Arrival & Getting There
- The Meet & Greet: Please call or text us 30 minutes before you arrive. Text again once you are in the driveway.
- The House: Look for the olive green house with the wrap-around deck.
- Parking: Park as far to the left of the driveway as possible. Only one car is permitted per camp spot.
- Self Check-In: When you text us 30 minutes prior, we will let you know if it is a Self Check-In. Enter through the black gate; ensure it is closed behind you to keep the farm animals in.
- Follow the Goose Protocol: If Ryan Gosling is protective, text us and we will walk you up. Never be aggressive toward the geese.
- The Path: Walk down the left side of the backyard, past the Tipi and the Lounge.
- The Forest Entrance: Stand before the two lions at the trailhead. You can perform the “Honoring the Spirit of the Forest” ritual. Walk in and ring the chimes.
- Finding Raja: Walk down the trail past the compost toilet, Wendy’s Treehouse, and Dombi Den. Follow the trail layout to find the Raja Bell Tent sanctuary nestled in its dedicated forest clearing – the very last spot on the sanctuary trail.
Operational Guide for Your Stay
- The View: This 9-foot bell tent offers a cozy, intimate dome that perfectly frames the surrounding trees and creates a deeply grounding, personal sanctuary.
- Weather Management: If it begins to rain during your stay, please immediately shut all windows and zip the door canvas completely to keep the interior pristine.
- Power & Lights: There are two battery-operated candles and a solar-powered lantern that hangs directly from the center pole. A clip-on rechargeable fan is also provided to keep the air moving.
- Crucial: Please turn off all candles, lanterns, and the fan when not inside the tent to conserve battery life for the duration of your stay.
- Heating/Cooking: Please note that there is no fire pit at this specific site, making it an ultra-quiet, low-smoke zone designed entirely for deep rest and natural stillness. If you’d like to build a small fire, weather permitting, shoot us a text and we will bring you a fire pit.
- Bug Control: Be highly mindful of mesh screens when entering and exiting to keep the inner space clear of forest insects.
*** You may burn incense inside the tent, as there is no smoke detector in this space—just please be exceptionally careful with open embers. Be highly mindful of mesh screens when entering and exiting to keep the inner sanctuary clear of forest insects.*** - Relaxation: The entire interior is optimized for ultimate comfort. Take advantage of the quiet clearing to read, meditate, and enjoy the undisturbed sounds of the woods.
Raja House Rules
- Shoes: Taking off shoes is a must. No shoes permitted inside the bell tent.
- Food: Strictly no food in the sleeping space to keep local wildlife outside.
- Mamma Kitty: No mamma kitty in the house.
- Check-Out: 1. Bring all trash up to the bins in the driveway. 2. Turn off all lights and fans. 3. Very Important: Ensure that all windows and the main door are zipped completely shut before you leave the site.
The Story of Raja
- The Art of Nesting: This sanctuary is rooted in a deeply personal childhood memory. As a young girl, my grandmother taught me the beautiful art of how to “nest”—how to carefully arrange blankets and pillows into a perfect, supportive cocoon right in the center of the bed. It was a ritual of curling up with a good book, shutting out the noise of the world, and feeling completely cozy, safe, and held. I still practice this exact ritual today, and the Raja space is intentionally designed and set up to offer you that exact same comforting experience.
- Universal Balance (Raja & Rani): In Indian tradition, a Raja (King) cannot truly rule without his Rani (Queen). He represents Consciousness (Shiva)—the structure, the will, and the witness. She represents Power (Shakti)—the energy, the movement, and the creation itself. Legend says that in the beginning, the Raja was a silent stone and the Rani was a wild wind. They could not understand one another until they met in the “Heart of the Forest.” There, the Raja gave the Rani a place to rest (the Nest), and the Rani gave the Raja the spark of life. Together, they turned the wild woods into a kingdom of peace.
- The Folklore of the “Two Birds”: A popular folk story told to children speaks of a Raja and Rani who were turned into birds by a forest spell. Forced to live in the trees, they had to learn how to “nest” to survive the harsh winter. They quickly realized they didn’t need their golden palace; they only needed the softest moss, the strongest twigs, and each other’s warmth. This folklore teaches that true “Royalty” isn’t about what you own, but about the quality of the sanctuary you build for your soul.
- The Self and the Soul: In deeper Vedantic philosophy, this setup represents the two halves of the human experience: the Raja is the part of you that “knows” (your mind and your boundaries), while the Rani is the part of you that “feels” (your intuition and your heart). When you enter the Raja space, you are bringing these two forces into alignment—”nesting” your busy mind into the soft, intuitive embrace of the forest.
- The Space: We built the 9-foot Raja Bell Tent to serve as a literal royal nest for the spirit. By stripping away the distractions of the outside world, this small-footprint dome provides the ultimate cozy envelope to dive into a book, curl up in the blankets, and remember how to build a sanctuary for your own soul.