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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, 2009
Important Notice The Ashram will be without water from Sept. 30 through October 13 while repairing the water system. People are still welcome to attend aarati and the fire ceremony, come for darshan, or visit the Maha Lakshmi Shop but there will be no bathroom, overnight, or kitchen facilities available. Read below for more information.
Dear Friends of the Ashram
What a joyful and full month September has been. Beginning with Labor Day weekend through Fall Navratri, which just ended, we have had constant visitors. You will see by the copious amount of photos some of the many folks who have been here. Many arrived just as a need arose for some extra hands. Babaji's direction to build large ashrams where many people can learn to work together has certainly been created here. The harmony, joy, and generosity of spirit that awakens here is inspiring. Read on for full reports on all of the activities of September.
Our programs in October include our children's program, Bal Gokulam, on Saturday, October 10 and the magnificent festival of Lights (Diwali) on Saturday, October 17. Please read the articles below for details.
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 (please not the first two weeks of this month). The Maha Lakshmi Shop is open daily from 9am until 5pm. Our full-moon fire ceremony this month is on Sunday, October 4 and our new-moon fire ceremony is on Saturday, October 17 (Diwali). We hope you can attend Diwali. If you are unable to attend but would like to participate by sponsoring a fire ceremony, we would like to send you a blessed item from the fire 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
Our next children's program, Bal Gokulam, will be on Saturday, October 10 from 10am until noon. This is a wonderful time for children to learn about puja, the stories of the Gods and Goddesses, simple yoga, and chanting. The children and parents always have a very fun time and it is quite obvious that the children have been learning these things when they attend the ceremonies at the Ashram. Pictured here is Rosalis, who is four years old, offering the aarati lamp after the fire ceremony. His momma, Vesper who helps run the program, is pictured as well.
If you have questions about the program you can call Cindy at 719-256-5007 or Vesper at 719-256-4569.
Diwali, Saturday, October 17
The Festival of Lights, Diwali is always a very special celebration at the Ashram. We begin with the new-moon fire ceremony at 10am followed by a meal. The rest of the day is spent preparing the temple and earthship with candles and lights and the grounds with luninerios. Meanwhile delicious food and treats are being prepared to be served after the evening aarati and chanting.
This evening of light is attended by many of the spiritual centers and they often share one of their chants or hymns about peace and light. Aarati is at 6pm, sharing of songs of peace and light is at 7pm, and then a light dinner and dessert in the earthship at 8pm. It is such a wonderful day to be together, please join us. We still have a few rooms available in the dorm for that night. Please call us at 719-256-4108 or email us at info@BabajiAshram.org.
Water System and Other Repairs
Now that we have paid off our outstanding loan on the kirtan hall, it is time to look at the infrastructure of the Ashram and see what needs repairs. We have been sanding and sealing all the windows in the temple, painting the floors in the dorm bathrooms and entry hall, and painting the storage room in the earthship.
Our primary project is a major overhaul of the water system, which has served us well for the last eighteen years. This will take place the first few weeks of this month. The 6,000 gallon cisterne in our gravity-feed water system from the creek has been leaking substantially. We have tried simple patching jobs but now feel it is time to address the issue more thoroughly before the winter weather sets in. We are having a local excavator bring up his big equipment to dig out around the whole cisterne so we can better decide how to approach the repairs. Fred Huffman, who originally did the super-heroic job of putting in the water system in 1991 is here from New Mexico consulting on the job. We will keep you informed and please keep the project in your prayers.
Maintaining this 101 acres of Ashram is a continual job and requires funds to keep it in the best repair so that we can accommodate all of you. We would like to encourage you to make a monthly automatic pledge toward the Ashram maintenance 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.
New Refrigerator and Freezer!!!!!
For years we have been using camping coolers for our refrigerator cooled by ice that our loyal karma yogi, Annelou, would bring up from her freezer five days a week.
Probably most of you are aware that she had a heart attack in late June and although we are happy to say she has almost totally recovered, she knows that it is time to back off from her regular schedule at the Ashram. We miss her terribly and now getting ice is a big chore every other day.
We decided that it is time for a propane refrigerator and a DC electric freezer. We are very excited to be having these new appliances that have been needed for years as we continue to be busier and busier here with more and more visitors. We are deeply grateful to the people who have helped by their donations to make these purchases possible.
