A hermit is a person living in solitude as a religious/spiritual discipline:
In what condition of life could a man enjoy absolute freedom?
That of a hermit in a desert
- verse 826 “The Spirits Book” by Allan Kardec
A hermitage is a place where hermits live. A commune is a place where people share income.
Fantasy Island is thus:
- a hermitage
- a commune
- a home church
And the name chosen, “Fantasy Island”, is appropriate, we feel.
The Fantasy Island Commune Hermitage (FICH) is a home church hermitage offering shared living and programs and services for spiritual development. To put it in the words of Kane Mantyla, “it is a center for finding your center”. It is modelled on the following communities that I have lived at:
- The International Buddhist Meditation Center – here the core practice was Vietnameze Zen Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhists and Theravada Buddhists were also here. But 70% of the residents had other practices entirely, such as Castaneda’s magical passes, Tai Chi, Ecumenical Christianity, etc. They did not involve or concern themselves with Buddhism at all. Pretty much everyone was in their room doing their thing except for Saturday at noon when we had yard work. There were conflicts here and none of them were handled skillfully or compassionately.
- Madre Grande Monastery – the core practices here were Theosophy and Loving-Kindness. Since the passing of the founder, that has changed. The property was 200+ acres on a remote mountaintop. 5 people were part of the monastery training program. A few others simply had camping space to do their own practices and were not certifying in Theosophy and Loving-Kindness. I had one very significant conflict here. And again, it was not handled skillfully or compassionately… by me or the other party.
- The Yesss!!! Center – 35 people were living in 3 houses… everywhere, on the tops of doors, on couches, in makeshift bunk beds, etc. The core practice was Osho’s Dynamic Breathing. But 90% of the people were completely uninvolved in that, or anything else spiritual. We were at 344 Indiana Ave in Venice, CA… a 5 minute walk from the ocean.
The hermits residing at Fantasy Island freely associate with the programs and services of FIH with a participation level varying from 0% to 100% based on their interest. It is understood that solo practice in their own space is their primary means of spiritual development and any association with a community, church or group is secondary/optional.
Mission Statement
Fantasy Island intends to be a place for hermits to meditate in silence.