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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.
June, 2009
Dear Friends of the Ashram
Summer and the large crowds of visitors always seems to begin with Memorial Day weekend, and this year was no exception. Despite the rainy and cool weather, close to three hundred folks came to the Ashram over the long weekend. Many spent the night, many stayed for a meal, many stayed for aarati, many attended the new-moon fire ceremony but all received the blessing of Mother and Shri Babaji.
It is at times like this slightly wild weekend that I remember deeply the teachings that Shri Babaji gave me at His Ashram in Haidakhan when He would push me to my physical limits. It was then that I would just melt into the moment and leave my mind behind with all of its limiting thoughts and enjoy the bliss. I often had that same experience this weekend just being with the throngs of people, plunging into the chaos, and doing what I could to feed and serve them. It never fails that the majority of our visitors are so warm and kind that is is a joy to be with them.
As we move into June we have a children's program, Bal Gokulam, scheduled for Saturday, June 13 and our first softball game of the season on Sunday, June 21. Once again, we want to remind you about the Annual American Haidakhan Samaj weekend on July 18 and 19 and our annual Family Week running from July 20 24. The concurrent workshop, “The Dance of Love Between Us and That” focusing on the aspects of Radha and Krishna, will be a wonderful opportunity to explore the dynamics of male and female energy through chanting, stories, discussion, and sacred movement.
Evening aarati at the temple is at 6pm and morning aarati is at 7am. Lunch is served around 12:30 and we love you to visit. The next full-moon fire ceremony is on Sunday, June 7 and the new-moon fire ceremony is on Monday, June 22. 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 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, June 13
Our next Bal Gokulam, children's program is on Saturday, June 13 from 10am until noon followed by a potluck lunch. This continues to be a very special day for our families with children. It is often the children that remind mom or dad about attending. They really love the stories, the yoga, the chanting, the coloring, and especially the puja at the end.
It is amazing to see some of our two and three year-olds that come up to the Ashram and hear how much the program has taught them. One mom said that her two-and-a-half-year-old likes to get out the small murtis they have in their home and do her rendition of a puja dressing them and singing Om Namah Shivaya as she does it. Last night one of our three-year-olds was at aarati and when asked if any one would like a special chant sung, he called out, "Om Namah Shivaya!" As we sang the chant, you could hear his voice loud and clear. When he was leaving the temple he said, "I sang Om Namah Shivaya tonight."
For more information about the program, call Cindy at 256-5007 or Shila at 256-4477.
Softball in the Park - Sunday, June 21
Summer is a relatively short season in Crestone, so it is high time we had our first community softball game. It will be on Father's Day, June 21 beginning at 2pm and will be held at the Baca park next to the fire station. This is a very fun time with perhaps more laughter then great plays but there are home runs and some outstanding plays, particularly at first base. It is not unusual to have several representatives from the different spiritual communities as well as many families at the game. It is a very fun afternoon. All skill levels are welcome.
The Ashram has plenty of balls, mitts, and bats for everyone. We will also bring a big watermelon to eat at the end of the game. Please join us. For more information call 719-256-4108.
Guru Purnima Day - Tuesday, July 7
On Tuesday, July 7, the full-moon of July, we celebrate Guru Purnima, the day you honor your teacher of guru. At the Ashram we celebrate this day with a Paduka Puja at 9:30am followed by a fire ceremony at 10am and a meal afterwards.
Each year there is also an international gathering of Babaji devotees, generally at one of the European Ashrams. This year it will be a several day gathering (July 2 - 7) celebration at the Schweibenalp Ashram in Switzerland. This beautiful Ashram was founded by Sundar Singh who is pictured with his daughter and Babaji here. This photo was taken in July, 1982. This is a great time to come together with other devotees from around the world. They are expecting well over 200 people. For more information about either event you can call the Ashram at 719-256-4108.
Annual American Samaj Meeting
July 18 & 19
The American Haidakhan Samaj, is the organization of devotees in America that helps spread Babaji's love and teachings. The Ashram will be hosting the Annual weekend on Saturday, July 18 (with meeting beginning at 9am) and Sunday, July 19.
Just as Shri Babaji allowed us to wash His feet from time to time, we will begin each morning with the washing of his sandals that He wore. This is called a Paduka Puja and will begin at 6am followed by chandan and chanting and a fire ceremony. At 7am we will have aarati and more chanting. There will also be plenty of time to hear great stories about Babaji and discuss ideas for the Babaji centers around the country.
We are always quite full for this wonderful weekend so call or email the Ashram to make reservations at 719-256-4108 or info@babajiashram.org.
Annual Family Week - July 20 - 24
Sponsored by the Samaj & the Ashram
Shri Babaji always took wonderful care and gave much love to children and families. Here at the Ashram, we also appreciate and love families. This is how the first family week originated ten years ago. This year we will have our annual Family Week from Monday, July 20 through Friday, July 24. This is such a special week for all of our families. Besides an opportunity to chant and sing aarati, there are programs for the children in the morning. Afternoons are free for the families to take off for field trips to some of our wonderful attractions such as the hot springs swimming pool, horseback riding, and hiking in the woods. The last day we normally end with a hike, swim, and lunch at the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
The dorm is pretty full for this week already. If you wish to attend, please be in touch soon and we can see what can be worked out. Call us at the Ashram at 719-256-4108 or email us at info@Babajiashram.org soon for more information or to make reservations to stay at the Ashram.
