The Northwest is a unique part of the country, blending Canadian, Punjabi, and American cultures and eastern and Western love of the Dharma. It is an experience of exquisite beauty of sparkling blue-green, crashing ocean, hushed old-growth forests, and rapidly changing clouds and sunshine. The lush green, meditative rains, and sunshine cleanse not only the landscape but also the soul. This is the backdrop for the Canadian Khalsa Ladies Camp.
Each August, after the International Khalsa Women’s Training Camp in New Mexico, the ladies of the Northwest gather in the Canadian woods for an extended weekend with our sisters - Punjabi and non-Punjabi, Sikhs and yoga students - to celebrate in depth our love of this life of consciousness and commitment. Everyone fully participates in sadhana, morning and evening Gurdwara, and the reading of Banis. Here we play kirtan, read Hukams, serve prasad, and carry the Siri Guru Granth Sahib on our head as we join in creating the Court of the Guru.
Our days are filled with exuberant gatka classes, yoga classes, thoughtful discussions, meditations to open our hearts and minds, hiking, swimming, and bangra dancing to let loose and have fun!
At camp I reexperienced how essential it is for women to gather together and share, strengthen and heal one another. Our joys and sorrows can be reflected upon and dealt with within the Sadh Sangat. We can be healed by the beauty and serenity of the forests and ocean. We can be strengthened and uplifted by hearing the daily Hukam in the company of women who strive and work just as ambitiously as the next woman, and continue to keep up. We honor one another’s commitment and courage.
Friends from camp, new and old, are very precious, and I feel their prayers go out to each other as they create a life of consciousness for themselves, their families and co-workers. By these prayers we sustain and support one another and keep the fabric of Dharma together throughout the year. Prosperity comes through the strength of women and the strength of women comes through gathering together and supporting one another in this spiritual setting.