dreaming of the round

" 'There can be no power in a square,' Black Elk said. 'You will notice that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the power of the world always works in circles, and everything tries to be round.'...

Nature creates in circles and moves in circles. Atoms and galaxies are circular, and most organic things in between. The Earth is round. The wind whirls. The womb is no shoebox. Where are the corners of the egg and the sky?"

Tom Robbins, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues

i have been increasingly thinking about earthships, yurts and other non-suburban dwellings. it all started when i was a child, looking through a book my parents owned called Shelter (originally published in 1973, which now has a sequel entitled Home Work). here i was introduced to a wide variety of eclectic housing structures i had never fathomed ... not very surprising considering the cookie cutter boxes most Floridians choose for dwelling.

a few years back, i purchased these books for my husband, who had become quite interested in natural buildings. they showcase beautiful, unique shelters (including treehouses!) people all over the world refer to as 'home'. the most magnificant of these are the smooth, curvy structures; eloquently stated by tom robbins (above), the lack of right angles produces a soothing living space with an undeniable organic flow. i have been thinking so much about this, i am starting to become disturbed by every corner i find in my house. i stare at them and wonder what happens in these corners? it's an energy dead-end (though many spiders in our spare bedroom are making happy homes).

it was when my husband and i visited the STAR (Social Transformation Alternative Republic) Earthship community near Taos, New Mexico during our southwestern honeymoon adventure that i decided i HAD to live in an Earthship.



Earthships are made from materials available in virtually all human settlements around the globe. The main building element is an earth-filled tire. Using passive solar heating, ventilation and cooling, Earthships produce their own electricity, collect their own water and deal with their own sewage through food producing greenhouse technology.


Not only are they ecologically-conscious, they are completely beautiful; most look like Gaudi designed them. and when you step inside, you are engulfed by a peacefulness i cannot explain with words.

...earthship: south facing windows...

...earthship...

...earthship...

...cob home...
...yurt's hobbit door...