September 24-30

meditation altar

For many years the Indralaya program season has either begun or ended (and occasionally begun and ended) with a silent meditation retreat. That pattern was followed again this year, as participants in the final program of the 2012 season entered into a shared silence on Thursday evening that continued until Sunday morning.  

who pulled that third rabbit out of their hat?

Although many still associate Indralaya with an abundant rabbit community, for most of this year the resident population has been down to a precious two bunnies. These last two survivors of the calamitous (from the rabbit point of view) arrival of mink about a decade ago, possess certain magical qualities. For one thing, they seem to have the mysterious ability to bi-locate, and are often in close proximity to human activity occuring anywhere within the area defined by the Resident Manager’s cabin (our house at the top of the hill), the labyrinth, the solarium and the Grove. They are also known to nibble grass around the edges of one’s shoe and one of them even paid an after dark visit to the stage during an evening campfire earlier this year. It took awhile to recognize that these were the same two rabbits regardless of where they might appear, but the notched ear of one of them is a clear tell-tale.

Amazingly, out of the silence of this last weekend’s retreat, on Sunday morning a third rabbit mysteriously manifested and joined the dynamic duo. Does this 50% percent increase in the resident population auger well for the future? Only time will tell...

Linda, Marcia & Bill

We were sorry to say good-bye to the above three volunteer staffers at the end of the retreat. Indralaya has been graced by their presence since the Theosofest program in early September and they have been a big help in many areas. 

September 17-23

This week the plums were all brought in and fruit processing began in earnest. With the first big harvest of plums in a few years, it felt good to fire up the fruit dryers and begin to replenish our plum stores. Two large batches of plum jam were also prepared and sealed in jam jars for later use.

Marcia gets ready to put plums in the fruit dryer

Early in the week we also learned that the pump that moves water from Tanks B&C up the hill to Tank D had run dry. Fortunately a replacement pump was on hand and ready for installation and by Thursday water was again moving up the hill, just in time for the weekend.

Water Tank C

Mack & Mary brought beautiful micro-greens for the program 

On the weekend, the long anticipated Inner Temples Inner Convocation program with R. J. Stewart and Anastacia Nutt arrived. This program has been fully registered since February and there was a lot of excitement among the 44 participants as they arrived. The program was composed of a blend of teachings and experiential practices accessing inner realms of experience. On Friday night we gathered in the Grove and welcomed the arrival of the Autumnal equinox with what might well turn out to be the last campfire of the 2012 season.

September 10-16

Here in the northwest, September 2012 has been notable for providing day after day of sunshine and clear skies. This weather pattern is expected to continue for the foreseeable future; perhaps as long as the Fall Harvest work party coming up on the first weekend in October.

 Meeting with Taiwanese students in the Dining Hall

On September 11, Joel & Michelle Levey dropped by with a group of their students from Taiwan. After a tour of the grounds and meditation at Madrona Point, they came to the dining hall where we shared some of Indralaya’s history and philosophy.

Over the weekend Indralaya was the setting for the 2nd annual Theosofest. It was a low-key and enjoyable weekend with a wide array of activities, beginning on Friday evening with a reception and spoken word event with local writers and story-tellers exploring ‘the labyrinth in time’.

On Saturday there was an open house and presentations on several different topics, including dreams, education, theosophy, meditation and creativity. concluding with Deep Singing in the teepee that evening.

Van Gelder brothers Arthur & Michael

The weekend concluded with a benefit pancake breakfast on Sunday morning. Almost $300 was raised on behalf of the Orcas Island Food Bank. Many thanks to all who helped make the weekend possible, especially Antoinette Botsford, who helped organize the Friday night program, Helen Bee for leading Deep Singing on Saturday night, and presenters Stanton Stevens, Leslie Schwartz, David Marshak, and Penny Sharp Sky.

September 10

Theosophical Society President Tim Boyd and his wife Lily were at Indralaya for this year's Connections program (see the August 8-15 post for pictures and more information). In his most recent monthly video blog, Tim talks about their visit at about the 5:30 mark.

August 23-29

And suddenly the summer season is over .... seven programs, many great conversations, work, play, singing, and much more; in all nearly 500 people participated in the life of Indralaya over the past two months. We’re taking a short break. The next entry here will be posted on September 17.

The Indralaya meadow lies empty, and the fall season awaits.

August 16-22

All My Relations

After a full and busy week, the Connections program wound down quickly over the weekend, with only 17 people remaining in camp on Saturday evening and just 2 program participants remaining by the time breakfast was served on Sunday.

On Tuesday, the last program of the 2012 summer season got underway, with over 60 people arriving for the All My Relations program led by Joel and Michelle Levey.

Under the Apple Trees

Banners

During the Connections program, a hornet nest was discovered when one of our fellowship staff disturbed the hornets while trying to get a frisbee out of an apple tree. Our initial reaction was that we would have to get rid of the nest somehow, but after some reflection we decided to fence off the tree as an expression of our commitment to honoring all life and the practice of ahimsa, which is to avoid causing harm to other living beings. So far, so good, and we continue to monitor the situation.

 

Ahimsa in Action 

August 8-15

The Connections program got underway on Saturday. In the course of the week, the number of participants grew from an initial 40 or so over the weekend up to nearly 60 by Wednesday evening. There was a mix of old and new participants, and many good projects for everyone to engage with.

morning circle

Elliot on the way to the Heather cabin project with a window

The Toomer sisters helping clean the RMC roof

On Tuesday, there was a boat trip to nearby Sucia and Patos Islands. Similar trips have been part of Connections in the past. This year it only came together at the last minute and was a surprise for some.

Callie, Carol and David on Sucia Island

morning discussion

Morning discussion was anchored by David Toren for the first few days. Theosophical Society President Tim Boyd and his wife Lily arrived on Tuesday and the following morning Tim initiated a discussion on elements of the spiritual life.

Tim and Lily