January 10-16

It was a full week at Indralaya as the new year begins to gather momentum. Final edits were made to the 2011 program catalog and it was sent to the printer on Friday. This coming week we will review the proof copy. Then it will go into production and should be in mailboxes soon.

The task of setting up the website for 2011 work parties, programs and registration is also well underway. Online registration for work parties is available now. Program registrations should be up and running by the end of the week. One program, the Sea Temple Retreat with R. J. Stewart, for which early registration was offered, is already full. It filled up within 72 hours of opening for registration on January 3.

Leonie has been busy with various contractors who are doing pieces of work around the place this winter. This week, Paul Groeninger, who put the front half of the roof on the RMC this past fall, returned and altered the roof line at the library entrance to make room for the fir tree that has such a presence there. Shelagh Levey generously donated the funds that made this work possible. Thank you Shelagh, for ‘walking the talk’ and protecting this well loved Indralaya tree.

new library roof line

We also spent our first night in the resident manager’s cottage (RMC). There has been a lot of unpacking. Some of our belongings have been in storage (thanks to my mother’s basement and attic!) since we left in 2006. On Sunday, the debris was sufficiently cleared away and there was room for our first waffle bash since returning to Orcas. Twelve guests came by our new old home, including Darla Eaton, who was here for a personal retreat.

In mid-week, the Winter issue of the Quest arrived. The Quest is the Theosophical Society members’ magazine. This issue includes an article I wrote and submitted during our time at Krotona, the theosophical community in Ojai, CA, where Leonie and I spent four months in early 2010.

The article is an exploration of the old story of the stone that the builder refuses, which later becomes the head cornerstone. This allegory points to the value hidden in things that we are oft times inclined to reject. The article explores the idea from early theosophical history that the Theosophical Society, which is certainly neglected, if not rejected by the contemporary world, was founded as a cornerstone for the future religion of humanity.

The magazine also included a call for Indralaya fellowship applicants. Along these lines, we had our first ever Skype interview with a person interested in being on fellowship. She is Lily Falconer, and during our conversation we agreed that she will be here for six weeks or so beginning in mid-June. Lily’s mom is Jody Falconer, a therapeutic touch coordinator and one of the presenters at last year’s Spiritual Landscape program.

Are you perhaps interested in serving on fellowship staff in 2011? Let us know!

fellowship staffers Vidya & Jonaa - June 2010