December 13-19

As this is being writing in the late afternoon at Indralaya, under a darkening sky at a northern latitude of 48.7°, somewhere beyond the light cloud cover the near full moon is beginning to rise in the Eastern sky. Tis the brink of the winter solstice and all is well.

Looking ahead one day beyond the current week, to December 21, there is an alignment of the full moon at 1:13 am, PST, and then the moment of winter solstice at 3:38 in the afternoon. The winter solstice marks the time when, from our earthbound perspective, the sun seems to stand still as it arrives at southernmost point of its journey, the line demarcated by the Tropic of Cancer, at 23.4° S.

This combination of a full moon and the winter solstice doesn’t happen all that often - throw in the total lunar eclipse that will also occur and one has to go back nearly 400 years - to 1638 - to find the last time such an alignment occurred. Interestingly, it will happen again relatively soon, 84 years from now, in 2094.

The solstice has been a moment of significance to humanity since time immemorial and its arrival continues to be celebrated in festivals and gatherings all over the world.

In her booklet, The Christmas of the Angels, Indralaya elder Dora Van Gelder Kunz writes,

We must remember that the whole earth is thronged with host of super-physical beings, angels and archangels and all the Company of Heaven, who … are responsible for the guidance and control of the manifold processes of Nature. It is their thoughts and feelings and activities which play so important a part in the creation of that peculiar atmosphere of good will so noticeable at Christmas; and at this time of the year the whole earth thrills with the wonderful forces outpoured by the angels….
(T)he angels see Christmas from the life side, as a turning-point of all the forces of Nature on every plane and at every level, and as a time in which (there is) a direct and mighty outpouring of creative power and spiritual energy…It marks a point of deep significance in the hidden life of Nature.

And so we note this moment in the passing of the year.

Yew Tree #3

The story continues to unfold. As discussed in earlier entries (see Nov. 1 and Nov. 15 below) there are Yew trees located above the steps to both Near East and Far East beaches. Now a third yew has revealed itself, near Madrona point. These trees certainly know how to pick a prominent spot to reside. This particular Yew provides a good representation of the aerial roots that are a distinctive aspect of the species.

Comings and Goings

Our friends Jeremy Berg and Freya Secrest came up for an overnight visit last Tuesday. They both work closely with David Spangler and are instrumental in the activities of the Lorian Association. Jeremy is the publisher for the Lorian Press, while Freya is a spiritual director and on the faculty of the Lorian Center for Incarnational Spirituality.

Freya & Jeremy

Herlwyn Lutz is an Orcas Island resident and arborist who has taken a prominent role in tending to Indralaya’s trees for many years. This past week he did a beautiful job cutting back a cedar tree that was growing into the side of Cedar cabin down on the waterfront.

Herlwyn

On Wednesday, Phoebe Bee hosted the annual study group potluck and gift exchange. This was the last meeting of the Study group until the new year.

Phoebe

Summer Program Preview

Last week’s entry provided a look at our 2011 Spring programs. As promised, here’s a quick look at next summer’s line-up.

As has been the practice for many years, there will be two Therapeutic Touch camps in the latter half of June. The mentorship week will begin on Saturday, June 11 and continue until Friday, June 17. The second healer’s camp: Continuing Explorations into TT Theory and Practice, is scheduled for June 19-25.

The summer season ‘officially’ begins with Family Week One, June 30th to July 5, followed by Family Week Two from July 8-14. Family Week One will again be coordinated by Elliot and Ondine Toler-Scott, Viola Marx, and Victoria Bennett. Coordinator’s for Family Week Two will be Michael Sky, Penny Sharp-Sky, Hugh O’Neill and Annie McManus.

Deep Singing comes next, led by Barbara Bellamy and Helen Bee. The dates are July 16-21. All voices welcome!

Yoga Week, with Melanie Whittaker, will be July 23-28. All body types welcome!

A new incarnation of Indralaya’s traditional Creativity Week will begin on July 30 and continue to August 4. David Spangler and Deborah Koff-Chapin, will collaborate on an exploration of “Creativity, Manifestation and the Subtle Worlds”. David is a teacher, mystic, and author of numerous books. Deborah is the founder of The Center for Touch Drawing. She is a teacher and practitioner of what she has recently been calling “Sacred Expressive Arts”, incorporating sound, movement, drawing, and other creative modalities to help call forth that which is within us and wanting to be expressed.

Connections is next, from August 6-14. Ed Abdill, a well known and well regarded teacher in theosophical circles, will be participating and leading morning discussions.

From August 16-19, Arun Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, will lead a three day program on ahimsa and the practice of peace, including elements involving stories of his grandfather. This special program has been arranged with the help of Chris Farmer, a friend of Arun’s who attended many t.t. programs at Indralaya in the 1980’s and early 90’s. Learn more about Arun and his work at www.arungandhi.org.

Joel and Michelle Levey will return on July 20-25 for the final program of the 2011 summer season. The theme for their program will be “The Dance of Change: Wisdom Teachings for Turbulent Times”.

It is going to be a busy and wonderful summer at Indralaya. We look forward to seeing many of you here. Next week, a glimpse at what is scheduled for Fall 2011.