AN IDEAL COMMUNITY

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The central goal and purpose of Thirdofeight is to seek to build an ideal community. In practical terms, this looks like a Christmas and Halloween themed sustainable living community with a central focus on storytelling and education. In literary terms, we seek to build a New Avalon or New Atlantis of sorts. We seek to create a network of places where all of our physical needs can be met, where we can maintain an inspiring creative culture by channeling a central story as aesthetic inspiration, and where all people are free to pursue personal joy through developing the very best of themselves.

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WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

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This structure is composed of four distinct pillars:

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1. The community is made up of individuals who refuse to take counsel from their fears. Those who insist on doing so are removed. We promote mindfulness resources to help those with mental health challenges to overcome false beliefs.

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2. Second is a network of physical people, homes, businesses, farms, and villages dedicated to sustainable agriculture and self-reliant living. These are either owned institutionally or individually by members of the local community.
 

3. Third, a radical new non-intrusive educational system designed to assist community members in pursuit of peace and self-improvement. The school can be learned about here.

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4. The fourth pillar of the community is a physical skin of sorts based on a fictional story of western cultural myths and fantasy wherein truth, curiosity, play, and creativity are emphasized in the design, integration, use, and management of the physical living spaces. The institutions, participants, physical spaces, and design aesthetics of the community are inspired by and a reflection of these fictional stories. In addition to serving the practical needs of the community, these resources take on the plausible but fictional purposes and culture reflected in the story in order to further contribute to the awakening and inspiring of participants' imaginations and creativity.

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The story as it stands operates under the title of "Wizarding in the Wild West," and are being organized into a book series, eventually to be made into a live action multi-season TV show.

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OUR BACKGROUND

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Begun as a dream of a "Christmas town in the mountains," our vision began as a seed in the mind and heart of its founder, Benjamin Roche. His interest in sustainable living, education, and story telling contributed to the concept until these goals came together in a vortex of concerted vision in preparation for what it is today.

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The founder is a renaissance man and very much an idealist's idealist.  But not only is he an artist visionary, but he is an experience engineer, gifted designer, and education researcher. Rather than give up interests in favor of personal specialization, his appetite for polymathy has led him rather to seek areas of maximized overlap of each of his passionate preoccupations, seeking for unity in the diversity.

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His interests and skills pull from many fields; he has cultivated a variety and multiplicity of talents that span a wide swath of areas of experience and expertise. Because of his experience, he insists on surrounding himself with open-minded, specialized devotees in each of these areas.

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The Third of Eight community is the results of twenty plus years of exploration, research, study, experimentation, teaching, and collaboration.

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JOIN US

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We are currently centered in downtown Springville, Utah. Our campus is that of a fictional haunted boarding house populated by dark but kind magical creatures. Come experience and learn more about it! Contact us directly or show up during one of our ongoing weekly gatherings, or just come by and knock on the door. We can be reached at (208) 819-7131. Our location is at 317 S 200 W Springville Utah 84663.