Travelogue of US RoadTrip - Part 10 (New Era Michigan and Camp Miniwanca)

Wow, it has been super special and powerful for me to return to this beloved land and place of Camp Miniwanca. Om Namah Shivaya..... and so many Thanks and so much Gratitude to the Land and Lake Michigan, and to the Consciousness of Miniwanca, this Ashram and place of prayer and play and fun. As I walked the Miniwanca beach this evening for sunset, the girl’s camp was gathered there for Versper’ service. Each evening at Miniwanca, the camp gathers for quiet time, singing and some words for contemplation and self-reflection, as the Sun is setting on the lake.

The mantra of Miniwanca is:

My own Self at my very best, all the time.

The symbol is the simple 4 squares cross, actually creating the fifth square in the middle. M-P-S-R, Mental, Physical, Social and Religious, All in Balance for a productive and meaningful life.

It was an interesting perspective to see camp from the perimeter. I could not get onto the camp grounds b/c the Young Boys and Girls camps are in session. Totally out of respect for the place and the programs of Miniwanca, I did not step foot onto the property at all. In the 3 community experiences of my life, there has always been the issues of outsiders wandering into the community grounds and needing to have good boundaries in place for the curious who pass by. This was true of Miniwanca, the ashrams of Siddha Yoga and also at Esalen. I feel the issue is not about insiders and outsiders, exclusion vs. inclusion. More than that, the issue is to preserve and encourage an atmosphere of quiet and calm for the one’s who have chosen to come to that particular retreat center in nature. The community creates a schedule and has some basic and agreed upon rules which facilitates the experience of communal life and inner reflection. Clearly, whenever we are in nature, we are in the Temple of the Supreme Force.

It is as true here at Miniwanca as it is at Esalen or at the ashrams. The beauty of the natural environment is stunning and evokes a deep relaxation within me. I have so appreciated the vistas of Stony Lake and Stony Creek, and have watched a flood of memories pass across the screen of my mind. My time here at Miniwanca was from age 17 - 32, so not the average age when someone goes to camp. Being here was a profound opening in my life and truly the beginning of a spiritual evolution. I think of the many, many heart connections I made with so many people here over the years, as a student and as the teacher. I would say that I grew in self confidence and self esteem, feeling like a loved and valuable member of the human family. I grew up as a Catholic and had a wonderful spiritual upbringing in the Catholic church. And when I came to Miniwanca, I was introduced to the world of Protestant Christianity which struck simply me as a different approach to loving God. At Miniwanca, they were very aware of Embracing Everyone’s path to God, Christian and Non Christian. I had never considered such an idea before and I see that I embraced this attitude full on. This attitude and value has remained to be essentially the most important.