Remember that road trip when your dad wouldn’t ask anyone for directions? And everyone knew you were lost? Like, you’d been going around in circles and he refused to admit it? He just went sort of quiet? Sometimes cohousing feels like that. Only dad’s not driving. You are. And you’re not sure who to ask. So where are we? Well, over the summer Vivian led about half of our group through a series of workshops on sociocracy—the governance system we’ve adopted as our decision-maki

Cults typically have a leader whom members admire and look up to. They offer the support and friendship of their peers and the promise of security in an insecure world. I get the attraction. The real-life experience of cults, however, is a tad off-putting. Charles Manson and the Family. The Branch Dravidians. The Jonestown Colony in Guyana. All got off to a promising start. Each left an unexpected legacy. Manson gave the Beatles the inspiration for “Helter Skelter.” The Branc