Finca Sagrada as an
Intentional Community
Finca Sagrada is an intentional community, or an Ecovillage. We are part of the Global Ecovillage Network (GEN) and Casa Latina (the Latin American branch of GEN). We are open to new members, as the space allows for more than the current population of 10 permanent residents, 2 dogs, 4 cats, 1 horse, 2 donkeys, 5 cows, 2 bulls, and a huge variety of mammals, amphibious, insects, fungi and bacteria who collaborate to enhance life to its greatest potential in this small valley.
Interested families and individuals are welcome to visit the ecovillage for a period of time arriving with open hearts, ready to connect with the land and feel its gentle guidance for what is next in their souls journey . If you are guided to take a deeper dive, we will invite you to stay for a few months so you (and us) can figure out if there is a match.
In the meantime, here are some thoughts that the spirit of Finca Sagrada has whispered to us as instructions of how to Be in community.
- We consider ourselves beings on a Spiritual path committed to our deepest purpose, and a belief that the guiding power of the Universe is Love.
- We honor each others source of inspiration with radical acceptance and create a space for curious inquiry and learning from one another.
- For us spirituality is not so much about talking, but about being, embodying our divine, respecting our humanness with unity consciousness of love at the heart of what fuels our choices with the highest integrity.
- Out of our commitment to be in right relationship, we listen to the land and our ancestors and aspire to continue to incorporate rituals, ceremony and storytelling into the culture of the community. Our day begins with gathering at the spirit house for Agni-Hotra ceremony.
- Before the community lunch, usually with twelve people or more, we make a circle, hold hands and say grace to bless the food.
- Choosing to be grateful helps and feeds Mother Earth to return to balance. The Kogi use the term we "take " from the earth and we make "payments". This choice of language emphasizes the responsibility that we have to be grateful. With a conscious intention , gratitude threads in and through our intimate moments where ever we find ourselves on the land. It also is imbued in our acts of stewardship, prayers and community gatherings.
- We all in the Ecovillage believe taking responsibility for our actions allows us to witness, build awareness, learn and make choices that contribute to individual expansion of capacity and collective journey of stewardship.
- In the spirit of First Nations' way of life, we welcome the offerings of the plant and animal kingdom including medicinal, fruit, vegetables, meat, milk, honey and eggs. Tending with love and gratitude coupled with the gentle hands, dance and playful spirit of the children we receive these offerings. Our diet is primarily vegetarian with meat as an occasional addition.
- We celebrate the richness that diversity offers by welcoming multigenerational and multicultural people.
- Honoring the Kogi declaration " The land is not for sale", Finca Sagrada invites stewardship offering land lease agreements, instead of selling a piece of the land. If you are interested, ask us, and we will explain to you how our Ecovillage is structured.
- As the intentional community grows,"The land calls the people" is the place from which the heart of the community surrenders and accepts. This belief brings those who are committed to embodying unity consciousness of love, connecting to their divinity and living in a state of reciprocity and generosity.
- We remain open and receptive to infuse the rituals, ceremonies and practices of the First Nations people as guide to return to right relationship with life. Part of the culture of Finca Sagrada is a deep respect for the First Nation cultures and their connection to the Earth and to the Universe.
Who are We
Walter Moora
Walter was born in the jungles of Borneo in 1949 of Dutch parents. As a youth, his family lived in Malaysia and England and finally, when he was 9, in New Zealand. By the end of high school, he knew he wanted to be a farmer and began his life's path. Walter soon realized that conventional farming fought nature instead of working with her so he left New Zealand in 1972 to learn biodynamic farming, which works intimately with nature. Most of his adult life he lived in the U.S. working on Camphill community farms or his own farms. Over the years, to add value to his farm products, he made Gouda cheese, European sourdough breads, grew vegetables and helped launch Seven Stars Yogurt. For many years he was on the Demeter Certification Board that certifies biodynamic farms.
In 2001 he met and married Susan Davis and they have been weaving their work together ever since. Through Susan's Capital Missions Company, they co-created a successful KINS Innovation Network called Kindred Spirits. This network invited social investors and philanthropists to visit their farm to learn how non-farmers can steward the Earth.
In 2007, they began living in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, for a substantial part of the year and Founded Finca Sagrada. Here Walter wrote his book A Farmer's Love, and he and Susan started giving workshops on their beautiful farm in the mountains of Ecuador.
Two passions guide Walter's life. One is to grow the healthiest food possible by farming Biodynamically, thus treating the Earth with respect and love. The second is to help non-farmers learn the importance of nutrition in food, learn how everyone can help steward the Earth and learn how to connect to the spirituality of the Earth.
