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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.
December, 2009
Dear Friends of the Ashram
November
has certainly been a more gentle month. We got our water supply back
on November 8 and life has regained a sense of normalcy (if life at
the Ashram is ever normal.) We have had a plentiful share of warm sunny
days intermixed with just enough snow to give us good moisture. This
time of year at the Ashram is also less busy so we have had time to
catch up a bit and take on some new projects.
I am writing this newsletter a week ahead of when you will receive
it (the wonders of modern technology) since I leave for India on November
23. I will be visiting with Shri Muniraji, spending about a week in
Haidakhan, going to the temple in Etawah for a day, and doing lots of
shopping for the Maha Lakshmi Shop the rest of the time. Unfortunately,
the dates for the Paduka Puja got changed so I will not be able to attend
this year. I will give a full report of my trip with many photos in
the next newsletter.
I will return from India on December 11 with suitcases of goods for
our Maha Lakshmi Shop just in time for holiday shopping. The Shop is
open every day from 9am until 5pm. Morning aarati is at 8am (for the
month of December and January) and evening aarati is at 6pm. Lunch is
at about 1pm and you are welcome to join us. We will have our full-moon
fire ceremony on Wednesday, December 2 and our new-moon fire ceremony
on Wednesday, December 16. There is a second full-moon this month, Thursday,
December 31, so we will end the year with a fire ceremony. All fires
begin promptly at 10:08am and are followed by a meal.
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, December
19 from 10am until noon. There will not only be the normal activities
of puja, simple yoga, chanting, stories and coloring, but also a special
Christmas project to help decorate the temple for the holidays.
Following the program there will be a potluck lunch in the earthship.
It will be a special day to join in the fun.
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
We
had a great time bowling last month and were joined
by a couple of extra friends. We are hoping that this
month's date, Tuesday, December 22, which falls during
Christmas vacation will even draw a bigger turnout.
The place is SLV Superbowl in Monte
Vista. It will be from 1pm until 3pm so we can take
advantage of the special deal for folks 55 years and
older. They offer bowling shoes and all you can bowl
for only $4! They even let young Premanand and Madhuri
in on the deal this last time!
Programs in Florida
As
often happens in January, Ramloti will be traveling to Florida to lead
chanting evenings and fire ceremonies. She will be accompanied by Madhuri,
who co-founded the Irish ashram and lived there for 20 years. She is
also a frequent visitor to Haidakhan. She
toured around England with other devotees leading aarati and kirtan
a few years ago. Madhuri has been staying at the Ashram in Crestone
for the last several weeks and has been a big help. She has never been
to the United States before so it will be nice for her to see the ocean
side of the states. She plays beautiful harmonium and dolak as well
as has a lovely voice. She will leave directly for Ireland at the end
of the programs in Florida. We are so fortunate to have her join us.
The fire
ceremony followed by aarati, chanting, and potluck in Del Rey Beach
will be on Sunday morning, January 17. This is always a big event full
of Baba's grace and energy. The other events are still being organized
but will be in the same time frame and will be posted on our website
as soon as they are confirmed. You can also call the Ashram if you would
like more information or would like to host an event in Florida. The
phone number here is 719-256-4108.
Water System Up and Running Again!
We
are so happy to announce that our water system has been repaired and
the water is flowing abundantly at the Ashram. We had a small Board
of Directors meeting on Sunday, November 8 (since we could not accommodate
our out-of-town members without water). The announcement at the end
of the meeting that the water was finally turned on again brought joy
to the ears. Premanand really oversaw the repairs on the system and
has been diligently monitoring it since then. It is interesting to see
how appreciated every drop of water that flows out our taps is after
such a long time of bucket use.
One of the things that is under discussion with the Board is what our
next building project might be. However, it is very clear that our first
priority is the existing infrastructure of the Ashram. For sure the
spring will see more major work on the water system as well as other
repairs.
Overseeing this 101 acres of Ashram land and facilities is a major
responsibility of the Ashram Board of Directors. It is a continual job
and requires funds to keep the Ashram 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.
Links and Connections
There is so much wonderful work going on in the Babaji
family that we thought you may want to read about it. For those of you
who may be traveling, there are centers and ashrams to Shri Babaji throughout
the world. Here
is a link to the International Babaji Newsletter and the
website for the Haidakhan Samaj.
http://www.haidakhandisamaj.org/
Recent Events
Bal Gokulam
Children
and adults enjoyed the Bal Gokulam program this last month. The deity
who was learned about and given puja to was Maha Lakshmi. It is always
such a sweet thing to see the children so earnest and sincere in their
care for Her. Here are some photos.
Young Karma Yogis
From
the earliest age children are encouraged to help at the Ashram. They
seem to really love it and it is a great way to teach them about karma
yoga. Today after lunch one of the little boys came up and asked, "Can
I help?" He was put to work with his friend drying the dishes (fortunately
they are non-breakable stainless steel.)
One
of the jobs we often give our children when they come to the Ashram
is taking off the organic stickers from the produce. Here Matius and
Talus are helping with that job. Later they spilt their snack of sunflower
seeds and were handed brooms and a dustpan to clean it up.
High School & College Students Visit the Ashram
Every year we see many students who visit the Ashram.
Some groups, like Valley Verde High School from Sedona, Arizona come
every year. They stay for about ten days in Crestone and go to several
of the spiritual centers to learn about their tradition and to do some
service.
This year
they came for the new-moon fire ceremony and were a great help preparing
the fire and the food as well as the clean up. We always know we will
see some of them again on their own at the Ashram.
Another couple of students from Adams State College came to the Ashram
while working on a paper for their history class. The class was studying
India and their religions and the professor said he would give extra
credit to any of the students that came up to the Ashram for research.
Adams State College is in Alamosa, about an hour away, so it was not
such a long drive and it seemed like the students enjoyed their visit.
Children & Families
All the children and families that visit the Ashram certainly help
give this place a homey feeling. Even folks who just meet over lunch
become like family by the end of it. Meals are often a combination of
several people's offerings and everyone pitches in to help. Some folks
celebrate their birthdays or anniversaries here. Some folks come to
thank Mother for a blessing in their life or pray for help. We love
them all so much.
Calendar for 2009
December 2 - Full-moon fire ceremony at 10am
followed by a meal.
December 16 - New-moon fire ceremony at 10am
followed by a meal.
December 19 - Bal Gokulam (children's program)
10am-noon followed by potluck lunch.
December 22 - Ashram Bowling Day in Monte
Vista, 1-3pm.
December 31 - Full-moon fire ceremony at
10am followed by a meal.
Calendar for 2010
January 17 - Fire ceremony, aarati, and chanting
in Del Rey Beach, FL. Call Elaine at 561-277-8326 for more information.
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
The Shop has been stocking its shelves in preparation for the holidays.
We have just received wonderful deity clocks that sell for only $18.
These clocks from left to right are Maha Lakshmi, Om/Chakra, and Lord
Shiva. They are not on our website because they are in short supply
so call the shop to order with a credit card. The clocks measure about
12" in diameter.
Don't forget Ramloti will be back on December 11, just in time to
unveil all the new goodies for holiday shopping. There are still a
few Shri Babaji 2010 Calendars from Italy available, for only $15.
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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