May the Peace of Indralaya be ever in your Hearts!
On our way to a Solstice gathering in Seattle
Ho! Ho! Ho!
December 24, 2012
December 17, 2012
December 10-16
Past
For the last several Wednesdays, Leonie has been spending the afternoon in the camp library sorting through archival material. She has been finding a lot of interesting stuff. Last week she shared a 1929 newsletter reporting on the ‘THIRD SUMMER CAMP’ at ‘Indra Laya’.
While there was much of interest in the newsletter, one story was particularly relevant to the glimpse at our 2013 programs that has been underway here for the past couple weeks. This was a report stating that ‘great fun was had at a summer limerick contest’. This is so intriguing, in that the writing and sharing of limericks has been an integral part of Indralaya’s summer family weeks since the mid-1990’s, but we did not realize that the tradition goes all the way back to the earliest years of camp.
Here’s one of those early limericks, dedicated to baby Joan:
That sweet bonnie baby named Joan
In all of our hearts has a home;
We homage surrender,
And crown with love’s splendour,
This dear little queen on her throne.
Not too much different than today’s efforts! Joan is more than likely Joan Emmons Taylor, one of Gene and Viva Emmons three daughters and aunt to Helen and Carol Bee. While there’s no picture of baby Joan readily available as this is being written, you can see a more recent picture of her, with her sister Helen, in the post for July 14-20, 2011.
Stay tuned for more fun facts from the archives in the weeks to come!
Present
In addition to her archival work, Leonie has been busy coordinating various projects around camp with Thea. Among other things, they’ve made great progress on finishing up the Wisteria cabin work that was suspended last Spring. Last week Leonie made a special trip to the mainland to pick up a new counter top for the cabin and a new shower arrived for installation in Apple cabin.
In the office, planning and preparation continues on our 2013 programs. The development of the 2013 operating budget, to be approved by the Board at their next meeting in mid-January, is also underway.
Future
In this third installment providing a glimpse at Indralaya’s 2013 programs, we’ll be looking at the line-up for next Fall. See last week (Dec 2-9) for a look at the schedule for next summer and the week before that (Nov 26-Dec 2) to see what’s coming up in the Spring.
The Fall season begins with the annual Labor Day Weekend work party August 30 - September 2, to be followed by the third annual Theosofest, which will be either September 6-8 or the following weekend (Sept 13-15).
R.J. Stewart and Anastacia Nutt will be at Indralaya to lead their third annual retreat over the equinox weekend of September 19-22. The program is titled “Rose, Hawthorn & Apple: The Sacred Trees of Faery”.
The following weekend (September 26-29) we are excited to be welcoming back Pat Moffit-Cook. Pat is an ethnomusicologist and wonderful teacher. She will be offering the fruits of her more recent insights and work in a program titled “Dialogs with Self and Spirit through Sacred Sound and Music”.
The October 3-6 weekend will bring Leslie Schwartz over from neighboring San Juan Island for a dream workshop. In exploring the theme of “Dreams are Messages Wanting a Response”, participants will be learn how to engage more deeply with the dreamworld through poetry, mask-making, paint and active imagination. Leslie is a licensed therapist and counselor who has been leading ongoing dream groups for many years.
Two traditional work parties - the Fall Harvest work party October 11-14 and End of Season work party November 8-10 round out a very full (and we hope compelling!) schedule for 2013.
More information and online registration for all of our 2013 programs will be available in mid- to late January on the Indralaya website (www.indralaya.org).
December 10, 2012
December 2-9
After a fairly quiet week at camp, Leonie and I headed to Seattle for the weekend, where we had several meetings scheduled. On Sunday afternoon, we spoke at the Theosophical Society in Seattle on the role of spiritual community in people’s lives. After sharing a few introductory thoughts based on our experience of nearly 14 years at Indralaya and experience of other centers and communities around the world, a lively, wide-ranging and at times provocative discussion ensued.
2013 Summer Programs
Last week’s post provides a glimpse of the Spring program line-up. This week continues with a summary of our 2013 summer programs.
As has been the practice since the mid-1990’s, the summer season will begin with our two family weeks. Family Week One, with coordinators Victoria Bennett, Lars Erickson and Elliot & Ondine Toler-Scott, will run from July 1-7. Family Week Two, with coordinators Ingrid Dankmeyer, Annie McManus and Hugh O’Neill, will start on July 9 and finish on the 15th. The theme for both family weeks (as well as for several other programs being offered in 2013) will be Resilience.
Next in the summer line-up are two perennial favorites: Deep Singing and Yoga Week. First is Deep Singing, which will again be led by Helen Bee and Barbara Bellamy. This inspirational and popular program begins on Thursday, July 18 and ends the following Tuesday, July 23. Then it’s Yoga Week with Melanie Whittaker from July 25-30. The August 1-6 program is still in the planning stages and more information will be available soon.