Angela Burton
Angela Burton, is a free born Canadian soul with a heart as vast as the Canadian Rockies. Having spent over 45 years on the beautiful Island of British Columbia, she has now rooted herself in the heart felt embrace of Ecuador's Andes Mountains. Thrilled, in-love and moved beyond her wildest dream in the heart of this lush spiritual bio-dynamic growing community of Finca Sagrada 🌱
Angela brings a wealth of experience from her dedicated tenure at World Tree, where she continues to cultivate not just an earth giving tree but a vision for bio-diverse, regenerative prosperity with a mantra of "growing trees for planet, people and prosperity". She's been a pioneer in transforming what's possible in a reciprocity approach that enriches not only synchronicity for nature and all things but support for the planet's abundant well-being 🌎
Her journey transcends mere business ventures; it's a testament to her radiant spirit and unwavering commitment to children and the Earth we leave to them. Angela is a beautiful light, radiating compassion and generosity in every endeavour. Her passion for people powered by a lifetime of nurturing and protecting—be it her own children or the countless foster children who found solace under her care 🤝
Now, amidst the verdant landscapes of Ecuador, she continues to sow seeds of hope, weaving a tapestry of an inspired community in her new found home.
Angela stands as a testament to the transformative power of compassion and conscious living. In her hands, every seed planted is a promise of a greener, more compassionate and connected future for us all ♥️
Susan Davis Moora
Susan Davis Moora is the innovator of KINS Innovation Networks, who helps people manifest their life missions collaboratively with others. She left a Division Administrator position for Harris Bank's Personal Trust Group after nine years to start Capital Missions Company (CMC) in June of 1990. CMC created an innovation method highly effective in social investing and other niches of sustainability using principles of generosity and trust.
Susan used these experiences in business and finance to create this unique networking innovation method now proven successful with 35 networks created over a 35-year period. This method, called KINS Innovation Networks, uses nature as a model for innovation following a simple 7-step method anchored by 30 people from 30 diverse constituencies.
In 2007, Susan took a health-required 3-year sabbatical in Vilcabamba, Ecuador, where she and Walter, used KINS and funding from FlowFunding.org to model how a town's leaders could help take their town green and resilient. Susan also wrote a book, The Trojan Horse of Love, to teach others how to start KINS networks through telling the KINS stories. Susan gifts this book from her heart rather than selling it and it has been downloaded 16,600 times.
After a traumatic attack and beating by armed commandos in their home in 2009, Susan and Walter decided to become global nomads for a year, traveling pro bono to U.S. towns to teach KINS and biodynamic farming to help the towns go green, sharing the Vilcabamba story. Today they continue to advise such groups, speaking and giving workshops.
Jon Love
Jon has had a rich life exploring the mystery of being alive at this time of a great turning. His explorations have taken him into the realms of personal, organizational and social transformation. He's helped governments facing the unprecedented difficulties brought on by HIV/AIDS, companies recovering from devastating strikes and lockouts, product development teams hopelessly behind in seizing the opportunity to bring breakthrough products to market, and people with visions bigger than they know how to achieve. Now he is devoted to serve the emergence of an even more loving, harmonious and beautiful way of life for humans in sacred union with each other and Mother Earth.
Riki Cevallos
Born in Guayaquil (Ecuador) Riki has been a travel writer since the 90's when he lived between Colombia, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, Florida and Brazil doing PR for a travel magazine. But wearing suit and tie in a soul-less tourism industry ended up being a big No. Then came "Viajes", a magazine focused in Indigenous, Responsible and Community Travel.
Riki lived in Florida for four years, where he wrote for Brazilian and Argentinean magazines about the Cultural Scene in Miami. Eventually he published his own magazine, "Wet", about the extravagant scene in South Beach at the turn of the century.
After an awakening of consciousness, his writer's career took a twist when he began to write a bi weekly column about Spritiual Science in Ecuador's largest newspaper. During Covid he started NuevasAlternativas.com
In 2008 he opened Manso, a hotel / agroecological restaurant / cultural space in downtown Guayaquil, that is still kind of a landmark space.
Riki's current communication project is TikTok.com/@filosofiaperenne5.0, which purpose is to explain in scientific terms important pieces of esoteric wisdom, and to decode secrets of ancient wisdom and explaining them clearly.
In 2023, Riki started Agua Sagrada, an environmental project in Ecuador's coastal regions, as a reaction to the heavy contamination water problem happening right now in that area.
