About Us, Our Vision & Values
How we arrived here
We scouted far and wide for several years, looking for a place we could call home, with the criteria of spring water, proximity to towns, trains and airports, pasture for grazing animals, and private dwellings for us humans. We landed in Ariège and found what we were searching for, surprising ourselves in the process. In the spring of 2025 we acquired this little piece of heaven to steward and guide into a blooming haven for creative souls.
We began as three founders and one devoted dog, but the vision is larger than us. It is our desire to weave together a synergistic collective, based on a resilient and replicable economic model, where art and agriculture, work and rest, solitude and solidarity can coexist in harmony. We feel we found a good spot to try this out in.
The Vision
our Values
✧ AWARENESS ~ awareness as the mindfulness practices of self-examination & inner stillness which guide our engagement. By tending to our inner state, we bring grounded presence to the shared field; by receiving from others, we are steadied in return. Awareness is at the root of connection - of other's states and needs, of differences, of noticing urgency requiring responsiveness, of attuning to ourselves, other beings and the natural world.
✧ COLLABORATION ~ collaboration in the sense that we breathe as many & move as one. We remain interconnected yet we do not dissolve into the collective; no one exists outside the rhythm of the whole, nor does one exist solely for themselves. Our collective strength is rooted in the harmonization of each individual's unique gifts in the whole system.
✧ RECIPROCITY ~ reciprocity as a moral & relational resonance - Reciprocity in our relationships allows our collective to be self-regulating. Each individual receives with empathy and gives with benevolence; sustainability arises not from equal giving, but from continuous rebalancing guided by mindfulness and goodwill.
✧ BALANCE ~ harmony flows from the continual exchange of Yin and Yang in each any everything we do - balance is the acknowledgement of that exchange in natural forces (as opposed to seeking extremes). Misalignments are resolved through mindfulness & movement; silence is not used as disconnection, nor is confrontation used as dominance; balance is restored through self-examination (listening inward) and responsiveness (active relational adjustment) to others, ensuring that neither extreme overtakes the other. Ethical movement - taking actions and addressing tension with receptivity and attunement - allows for moral cultivation and collective flourishing.
✧ REVERENCE ~ Reverence in the sense that gratitude is a responsibility that anchors us in the natural realm. We remember to give appreciation to that which nourishes us in our spirits & souls - be it the food we grow, our loved ones, the winds of change, etc. We tend to what we touch - all animate things around us may be noticed - we assume responsibility to nourish with caring compassion that which gives to us.
A place to practice slow living, connect with nature and our natural selves, and allow regenerative systems, creativity, and self-expansion to blossom.
Château du Faune is a farm, residency and refuge dedicated to the intersection of art and ecology (read more about the concept here). Spread across 11 hectares of rolling meadow and woods, you'll find a place where ecological artists, curious spirits and mindful cultivators can come together to actualize a shared vision for holistic, intentional living. We represent a multicultural, multi-specied, diverse bunch of souls and our collective success is rooted in the harmonization of each individual's unique gifts in the whole system.
Read more about our living agreements, rhythms & flows here.
Read more about our structures & governance models here.
The 7 pillars of our collective
1.
Eco-Building
To us, eco building means creating and maintaining spaces that are functional, safe, and long-lasting while minimizing impact on the land. We prioritize utilizing resources from our own land and forest, recycled and local materials, practical design, and structures that support the daily life and work of the project.
See employment/exchange opportunities here
2.
Slow Farming
Slow farming is how we grow food in a way that sustains soil, ecosystems, and people over time. It’s about planning, pacing, and working with natural cycles so productivity emerges as a by-product of healthy, regenerative systems. In principal it is a method of working with our land that is holistic, non-extractive & reciprocal where we return to regulated states through tending the soil and productivity emerges as a by-product, not a goal.
See employment/exchange opportunities here
3.
