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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.

February, 2010

Dear Friends of the Ashram

With the New Year there has been a lot of new energy at the Ashram. Several graduate students from Naropa University in Boulder arrived on New Years Eve to begin a two-week karma yoga retreat at the Ashram. A few days after that, another young man arrived for a month from California. These young folks, all in there twenties, have been very inspirational to me. Their willingness to try on new practices, to jump in whole-heartedly to all the different karma yoga projects, and their commitment to making this world a better place, has really touched my soul.

We have also had many other young visitors. I guess college classes do not begin until mid to late January, so many were visiting the different retreat centers in Crestone and came to the Ashram as well. One day we had four people editing the book about Old Haidakhan Baba, four people helping with the meal preparation, and others in the temple running the children's program, Bal Gokulam. I know this is what Baba meant when He said, "Build big ashrams where many people can gather and learn to work together." It is from here that the new world begins. A world of community, service, and love for all. I have great hope.

Read on for reports of the activities in January and for the events coming up in February. Shri Babaji and the Divine Mother has blessed us so abundantly in our lives.

In truth and love, Ramloti

February Fire Ceremonies and Schedule

Our fire ceremonies in February are on Saturday, February 13 (new-moon) and Sunday, February 28 (full-moon). The fire ceremonies begin at 10:08am and are followed by a meal. Our evening aarati is at 6pm and morning aarati is at 8am during the winter. Lunch is served at about 1pm. The Maha Lakshmi Shop is open every day from 10am until 5pm.

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/Crystal Mala 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 to: P.O. Box 9, Crestone, CO 81131. We are continually grateful for all of your support.

Our monthly children’s program, Bal Gokulam, will be on Saturday, February 20 from 10am until noon followed by a potluck lunch. This program continues to be very important to our local families and it seems as if each month brings new ones.

Cindy Cleary and Vesper Gers take the children and adults through some simple and fun yoga postures, teach them a few simple chants, tell a story about the deity that is being honored that day while the children color a picture of the deity. They then bathe, dress, adorn, and offer aarati to the deity and finish with a few more chants. After they finish, they all come over to the earthship for a potluck lunch. If you would like to join in and your child is any age (or even if you do not have any children) you are welcome. We do require that a parent or guardian be here at all times.

If you have questions about the program you can call Cindy at 719-256-5007 or Vesper at 719-256-4569.

Chanting in Colorado Springs

The home of Monica and Sumit Celly's (and their son, Arindam) will be the location for a chanting and satsang gathering on Saturday, February 6 from noon until 2pm followed by lunch. The location is at 2840 Helnsdale Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80920. The occasion is to help bless their new home.

We hope that you can join Ramloti and all the wonderful folks of Colorado Springs on this day. For more information you can call Monica at 719-533-1579.

Maha Shivaratri - February 12

The night of Shivaratri is Friday, February 12 and we will chant from 10pm until 4am. Four times during the evening we will have pujas to the Shiva Lingam with special prayers and chants. We will also bathe the Lingam in milk, yogurt, honey, and ghee during these pujas. It is the night that the moon is farthest from the earth and Lord Shiva is most present.

We are already hearing from people in Denver that they plan to join us for this special night. Normally, there are nearly fifty people still chanting when we do our final puja at 4am. Many others join for as long as they are able. The energy is very high and focused.

The next morning, Saturday, February 13, we have our new-moon fire ceremony at 10:08am followed by a feast. Please join us for all or any of the festivities.

Our next bowling outing will be on Wednesday, February 17 from 1pm until 3pm at the SLV Superbowl on 1020 2nd Ave. in Monte Vista. This date just happens to coincide with Ramloti's birthday, so it will be a great party.

Please join us and remember, they offer a special deal to the more mature folks of only $4 for shoes and all the games you can bowl. Call the Ashram at 719-256-4108 for more information or carpooling.

Mark Your Calendars

Spring Navratri - March 15 - 23

We have so much to be thankful for to the Divine Mother for all that She gives to us. The Divine Mother Festival, Spring Navratri is when we take most of nine days to say thank you and honor Her. The dates are March 15 through March 23, so put the dates on your calendars and call the Ashram for reservations as soon as you know you will be able to attend as the dormitory always fills up quickly, particularly on the weekends. The phone number is 719-256-4108.