Connections week is set for August 8-14. Coordinators once again are Rolf Eriksen, MariIynne Gardner and David Toren. Theosophical Society President Tim Boyd will also be attending and again leading morning discussion. The after dinner volleyball games were rugged at times this last summer and more of the same can be anticipated in 2013!
Joel and Michelle Levey will return to Indralaya for our seventh and last summer program, from August 17-22. Their theme will be “Sacred Portals: Meditation, Nature & Community”.
Check back next week for a preview of the fall line-up!
December 3, 2012
November 26 - December 2
The week saw some interesting natural phenomena. On Wednesday a squadron of white-sided dolphins visited East Sound. According to the local newspaper, there were up to 200 dolphin. I happened to see them while at exercise class in town when I glanced out the window and saw a patch of turbulent water surrounded by calm seas. For a few moments we all watched them swimming south, coming up and out of the water in a recognizable rhythmic pattern. This was an extremely unusual event that reminded me of when an elephant seal was spending time on one of the Indralaya beaches for a few weeks in 2008.
On Sunday, I wanted to show off a couple of potholes I had filled that day, so Leonie and I were driving through camp after dark when we spotted a baby bunny near the solarium. This increases the known resident rabbit population to four (see the Sept 24-30 post for an earlier update).
2013 Spring Program Preview
As promised last week, here is a quick look at programs that are being planned for this coming Spring season. In addition to the programs, there will be our three traditional fall work parties: President’s Day (Feb 15-18), Easter (March 29-31), and Memorial Day (May 24-27).
The Spring program season is tentatively set to begin with a silent meditation retreat from April 4-7. We are still working on the plans for this retreat and have not yet made a final decision on whether it will happen or not.
April 28-30 will see the return of the Five Willow Tai Chi Association. Five Willow was one of the first groups to offer a spring program at Indralaya after John and Dorothy Abbenhouse moved to camp as the first full time resident managers. Their last retreat here was in 2002 and we look forward to their return.
The May 9-12 program we are excited to be welcoming Sarah Moor of the HeartMath Institute. The HeartMath method utilizes the insights of ancient wisdom in teaching skills that increase our individual capacity for coherence, health and resilience.
The following week, May 16-19, we welcome another first time presenter, N’Shama Sterling, who will be here to lead a program blending systems thinking, the enneagram and awareness of the journey of the Soul. N’Shama has a particular aptitude for connecting disciplines to create opportunities for new insights and discoveries, and is skilled in dance, music, and vocal expression as an adjunct to learning. Her holistic approach, wisdom, and intuition support others in deepening their own learning and transformation. Among other qualifications, N’Shama is a certified teacher through the Trifold School for Enneagram Studies and is also involved in ongoing studies with The Art of Spiritual Guidance program with Thomas Atum O’Kane, focusing on the unfolding of spiritual dimensions as part of the journey of the soul.
From May 30-June 2, we are planning to offer a weekend solar workshop during which a photovoltaic system will be installed at the dining hall and a passive solar greenhouse will be built for the garden. This program is being coordinated with Whidbey Sun & Wind and will blend informational presentations with hands-on opportunities for involvement and learning.
The final program of the Spring Season (June 6-9) will bring Richard Smoley to Indralaya. Richard is a prolific author of several books on esoteric spirituality spanning various traditions. He is current editor for Quest Books and Quest Magazine and was formerly the editor of Gnosis Magazine. His topic for the weekend will be the Kabbalah, which Richard has studied and worked with for over 35 years. This program will coincide with a meeting of the Northwest Federation of the Theosophical Society.
Next week, a look at our 2013 summer programs...
November 26, 2012
November 19-25
It was a short work week as we took time off to celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend. After celebrating the holiday with family here on Orcas Island, we headed to the Seattle area on Saturday for my sister’s 50th birthday. With next week’s post we will begin previewing our 2013 program schedule. Stay tuned!
Thanksgiving Day along the Mossy Meadow Trail:
a gathering of driftwood near Madrona Point
November 19, 2012
November 12, 2012
November 5-11
work partiers
Leonie, Andrie, Kathie
On Sunday morning, as we gathered in a circle to begin the day, Leonie spoke of the sense of gratitude that many feel for Indralaya and all the varied things that happen here. We briefly remembered those who have come before as well as those yet to come and appreciated that this place continues and is so strong 85 years after its origins in 1927.
John, Susan, Leonie
We also enjoyed a visit from John & Susan O’Neill last week. The O’Neills are friends from Connecticut whom we have seen often during our visits to the Krotona School of Theosophy (see Feb. 6-12, 2012 & Jan. 31-Feb 6, 2011 posts). They are very active members of the Theosophical Society, and frequent volunteers at Pumpkin Hollow Farm, our sister camp in the Hudson River valley in upstate New York. This was their first visit back to Indralaya since 2006.
