April, 2007

Dear Friends of the Ashram,

Premanand and I just returned from India. It was a wonderful trip full of many memorable events. As you may recall, a good portion of the trip was leading the students from the Crestone Charter High School to Shri Haidakhan Babaji's Ashram in Haidakhan, Uttar Anchal. This was a great experience and I was very impressed with the students' enthusiasm and willingness to serve at the Ashram. They all had the opportunity to meet Shri Muniraji plus attend his havan ceremony and aarati in his home in Haldwani. It is always a blessing to be in his presence.

While there, I visited some sacred sites that I had never been to before. Some were places that Old Haidakhan Babaji had been, where we took photographs for the book that we are working on about Old Haidakhan Babaji. I also went to Etawah which is about four hours east of Delhi. Here I visited several old temples. I had the priveledge of seeing a brand new temple that is being built in honor of Haidakhan Babaji. You can see photos and read more about the trip to India below.

Just before leaving for India, we completed a lovely Spring Navratri at the Ashram. So many wonderful visitors and many beautiful days, with only one snowy day. Photos and story follow about the event.

As we head toward Spring, we are busy with the garden, green house and Ashram grounds. We also have a raw food lecture and class coming up on Saturday, April 28. And it is not too soon to begin planning for Family Week at the Ashram which will run from Monday, July 23 to Friday, July 27. The concurrent workshop this year will be on the Bhagavad Gita. The dorm is already filling up with families, so make your reservations soon. Read on about more details.

Our evening aarati has changed to 7pm for the remainder of the summer and morning aarati is at 7am. Our next full-moon fire ceremony is on Wednesday, May 2, and the new moon-fire ceremony is on Wednesday, May 16. The fire ceremonies begin at 10:08am and are followed by a meal. If you would like to sponsor a fire ceremony ($108) or bhandara (feast) ($108) you may make the donation on line 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. Thank you for all of your support.

In truth and love, Ramloti

Matt Monarch, Author of Raw Spirit, to Lecture at Ashram on Saturday, April 28

On Saturday, April 28 the Ashram will present a Raw Food Preparation Class (from 9am-11am), Raw Food Lecture (11am-1pm), and Raw lunch (1pm). The food preparation class will be given by various local raw food enthusiasts. The lecture will be presented by Matt Monarch.

Matt Monarch is 100% raw vegan and has been eating this way for six years. He enjoys extraordinary good health, bountiful energy, clarity of mind and a deepened connection to nature.

After five years of eating a 100% raw food diet, Matt was inspired to write a book called Raw Spirit. He wanted to share information that he thought needed to be out there, reflecting in particular on some of the physical challenges of going raw, along with the amazing shifts he experienced on the spiritual level with this lifestyle. Raw Spirit has become one of the best-selling raw books available. He is committed to the raw lifestyle and passionate about spreading this message of health to others. Born and raised in California, he now travels all over the world lecturing on raw food. He inspires audiences with his enthusiasm and simple, accessible approach to going raw in a healthy and sustainable way and is sought after as a speaker at raw gatherings.

Annual Family Week July 23 - July 27

Each year the Ashram sets aside a week that is particularly dedicated to families having an Ashram experience in a very child-friendly way. This year the week will run from Monday, July 23 until Friday, July 27, with arrival and registration on Sunday, July 22.

Each day from 10am until 1pm the children and teens will meet in groups according to age and participate in a variety of activities. These will include: arts and crafts, chanting, hatha yoga, storytelling, wilderness exploration, hiking, horseback riding, Tieko drumming, and much more.

Lunch is at 1pm and is followed by field trips to the hot springs swimming pool, Sand Dunes, and other places organized and supervised by the parents. This is always a very popular week. Some families have attended for the last six years. Room in the dorm is limited, so we suggest you reserve space as soon as possible by calling the Ashram at 719-256-4108 or emailing us at info@BabajiAshram.org.