Recent Events
Labor Day Weekend and Fire Ceremony
The month began on a very busy note with Labor Day weekend and the full-moon fire ceremony occurring the day before. Many families came to stay the weekend and help with the cooking and ceremonies. A couple of hundred people came to the Ashram that weekend. It felt like some days we were eating all day as most families bring food and love us to sit down and share some with them. Here are some photos.
Fall Navratri
What a full and blessed Fall Navratri we just completed at the Ashram. Hundreds of people attending, much sunny warm weather, the garden flowers lasted through all the ceremonies (we had our first freeze a few days ago), and many helping hands. The Divine Mother was magnificent in all of Her new saris, jewels, and malas. What a wonderful nine days!
Each day we had special pujas to the different aspects of Mother, Durga, Lakshmi, and Saraswati. People attending had an opportunity to participate in the bathing and adorning of the murtis each day. The children particularly enjoy this time.
Preparing for the food to be served after the fire ceremonies is a full job each morning and on the weekends many hands were needed to prepare Indian food for so many people, we served well over 100 folks on the last day. Thank you to all of our cooks, choppers, and servers.
The fire ceremonies each day had their own energy. During the week, when the weather turned colder, we had smaller amounts of attendees. The weekends were very large affairs and fortunately, the weather was warm both weekends so we could accommodate everyone eating lunch out on the lawn.
On day seven, we had thirteen kindergarten and first graders from our local charter school attend the fire ceremony, chanting, discourse, and lunch. They were very receptive and respectful. They had been studying India, so this was very special for them. Their teacher promised to bring them up again.
Adams State College in nearby Alamosa has a special day each Fall called ASC Cares Day. Several students volunteer for the day at local non-profits organizations. Three young ladies that had volunteered last year at the Ashram requested to volunteer here again. It just happened to fall on the last day of Navratri and their help with preparing food, helping with the children, and then washing tons of dishes was so appreciated. Sunia, a student form the local high school who works part time at the Ashram, is also pictured with them.
The last day after the fire ceremony and chanting, we had a child-friendly discourse about Saraswati. This was followed by our honoring the children program. About 30 children were given clothes, gifts, and sweets. It is always such a special time. Actually, any child that arrives during Navratri (even a little after) is given a package of gifts. We treasure our children so deeply here at the Ashram.
The last two evenings we were graced with beautiful Indian dancing. Larissa from Boulder with one her students did a Bharatnatyam performance one night and Pranaya from Fort Collins did a lovely Kathak dance the next night. You could feel their devotion for Mother and their sacred art as they danced.
Evening aaratis, particularly on the weekends, was devotional and energizing. We then would go over to the earthship for a big family dinner. The friendships that develop at the Ashram are wonderful.
People traveled from Texas, California, Florida, New Mexico, Arizona, and all parts of Colorado for this wonderful time to honor the Divine Mother. Many families we see each Navratri and watch their children grow. It is such a special time together.
Calendar for 2009
October 4 - Full-moon fire ceremony at 10am.
October 17 - Diwali, Festival of Lights. Fire ceremony at 10am. Chanting at 7pm.
November 2 - Full-moon fire ceremony at 10am followed by a meal.
November 16 - New-moon fire ceremony at 10am followed by a meal.
Calendar for 2010
February 13 - Maha Shivaratri - all night chanting to Lord Shiva.
March 15 - 23 - Spring Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival.
July 24 - 25 - Annual American Samaj Weekend
July 25 - Guru Purnima Day
July 26 - 30 - Annual Family Week and Concurrent Workshop.
October 7 - 15 - Fall Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival.
October 17 - Diwali, Festival of Lights. Fire ceremony at 10am. Chanting at 7pm.
Maha Lakshmi Shop Report
Inspired during this Fall Navratri to paint this magnificent image of Haidakhandeswari, Rita Berault has combined the traditional image of Haidakhandeswari with the face of the Divine Mother here in Crestone. A long time devotee of Babaji, Rita has put the original 12 x 12 canvas in the Shop. This multimedia acrylic painting can be purchased for $200. It is beautiful. There are also 8 x 10 fine prints available for $18 and greeting cards with this image are available for $3.00. We have 12 other cards available of her paintings as well. The note cards sale for $3.00 and each one is handmade. All of these and more new items can be viewed on our website.
We also wish to let you know that you can request any of our remaining cassettes for free with your order. If you come to the Shop, you can take whatever ones you would like. Check our website for those available. They are moving fast so some may be gone by the time you order.
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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