Hello.
I am sitting in Indralaya’s tiny office which faces the meadow, listening to the peaceful hum of conversation and watching butterflies dance among the patio’s wisteria.
A Theosophical joke about ghost-writing for Minor has been brewing in my mind for days— i.e. Greetings from the astral realm!— but nothing has quite materialized.. badum-ch. Get it? Ok ok.
My name is Ashley Clements, and I have been “interning” at Indralaya for over two months. Camp attendees inevitably ask: Are you a WWOOFer? on fellowship? a staff member? Not quite.
I’m actually on a field education assignment with my graduate program at Harvard Divinity School. Since Theosophy is my declared focus, the supportive staff at school accepted my proposal to work at Indralaya as a locale for professional development. It was an ideal choice, considering my spiritual inclinations as well as intentions to pursue a career as a mystical chaplain.
As an “intern,” my duties have been divided between “grunt work”: gardening, working in the kitchen, leading teens on outdoor clean-up projects; programmatic involvement: attending workshops, leading meditation sessions, helping facilitate the coming-of-age ritual at family camp; and academic study and personal reflection.
This summer has been rife with learning and connection, a sashay between conversations and silence, roadside runs and meditative stillness, exploring outward and roving inward, engaging challenge and erupting with play.
But mostly, reflecting back upon the arc of my time at Indralaya, I feel enormously blessed and grateful to have been so moved here: by the people, the spirits, the land, and the ubiquitous, ineffable love.
Photography is my second language, as such I have organized a visual narrative, punctuated by descriptions, which follows the seven programs that I have seen come and go since June. A similar offering can be found on my blog: www.fleshofheaven.wordpress.com
June 4-7, Psychic Development and Spiritual Unfoldment
In his ever sage and connected style, facilitator Kurt Leland orchestrated a Theosophically-based program that led participants on an investigative journey through various realms of reality. (Kurt is my spiritual teacher in Boston!)
Kurt enjoying the ferry to Orcas.
June 13-17, Basic Therapeutic Touch
June 13-19, Therapeutic Touch Mentorship
June 21-27, Therapeutic Touch: a Path of Consciousness, Healing, and Service
Therapeutic Touch is a healing modality started by Dora Kunz and Dolores Krieger in the 1970’s that allows a healer to support, generally by calmly sweeping an energy field with their hands, a healee’s natural tendency towards wholeness. Both healers and healees were present throughout the three programs, deepening in their wisdom and connecting on sacred ground.
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Basic Therapeutic Touch group- initiated and all smiles! |
Participants enjoying rest time in the meadow together
July 1-7, Family Week One
July 9-15, Family Week Two
During this program, families of all shapes and sizes converge at Indralaya. “Play” was the chosen theme this year— and there was no short of practice during both weeks. The usual suspect activities alit the days, from the morning centering circles and the labyrinth walk to the sock hop and nightly card games. And this year was also doused with unusual fun as the Indralaya crew marched at Eastsound’s Fourth of July Parade.
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Morning circles
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Bruce, one of the facilitators— featured here as “Clooney”— preparing for a play about “play” |
Indralaya at the Fourth of July Parade!
Fireworks from Inspiration Point
July 18-23, Deep Singing
Helen Bee and Barbara Bellamy led a full camp of ready singers through heartful chants, simple harmonies, and harmonizing rounds. Reverbrations of peace, joy, celebration, and gratitude were palpable throughout the premises— dare I say, inviting the spirits and ancestors to dance in glee.
Barbara and Helen look out over the animated meadow
Nature friends coming out to listen
July 25-30, Yoga Week
Program leader, Melanie Whittiker, brought her deep, rooted practice to participants who were led through a blend of yoga from the Iyengar and Ashtanga traditions. She also brought with her waves of stability and kindness, which cohered the group and invited lively discussion and even an impromptu talent show.
Yoga in session, front
Yoga in session, back
Melanie leading class
August 1-6, The Dharma of Relationships: Meditation, Nature, & Community
Program leaders Joel and Michelle Levy have a broad and dynamic spiritual base, drawing from Buddhist practice and philosophy to Sufi prayer to cognitive science techniques and beyond. In this program, the spiritual teachers led participants through a mediation on relationship, utilizing a blend of storytelling, practice, dharma talks, song, and periods of silence.
Michelle hanging prayer flags in the meadow to consecrate and create an energetic container for the program.
Joel (right) and one of the program participants
A moment of communed joy.
Finally-- and of course-- Indralaya's gears are greased, fixed, and fully operable thanks to a rotating cohort of generous volunteers and staff. To all, especially Minor and Leonie, a bow of respect and appreciation. May the light of your good deeds multiply and be mirrored back, to dance like shimmers upon your heartseats.
Summer work team (from left): Ivana, Leonie, Ashley (me), Minor, Gwenda, Mimi, Lhana
*workers not pictured here: Carole, Genevieve, Mary, Stephanie, Michael, Lori, Kim, Olivia, Tessa, Doris