Wellness
This pillar ensures that everyone on site is supported with nutritious food, rest, and routines that help maintain energy, focus, and wellbeing. It’s integrated into daily life, so caring for the body and nervous system happens alongside work and creativity. The land, and our connection to it and to each other, offers us medicine and nourishment in so many forms. Wellness in community is about coming together to celebrate life & abundance which we do through embodiment practices, hosting events and running gatherings like potlucks, jams, and saunas as well as offering our attention and care to our collective environment to create an inviting, warm atmosphere.
See employment/exchange opportunities here
4.
ANIMALS
Our horses, alpacas, sheep, chickens, dogs and ducks are all a reciprocal part of our whole systems design. The animals provide us with fiber, food in some cases, land maintenance, manure, protection, manual strength and so much love. In turn, we care for them and find the connection to our animals to be highly nourishing to our souls.
See employment/exchange opportunities here
5.
REWILDING
Rewilding for us is about reconnecting people with nature through practical skills and immersive experiences. It's about self-reliance, respect for the land, and how to navigate and move through natural environments safely and skillfully. We host rewilding excursions and residencies in the breathtaking Pyrenees by horse or by foot, to foster feeling deeply part of our physical surroundings, to awaken our innate primal beings, to revive a sense of vitality and aliveness... all in reverence to the animate forces that nourish us.
See employment/exchange opportunities here
6.
The arts
Art is woven into everything we do. Here, art is intertwined with ecology; artistic work enhances the aesthetic quality of the land and seeks to inspire and harmonize. Traditional crafting with natural materials and available resources slows us down to the present moment and fosters deepening connections to ourselves, each other and all animate forces. This pillar covers residencies, exhibitions, workshops, and materials that reflect the vision of the project.
See employment/exchange opportunities here
7.
Development
Development refers to growth on an individual level as well as that of the physical, conceptual and virtual spheres. It is a continual process of researching, remaining open-minded and designing the systems, workflows, and protocols to keep the project running smoothly. We develop & use slow tech and open-source tools including an area-wide events application, financial structures and other operational frameworks that allow the team to work efficiently, transparently, and sustainably.
See employment/exchange opportunities here
Meet our team
Patrick M.
Chief Systems Architect
✧ links or past work
In charge of the business aspect of the project. Patrick has had one foot in the world of technology since he was barely walking. Having been particularly fascinated with science and mathematics, but also being conditioned in a business-oriented world of the US, he first studied an integrated program in Mechanical Engineering and Business. Challenges stemming from a thyroid-related autoimmunity caused his path to deviate toward nature for healing where he developped an interested in the harmonious connection between the virtual and physical world. He has spent his previous years leading up to this project in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, researching and developping softwares connecting the pipelines for an efficient business that is able to cater to the diversity of a collective project whose life source comes from nature not money, while still needing money to guide it through societal systems. Currently, he spends his days identifiying open-source softwares to lay out the infrastructure and guide energy following a path-of-least resistance principle for it to have the highest quality productive value. The flow of money is a big challenge in today's world given the imbalance of powers and yet it remains the fuel that we must use to build up this project. Through leveraging decentralized practices, he hopes that technology can help us to trigger the network resonance effect with a group of aligned individuals allowing us to naturally fuel each other in collaboration with the forces of nature.
Coco L.
Creative Director
✧ links or past work
Community entrepreneur, textile artist, caretaker of alpacas and other animals whose work focuses on regenerative whole systems design, compassion-oriented business development, and traditional crafts and slow living. Her present-day practice involves deepening her exploration of how ecological engagement can invoke a sense of belonging, allow space for creativity to blossom, and restore our relational capacities within ourselves, each other, and the elemental world. Her background spans an evolution of expressions, including ten years in Guatemala, where she founded a community hub that combined her expertise in tree-to-bar chocolate making and culinary arts with her passion for building ethical and artistic business. She developed and operated a wholefood cafe, a bulk-food store, a local textile designers’ collective and several studio rental spaces within the plaza and hosted regular free-to-attend cultural programming.
Charlie M.
Groundskeeper
Bio in a few sentences
describing the human
✧ links or past work