Fall Times...

This fall...

The CROP MOB came and banged out a whole new garden for us!



The pigs got some hay to keep them warm at night...

The Magic of African Rhythm came by for a workshop and performance for the Soul Cafe

The October Being Change Retreat was a sucess...


We took care of business.




Jesse and Michele McdDonald led a 10-day silent meditation retreat.




Local ensemble, The Sacrificial Poets, led a workshop and performance.

And Donna Bell had a wedding here!

Board member extraordinaire Omisade Burney_Scott and her partner Mike had a baby shower!! (and later, a beautiful baby)


We started work on Tahz' new digs

Michelle and Claudia had a moment...

our first anniversary celebration!!

We had an awesome celebration, starting off with good (comfort) food - chili, mac and cheese, chicken pot pie and good greens from the garden.


Cynthia and John reuniting to share some Stone House love...


Tamara dove into the "Poet Tree" project devised by Evangeline...the poems, written in picture frames, will hang from a tree on the land.


Zulayka donned her stilts and (backed by Tahz, Jesse and Claudia on drums) led a procession back to the pavilion where we called the four directions.


Everyone was given offerings from the land (prepared by Margie and Mike) - people took home apples, cedar bundles, stones and goldenrod.


People wrote blessings for The Stone House and tied them up with our newly-harvested corn.

Come Celebrate Our First Anniversary!!!

Soul Sanctuary

The Stone House held its first SOUL Sanctuary program in late July. and by all accounts it was a major success. SOUL Sanctuary is a five-day monthly refuge program for organizers and activists and it's offered at no charge. We welcome up to six people each month for:
~rest, fellowship & community
~regular opportunities for meditation and yoga
~time in the garden, art studio, and on the land
~home-cooked, locally grown food

Here’s some personal testimony from Anike Robinson, a public school teacher from Washington, DC:

I did not come here quietly. I talked all the way from DC to North Carolina. I talked first in the first circle and the teacher in me wanted to fill the silence if only with my voice. But I listened. I felt the presence of those around me and it felt like home but better, more socially aware. The novice artist in me has been dormant but there was a room waiting, the smell of paint baiting me and so I had to honor the time and space. Although I cannot take Stone House with me I have decided to leave something behind me: “Come closer, if only to see me,” said Stone House. I have seen It, heard It, felt It, and this nameless IT is like the Tao, a well that will never run dry.

our new practice space

After many months of stripping, cleaning, cutting new windows, painting, laying floor and much more, our new practice space is finally finished!

Before...


During...


After...


Come join us.

an abundant harvest

We've been harvesting abundance from the garden and learning to preserve it. Last week we canned 60 jars of plum jam with fruit from our tree...



picked a TON of kale and chard, blanched it and froze it...



made a boatload of pesto from the basil...



and pickled a whole lotta cucumbers!

Meinrad Craighead comes to Mebane!

We were thrilled to host a morning conversation with artist and mystic, Meinrad Craighead. The event was organized by the Resource Center for Women and Ministry in the South, the organization that has been creating a documentary about Meinrad's life and art. For more on this amazing project, see www.MeinradProject.org

Claudia welcomes Meinrad to The Stone House. Over 40 people came to hear Meinrad speak about her life journey.


Meinrad invited everyone to bring a sacred object and we created an altar in the center of the circle.



Meinrad offers a closing prayer...
...and shares a few quiet moments with Zak the dog.

wildflower walk

Gary Phillips, local naturalist, activist and favorite person of many in the Triangle, came to The Stone House in April to lead a wildflower walk. Gary gave a great overview of how we can think about eco-systems and then we walked the perimeter of the land, identifying numerous flowers and trees as we went.

Gary points out the coral honeysuckle which bloom along the road near the chicken coop.

Being Change: the way of the activist

After holding our retreat, "Being Change: The Way of the Activist" at other centers across the country, we held our first one at The Stone House. 12 amazing people, ages 30-68, came from as close as Durham, as far as Berkeley CA, from Brooklyn, West Virginia and DC. We spent gorgeous spring days in sitting meditation, yoga, discussion, art, storytelling and more.






Sau and Michelle put their heads together...



Collage-making to express our prophetic visions for the world.

La Sarmiento considers her work.


Ric and Corey connect on the last day of the retreat.



Laughing meditation, our closing ritual...

highlights from the Soul Cafe

In late March, The Stone House hosted its first Soul Cafe, an afternoon for local musicians, poets, storytellers, artists and community members. Oragnized by outreach coordinator, Solita Denard, the Soul Cafe attracted folks from as far as the mountains and as close as Mebane to share some of their amazing talent. We were joined by very special guests, "Rising Appalachia" and their sounds of folk, world roots music, and hip hop. Their music and spirit lifted The Stone House right outta the ground... If you do one thing today, you should go to their website, www.RisingAppalachia.com and CHECK THEM OUT!!!


Leah on banjo, John on bass, Tahz on drums

Chloe on banjo and there's Tep in the back left on drums.

From our own backyard (!) Mebanesville shared their soulful sounds of local music with a global sensibility. We're excited to make these new friends. You can find out more on their website, www.Mebanesville.com

Phyllis Wiley, from Durham, shared a heart-stopping piece from her book, "Soul Grasping Poetry." Check out the power.


Ruth King, visiting NC from her home in Berkeley, got everyone on their feet as accompaniment to her words on rage and healing. There is more about Ruth's work, her book and workshops on "Healing Rage" on her website: www.HealingRage.com



Glen Kearn from Mebane shares his powerful song-writing and playing.



Solita enjoys a much-deserved break!