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Ashram Mission Statement
We aspire to live the Teachings of Haidakhan Baba, to share the Love of Babaji
and the Divine Mother with others, to hold this Ashram as Their Home,
to serve humanity, and to be stewards and caretakers of the land.
October, 2008
Dear Friends of the Ashram,
What a wonderous month this has been! Many, many dedicated and generous karma yogis helping in preparation for Navratri and then another whole set of good-hearted helpers through Navratri. The weather has been delightfully warm and sunny, allowing us to have fresh flowers from our garden throughout all of Navartri which ended October 7. (Our first frost day is usually September 15.) And the level of harmony and cooperation of visitors and locals has really exemplified the teachings of Shri Babaji. I am eternally grateful to be part of it all. See photos and articles below about Navratri.
Now as the trees are turning their lovely golden and orange colors, we are preparing for our big celebration of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, which falls this year on Tuesday, October 28. Our next Bal Gokulam (children's program) will be on Saturday, October 18 from 10am until noon. The kirtan in Denver (Thornton) has been changed from October 12 to Saturday, October 25. Read below for timings and details.
With the shortening of the days, evening aarati at the temple has changed to 6pm but morning aarati remains at 7am. The Maha Lakshmi Shop is open from 9am-5pm daily and lunch is served around 12:30. We invite you to visit.
The full-moon fire ceremony is on Tuesday, October 14. The new-moon fire ceremony is on Tuesday, October 28 (Diwali). All fire ceremonies begin at 10:08am and are followed by a meal. If you would like to participate by sponsoring a fire, we would like to send you a blessed item from the ceremony. They are:
- $27 sponsorship - Copper, brass, nickel Om Namah Shivaya bracelet
$54 sponsorship - Rose Quartz, Rosewood, Sandalwood, or Tulsi Mala
$108 sponsorship - Rudraksha or Crystal-Rudraksha Mala
You can make the donation online by just clicking here or call 719-256-4108 or e-mail the Ashram at info@BabajiAshram.org or send us a check at P.O. Box 9, Crestone, CO 81131. We are continually grateful for all of your support.
In truth and love, Ramloti
Bal Gokulam - Saturday, October 18
Our next Bal Gokulam will be on Saturday, October 18, from 10am until noon followed by a potluck lunch. Each program focuses on a different aspect of the Divine, this time it will be on Lord Ganesh.
The program includes stories, yoga, chanting, sharing, and puja. The program has become very popular among the community. We have many children and parents that look forward to coming every time and also there are always new participants as well.
Please call Cindy 719-256-5007 for more information or to let her know what potluck dish you want to share.
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Bhajans in Denver with Ramloti
Saturday, October 25
- Ramloti on harmonium will join Prabhod Telang on tablahs to lead bhajans to bless his and Smita's new home on Saturday, October 25 at noon followed by lunch at 1pm. (This program was originally planned for October 12 but has been postponed due to illness in the family.) The location is 3068 East 143rd Ave, Thornton, CO 80602.
- For information about the event and directions you may call them at 303-920-7245 or 720-250-6325.
Diwali, Festival of Lights
Tuesday, October 28
Perhaps the most visually striking festival of the year is Diwali, the Festival of Lights. Falling on the new-moon in October, we begin the day with a fire ceremony at 10:08am followed by lunch. We then spend the rest of the day preparing for the magical Diwali evening. Luminarias are set up all around the Ashram grounds, candles are placed in the temple with over a hundred just around the Divine Mother alone. Meanwhile in the earthship, Christmas lights and candles are being arranged to the yummy aroma of several desserts baking, chai brewing, and the savory smell of Indian food; all to be served after the chanting which goes form 7-8pm with aarati at 6pm.
The preparation is fun but the real joy is when many of the spiritual groups arrive for the chanting. This is the evening that we have set aside to invite all of our neighbors to join and share one of their songs or chants on the theme of peace and light. The festival is such a dramatic portrayal of Divine Light, that which all the different spiritual paths are seeking, it seemed like a natural time to come together. It is always so special. We hope you can join us.
Kirtan Hall Update
The day of the Children's celebration during Navratri over a hundred people we in attendance. Once again, we were so grateful to have the spacious kirtan hall.
We are pleased to let you know that through your donations, matching pledges, monthly tithes, and all of your shop purchases, our kirtan hall loan now has been paid down to $30,000. If you have any ideas on ways to help us pay down the loan sooner or would like to organize a fundraiser, please call the Ashram at 719-256-4108.
We would like to encourage you to make a monthly automatic pledge to pay down the kirtan hall loan. Either call the Ashram at 719-256-4108 with your credit card number and ask us to charge a set amount every month ($501, $108, $54, $27, $10.08....) or go to our website and ask PayPal to deduct a certain amount from your account each month, Click Here. You can also send a check to the Ashram at P.O. Box 9, Crestone, CO 81131 or donate online by clicking here. We want to thank you for all of your continued support in this meaningful project.
