A friend had made plans to visit the Sirius Community in Shutesbury, Massachusetts on August 1st and 2nd 2026, and invited me along. Always down to visit a new place with camera in hand, I headed west…
Upon arrival, we were welcomed by an array of friendly and knowledgeable members. We had a room booked in the main lodge which is an impressive octagon 70’s style open building with an industrial kitchen, greenhouse as well as rooms for people to stay.
During the visit, we were able to explore the massive grounds including the cobb house, stone cirlce, many gardens, octagon building, pond, sauna, ect. I really dug the structures that people have built on site and live in full time. Also, dinner is a great time when everyone gathers around a large array of food as a community and socializes. That night there was an amazing DJ located in the back yard that was really good at his craft.
Having grown up on acreage in a rural area of Rhode Island in which we grew much of our own food as well as heated with wood, it all felt very familiar to me. Many of the visitors are from cities (many people were there visiting from New York City) where they cannot simply go outside their door and spend time in nature, so this retreat serves a very important role to them.
Even though I personally spend at least an hour a day in the forest an am well versed in these landscapes, there was something really cool and special about the land and what they’ve created here in western Massachusetts. I’m looking forward to visiting again…
Thakns for being here.
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