# 🪡 the mendastery
a (secular) monastery/artist residency/retreat center for maintenance.
> I want to start a monastery for mending, a mendastery. Some cabins in the woods where you can bring your basket of mending and just darn and sew for a day or a week with other people quietly mending nearby.
*@trav@sunbeam.city May 02, 2025, 01:58 PM,* [*https://sunbeam.city/@Trav/114439532233431253*](https://sunbeam.city/@Trav/114439532233431253)
### latest thoughts
makes sense to get this started as an event first before going so big with a permanent location.
### the vibe/expectations/life at the mendastery
* no wifi
* no speakers/amplified sound
* only maintenance work, not an art residency for generating new works
* (perhaps other than writing/reflection/journaling/sketchhook?)
* speak at/near whisper
* (in the *quiet* area)
* visitors are participants
* everyone takes part in the maintenance of the mendastery
* show up expecting to do some work on maintaining the organization/grounds
* the site should be fully self-sufficient with volunteers
* fixed times for communal cooking and eating
* cook together
* eat together
### activities
* mending & maintenance
* meditation
* stretching
* quiet contemplation
* gardening
* reading
* writing
* walking
## what is being maintained
* **the body & mind**
* stretching
* eating good food
* gardening
* walking
* meditating
* quiet
* nature
* sleep
* **things**
* textiles
* bring your own sewing machine or 1 on-site machine (foot powered?)
* hand-sewing/darning encouraged
* wood things
* furniture?
* no power tools (foot powered?)
* bicycles
* lamps
* the facilities themselves
* the sewing machine itself
* cleaning the facilities
* **the environment**
* gardening
* landscaping
## logistics
### grounds
3-season
* **central zone**
* main building
* kitchen
* shower
* serves as “reception”
* electrified, off-grid solar
* some shared tools and tall tables with stools to work and eat at
* outdoor area
* picnic benches
* shade
* grill
* hammocks?
* garden
* tool shed
* compost
* out-house
* parking area
*with a foot-path to:*
* **quiet zone**
* small cabin for silent communal activities
* meditation
* mending
* reading
* small library
* writing
* stretching
* no power other than lights
* cabins and camping area
* micro individual cabins, 3 season
* start with \~3 micro cabins?
* no laundry on site, bring own bed linens
### location
* in/near Vermont within 1 hour of biking from any transit stop
* initial location. If successful then there could be others in other places
* far enough from main roads that there aren’t people constantly walking/driving/biking by (some traffic is fine)
* at least 1 acre
* low enough that this endeavor is affordable, big enough to make sure there is nature and seclusion
:::info
this part is less certain, just riffing
:::
### organization
* non-profit with cooperative governance
* 3 levels of participation
* **member-owners**
* participate in consensus governance
* pay yearly dues
* to cover taxes and maintenance materials costs
* pay initial membership fee for joining
* ideally this gets reimbursed and reduced over time
* possibly a few thousand dollars at least at the beginning as capital costs are high
* can get their membership fee back if they leave
* can reserve a cabin for themselves for as long as they want
* for free
* set your own schedule
* **members**
* people who have been to at least one orientation retreat so they understand the vibe and how things work
* can reserve a cabin for themselves for as long as they want
* for a price
* set your own schedule
* **the public**
* may attend public events
* cannot reserve a cabin for self-guided time
* must first attend an orientation retreat
* apply for grant funding
* we are reducing waste…
* guided retreats
* a few days
* classes on
* mending
* stretching
* meditation
* operational orientation
* notaflof but hopefully could cover the cost of upkeep
### steps to formation
1. gather interested individuals
2. find out how much money we could pool
3. find candidate land
4. form cooperative non-profit
5. buy property
6. build the buildings
# **==INTERESTED?==**
email __inquiries@bindle.institute__
## inspo-orgs
* hostel in the forest
*
* west point inn
*
* myrin institute preserve
*
* the house kamikawa japan
* `%mtjG7p3VTtza2dYHf5kotgDSEOdBzeYfHKwq6Q+NCb8=.sha256`
* vipassana meditation
*
* AZ-West
*
## mood board
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**Documents**
- [as an event?](https://squad.bindle.institute/s/4811ec0b-537f-403a-baeb-0238d403d18b/doc/as-an-event-QY0VXcLKN2)