November 5, 2012
October 29 - November 4
It was a quiet week, highlighted by a long awaited mid-week visit from Sue & Al Hunter, my mom and step-dad. We also said farewell to Jake, who left on Monday after serving for the last seven months as kitchen manager. He will be visiting with friends and spending some time at home in Moser, Oregon before heading to Hawaii in December to winter over at Michelle & Joel Levey’s Kohala Sanctuary on the Big Island.
Al & Sue
In the office we continued to work on arranging next year’s program calendar and pursuing various other projects. We are very excited about the new Spring and Fall programs that are being planned - more information coming soon!
A big push is also underway to get the new membership, donation and registration software (see the March 26 - April 1 post for more information) set up and operational in time for the annual membership and donation drive that begins later this month.
Fall Colors
October 29, 2012
October 22-28
watery reflections
The Indralaya Board of Directors came together this last weekend for their annual business meeting. During the meeting, votes for the annual election were tabulated and Meg Sather was elected to a second term on the Board. Meg was also elected to serve as chair of the new Board.
Victoria Bennett was also appointed to the Board. She will replace Jeannie Chamberlain, who was completing her second three year term on the Board and fifth year as the Board chair. Thank you, Jeannie, for your years of service!
Jeannie Meg
In other action, the Board reviewed the program schedule for 2013 and voted to keep next year’s housing and meal fees at the same level as this year, while program fees will go up slightly.
...and now for a word from our sponsor
This Week At Indralaya celebrates its 2nd birthday this week. Since beginning in October of 2010, there have been exactly 100 posts and approximately 16,400 page views. Interest in the blog has grown steadily and the busiest month to date was July 2012, with 985 visits. 86% of those who have visited the blog are from the U.S. and Canada. The remaining 14% are spread around the world. The blog has been visited by people from all seven continents. Russia is the third most frequent visitor, followed by Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Malaysia, Brazil, Indonesia and Australia.
after the rain the sun came out
October 22, 2012
October 14-20
We returned from our break on Sunday. Jacob and Spencer took care of camp while we were gone. Upon our return we learned that while we were gone, there had been some interesting correspondence touching on Indralaya’s early history. Frederick McClaren’s granddaughter, Diane Schubring, had contacted the Orcas Island Community Foundation and they had forwarded her email to Helen Bee.
In the 1920s, McClaren was loosely involved with the Theosophical Society in Seattle through his friendship with Webster Shepard, who used to sail up Eastsound and moor his boat in Judd Cove below the McClaren farm. Shepard mentioned to McClaren that there was a group of local theosophists who were interested in holding a summer gathering of theosophists. He offered his farm on Orcas for the gathering and the first ‘camp’ was held in the summer of 1927. This first camp was very successful, with around 45 people attending, so the group of theosophists who had spearheaded the whole venture negotiated an agreement with the McClaren’s that involved the payment of back taxes and other considerations in return for which the property was turned over to the newly-formed Orcas Island Foundation.
Frederick McClaren
Following up on this initial contact, Diane posted several interesting historic photos on the Indralaya facebook page, a couple of which are posted below.
An early picture of the tree at Madrona Point, looking NE towards Buck Mountain.
Today
The stone table that now resides below the dining hall near the labyrinth.
As already mentioned, there are several more photos that Diane posted on the Indralaya facebook, including some interesting shots taken from the top of Lookout Mountain looking down on the property.
October 15, 2012
October 8-14
During the Fall Harvest work party we determined that the hornet nest that was found in August (see August 16-22 post) was no longer occupied and cut it out of the tree it had been built in. The nest had seemed to be quite inactive for several weeks, although every so often a hornet would be seen coming or going.
dismantled fencing tape
Curiously, at about the same time that we noticed that the nest was no longer active, the fencing tape that had been placed around the tree was torn off its stakes over the course of two nights by some unknown creature. It was as if an invisible guide were advising us that the hornets no longer posed a threat and that this favorite meadow sitting rock was once again available for use.
Jen & Meg
We left Indralaya on Friday and are taking a week long break to rest, visit with friends and attend a few concerts. Our musical odyssey began on Friday night when we got together with Jen Moffat and Meg Sather for dinner and attended Jen’s performance with the Seattle Women’s Chorus.
Marshall & Leonie
On Saturday we met up with Marshall Peabody and attended Bob Dylan’s Seattle concert.
Zach holds down the bar
Leonie participated in a day long foot massage training on Sunday. Afterwards we headed to downtown Seattle and dropped in on Zach Geballe at the Dahlia Lounge, where he tends bar on Sunday nights.
October 8, 2012
October 1-7
cider production
Much of the week was focused on preparations for the Fall Harvest Work Party, which began on Friday and continued through Monday morning. With a crew of over 80 people expected, there was plenty to do ahead of time. The week also saw the return of maintenance staffers Thea Patten & Mike Schifsky and we began contacting program leaders and scheduling for our 2013 programs.
pre-program set-up
a fresh batch of bread
tea time macaroons
Robin, Annabelle, and Mariana
apple prep & good conversations
many hands make light work
thank you apple trees for your abundance
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