Sunburst: A People, A Path, A Purpose : The Story of the Most Provocative Communal Group in America Today

by Dusk Weaver, Willow Weaver, Barnaby Conrad (Foreword)

An award-winning, inspiring account of one of the most dynamic communal groups in America, written from the points of view of a Georgia couple who travel extensively in search of an ideal setting in which to raise their children. What the Georgia family eventually finds in Southern California (and Sunburst Community) is considerably grander and more idyllic than what it had dared to dream, and the tone of the book is decidedly upbeat, yet never evangelic, even in describing the sincere spiritual values of Sunburst.

Through insightful and engaging journal entries, the 350 diverse members of the group are vivified in colorful sketches of daily life within the community. From the collective's thousands of acres of wilderness land, agricultural crops, arts and crafts, and from its many natural foods businesses (both wholesale and retail) that made Sunburst the largest supplier of organic produce in America, this account distills all into a warm, highly personal reading of the joys and problems of collective living, and it provides an insider's view of what may well be the most provocative communal group in America today.

176 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 1982

Reviews

[P.J. Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nonfiction account of one family’s quest for a back-to-the-land home in a community of like-minded people. Written as journal entries. Good insights into the joys and tribulations of communal living or, as the authors prefer, “collective” living. Presents the Sunburst community as a mix of New Age hippy communism, organic agriculture, Yogananda meditation, hard work, and virtuous living. Chastity was “considered the keystone in Sunburst’s foundation,” even for married couples! Why? To facilitate a meditative union with the Creator, “the sovereign force” in their lives. Definitely a spiritual community. A “theocracy,” in fact, but freely chosen. Included is an appendix of other American spiritual communities—those with “a homegrown religious salad, made from sprigs of oriental and occidental teachings.” Interesting list but outdated, as this book dates from 1982.

It gets into the politics of the community, the internal dissentions, the outgoers and why they left. Internal dissentions are inevitable in any community.

In any case, these were hard-working, productive people who provided wholesome foods to the Southern California markets while respecting the environment. It was a shame that their experiment did not survive and prosper. Illustrated with family photographs.