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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.

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.

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.