Exploring the Bhagavad Gita Workshop

July 23 - July 27

This workshop, facilitated by Melinda Staley from Columbia, MO, will bring the Bhagavad Gita to us in a new light and show how the teachings are similar to the Sanatan Dharma which Shri Babaji demonstrated for us. Running concurrently with the children's program from 10am until 1pm each
day, we will have time to dive deeply into some of the major verses and their meaning, meditate on them and learn some applicable chants for them. The suggested donation for the workshop is $108. Some scholarships are available. You may call the Ashram at 719-256-4108 or email us at info@BabajiAshram.org to register.

Annual American Samaj Meeting Weekend July 28 - 29

Coming together as devotees to share stories, experiences, ideas, and ceremony is always an uplifting and inspiring experience. We invite you to our annual Samaj weekend which this year ends on Guru Purnima Day (the day you honor your teacher). We will begin with the Annual meeting at 9am on Saturday, July 28. We will have time to share ideas and experiences at this time.

The next morning we will have a large fire ceremony in honor of Guru Purnima at 10am followed by an Indian feast. This is a very special time to be together. We hope you can all attend.

Kirtan Hall Update

Once again, Spring Navratri saw the wonderful, spacious, beautiful kirtan hall well used. We have consolidated our loans into one and are continuing to pay it down. We now owe about $63,500. We are thinking of ways to help pay this loan down more quickly. One idea is an evening of Indian music and dinner in the Denver area. If you have ideas about this please call the Ashram at 719-256-4108.

We want to thank you for all of your continued support in this momentous project. If you are able to contribute to help us pay the loan off, you can send a check to the Ashram at P.O. Box 9, Crestone, CO 81131 or donate on line by clicking here.

Spring Navratri

Spring Navratri was a beautiful time coming together honoring the Divine Mother. Since the nine day festival fell over two weekends, we had many visitors. At most of the daily fire ceremonies we enjoyed magnificent spring weather and all were very powerful.

The last weekend we got a little snow, but that did not keep the visitors from coming. It only added to the magnificence of the experience. On the final Sunday we honored about 35 children and gave them all small gifts.

That day we must have served 150 people the wonderful Indian feast that was prepared with so much love by several Indian families from Denver and Colorado Springs, and Santa Fe.

Besides all of these special moments, one of the other highlights for me was when about 50 of us sang Jago Jago Ma together after morning aarati on the last Sunday. I could just feel the love for Mother and chills were running up and down my spine as I played the harmonium.

As always, we are so grateful to all that gave of themselves to make this celebratrion so strong and successful. Many people sponsored fire ceremonies, feasts, and cooked for the daily meals as well as volunteered for karma yoga. We always have so much to be grateful for at the Ashram.

India Trip

After the feast on the last day of Spring Navratri, Premanand and I left for Denver so that we could be at the airport for our flight to Delhi the next morning. Every thing went smoothly and we were happy to see old friends in Delhi before heading to the Ashram in Haidakhan.

Meeting up with the high school group at the Old Delhi Railway Station, we boarded the overnight train for Haldwani. Upon arrival there we got a few rooms at a hotel, took bucket baths, changed into clean clothes, had some tea, and departed for Shri Muniraji's home for morning havan and aarati. It is always a peaceful and deep moment meeting with Muniraji, well worth all of the hours of travel it takes to arrive in India.

After breakfast, we began our hike into Haidakhan through the beautiful Gautama Ganga River. The hot weather had begun a bit early in India this year, so crossing the river the dozen times or so felt refreshing. We spent five days at the Ashram. Between showing the 24 new folks around the Ashram (this included the students, teachers, one of the teacher's family, my sister and two of her friends); orientating them to Ashram life and rituals; shopping for the Maha Lakshmi Shop; and attending morning and evening aarti, chandan, and fire ceremonies; it was a very full five days! But nevertheless, it was still a very deep and renewing experience for me. Here we are shown with Gaurhari, the wonderful priest of the nine temples, and my sister, Shristi.

After hiking out of the Ashram, the students, my sister and friends, left for Delhi on the overnight train to fly home to America. That left Premanand and I in Haldwani for a few days with fellow Samaj Board members, Melinda Staley and Richard Cahall. Our project was to photograph some of the Ashrams and temples of Old Haidakhan Babaji for the book we are currently working on about Old Haidakhan Baba. This also gave us a couple of mornings to attend havan and aarati at Shri Muniraji's home and to have afternoon tea with him. These quiet moments with him are always so treasured. When I asked him for a message for the American people he said, “Be Happy and do Karma Yoga”.