Recent Events
Premanand and Ramloti in Santa Fe
Premanand and Ramloti led a Kirtan evening and a Fire Ceremony in Santa Fe on September 9 and 10. It was the blessing of the beautiful new yoga studio of Surya and Tias Little which is located on their magnificent land overlooking Santa Fe.
The evening was attended by about thirty people including their lovely son, Eno, who greeted people as they arrived with his violin.
The last time Premanand and Ramloti had been there is when they did a kirtan and fire ceremony blessing for Surya and Tias' soon-to-be-born son four years ago, so it was a treat to see all they had completed in the complex and to see their son.
Fall Navratri - The Divine Mother Festival
Gratitude, gratitude, gratitude are the words that seemed to come to most people when thinking about their good fortune to spend this auspicious time honoring the Divine Mothe in Her majestic home here in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
The joyful coming together began the week before when the assan of Shri Babaji and Muniraji were recovered in their new beautiful silks.
Loving folks coming from Colorado Springs, Denver, Manitou Springs, and Washington DC arrived to help prepare for the festival. The prolific garden was harvested and made ready for winter; and the dormitory, temple, yurt, and shop were cleaned from top to bottom leaving a fresh and glowing feeling at the Ashram.
As these folks departed, others were arriving for the nine day festival. Our first arrivals were from Ireland. Mira, a lovely 18-year-old devotee was raised at the Babaji Center in Ireland and has been to Haidakhan twice in her short life. She was (and still is here) a great addition to Navratri with her youthful spirit, beautiful voice, drumming and harmonium playing, as well as her generous karma yoga. Her report follows below. She was accompanied by 21-year-old Scott also from Ireland. His softness, beauty, chai making, mechanical skills, and willingness to do anything needed made him a joy to have as well. His report follows Mira's.
What a beautiful feeling to arrive at the Ashram. I felt right at home. I could also feel that there was work waiting to be done. So off to work we go! It was beautiful to see the group from Colorado College full of life and action, and a pleasure to work alongside them. Preparations were well underway.
As Navratri progressed, many people came and went, contributing their energy to liven the spirit of celebration. All the guests were full of devotion and interest, shared wonderful stories and laughs and helped in almost every way they could - all around pleasing company.
Children's day was such a highlight. After aarati we all rushed to the kitchen, to chop and prepare food and brew chai. It was almost like an ant colony in there, but within an hour, the kitchen was sparkling, and filled with the delicious aroma of the finest Indian cuisine. Chaos was returned to order and it was time for the Fire Ceremony.
So much of these last two weeks will remain in my heart. All the fantastic people, Karma Yogi's and visitors, the lively children, shared stories, fun and laughs, glorious food and most of all the devotion in our hearts contributed to the high high energy I experienced through Navrati
Thanks to everyone!
BHOLE BABA KI JAI!!!!
Love to all, Mira.
Truth, Simplicity and Love, three words that resonate more now than ever. This my first Navratri and also Ashram experience has ineradicably confirmed so much about the way that we live, our connectedness to the world around us and also our connectedness to the Divine. This Ashram stands out like a light shinning in the dark, calling anyone who may see it to a path that rings true for life. It has a simplistic approach, to eat healthily, to do work (karma yoga), to worship the Divine, to leave as soft a footprint on our Mother Earth as possible and to have fun in all that we do. This style of life whether it's in an Ashram or in the everyday world is a way of being true to our needs as people and to provide fulfillment in life which in turn I believe brings love into our hearts, love for ourselves and everybody/thing around us. It's very easy in today's society to forget about certain aspects of our needs and to try to fulfill them with other external sources, fast food, laziness, carelessness and of course the dark abyss of television, but here a real sense of self is brought back, a re-establishing of priorities that brings you back to a balanced centre. I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart all the people who make this place possible and all the people who have helped create this experience, that means all of you. Om Namah Shivaya!
Forever Grateful,
Scott Dolin
Next to arrive were Darrell from Hawaii and Sherry from California. Darrell has been coming to the Ashram since its beginning but had not been back for several years. He was greatly pleased with all the all the new additions and kept asking to do more karma yoga like a youngster bounding with energy. His dancing in the kirtan hall and love of life was contagious. It was Sherry's first visit to the Ashram and although she was restricted due to a rather severe illness, she was always asking how she could help. She was very grateful to be able to attend.
Later that afternoon, Charlie from Hotchkiss, CO arrived for his first trip to the Ashram. Another 18-year-old with many skills (particularly delicious baking ability), he was also always there to pitch in with dishes, mopping, serving, cooking, and even helped in the temple in the morning and evenings. He was eager to learn about doing a simple puja in his home. His report follows.
