By JIM GENARO

Many residents of intentional communities find common ground through shared social, political or religious beliefs. What unites the residents of the Italian eco-village Damanhur is a shared belief that spiritual values should be realized through physical work, according to Crotalo Sesamo.

Sesamo and his wife Shama discussed the community — and its most notable accomplishment, the Temples of Humankind — with about 30 attendees at Malaprop’s Bookstore/Café on Nov. 8.

The Federation of Damanhur is a community of more than 800 members located in the foothills of the Alps, near Turin, Italy. It was founded in 1975 by Oberto Airaudi, a former insurance broker who wanted to realize a lifelong dream, inspired what he believed was a childhood vision of a past life. Airaudi, now 57, claims to have seen at the age of 10 visions of a city full of elaborate temples. As an adult, he set out to recreate those temples inside an Italian mountain.

“The temples are a great 3-D book carved out of rock to tell the history of humankind,” Sesamo told the audience at Malaprop’s.

The temples are carved into the side of a mountain that was chosen because of what Aiuadi said were fortuitous energetic connections. They occupy more than 300,000 cubic feet and are adorned with elaborate frescoes, stained-glass windows, massive columns and sculptural depictions of the religious iconography of dozens of religious traditions.

The temples represent countless hours of work by hundreds of artists, builders and laborers over 30 years.

Begun in 1977, the temples were built by Airaudi’s followers without the knowledge of the Italian authorities. Laborers used hand tools at first to carve into the rock until larger equipment could be moved inside, so as not draw attention to the project.

It was not until 1991 that police first learned of the temples’ existence and demanded to come inside, threatening to dynamite the entire hillside.

When they entered, they found an elaborate network of nine chambers covered in art and sacred symbols.

The government initially threatened to destroy the temples, because they had been built without permission, but eventually rescinded the threat.

For the residents of Damanhur, the temples are a testament to their shared values.
“True spiritual accomplishment is always achieved through accomplishments in the material world, Sesamo said.

This is because Damanhurians do not believe in a distinction between the spiritual and the physical world, he elaborated.

“We consider the earth a living being that is to be respected and protected,” he explained.

While it is the temples that have drawn a great deal of media attention to the community in recent years, the social and governmental structure of Damanhur also is unique and elaborate. Damanhur organizes itself along a clearly defined social and political structures and even issues its own currency.

Social organization dominates most aspects of life in the community, starting at the family level. However, Sesamo explained, “family” does not mean nuclear families for the community’s residents.“For us, it’s around 15, 16, 20 people,” he said.

These “families” share a common home, though they have separate rooms.

“Living in community does not mean that you have 16 people in one room,” he said. “It won’t work.”

Each year, Damanhur’s families each elect one member to be “president.” The presidents represent their families’ interest in councils and elect “guides,” — representative leaders who direct the community’s affairs for six-month terms.

This structure has evolved over the years, Sesamo said, as the community has undergone numerous transformations.

“One very important thing to create community is to be willing to change. Otherwise, you will collapse,” he said.

A woman in the audience then asked how new members join the community and what sort of financial contribution is expected of them.

“We believe that every person needs to find their mission, why you’re here,” Sesamo responded. To that end, anyone is welcome to come and visit for a temporary period. During their stay, visitors will get a sense of whether Damanhur is the place to live out their spiritual calling, he said. If a person decides that it is, then a more formal admission process can be undertaken.

As to the financial aspect, he said the community “was really a pioneer project” at first, with volunteers giving their time and resources to start it. Today, however, the community generates revenue through organic farming and a number of cottage industries that are collectively run by the residents.

These activities generate financial support, a way “to use the money for something that we believe is higher,” he added.

A woman asked about the name. He replied that “Damanhur” literally translates as “City of Light,” and is named after an Egyptian city.

Another woman asked what the community’s shared religious beliefs are.

“We believe that every person is a god ... but we forgot,” Sesamo said. “We have to reawaken as a god.”

To that end, Damanhurians have developed a number of “spiritual technologies” that appear magical, but are based on natural principles, he said.

“Magic is something (that) we don’t know how it works, but it works,” he told the audience.

“What advice would you give us ... if we wanted to take a mountain here and build an autonomous society after being around some of your earth-based spirituality?” a woman asked.

“The processes are always the same,” he answered. He said the most important thing to do when creating a community is to choose carefully with whom you work.