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.
November, 2009
Important Notice
The Ashram will be without water from October through November 6 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
This
last month has been a time of many emotions from some of the highest
of highs to the most challenging of lows. Very close friends of mine
and of the Ashram suffered the loss of their beautiful 15-year-old daughter
on October 4. She had been at the Ashram this summer for the Samaj weekend
and all that had met her are also grieving the departure of a loving
and joyful soul. I spent three days with the family after the death
and it was a highly emotional time. The love that was showered on the
family by their many, many friends was a beautiful thing to observe
and their faith and devotion to Shri Babaji very strong. There is a
tribute to Yamini in the newsletter.
We are also still working on the water system, so much of the month
has been without water. There have been many decisions to make around
this issue and sometimes it seemed overwhelming. We are all busy scraping
walls and applying the different coats of QBond, a structural reinforcement
and water proofing agent that is approved for drinking water. We are
so grateful for the generousity of some friends of the Ashram for the
use of their home during this time.
On the other side of the spectrum, we celebrated a magnificent Diwali
(Festival of Lights) in mid-October. The fire ceremony, pujas to Ganesh
and Maha Lakshmi, the sharing of chants and songs, the visitors that
came from around the country, the beautifully lit temple and grounds
and all the attendees and volunteers added up to a spectacular and moving
day and evening.
But just a few days after Diwali, we suffered another great loss. Kailash,
who has helped the Ashram grow in numerous ways since 1987, passed away
on October 22. It was personally a very difficult time, as both he and
his parents are very close friends. His tribute follows as well.
In November, we will have our Bal Gokulam (children's program) on Saturday,
November 14 at 10am. I will be traveling to India and heading for our
Ashram in Haidakhan on November 27 for about a week. I will then be
in Delhi for a Paduka Puja from December 5-7. This is always a wonderful
time to connect with old and new friends and have the darshan of Shri
Babaji in Haidakhan and Shri Muniraji in Haldwani. I will also be bringing
home many things for the Maha Lakshmi Shop. If you have a special request,
this would be the time to let me know. I will share many photos and
experiences with you in next month's newsletter.
Our Maha Laksmi Shop is open every day from 9am until 5pm. Morning
aarti is at 7am and evening aarati is at 6pm. Lunch is at about 1pm
and you are welcome to join us (preferably after our water system is
running again.) We will also have our full-moon fire ceremony on Monday,
November 2 (it will be a small fire and no meal served due to our water
system being down) and our new-moon fire ceremony on Monday, November
16.
If you 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, November
14 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 inspiring and
fun time.
It is quite obvious that the children have been learning these things
when they attend the ceremonies at the Ashram. Here Sage and Shannen
help Ramloti with the puja to Maha Lakshmi on Diwali.
If you have questions about the program you can call Cindy at 719-256-5007
or Vesper at 719-256-4569.
Let's Go Bowling
After
such a challenging month here at the Ashram, Jonathan,
Premanand, and Ramloti realized how healthy it was
for them to play softball during the summer to have
fun together and get some exercise. Since the baseball
field is now buried in snow, they decided bowling
would be a good alternative. With snow on Thursday,
no work could be done on the water system so the three
of them went bowling. It was a great break, some good
laughs, and very fun. We will not divulge the scores.
We want to invite others to join us
for our next outing to the bowling alley in Monte
Vista. It will be from 1pm until 3pm on Tuesday, November
17. The hours are such because they have a special
deal for folks 55 years and older (they call them
senior citizens!) They offer bowling shoes and all
you can bowl for only $4! They even let young Premanand
in on the deal this last time!
Would You Like to Serve?
With
the Ashram continuing to grow, it seems to be time to have one or two
more full-time residents living here. Jonathan, Premanand, and Ramloti
wear several hats here and they are all willing to give one away to
the right person or persons. Some of these hats would be maintenance
person, pujari, shop manager, administrative assistant, and web master.
Before giving the job description of each of the positions, let us first
consider the basic qualifications for a long-term resident at the Ashram.
First of all the person needs to have established a relationship with
the Ashram. This can be accomplished by a few visits of a week or so.
