Three Ways to Live Off the Grid

 “We now live in a nation where doctors destroy health, lawyers destroy justice, universities destroy knowledge, governments destroy freedom, the press destroys information, religion destroys morals, and our banks destroy the economy.” ~ Chris Hedges

Here are 3 ways to live off the grid

Live in a Foreign Country

Living in a foreign country sounds incredibly romantic and might be something we all wish we could do during the stretch of a lifetime alongside learning another language. It gets put up there with other vague ambitions such as ‘write an autobiography’ or ‘go bungee jumping in Australia’, but how many of us actually take the next step and go from traveler to inhabitant, no matter how brief the residency ends up being.

To actually live, fully, deeply and sometimes crazily in a foreign country takes guts. Being confronted – not only with the things we hate about our homeland and love in our new one – but with the daily annoyances that that country comes with; those inevitable differences in culture and general way of doing things shines up our conditioning like narcissus at the pool.

The difference is, we have the opportunity not to drown. In recognizing our own attachments, often through experiencing other’s hidden nationalism and patriotic pride or even just noticing those moments of discomfort in ourselves when confronted with something new can aid us in shedding the flakes of the ego no longer needed and bring us closer to an authentic sense of self.

One which has been unfettered by a government’s agenda and prejudices. One which is not built on fear. And you’d be surprised how much ‘normal’ social interaction is based on this. For those who are looking for something more, living in a foreign country can be refreshing, even enlightening.

Living in a foreign country also gives us the opportunity to vanquish the thousand of ways we feed into the system back home. We are able to be one step closer to freedom, untraceable and unreachable unless we check our emails constantly. No salesman can call us, no-one need know our address. We can be free from bills and salaries if we volunteer or have the means to survive without work. We can step out of the system and off the grid, to a certain extent anyway.

Live Remote
live on the mountains in a monastery

Entirely removing ourselves from society is another option. This hermit-like existence may take place in a cabin in the forest, or perhaps a monastery in the mountains.

Being far away from civilization is a great spiritual journey and, even if only enjoyed for a limited time such as a year, can teach us reams upon reams about ourselves.

Living remote however, can of course be dangerous. Entirely cut off means, cut off, and it may be the moment you realize the many benefits of modern society. That said, if taken with a family or in a community that only connects with the real world for supplies once in a while may leave you as clean as a whistle; no ‘God helmet’ signals and wifi, no chemical products or food, no negative people or news and media.

What does one do when devoid of entertainment and all the meaningless distractions of modern society? Turn in, tune in, connect with nature, meditate in work and silence, play and make deep connections with our fellow human being. You know, the usual. What we are really here to do.

Living remote may be a temporary journey of travel or hiking, or it may be a life-changing decision in order to permanently connect with our higher selves and bring our spiritual journey to a head. Perhaps we will return from it one day, cleansed and ready to perform our work having rejoined the system now immune to its glamour and compromised values, or maybe we will stay remote, talking to the stars and the silence of the whole for the rest of our days.

Step off the grid from the inside out

mark boyle off-the-grid
Mark Boyle lived without money for almost three years and now lives a minimalist money lifestyle.

Stepping off the grid on your own turf means slowly but surely changing your habits and ways of living.

This has, and is being done across the globe; building sustainable gardens and small holdings in your back yard, completely rewriting your shopping list and editing out all GMO, questionable suppliers and products that damage our environment including clothes, household products, technologies and of course food.

Becoming mindful about our water use, waste disposal and storage of food are other ways we can step off the grid.

Taking ourselves off the internet, out of the phone book and replacing our movie and TV nights with prayer and creativity or communal activities, washing our clothes by hand and cooking on a fire… something many people around the world still do on a regular basis, so why can’t we? Gradually readjusting and giving up our many comforts mean consuming less and returning to a simpler and more integral way of life.

And we can do it on our own doorstep. We can even build our own houses (laws permitting) from natural materials and on an extremely low budget. Even just reducing the amount of space we take up and turning what used to be a three bedroom house into a caravan and a big garden full of home grown veg – wow! What a revolutionary act! We can even go back to storing our money under our mattresses (if we still sleep in a bed and not on the floor) and not in the bloodsucking banks.

Just think of all the money we spend on nothing in a year. Living off the grid from within will make people sit up and notice. They’ll follow you and do the same. Use the difference in the money you used to spend on your modern conveniences and use it to buy a life-changing experience. Give it a charity. Set up something new and unique. Now that really is a life worth living.

Image Source
Caravan
Making Rocket stove from beer keg

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Lauren
Lauren
Lauren Simpson-Green, who has had quite a few life-affirming spiritual experiences already, now passes her days trying to master one of the most challenging and rewarding spiritual experiences of all; being a mother to two children. Based in Devon, UK, she spends the rest of her time working on a children's book, practising yoga and making wool fairies and gnomes for her daughter's school fayres.

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