Most of us have grown away from our true selves, adapting to the requirements from the culture and (school) system we grew up in. Now the time has come where you can choose to sit at another table. You don’t have to live in a system that denies your humanity. The current system we are forced to live in, is not at all sustainable for life on earth. We know this and still… There’s another way of life possible and we like to tell you about it and invite you to join. So make yourself a cup of tea and read on.
We are Dennis & Ayet, and we live 8 km south of Västra Ämtervik, Värmland, Sweden. Dennis bought an old house in 2014 with 5600 m2 of land. Ayet joined him in 2017 and since then we have built several small (insulated) natural houses with each a budget of maximum 500 euros. Yes, that’s less than what most people pay in rent each month. Two of these houses we rent out during two months in the summer to visitors from all over the world. With that small income we can live both comfortably the whole year and focus on our own creative projects without the pressure of creating something that needs to sell. That can be art, music, film, crafts for example. The long winters are great for slowing down, reading, watching movies, knitting and watching the fire burn softly.
In the near future several beautiful old farms will come up for sale in our area. That’s where you come in. Instead of having an eco-community on one plot, wouldn’t it be great to have a few at different properties but all within walking/cycling distance? To live among people who share the same essential values of being human, is something that will make all the difference in a rapidly alienating technocratic society. To grow your own food, the easy permaculture way (yes there’s an easy way as well), to forage berries and mushrooms in the vast amounts of forests around us, to help each other when help is needed, to collaborate on exciting creative projects, to participate in the healing of life as a whole.
So what would it cost you to join? Depends on the amount of people who live at one property. Let’s say ten people at a farm, that already has two big houses, a large barn, ten hectares of forest and fields, your share would be around 20.000 Euros. For some people that might still be too much. We still like you to contact us if you’re interested and we’ll look at alternative options. The main farmhouse can be used as a communal hub and each of you can build your own small natural house, the way you exactly want it, with the help of others, including us. We have already all the tools you can borrow and the skills to share. We also get a lot of requests from volunteers from all over the world so if you need extra hands, they are available, all in the spirit of co-operation and not competition. As a way to earn some income, to rent out one or a few natural houses later on is of course an option. If you wish to live at a smaller property with fewer people but still like to be a part of this eco-community, it’s another reason to contact us as there are also some houses coming up for sale or are already for sale. The properties go for usually around 70.000 euro and up. Less if it’s a renovation project.
We live very close to a small train station, that will bring you in 20 minutes to the closest villages and half an hour to the closest city Karlstad. From Karlstad there are daily trains to Oslo, Stockholm and Gothenburg and from there you can go anywhere in the world. This way you get the best of both: being surrounded in wild nature with lakes and forests, yet still feel connected to the rest of the world.
How does reading this make you feel? Do you feel that a light inside of you has turned on? Then we invite you to read a bit more about ourselves and what is important to us. If your light is still burning, contact us and we’ll have a video chat and then we’ll invite a small group of people to stay here for the last two weeks of August 2024 to get a sense of possibility and opportunity. In case a farm comes up for sale earlier, we start earlier. Be prepared :)
I’m a person that just starts and then solve the problems as they might arise. Life will never be problem-free, but it makes all the difference to ask for help and to get it. People have different energies and I enjoy to bring them together and have it just flow. I would say that my curiosity is my strongest value, to explore and to experience the joy of finding out things, if that happens. I enjoy finding easy solutions in this complicated world.
I like the philosophy of the Lakota native people of North-America: when someone gets ill, the community says "Thank you. Your illness reveals some kind of dysfunction in our community." The individual is not seen as separate from the collective. The body is not seen as separate from the mind. One mind is not seen as separate from other minds. The responsibility is not simply on the individual to "get over their sickness”.
When it comes to being with people who are wounded, I wholeheartedly agree with Gabor Maté five levels of compassion:
(If you are curious to know more about this, I invite you to watch this interview of Gabor Maté: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JrSUpJSfxRs)
I value authenticity and I believe that the core of that lies in someone’s feelings. My feelings are who I am, all of them and so are yours. My spiritual awakening has become stronger in these last years and I’m in wonder to sense the world outside of me and at times I struggle to see so many people suffer and struggle. To keep this balance is still something I work on.
To find more about me and our place I invite you to explore our website: www.bluesberrywoods.com and visit our Workaway profile where you can also read the feedback of our volunteers during the last 8 years: www.workaway.info/en/host/255984797986
I’m a person who likes to create things in an intuitive way. For a long time, I believed that this was wrong and that I need to have concepts and concrete ideas before I start a project. Over the last years, I have been learning to trust and follow my intuition more and more, and it has given me a lot more joy in life and in creating things.
Due to the life we have created here in Sweden we got a lot of time in the winter to explore new crafts. I learned how to knit, spin and dye wool and how to sew clothes. I enjoy to keep these crafts alive and to learn them by doing/practicing. It also saddens me to see how much of this knowledge has been lost over time and how little time we spend nowadays to create things that have quality and will last much longer.
Slowing down is one of my highest values and to create time to reflect. I believe it is important to stand still sometimes, to pause for a moment and to reflect on where we are and what we are actually doing. And to ask the question if it aligns with what we actually want to do in life?
The longer I live in the Swedish country-side, the harder it gets for me to go back to the city. To take in all the impressions. All the cars, all the sounds, all the lights. And especially the fast pace of everything. And it makes me also wonder what the value is of all that we can acquire and do in the city, if there is never any time to actually enjoy and really experience it?
So, I invite you to slow down with me, take a breath and to feel again what feels natural and fulfilling to do in life.
Yes, you can, if you are 18 years or older. The contract of sale will have all the participants on it and you own the share which is your legal right of ownership. You are the co-owner and can sell your share without the approval of the others.
Yes, we found a legal way to do it, but contact us if you want to hear more about this.
Not really. Our main language is English though a basic understanding of Swedish helps eventually. We like to have international people and keep that. It just happens to be in Sweden.
Ideally, the process in which regret develops, can be communicated and overcome. Of course there’s always an option to leave for whatever reason. In that case you sell your share to someone else who fits this way of living.
Yes, of course, life is also very much like life elsewhere. You are responsible for finding the right schools, etc. We also believe that it takes a village to raise a child so if you’re open to the idea that your child has more than one mother and one father (in other words more emotionally involved adults), you found the right place. Children need to have the feeling that there are more than one or two adults present in their lives of whom they can trust.
Yes, you can. If you want to live part of the year somewhere else or travel for extensive periods, it’s still beneficial for everybody to live with us. To live simply also means to create time to live.
Yes you can, but it depends on the others you live with. We ourselves believe that animals are sentient beings who are meant to live in the wild. And yes, you can build friendships with animals, preferably on an equal basis.
No, they are always optional.
No, it’s an option to eat together. Via a Telegram group, we can let each other know when we like to eat together and who wants to join.
Of course it is. Cars can be useful at times. We share the costs when someone drives or share all the costs of owning one car.
We think this is not the right place for you, sorry.
Good. We are also scared.
More questions? Contact us :)