This gives everyone time to consider how living together would be. The
qualities that make a good fit is a sincere desire to serve, a generosity
of spirit, a sense of humor, a willingness to take on any task at any
time that is needed, a willingness to share your feelings and take advise,
and a deep faith and commitment to Shri Babaji and His teachings of
truth, simplicity, love, and service to all of humankind.
Financial
arrangements are as follows: One should expect to make the suggested
donation of $324 for the first month at the Ashram. If all goes well,
board and room are provided with no donation expected for the next two
months. After three months, the new resident is eligible to receive
a small monthly stipend along with board and room. The food served at
the Ashram is all organic, vegetarian, and a raw diet is also possible
if one desires. The accommodations vary with the time of the year from
a private room in the beautiful straw-bale adobe dorm to shared space
with other residents. A married couple could also be considered.
Everyone
at the Ashram does just about everything from cooking, cleaning, weeding,
tending the Shop, sweeping and shoveling snow, taking care of visitors,
and helping in the temple, however there is also some specialization.
Job descriptions are as follows:
Maintenance Person - Handy at repairs of all kind, a general knowledge
of solar, plumbing, electricity, and construction.
Pujari - A willingness to rise early and learn to awaken, bathe, dress,
and decorate the Divine Mother and other murtis in the temple. Must
be very sincere, devoted, and focused on the duty and have a good eye
for color and balance.
Shop Manager - Some experience in running a retail store. Duties would
include ordering products, pricing, display, organization, and keeping
the on-line shop up to date. Basic computer knowledge (preferably Macintosh)
would be helpful.
Administrative Assistant - Help with the management of the Ashram.
Skills needed would be good telephone presence, organizational and management
skills, typing and computer knowledge.
Web Master - Maintain and enhance the Ashram website. Must have solid
computer skills (preferably Macintosh), must be careful and methodical
and a good speller.
Living at the Ashram is both a great blessing with many joys and also
a challenging life of service. As most of you know, the Ashram is located
in one of the most beautiful places in the world on 101 acres of pristine
land with a creek running through it providing our delicious water supply.
If you feel you can be of service to the Ashram, please call or email
us for more information at 719-256-4108 or info@BabajiAshram.org.
Water System and Other Repairs
We
continue to work on the water system and with the impending winter weather
it will be a temporary fix until spring. One of the biggest hold ups
is that the 6000 gallon holding tank is made of cement blocks which
are totally saturated from leaking water, unbeknownst to us, for many
years. We have been scrubbing walls and prepping them for the first
steps of repair. We will keep you informed and please keep the project
in your prayers.
We have also been busy with other upgrades and repairs. The driveway
has received several loads of road base and has been nicely graded.
We also extended the road all the way up to the water system making
it now possible to get large equipment up there to maintain the water
system in the future. All of the windows on the temple have been sanded,
primed, caulked, and painted. 20-year-old wooden windows need a lot
of care in this sun!
Overseeing this 101 acres of Ashram land and facilities
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
Pay Pal 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.
A Tribute to Yamini Agarwal
by Ramloti
Yamini
Agarwal, the lovely daughter of Shashi and Bipin Agrawal passed away on
October 4. Many will remember this beautiful 15-year-old from the Samaj
weekend. Here she is pictured with the bowl in her hands making chocolate
cake with Azelia on the left and Lexi on the right. The cause of death
is unknown. The family went to a yoga class in the morning together and
had a wonderful morning. She went upstairs to shower and never came down.
When they went to check on her, they found her in the bathroom. They called
911 and their neighbor doctor who came within minutes and pronounced her
dead. She was very athletic and in superb health, so it is really a mystery.
They have one other daughter, Winnie, who is in her last year of college
in Philadelphia who flew home immediately and stayed for a week.
The
family asked me to come to their home in Denver and I stayed for three
days through all of the services. They are such an amazingly loving and
generous family and it showed by the hundreds of people that came to support
them through this time of grief. The days were filled with visitors, ceremonies,
food brought in by friends, copious amounts of tears, and story after
story about Yamini and all the hundreds of people she had touched through
her love and beautiful spirit.
The funeral was on October 6. After some chanting and traditional pujas
done by the pundits, there was some sharing. First Winnie (their 21 year
old daughter) spoke about her sister and then Aditi (the 17 year old cousin
spoke). Both were tear-filled but so eloquent and touching. I was asked
to speak next and shared the reading from Babaji's teaching from Feb.
