Dear Friends of the Ashram,
This last month has had moments of sadness and moments of great joy. First was the magnificent celebration of Shivaratri on February 26, which you can read about below. Then on March 3, Radhe Shyam passed away in Pittsburg, PA of cancer. He was one of the founders of the Ashram who lived here from 1986 until 1991. His wife, Sitarami, was with him and sends her gratitude for all of the prayers and wishes that have been sent to her since his passing. I spoke to him two days before his death and he expressed deep gratitude for the Ashram and all its growth. It was so special to have him here for the Kirtan Hall Dedication in June of last year. He was also very appreciative that the Ashram had taken over the republishing of his book, I am Harmony, when he no longer had strength to carry it to completion. He has asked that remembrances for him be sent to the American Haidakhan Samaj in care of the Ashram at P.O. Box 9, Crestone, CO 81131 to support the republishing of the book. We are hoping to have it available in late Spring in tribute to a wonderful, devoted, loving man whose love for Shri Babaji was never-ending. Please read about his memorial service we held for him below. We are now readying ourselves and the Ashram for Spring Navratri, to thank Mother for all She gives to us.
In truth and love, Ramloti
Here at the Ashram we are preparing for Spring Navratri, nine days in honor of the Divine Mother, which begins on Wednesday, March 29 and goes through Thursday, April 6. We are busily making new saris for the Divine Mother, making gifts for all the children that will attend the festivities, and organizing all of the preparations necessary for the nine days of fire ceremonies and other pujas. We have heard from many devotees that plan to attend. There is still some room available in the dorm so if you would like to join us or for more information about the ceremonies, call the Ashram at 719-256-4108, or e-mail us at info@babajiashram.org.
The schedule for each day begins with chandan and chanting at 6:45am followed by aarati at 7am. At 8am we have a special puja to Durga, Lakshmi, or Saraswati, followed by the reading of the seven hundred praises of Mother at 8:30am. We then gather for the sacred fire ceremony at 10:08am. After the fire ceremony there is a discourse on one of the stories about the Divine Mother from the Srimad Devi Bhagavatam. This is followed by a light meal at noon.
On Saturday, April 1, following the fire ceremony (approximately 11am), Signe Ramstrom will give a performance in the kirtan hall of her classical Indian Kathak dance from the courts and temples of ancient North India. Last year’s presentation was a huge success, so mark your calendar now. This will be followed by an Indian Feast. On Sunday, April 2 we will join with all of the Babaji centers and Ashrams around the world at 10:08am local time offering the fire ceremony for world peace, environmental healing, and balance. For more information about the international offering, contact Sarena Morello at TransAinc@aol.com. On the final day, Thursday, April 6, we honor children after the fire ceremony and have a huge Indian feast.
This is always such a deep and beautiful celebration. We look forward to it each Spring and Fall. If you are able to attend any part of it, you are welcomed or perhaps you can offer a small Navratri in your own home by remembering the Divine Mother these nine days. It is a special time to thank Her for all of the love and care She bestows on us. If you would like to sponsor a Navaratri fire ceremony ($108) or bhandara (feast) ($108) you may make the donation on line by just clicking here or call at 719-256-4108 or e-mail the Ashram at info@BabajiAshram.org.
The night of Lord Shiva, Maha Shivaratri was a great festival at the Ashram this year. Many, many folks gathered to chant and offer pujas to Lord Shiva. The energy was so high that few felt tired, even at 4am when we concluded with aarati to Lord Shiva. This year was unique in that we shared the celebration with our neighbors from the Temple of Consciousness who were not able to use their facility for an all-night event. Their additional love, devotion, music, and support added to the overall success of the event. The next day they prepared the khir and the dal for the fire ceremony and bhandara.
We also had visitors from Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Missouri, Denver and Colorado Springs for the event who helped prepare the Indian feast the next day. We are grateful for all that share in the celebrations at the Ashram and add their special touch of love.
Memorial Fire CeremonyOn Sunday, March 5 we held a fire ceremony in memory of Radhe Shyam. Many people were able to attend on such short notice. We then proceeded to the kirtan hall where we placed Radhe Shyam's picture on Babaji's assan. We then sang some bhajans, shared stories of Radhe Shyam, and had lunch. It was a beautiful day and many of the other spiritual centers in Crestone were also remembering him in their ceremonies at the same time. Please keep him and Sitarami in your prayers.
Kirtan Hall UpdateWe continue to be so grateful for the new, spacious kirtan hall, particularly during the large celebrations such as Shivaratri and Navratri. It is such a lovely tribute to Shri Babaji and the Divine Mother. We still have two remaining loans on the construction. The first is a bank loan at 6% interest and has a balance of $63,500. We make monthly payments on this loan of $767, about $500 goes to pay down the principle. The other loan was from a devotee who had some money in CD's. Since he was only earning 3.5% interest on the money, he offered to loan us $30,000 at 3.5% with yearly interest payments only for the first two years. After that he said he may need to ask for balloon payments on the loan depending on his financial situation. The two years are up and he has asked us for a payment of $5,000 in May. If you can help us with this payment, we would be deeply grateful.
If any one would like to organize a fund raiser for paying down the loans on the kirtan hall, please let us know. I will be in Denver on the night of Friday, June 16 and perhaps we can organize a dinner and dance and kirtan performance. Call me at 719-256-4108 or e-mail at info@babajiashram.org. Thank you for all of your support. You can donate on line by clicking here.
Maha Lakshmi Shop ReportOur shop manager, Anna Louise, is always happy to talk to you and answer questions about our inventory or take your order (we do take Mastercard, Discover, and Visa). You can call the shop toll-free at 1-866-686-4185 daily from 9am until 5pm. We thank you for all of your shop purchases as the revenue from the shop is a huge support for the Ashram. To view all the items in the Maha Lakshmi Shop, please refer to our newly updated website at BabajiAshram.org. 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 work with youth and student groups. Several groups have come to the Ashram this last month for talks, tours, karma yoga, and ceremonies. They have come from Colorado College, Valley Verde High School in Arizona, Crestone Healing Arts Center, Shumei International Institute, and local schools in the San Luis Valley. We have established a special relationship with our Crestone Charter School, some of whom are shown above with some Colorado College students who visited on the same day. The Charter School usually bring their students for the last day of Spring and Fall Navratri. In Spring of 2007, I have volunteered to lead the high school students from the Charter School to our Ashram in India which is located in the village of Haidakhan in the state of Uttar Anchal. Needless to say, this is a big trip for the students. They are already planning fundraising events which the Ashram will participate in as well. The first event is an Indian dinner with entertainment on Saturday, May 7 to be held in Crestone. Much of the food will be prepared that morning at an Indian cooking class held at the Ashram. If any one would like to volunteer to lead the cooking class or help with food preparations or entertainment, please call the Ashram at 719-256-4108.