WELCOME TO OUR ANCIENT ORDER

A Path to Wholeness, Sovereignty & Living Wisdom

We are a living federation of Sanctuaries, Urban Guilds and Rural Landsteads. Guided by Kailo (our path to wholeness), we restore belonging, rebuild AI-resilient craft and economic sovereignty, and heal land in perpetual trust.

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ABOUT THE ORDER

I am only whole, when you are whole too

We are living through a convergence of three crises — artificial intelligence dismantling the old story of worth, climate breakdown and the quiet death of soil and community, with deepening economic unaffordability fragmenting lives. The Ancient Order of Sovereignty is the map and the living path through these crises.

Kailo — Wholeness in Right Relation

Our operating principle is Kailo — the ancient root meaning “whole, uninjured, of good omen.” Wholeness arises only in right relation with others and with Earth. We call this Kailosis — the ongoing process of becoming whole — and the Kailome — the living body of mutual wholeness.

The Order is structured as three interconnected pathways to restore wholeness: Sanctuary (the root of belonging), Urban Guild (artisanal craft & economic sovereignty), and Rural Landstead (deep regenerative stewardship on commons land).

Thrive — First Living Landstead

Established in 2017 in the misty Amathole Mountains of Hogsback, Eastern Cape, Thrive Centre is the Order’s first Rural Landstead. Under inaugural Elders Bevan Jones and Dianne van der Walt, it has become a working demonstration of regenerative homesteading, biodynamic soil building, natural building, and food sovereignty.

Here the model is alive: nutrient-dense food grown in living soil, workshops in permaculture and natural building, and a community that practices the Wholeness Loop every day. Thrive Centre proves that the Order is not theoretical — it is already happening.

Visit Thrive Centre →

THE THREE PATHWAYS

and the Wholeness Loop

Sanctuary

Belonging & restoration where you live, rural or urban

Monthly gatherings of 10–20 people. Shared meals, skill evenings, mutual aid. The root of the Order.

Urban Guild

Artisanal craft & economic sovereignty

City-based workshops developing AI-resilient skills to verified credentials and real income.

Rural Landstead

Full regenerative stewardship on commons land

Communities living and working on land held in perpetual Community Land Trust.

All members belong to their local Sanctuary with access to the Sovereignty Course, and discounted Marketplace pricing. Members can also join a Guild and/or Landstead, and earn an income by supplying the Marketplace with products and services. New Guilds and Landsteads receive funding from the Revolving Fund. Everything works symbiotically to enliven everything else.

See How the Pathways Connect

LEADERSHIP

Our Founding Elders

Dianne

Bevan Jones and Dianne van der Walt are the inaugural Elders of the Ancient Order of Sovereignty.

In 2017 they founded Thrive Centre in Hogsback, Eastern Cape — the Order’s first Rural Landstead. With decades of hands-on experience in regenerative agriculture, natural building, permaculture, and community living, they have quietly developed a working model of the life the Order seeks to support.

Bevan and Dianne serve as the first practitioners and teachers of the Order. They hold its institutional memory, guide the training of new Stewards and Keepers, and anchor the connection between the rural Landstead and the growing network of Sanctuaries and Guilds.

They lead not by title, but by living example.

Bevan

EARTH EQUITY

How Landsteads Fund Themselves

Land is held in a registered Community Land Trust. Startup capital comes from the Revolving Sovereignty Fund at 0–2% interest with in-kind repayment. Regenerative practices generate carbon and biodiversity credits. Every incentive points toward better stewardship and stronger economics.

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FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

The Ancient Order of Sovereignty is a living, federated network of Sanctuaries, Urban Guilds and Rural Landsteads. Guided by the principle of Kailo — wholeness that arises only in right relation with others and with Earth — we restore belonging, rebuild AI-resilient craft and economic sovereignty, and heal land held in perpetual Community Land Trust. We began with our first Landstead at Thrive Centre in Hogsback and are now expanding nationally.

Kailo is an ancient Proto-Indo-European root meaning “whole, uninjured, of good omen.” We use it as our central operating principle: true wholeness arises only in right relation with other people and with the Earth. We speak of Kailosis (the ongoing process of becoming whole) and the Kailome (the living body of mutual wholeness).

No. Most members begin and remain in a local Sanctuary. The three pathways (Sanctuary → Guild → Landstead) are fluid. You choose your own depth of commitment. Many people participate meaningfully for years without ever moving to rural land.

Sanctuary membership is R600 per year to the Sovereignty Fund, plus whatever each sanctuary collects for its own funds. Guild members also contribute towards shared materials and lessons from Keepers and Stewards, depending on each Guild's requirements. Landstead residents contribute through labour and in-kind production. All tiers support the shared Revolving Sovereignty Fund, whilst 10% of Marketplace sales also goes toward the Fund.

Sanctuary – monthly gatherings focused on belonging, skill-sharing and mutual aid.
Urban Guild – city-based workshops developing AI-resilient artisanal crafts and real income streams.
Rural Landstead – full-time regenerative communities living on commons land held in perpetual trust.

No. The Order is a practical, federated network grounded in the universal principle of Kailo. We draw respectfully from many wisdom traditions (Celtic, Daoist, Hermetic, Christian, Islamic, Hindu and others) without requiring adherence to any single faith.

The easiest way is to visit the Join page and either find an existing Sanctuary near you or gather 8–20 people to start one. No prior experience is required — only the willingness to show up and practise reciprocity.

Thrive Centre in Hogsback is the Order’s first Rural Landstead and living proof of the model. Established in 2017 by Elders Bevan Jones and Dianne van der Walt, it demonstrates regenerative agriculture, natural building, and community life on commons land.

Earth Equity is our integrated land, tenure and finance system. Land is held in a registered Community Land Trust (no speculation), startup capital comes from the low-interest Revolving Fund with in-kind repayment, and regenerative practices generate carbon and biodiversity credits.

Every product carries the name, story and verified provenance of the human who made it. Sanctuary members buy directly from Guild and Landstead shopfronts and/or via the Order's website. 10% of gross sales flows back into the Revolving Fund, creating a self-strengthening economic loop.

Yes. While our pilot and first Landstead are in South Africa, the model is designed for international adaptation. Sanctuaries can form anywhere in the world; we will assess formal international expansion after two years of proven success in South Africa.

Membership is voluntary. Sanctuary and Guild members may leave at any time. Landstead members who leave receive the assessed value of their improvements. The land itself remains protected commons in perpetuity.

In a world of AI-generated abundance, human-made with a face, a name, and a story is the premium good. We restore dignity, agency, and belonging — one Sanctuary, one Guild, one Landstead at a time.

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