My experience during the Navratri festival at the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram was the highlight of my year. Between being in a place where the presence of Haidakhan Babaji is very strong and being surrounded by wonderful loving people the whole time it was an experience that I’ve already seen help me grow in a number of ways. I loved attending the extra Navratri ceremonies everyday and learning more about the Sanatan Dharma that Babaji spoke about on many occasions. I also enjoyed having the opportunity to begin the pujari training which I plan on taking with me everywhere I go. Bhole Baba Ki Jai!
Charlie
So many more folks came for a few or several days of Navratri from Florida, New Mexico, California, and all parts of Colorado, including our Annee Laird and Premal Trivedi.
On the weekend we had people sleeping on the floor in the Shop and the dormitory living room as well as a very full yurt. The kitchen was always full of folks prearing meals, keeping an eye on the babies, and cleaning up after the feasts.
Each day was special and the Divine Mother resplendent in each of Her new saris often decorated with flower malas from our garden.
The fire ceremonies were well attended and decorated with flowers petals from the garden and many participated in the daily pujas.
The children's ceremony was touching and sweet, as usual, with over thirty children being honored.
The day after Navratri, Richard from Florida took all the staff that was still at the Ashram to the Hot Springs for a restful and fun day.
Groups of Visitors and Families
This last month we got to see several of our families, a couple that had new-born babies with them. It is not uncommon to hear that this is the first outing that they have taken the baby on, to have the darshan of the Divine Mother.
We also had a group of Colorado College students here for four days. On the last night they dressed up in saris and are shown here with Smita and Prabhod's family, as well as their relatives from India.
We then had a group of Sikhs come to the Ashram to share chants with us. The next day, a group of ladies from a meditation retreat visited the Ashram.
Finally, three groups from the Shumei Center came for a tour and four more groups of college groups came to learn about the Ashram. Two of the college groups even were able to attend a Navratri fire ceremony, discourse, and bhandara. Here is a photo from one of the groups. We are so grateful to be able to serve our young population this way and we always see some of the students back at the Ashram to stay for longer periods.
Calendar for 2008
October 14 - Full-moon fire ceremony at 10:08am followed by a meal.
October 18 - Bal Gokulam, children's program from 10am until noon, followed by potluck.
October 25 - Bhajans in Thornton, CO at 11am. Call 303-920-7245 or 720-250-6325 for more information and directions.
October 28 - Diwali, the festival of lights. Fire ceremony at 10am. Chanting at 7pm.
Calendar for 2009
February 14 - Shri Babaji's Mahasamadhi. Paduka Puja at 5:45pm and aarati at 6pm.
February 23 - Maha Shivaratri with all-night chanting and fire ceremony the following morning at 10:08am followed by a feast.
March 26 - April 3 - Spring Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival.
July 7 - Guru Purnima Day with Paduka Puja at 9:30am, fire ceremony at 10:08am, followed by feast.
September 18 - 26 Fall Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival.
October 17, 2009 - Diwali, Festival of Lights. Fire ceremony at 10am. Chanting at 7pm
Maha Lakshmi Shop Report
As shorter days and cooler weather arrive, it may be time to catch up on some reading. We have a great selection of books in our Shop, including a large section of Sondra Ray's books. Here is a review of her latest book: Rock Your World with the Divine Mother.
This beautiful book by Sondra Ray talks about bringing the Sacred Power of the Divine Mother into our lives. In the book Sondra describes rituals, ceremonies and festivals dedicated to the Divine Mother. The fire ceremony, yagna and Navratri are explained in detail. The 108 names of the Divine Mother are translated into English. Our beloved Shastriji has written a chapter called “Worship of the Divine Mother”.
Five men who have surrendered to the Divine Mother have been interviewed for the book, one of them being Krischen (Chris Long) who lives in Crestone. Hare Govind who spent many years with Babaji has also been interviewed. Sondra also talks about the Divine Mother in different traditions, the Hindus, the Hopis, and her encounter with the Divine Mother in Bali and Yugoslavia.
Here is an extract from the book: “the Divine Mother bring us to the nurturing, tender aspects of ourselves, which are so needed to solve the problems of the world today. The Divine Mother gives us the solutions both to our personal problems and to our planetary problems. We need Her to teach us now.”
The book sells for $14.95. You can view this book and all the products in Maha Lakshmi Shop, on our newly updated web site at BabajiAshram.org. You can also call the shop toll-free at 866-686-4185 to order or for more information. We are open daily from 9am until 5pm. We take Mastercard, Discover, and Visa.
You may order on line through paypal or e-mail us at shop@babajiashram.org, or of course, place the order over the phone. We love to talk with you. We thank you for all of your shop purchases as the revenue from the shop is a huge support for the Ashram.
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