City of Birds aims to create a worldwide network of autonomous spaces and intentional communities for the purposes of;

I. Preparing for the coming political and geological changes on the Earth, being ready to face the challenges which a life beyond the present system will bring. By solidarity we intend to survive and eventually to create a better culture on Earth.

II. Creating an integral and shared didactic for the upliftment of individual culture and behaviour by means of Pagan traditional culture, work of psychoanalysis and individual change.

We believe that the problems of the world cannot be solved simply by a change in political systems, as anyone who has ever lived in community knows the problems of social life are not solved simply by a shared ideology and ideal but rather are formed due to the egotism of each individual. Only by working together in an integral sense, with a tradition which defends us from the attacks against all revolutionary forms of culture, is there any possibility of a living example of a better culture being formed - because let's face it, in all intentional communities, despite their often lofty ideals, usually little of value is accomplished due to interpersonal complexities, gossip, in-fighting etc.

We are therefore neither a 'left-wing' nor a 'right-wing' organisation, but our philosophy, outlined in our manifesto, contains elements of each of these factors. The actual problems of life are not related to theory or ideology, but to direct practise and the practical facts of human existence. In all organisations 'left wing' or 'right wing' we find lunatics who simply wish to cause trouble and sincere people who are of use to humanity. These sincere people do not cling onto their ideology, for them ideology is a tool by which they create positive results, or as Jesus put it "out of the fullness of the heart the words of the mouth flow". For example to consider some ideologies, let us look at the idea of 'free love' which has become very prevalent in various modern intentional communities. It is our living experience that this ideology, founded as it is in nothing but a reactionary response to the repressive ideals of Catholicism etc - when this idea is dominant in communities we discover all kinds of complexities, sexual jealousy, power struggles and such developing out of it - therefore we do not accept this ideology. Indeed we discover that the most successful, long-lasting and pure communities over the course of history, those who have perhaps been least influenced by imperialism, most self-sufficient and free in terms of individual scholarship etc and for the longest period of time are in fact monastic communities.
We have recognised that essential elements in a happy human life are tradition and religion, not in the sense promoted by shallow nationalists who regard tradition as going to the fish and chip shop, watching tv and disliking other races, but in the sense of a living traditional culture founded not on ideological but on practical bases, upon the actual and living spirit of each land - for it is only by difference that we can find Unity - and furthermore not religion in the sense of the shallow and regressive religious principles of today but taking this word according to it's real meaning, in the Latin 'religiare' meaning UNION. In order to progress we must DIVIDE and UNITE intelligently, the whole process of history is a matter of division and re-unification or as Hegel etc put it Thesis, Antithesis and Synthesis. We must therefore divide up the morass and mess of modern thinking and return to a more primitive and simple position free from the complexities of our intellectual artifice, a more spirited and soulful life - from this place we may move forward into a greater Unity without the obstructions presently confronting us.

In this way we will have tools to face up to what we have created, the thousands of nuclear weapons in the world primed to go off at any time will certainly fall upon some of these big cities which have imprisoned, upon the deathly Babylon of Capitalism against which we all should Unite, for it is our common enemy. Those who will not face up to the fact that they are essentially products of capitalism not only in terms of their economic life but also psychologically, that we have taken on various elements of the ideology so deeply internalised in our subconscious that we have lost touch with ourselves - these people will always be disruptive and subversive elements in intentional communities and all revolutionary groupings who wish to be free from the oppression around them until they learn to face up to their own inner emptiness and conditioning. In order to deal with the situation around us we must first stare ourselves honestly in the eye, learn to quietly contemplate ourselves and recognise that we have been wounded and we ourselves have wounded the world. To quote again the words of the great sage and supreme destroyer of Jewish idols, dogma and Phariseeism (later corrupted and used by the very Pharisees he fought against) - Jesus Christ, very simply he said 'forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us'.

In order that our 'trespasses are forgiven' we must confront the problems we have created, together, in Unity. If we are to create any kind of revolutionary community we need to be seriously prepared to do psychological and spiritual work upon ourselves and submit ourselves to the greater whole of human life, abandoning our personal egotism and desire. There is no necessity of hierachy per se, for hierarchy often corrupts, yet the principle of submission to the higher authority of the wider human life, what objectively and beyond our subjective desire would make all happy is absolutely essential if we are to move forward.

City of Birds is a project based around work which has already been done with intentional communities around the world. The network is already being built, and we wish to get more people together, more people involved in this, and to implement in all these communities something of a shared didactic, pedagogy and tradition which uplifts each individual within themselves to a higher platform. We also hope to work together to prepare in practical ways for the times which may come, for the revolutions and wars which seem to be fast spreading across the face of the Earth - an Indymedia article recently says "is a worldwide revolution happening!?" - and indeed there are changes coming, but only by getting together in intelligent solidarity and acting fast will we have a hope of dealing with them. There are various people involved in one way or another with this project who have devoted large parts of their life to intentional community, the living alternative culture - we are intentionally avoiding getting involved with politicians and the University educated Stalinists who can't see beyond the end of their own nose and are afraid of anything which doesn't smell of dusty books. Their lives are like television melodramas, and for all their good intentions these so-called intellectuals knowing nothing but modern ideas and wanting nothing but good careers are a highly destructive influence on these sorts of projects - in order to enter into this they will have to become 'like little children' and learn what they think they know again through practical and lived experience and suffering. The intellect is ineffectual, like the drama of Hamlet, forever dilleanting and stopping, it may look over precipices and mountains but only practical action crosses them. Indeed the real question which confront us is 'TO BE OR NOT TO BE?'.

Please email us if you have an interest in these things,  info@cityofbirds.com, we have some books we can send out which outline some of the philosophical principles of this in more depth - we are working more towards creating books on the practical aspect, but this is a beginning at least and may prove an inspiration to make practical changes for many people. The website is not online yet but hopefully will be soon, and we have some other projects happening in the major cities of the UK which should be getting off the ground in the very near future.
Take care, friend, and remember...

RADIATE LOVE
LIVE IN UNITY