Abode of the Message

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Abode of the Message

Located in New Lebanon, New York, United States

Community Description

The Abode is a residential spiritual community, vital conference and retreat center, school for esoteric study, current home to the executive offices of The Inayati Order, and home to Flying Deer Nature Center and the Abode Farm CSA.

The mission of the Abode of the Message is to be a residential spiritual community which strives to collectively embody awakening to the Sufi Message of spiritual liberty and unity of religious ideals brought to the West by Hazrat Inayat Khan in 1910. The guiding principles of the Sufi Message are love, harmony and beauty.

It was founded in 1975 by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan and a group of over 100 mystical spiritual seekers hoping to create a beautiful world full of beautiful people. The Abode sits on over 300 acres of beautiful land in the foothills of the Berkshires.

There are many ways to be here: through a work-study program, short- or long-term residency, a B&B, personal retreats, attending conferences or classes, and Universal Worship service on Sundays.

About:

The Abode of the Message (“the Abode”) is a spiritual community, Sufi center and retreat center which creates a container for personal exploration and growth.

Regular classes, events and group practices are held on the campus, which is nourished by a predominantly organic kitchen which sources much of its produce from the Abode’s own CSA Farm.

As a residential community, the Abode provides a home for students of the Sufi Message. As one of the centers of the Inayati Order, the Abode provides a vehicle for the universal mysticism teachings of Hazrat Inayat Khan, Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, the founder of the Abode, and Pir Zia Inayat-Khan, the current head of the Inayati Order.

Housing

Status: We have land we have developed on
Area: 300 acres
Current Residence Types: Single-family homes, Room(s) in a house or building
Current Number of Residences: 25
Housing Provided: Purchase, Rental, Work-exchange
Land owned by: Multiple stakeholders
Additional Comments:
The Abode of the Message. Inc. owns the land and is currently controlled by the Sufi Order International board of directors.

We are in the process of exploring options for a transition to a community owned and run organizational model which could take effect as early as the beginning of 2017.

Membership

Adult Members: 20
Child Members: 7
Non-member Residents: 10
Percent Women: 51-60%
Percent Men: 41-49%
Percent Transgender: 0%
Visitors accepted: Yes
Visitor Process:
Contact: 518.794.8095 or see website for info; call for information and reservations.
Long-term visitors or residency requires application, which can be found at theabode.org
Open to new Members: Yes
Membership Process:
We are also in the process of re-defining community membership more clearly as any current definition of membership is not commonly agreed upon and held.
Anyone interested in becoming a resident should be aware of this process.
Additional Comments:
Members of our community generally pursue the Universal Sufi message of Hazrat Inayat Khan. These teachings are oriented toward spiritual liberty and the unity of religious ideals, guided by love, harmony, and beauty. Members make a conscious effort to practice these ideals in daily living.

All serious seekers are welcome here. We honor the unity of the religious ideals that are held by each religion or tradition. Our Universal Worship has an altar with candles representing all points of view.

This is a time of great transition for the Abode community and we continue to welcome visitors and short and long term residents during this transition. It is important for those who are interested in living here that membership, decision-making and organizational structuring are currently being examined and shifted toward a community run model, but that we are not at that point yet.

Source: http://www.ic.org/directory/abode-of-the-message/
             http://www.theabode.org/