We then proceeded back to Delhi for the remainder of the Maha Lakshmi Shop shopping. I was invited to come to Etawah to visit a new temple being constructed in Shri Babaji's honor. Shashi Agarwal, from Denver, had a vision to build a temple in her native village outside of the town of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. Her family, that still lives in the town and village agreed to the idea, donated some of the familial land, and have been busily at work for the last year. It will have several murtis, including one of Old Haidakhan Babaji.

The marble temple is lovely, the havan kund and water tank are also very nice, and the surrounding farm land lends such a tranquil environment to it all. On June 18th they will have the prana pratistha ceremony (enlivening ceremony) for all of the murtis and a large feast for thousands. I was very honored to see this great accomplishment and to be treated so graciously by her family in India that I had never met before.

We then returned from the 100 degree weather of Delhi to fairly cold and snowy Colorado weather. The body is adjusting though, what a wonderful vehicle this body is. As you can see, it was a very full and very memorable trip.

Earth Day Karma Yoga Day

Karma Yoga (selfless service to the Divine) is a large part of the teaching of Shri Babaji. Here the Crestone High School group serve at the Ashram in Haidakhan by watering the gardens. All the service there and here at this Ashram is a big reason so much can get accomplished.

The Board of Directors had decided to enlarge the parking area at the Ashram. The easiest way to accomplish this was to greatly reduce the storage area just north of the existing parking lot. This area was important in the early days of Ashram construction but now tends to be a collection place for unusable stuff. The Saturday before Earth Day the County land fill is free of charge. This seemed like a great time to have a karma yoga day and haul unwanted items to the dump. The work party was well attended and every one enjoyed the Indian lunch that followed. We so appreciate all the generous volunteers at the Ashram.

How our Children Grow

Having children at the Ashram so often certainly adds much life and love to the atmosphere. Some we see only once or twice a year, others we see several times a week. It is always a blessing when they arrive.

Here is a photo of Vesper, Angela, Claire, and Annee, (all past employees at the Ashram) with their's or someone else's baby in their arms.

Jade and Kailou went to India in the group that we led to Haidakhan and Shri Muniraji's home. The following photos are at Shri Muniraji's home giving chandan to Jade and sacred ash to Kailou at the fire ceremony.

Calendar for 2007

April 28 - Raw food day. Meal preparation class at 9-11am, lecture by Matt Monarch from 11am-1pm followed by a raw lunch.

July 23 - July 27 - Annual Family Week and Bhagavad Gita Workshop.

July 28 - Annual American Haidakhan Samaj Meeting. (click here to learn more about the Samaj)

July 29 - Guru Purnima, the day you honor your teacher with paduka puja, fire ceremony and bhandara.

October 10 - 18 - Fall Navratri, nine days honoring the Divine Mother. Same as Spring Navratri.

November 9 - Diwali, Festival of Lights.

Maha Lakshmi Shop Report

There are so many new and returning items in the Maha Lakshmi Shop now that Premanand and Ramloti have returned from India. Cotton blouses in many colors; men's kurtas in all sizes and colors; silver earrings, braclets, and necklaces; new saris; sari petticoats and blouses in all sizes and colors; Om Namah Shivaya T-shirts; new purses; lovely assortment of silk brocade and other altar cloths; om scarves; lunghis; copper and silver yantras; foil deity cards; stickers; silver and gold om pendants; woman's punjabi suits; books; aarati and bhajan cd's; and so much more.

Two of our more popular items, CD's and blouses are shown. The first are CD's from Haidakhan: Shanti Dance by Mukandi Lal ($22), a wonderful Aarati CD by Moti Ma and Ganga ($18), and Shakti Wave by Moti Ma ($20). The next are our lovely cotton blouses in sizes small and large and a variety of colors ($15).

You can call the shop toll-free at 1-866-686-4185 to find out more details. We are open daily from 9am until 5pm. We do take Mastercard, Discover, and Visa. To view all the items in the Maha Lakshmi Shop, please refer to our newly updated web site 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 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. Bhole Baba Ki Jai!