2, 1983 when He spoke about body's being given by God to perform a duty
but that as we come into this material world we fall into me and mine
and forget our duty. I shared that Yamini seemed to be very aware of her
duty to be a loving bright force in the world that touched the lives of
so many people. She was so generous and kind to all, even the poorest
people in India where she had spent two weeks this Spring with her mom
in the rural, small village where Shashi was raised. I commented that
her duty was still being fulfilled by all the people that were now contemplating
the fragility of life and remembering to make every moment count since
we never know when a loved one will leave this plane of existence.
That
evening over a hundred of Yamini's school friends did a candle-light procession
to their home. It was so touching to see all of the love they had for
her. The next day, the pundit came to the house and performed a homa inside
to complete the ceremonies. May Baba and Mother hold them in Their arms.
The address of Shashi and Bipin Agarwal is 4 Redhawk Run, Englewood, CO
80113.
A Tribute to Kailash
by Ramloti
It
is with great sadness that we share this news with you. Kailash was found
dead on the morning of October 22 with his oxygen mask on and he was blue.
He has had severe asthma, sleep and health problems for many years. A
few years ago this happened but he was able to call 911 in time and ended
up in intensive care for the next several weeks.
He was just up at the Ashram Saturday night playing the harmonium at
Diwali and he looked great and his bhajans were beautiful. Those that
saw him received big hugs of love from him. He was a dear friend to all
of us at the Ashram and certainly instrumental in the early building and
growth of the Ashram. He was also up here a few weeks ago with his father
consulting on the water system which he helped put in. He went on both
the West coast and East coast tours with the Bhole Baba Bhajan Band and
was very instrumental in its success. He loved those six weeks since he
loved playing and singing kirtan. He also designed our website and helped
format and send out the newsletter each month so he was a pretty regular
visitor here. He was like a little brother to me and a very dear friend
whom I miss dearly.
Kailash's
cremation was on Sunday, October 25. It was very moving and beautiful.
As you can see by the photos, Crestone is fortunate to have an outdoor
crematorium that is run by the End of Life project. It is a real service
to so many people. After we processed with the body before dawn, I spoke
a bit about the physical shell that was Kailash and how his Divine,
immortal nature was free now and had merged with Baba and Mother. I
then performed an aarati and Gayatri gave chandan to Mother, Baba, Nataraj
and Kailash. Carol and Fred (his parents) and his sister, Donna, offered
flowers and a flower mala and I waved the lamp. We sang the Mother aarati
and then Gayatri, Carol, Fred, Donna, and Dennis lit torches from the
aarati lamp and lit the pyre. We stayed in silence for a while and then
sang Om Namah Shivaya and gave other tributes to Kailash. This all went
on for about three hours and then we went to Kailash's home where there
was a huge catered meal for everyone. There was music and lots of visiting.
It
was a magnificent morning. I was grateful to be asked to lead the ceremonies.
But of course, when it all quiets down is when it is often most difficult
for family and close friends so please keep them in your prayers. We
will all miss a great friend, a brilliant musician, a great devotee,
a computer whiz, and the one who built so many of the Ashram's early
buildings. Carol and Fred Huffman's address is P.O. Box 613, El Prado,
NM 81524.
Recent Events
Diwali
The
Festival of Lights, Diwali was a very special celebration at the Ashram.
We began with the new-moon fire ceremony at 10am during which we did
puja to a small Ganesh murti to be installed up at the water system.
We then processed up the hill to the water system with Shri Babaji's
padukas and Ganesh and installed Him asking for blessings on our project.
We then continued up the hill to the beautiful Spanish Creek where
the water in-take is located. Here a lovely murti of Maha Lakshmi presides
for the last several years blessing the Ashram land and water.
Each
year at Diwali we bring Her down to the creek for a bath and full puja.
About forty people helped to bathe Her and dress Her while Shri Babaji's
padukas oversaw it all.
The three-foot murti of Maha Lakshmi was then taken back to Her seat
on the mountain overlooking the creek. Many of our visitors enjoy having
Her darshan and seeing the creek that gives us our water when they come
to the Ashram. It is a lovely 15 minute walk in nice weather.
