communities (e.g., Twin Oaks, Ananda, The Farm, Esalen, etc.) are included as well.

Combine this book with books like Seeds of Tomorrow: Communities That Work and the current Communities Directory: A Guide to Intentional Communities and Cooperative Living (Communities Directory), and it's even more valuable!