The Lone Star Of Chaos

(I have decided to move back to Arizona and focus my efforts on Chaos in the Desert Monastery, so The Lone Star of Chaos is considered "inactive". If someone steps forward to continue the project, I'll add the appropriate information to this web page. - Hxaosanto)

Location and Size

There is no physical monastery yet. The idea is to get 2 to 4 monastics to rent a small house together in the Austin, Texas, area. They could share all rent, bills, expenses, and chores, while having their own jobs and income streams. One room in the house (most likely a bedroom) would be converted into a temple. Any backyard area would be converted into garden, exercise, and outdoor temple space.

Austin, Texas, (population around 650,000 people) is a thriving university town, with many vibrant aspects. It is the capitol city of the state of Texas, the second most-populous state in the United States, and the second largest in terms of physical area. The University of Texas is home to over 50,000 students per semester, and employs over 21,000 people directly. Austin considers itself "The Live Music Capitol Of The World"; it seems that at any time, you can go somewhere and hear live music. The world-famous 6th Street area has numerous music venues and bars. Austin is in the gorgeous Texas Hill Country area, and has such natural wonders as the Colorado River running through downtown, Zilker Park, and the Barton Springs swimming area. It's also the only place in the world that celebrates Eeyore's birthday every year (it's a very Discordianesque event). The public transit system, Capitol Metro, is wide-ranging, inexpensive, and reliable. Austin is also served by all other major transit providers (Greyhound, Amtrak, and all major airlines). Bike lanes and sidewalks are extremely common.

The Austin area has many employment opportunites. Many large companies have headquarters here, including Dell Computer Corporation. This area is called "Silicon Hills" due to all the high-tech industry in the area, including IBM, NCR, AMD, Apple, Motorola, and innumerable smaller firms. The "dot boom" harmed the economy pretty badly, but it's finally rebounding a bit. Many other employment opportunities abound in other areas such as government and politics, education (especially university-level), and healthcare. There is also a large non-profit sector.

Monastery Buildings

The monastery would consist of a small to medium-sized house, or possibly an apartment. Its size would be dependent upon the number of monastics willing to commit to a lease or rental term of 6 months or longer. It would probably have at least 2 bedrooms - one for the monastics' sleeping quarters and one for a temple. For 2 monastics, a 2-bedroom unit would likely suffice. For 3 or 4 monastics, a 3-bedroom unit would probably work fine. Right now, I think limiting the number of monastics in the unit to 4 is prudent until more is known about the interpersonal relationships between the monastics. If more than 4 make their interests known, a second unit not far from the first can be considered, or a larger dwelling which would be able to encompass all of them.

The "living area" would be common space used for exercise, books, computers, eating, and general and common use. It would be sparsely furnished, yet comfortable. The kitchen and bathroom would be common spaces. Any outside areas, especially a backyard, would be used for organic gardening, exercise, and outdoor shrine and temple space.

Special Considerations For An Urban Monastery

Living in an urban setting presents a different set of conditions than living in a rural area:

It's more expensive in the city. - The monastery would be limited in its size and abilities by the income provided by its monks. Everyone would need to have some sort of income, job, etc., even if only part-time. The rent, bills, food, and other expenses would have to be shared equally by all monks in residence. A monk's contribution could be paid by willing sponsors, if they have any, but it would be preferable for every monk to have some sort of work.
There is less area, hence less privacy. - Monks would be living together in close quarters. It would be a "roommate situation" in many ways. All would have to learn to put up with each others quirks while still being responsible, clean, and quiet so that everyone can pursue their paths - both collective and individual - successfully. Luckily, there are many places in Austin to "escape", whether it be a bookstore, a concert, or a natural area such as a lake or the woods. There are also plenty of short and long term retreat areas nearby, including many campgrounds.
There is more to do. - There are many more opportunities in an urban setting. You can meet people; attend group meetings and events (and Austin seems to have at least one of everything under the sun, including religious, spiritual, magickal, philosophical, and others); find a job in almost any field; travel easily; and many other things.

Contact

For more information, or to express your interest, e-mail Hxaosanto at hxaosanto@yahoo.com

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