He moved to Finca Sagrada to lead the restructuring of its events programming, to what came to be the Center for Integrative Thought, fully aligned to Finca Sagrada's Mission to help fulfill the Prophecy of the Encounter of the Eagle and the Condor.
Satya Love
(written by herself)
A few words that might describe the who that I am are a dreamer, mother, sister, life long learner, wayshower, catalyst, steward of earth sprinkled with a good dose of a rigorous, joyful and challenging commitment to opening and following my heart deepening relationship and stewardship with self, each other and the world. Daily rise and shine with a mission to ignite magnetic resonance, catalyzing exponential impact, for even more unity consciousness of love is the fuel for the souls' will to stay in the river, letting go of the sides, learning to ask for help, recognize help, receive help and be grateful. A life of following the magical breadcrumbs leading me back to myself discovering there is no self, laughing, celebrating, taking the next breath and step with trust in the perfection and comfort in a state of the unknown way of being. Keeping life fun is a must! A stand for possibilities so that the IM Possible happens creates magical expansion of opportunities.Favorite self talk that expands the field of being are " I am That, I am , there is enough, it is done, center up buttercup, love is the answer, Be Love" Love anyway... is the motto of choice.
Oh ya, also traveling in and through me is a rich history of community building, reading the energy fields, creating and managing organizations, and initiatives as per instructions from the Universe. Recent engagement is with Pachamama Alliance and Finca Sagrada.
The Thompsons
We're the Thompson Family. We are originally from Canada, where we have an off-grid homestead and raised all of our own meat, vegetables, fruits and nuts. When not learning about different plants and animals on the farm, we can be found creating through art, legos, puzzles and sitting down with a good book together.
Our philosophy in life is to connect with intention wherever possible, that learning and living are one in the same and to try to have a ridiculously good time creating our best life possible. We have a deep respect for Mother Earth and all that she provides and are constantly seeking ways that we can continue to nurture her.
Extended Family
These are the ones who come and go, but when they go, they continue to be present.
Kai Reinacher
Kai is a biologist and a nature enthusiast. Inspired from environmental pioneers and amazed by the beauty and diversity of tropical forests, he aspired to contribute to the conservation and restoration of these unique ecosystems. During a 3-week volunteer stay on Finca Sagrada together with his partner Marion, he fell in love with the land – Ecuador, Vilcabamba, the Finca and especially Walter's mountain. Highly motivated to have an impact on global biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation, he convinced Walter to start a reforestation project on his mountain, raised money and won over Cristian Ojeda to become the local manager for the project. Together, the team has managed to plant roughly 19.000 trees in the first two years alone. Of course this program had to continue!
In his professional life, Kai works in the natural conservation department of the cantonal administration of Basel-City, Switzerland. After his Master's degree in Plant Science, he continued educating himself in Permaculture Design, Ecosystem Restoration Design and is currently pursuing a second Master's program in Preneurship for Regenerative Food Systems. When he's finished with it, he and Marion are planning to move to Ecuador and become the first producers of truly sustainable palm oil!
Nancy Hilgert
Our editors are doing research about Nancy in order to publish her bio here soon. Our editors are doing research about Nancy in order to publish her bio here soon.Our editors are doing research about Nancy in order to publish her bio here soon. Our editors are doing research about Nancy in order to publish her bio here soon. Our editors are doing research about Nancy in order to publish her bio here soon. Our editors are doing research about Nancy in order to publish her bio here soon.
Our editors are doing research about Nancy in order to publish her bio
here soon. Our editors are doing research about Nancy in order to
publish her bio here soon.Our editors are doing research about Nancy in
order to publish her bio here soon. Our editors are doing research about
Nancy in order to publish her bio here soon.
Cristian Hartman
Cristian was born in Vilcabamba, and grew up far from the big cities in a simple life without technology, with an environment similar to the ancestral towns. Carrying an Inca Palta lineage in his blood, when he turned thirteen he left his parents' house to explore the highlands, coast and the jungle, gaining great knowledge.At 24, Cristian had already done a lot of construction, gardening, plumbing, administration, etc.
He learned English and began to travel to various countries around the world, working in
communities for people with disabilities and creating several projects to help the most
vulnerable.
Upon returning to Ecuador, he began to work on biodynamic farming, which brought him very
close to his origins, raising an intense desire to rediscover ancestral knowledge and defend
it to pass it to new generations and to protect the first nation people's heritage, and the Planet.
At the moment he continues looking for opportunities for his village, Tumianuma, generating sources of work and knowledge in construction as well as environmental projects.
His current jobs are construction and reforestation projects, a bit of real estate as a hobby
but his goal is to live near the mountains, grow his own food and learn ancestral medicine.