I am not vegetarian, but is it okay if I just to stop eating meat while I visit your community?
Of course, meat-eaters are welcome to visit our land as long as they refrain from eating flesh while on property.
We do not ask for people to CHANGE in order to stay at the land. The land is there as a sanctuary for those that are ALREADY in the process of changing on this Way. Our mission is to provide support for those wanting to live in a world that is not dependent on death for survival. Think of abstaining from meat, not so much as a temporary thing just to come here, but something that will increase your health, your mind, your spirit, and ultimately increase your connection to G*D.
We are not a strict vegan property, we are vegetarian with certain suggested guidelines around the consumption of dairy and eggs.
What are you guidelines around dairy and eggs?
You do not require dairy or eggs for protein, however, many people use these animal-based products as training wheels to help get them closer to a Genesis 1:29 lifestyle. If you chose to consume dairy products, we recommend you only consume “raw” unpasteurized, un-homogenized, unprocessed products. realmilk.com If you chose to consume eggs, we recommend you find “pasture-raised” from a local ethical chicken farmer. And if you consume honey, we only recommend raw honey from small local farms. Eventually, we are open to members of our community raising chickens, bees, sheep and/or goats as part of our animal sanctuary and in alignment with the lives of the Essenes.
I smoke. Is there a place where I can take tobacco?
We understand that nicotine can be used as a medicinal treatment for certain imbalanced conditions. We encourage you to work on correcting those imbalances so you are no longer dependent on any substance, and can use it in more of a special ceremonial sense. However, in the meantime, as you are working on those issues, we ask that you respect the land and limit your usage to the two locations which are considered our “smoking rooms.”
- The firepit ring just outside of our ceremonial space has 7 stone seats around it where you may sit and contemplate the smoke.
- If it is raining, the space under the Rocky Creek bridge provides an excellent covered protected place to contemplate the smoke.
Please always take your cigarette butts with you and dispose of them in a trash receptacle.
I am not an addict, but I like to have a glass of wine or a little MJ now and then. Is it okay if I do that?
We do not condone the use of any substance that is illegal in the state of Texas on our land. We are personally not against the use of plants and their byproducts that our Creator has provided for us. That being said, just because castor beans are “beans,” does not mean they are designed to be ingested on a regular basis!
Many people justify the use of mind-altering substances because it waa written that Yashua potentially partook of fermented grape juice for the Passover meal. However, this is debatable, because as a Nazarene, he would have taken a vow against grapes or fermented grapes. He may have only used the second cup of Passover wine as a symbol when the cup of deliverance or “Haggadah” is traditionally spilt as a remembrance of Egypt.
Substances are created by G*D for limited ritualistic “coming of age” ceremonial uses, not regular daily, weekly, monthly or even annual usage. If you have a purpose and plan for a substance, (not to get high or get loose), we just ask that you inform someone on property in advance, so we will be aware of your altered state of consciousness.
I would like to come to the land for ceremonial use of a plant entheogen. Is this possible?
If you have a desire to use an entheogenic substance to conquer a specific issue within a religious context, please inform us of your plans ahead of time so that we can make proper arrangements. Like LSD trips in the 1960s, entheogens are very popular these days and becoming accepted as a means to “enlightenment.” The current cultural belief is that it is ONLY through such external means that one can achieve higher states of consciousness. Consider that this belief closes the mind to the possibility of doing it on your own without “IT.” When this “exclusivity” energy surrounds the substance, we see entheogens as a potential porthole to demonic infestation.
We have personally experienced the voices and visions of the ethers withiut an external mind altering substance. When you become a clear vessel (through fruitarianism, fasting and meditation, etc.) you hear those voices and see the Spirit without needing to go “on a trip” to get there. We believe G*D gave us mental, emotional, spiritual and metaphysical abilities to access other dimensions without the use of an external crutch.
We do not advocate regular usage of entheogens. Yashua taught us to go into our inner room to find the kingdom, through fasting, meditation and prayer. We are not suggesting any specific meditation technique. each person finds their own Way.
“But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6
However, after reading our thoughts, you still feel called to use an entheogen, we do inner-stand this choice. But once you have taken the elevator ride to the top floor and seen the view from up there, consider taking the stairs (of an altered lifestyle) from that point onward. It IS a lot more work to get there, but you might be surprised on the insights and you will pick up on the floors in-between.
What about “Bufo” ceremonies?
As per our mission to be stewards of animals, we feel that this type of ceremony is inappropriate for our land. The source either comes from synthetic pHarmaceuticals or a very traumatized Bufo alvarius (Sonoran Toad). Neither one sounds good.
“The catch-and-release experience can be quite traumatic for the toads. To trigger the venom excretion, the toads must become agitated. Then, the milky venom is extracted by scraping or squeezing. So the toads go through anxiety and then pain.”
https://realitysandwich.com/dmt-milking/
Please be kind to all our amphibian friends. Find your enlightenment through other means that do not include hurting another sentient being.