We
then all went down the mountain and had lunch out on the lawn. The rest
of the day was spent preparing the temple and earthship with candles
and lights and the grounds with luninerios. Meanwhile delicious food
and treats were being prepared to be served after the evening aarati
and chanting.
This evening of light was attended by about 80 people. Some of the
folks represented spiritual centers of Crestone and they shared one
of their chants or hymns about peace and light. The music was enchanting
and lovely. Sharing this evening praying for peace and light on the
earth with Sikhs, Shumeis, Native Americans, Sufis, Christians, Subuds,
and of course all of the children and local Crestonians is always so
magical.
Ambrish Comes to the Ashram for
Diwali
With
all the blessing from Babaji, this Diwali I got a chance to visit Haidhakhan
Universal Ashram (HUA) in Crestone. After celebrating the Diwali over
there I am forced to think, ‘is it the best Diwali of my life’
and the answer is ‘yes’. I got the privilege to hold Babaji
Charan Padukas (Babaji Sandals) through out the day while doing Lakshmi
Puja and Fire Ceremony. I am sure that Ganesh, whom we placed near the
water system, will take care of all water problems at the Ashram. I
hope the Indian meal that my friend, Sorabh, and I cooked for the evening
bhandara was well received by all of the people, and we know for sure
whatever goodness the food had was a blessing of Babaji.
We are highly obliged to Ramloti who not only arranged the ride for
us from Denver but also took very good care of us like a Mother. After
meeting Ramloti I never have felt that this Diwali I am away from my
Mother back in India. We are also very thankful to Cindy, Sondra and
Carol for giving us the joyful rides.
My
association with Babaji from childhood provides me the faith that Babaji
is very much present at the Ashram in Crestone and has a special blessing
for the people who are living there. I am very much sure that with the
devotion that Jonathan, Premanand, and Ramloti have Haidhakhan Universal
Ashram in Crestone will attain the same status as Babaji Ashram in Haidhakhan
in India. We wish that Babaji mahima will spread in the Ashram as stars
in the sky and will lighten reign in this world and all worlds.
OM NAMAH SHIVAYA - Haidhiyakhandi Baba Ki Jai !!! Ambrish Srivastava
New Kitty at the Ashram
We recently acquired a new kitty that is so cute and loving that the
children like to come up to the Ashram just to hold it. Above are Sage
and Talus, below are Jade, Gokul, and Kailou.
College Students & Other Visitors
to the Ashram
Since we have been without water for most of the month, we have not
been able to accommodate our usual overnight visitors. (We did fill
up the water storage tank for Diwali so we could proceed with those
festivities.) Even day time visitors were not able to use our kitchen
for warming up their lunch and making chai as they normally do. All
have been very understanding, however, and they were still able to have
darshan of Mother and Baba and attend aarati. Two groups of college
students from Western State College in Gunnison and Colorado College
in Colorado Springs also came for tours of the Ashram and attended aarati.
Our smaller havan (fire ceremony) was also very beautiful and still
very powerful.
Calendar for 2009
November 2 - Full-moon fire ceremony at 10am
(no meal due to no water).
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.
November 6 - Diwali, Festival of Lights.
Fire ceremony at 10am. Chanting at 7pm.
Maha Lakshmi Shop Report
Rita
and Ramloti will be headed to India on November 23 for darshan of
Haidakhan, the Paduka Puja, and of course, lots of purchasing for
the Maha Lakshmi Shop. Here they are in the Maha Lakshmi Shop looking
over the inventory of malas to prepare for all the shopping. They
will be back on December 11, just in time to unveil all the new goodies
for holiday shopping. If you have a special request, please call Ramloti
at 719-256-4108 and she will try to accommodate your wish.
We
are also very excited to announce that the Shri Babaji 2010 Calendars
that are made in Italy will be in this month. They will sell for $15
and you may want to place your order soon as they often sell out quickly.
Here is the page from October (our version will be in English!) There
are twelve unique photos of Shri Babaji and it also has a list of
the festivals and dates celebrated in Haidakhan.
The
shop has also received some new beautiful rayon beaded scarves, both
triangular and rectangular These come in a variety of colors and motifs.
They sell for $18. Call for more information.
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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