The Dance of Love Between Us and That Workshop - July 20 -24
During Family Week we are very excited that we will have a very special concurrent workshop for adults and the older teens. It will be conducted by international teacher, Sofia Diaz who leads programs around the world and has studied Indian philosophy, yoga, and sacred dance for twenty-seven years. She will be joined by Ramloti from the Ashram. This year's title will be The Dance of Love Between Us and That. Focusing on the intertwining of the male and female energies in this tradition, we will particularly look at Radha and Krishna through story, chants, and movement.
The workshop is runs daily from 10am until 1pm. There are children programs running at the same time for most ages of children to free up parents so that they may participate. The suggested donation for the workshop is $54 for teens (14 and above), $108 for Samaj members, and $135 for non-Samaj members with some scholarships available. Call or email the Ashram soon to make reservations at 719-256-4108 or info@babajiashram.org.
Kirtan Hall Update
So many people come to visit the temple each year with so much devotion and love. We continue to be able to pay down kirtan hall where our beautiful Divine Mother resides because of the generosity of all of you. Whether you buy an item from the shop, leave a donation in the temple, or make a donation long distance, every bit helps. We are so happy to announce that the loan is now down to $6,500. It is now well within grasp of being paid off by the end of the year. Thank you to all who help support the Ashram in any way.
We would like to encourage you to make a monthly automatic pledge to continue paying 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. We want to thank you for all of your continued support in this meaningful project.
Bal Gokulam
By Jade Hana Jayanti Cleary
All ages and all religions are welcome. What I like about Bal Gokulam is you can meet new friends and you can have fun with yoga and puja. We sing songs and dance. Puja is a blessing to the Gods. What we do in puja is we bathe the God or Goddess and we say mantras. Today at Bal Gokulam we blessed Ganesh. And today I brought a friend, Suraya, and what she liked about today was learning about the gods and goddesses. After it is over, we have a big feast for lunch. The photo is of Jade, Soraya, and Uma.
Karma Yoga Day
We planned our karma yoga morning the same day as the Shumei Anniversary Celebration (see next event below). We therefore, did not have such a huge turn out but still had just enough folks to get all the jobs completed. The water system was cleaned out, drainage ditches were dug, stucco repaired, and paths graveled We are so grateful to all who help and serve at the Ashram. The day was warm and sunny, so we enjoyed a lovely lunch out on the lawn after the work and then most of us hurried to the Shumei anniversary celebration.
Shumei International Institute Anniversary
It is always a joy and honor to participate in the Shumei International Institute's anniversary celebration. About 20 of the local spiritual groups came together to present talks, readings, songs, chants, and prayers. It is a magical day and we are so grateful for our wonderful neighbors, the Shumeis.
May Visitors
We are so blessed with our many visitors. Some, like Marco, come for a month. Some, like Tracy and Mecca come for several days. Others, like Sabina, AJ and family and friends just come for a night. But all help at the Ashram and are a huge reason that Baba's and Mother's home is always so beautiful.
Memorial Day Weekend
What a weekend with nearly 300 people visiting the Ashram. Here are a few photos of the aarati, mealtimes (we are certainly growing out of our kitchen), meal preparations, and fire ceremonies from the weekend.
Families and Visitors
Children and families are so much a part of the life at the Ashram. It seems as the little ones grow up to be teens, there is a whole new batch of babies again. Children are such reflections of God's love. Just peering into their eyes can change a difficult day into a bright one.
From time to time, some of our families leave Crestone for work or extended vacations. We miss them so mcuh. These three families were all at our full-moon fire ceremony in May and had all just recently returned to Crestone. We are so happy they have come back.
Calendar for 2009
June 7 - Full-moon fire ceremony at 10am followed by a meal.
June 22 - New-moon fire ceremony at 10am followed by a meal.
July 7 - Guru Purnima Day with Paduka Puja at 9:30am, fire ceremony at 10:08am, followed by feast.
July 18 - 19 - Annual American Haidakhan Samaj meeting at the Ashram.
July 20 - 24 - Annual Family Week at the Ashram.
July 20 - 24 - The Dance Love Between the Divine and That Workshop at the Ashram with Sofia Diaz and Ramloti.
September 18 - 26 Fall Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival.
October 17 - Diwali, Festival of Lights. Fire ceremony at 10am. Chanting at 7pm.
Maha Lakshmi Shop Report
Part of the shipment from India included new drums (dollaks) for the shop. These often sell quickly, so we thought we should let you know. The drums sell for $65 and come with a carrying case. Please call or email us soon if you are interested.
We also received some new and lovely murtis. Here is an 10" sitting Ganesh with intricate markings on Him. He comes in a silver/brass finish and sells for $225. Another lovely murti is this delicate Parvati in a brass copper finish. She comes in two sizes, 5.5" for $45 and 9" for $135. You can check our website for all the new items at BabajiAshram.org and order on line through pay pal or e-mail us at shop@babajiashram.org.
You can also always call us on our toll-free number at 866-686-4185 to order or for more information. 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. We are open daily from 9am until 5pm. We take Mastercard, Discover, and Visa.
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