Annual Spring On-line Auction - April 11 - 25

Last year's on-line auction was a huge success and a lot of fun too! We raised over $12,000 which made it possible to pay off the entire kirtan hall loan in 2009! Thank you to all who made it possible.

Back by popular demand, we have set the dates for the Spring On-line Auction from Sunday, April 11 at 10:08am until Sunday, April 25 at 1:08am. This year the funds raised will go to maintain and enhance this beautiful home of Shri Babaji and the Divine Mother, so that it will always be in excellent repair befitting Them and ready to receive each of you. Our goal for 2010 is $15,111.

Many people have already volunteered to donate again this year and we also have many special items that were blessed in Haidakhan and are from Shri Babaji. You can already view the items that have been donated by going to www.biddingforgood.com/babajiashram.

To all who donated items last year, if you wish to donate again, just email us at ccleary@roperugs.com or call Cindy at 719-256-5007 with the information as we still have a lot of it on file. Those of you who did not come up with anything to donate, perhaps looking at what has already been donated will give you some ideas. Sometimes something that you no longer use or have room for is just what someone else is looking for. What a great way to recycle! Or perhaps you have a service you can offer on-line. We also appreciate those who would like to be a sponsor. Please begin thinking what might sell and how you can support the Ashram in a very fun and valuable way. Thank you!

We were very blessed this month to have many karma yogis helping to maintain Baba's and Mother's home. Each of the buildings were cleaned from ceiling to floor. Windows were washed, cupboards cleaned, woodwork oiled, and rugs were vacuumed or washed. We also were able to collect huge amounts of fire wood and fill the freezer with our sweet breads made from the produce from our garden; pumpkin, apricot, currant, and plum. Yum!

This maintenance is done with love and attention because it is what is needed to keep this beautiful home of Shri Babaji and the Divine Mother in excellent condition befitting to Them both. It is also important to keep it in good condition so that we can host all of you that enjoy coming here for spiritual refreshment from time to time.

We invite you to participate as you are able. Many of you cannot come for an extended period of time to help with the karma yoga but perhaps you can add energy to this work through your financial support. There are several ways to do this and we appreciate deeply what ever you are able to do. We are all so fortunate to share this home with Shri Babaji and the Divine Mother here in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado

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.

Recent Events

Sharing Babaji's Love in Florida

The programs in Florida were once again inspiring, fun, high in shakti, and full of love. This has become such a special annual event that we have decided to call it our Winter Mela (celebration). It will take place, with the grace of Shri Babaji, the weekend closest to January 14 which is Makar Sankrant. This is the day, according to Indian tradition, the sun begins its upward journey bringing more light and support to our spiritual practices. It is a very auspicious time to have a holy bath, to meditate, chant, and perform fire ceremonies.

Each of the three venues had its unique energy and flavor. Each was well attended with both new and old friends eager to share their devotion. The chanting, dancing, and satsang (sharing words of truth) were touching and left a warm feeling in the heart. These programs are always so re-invigorating to the spirit that people travel great distances just to attend.

We are very grateful to the American Haidakhan Samaj for cosponsoring this event, which is part of the work of the Samaj to foster and support the centers of Babaji around the country. To find out more about the Samaj go to www.BabajiSamaj.org. We hope you can attend next year.

Visitors Experiences at the Ashram

Haidakhani Ashram Experience, Colorado Style by Madhuri

Usually I spend some winter months at Haidakhan Headquarters in Northern India. This year Babaji put me here. I was planning to spend the winter in Costa Rica, but somehow I am doing my usual Ashram stint here. First, I must say, I so appreciate the hard work, faith and courage that the devotees put into this place, surely they started in the mid-1980s with just a piece of mountainside. Now there are beautiful and simple buildings to make everyone’s stay comfortable. Certainly, easier on the body then staying the winter in Haidakhan Vishva Mahadham in India.

Being a die-hard Shiva/Kali worshipper, and remembering old, old temples from a past life, it often comes as a surprise to find myself in this new, clean, beautiful temple with the wonderful Murti of Haidakhandeswari. The Mother here is visited by many Indian people who worship her as Maha Lakshmi. It is a novelty to me to worship in a Lakshmi temple. Sure, I am hoping the blessings will stick to me a little, if She pleases! It has been a highlight of my experience to live here on the mountain overlooking the desert below. My soggy (after 30 years in Ireland) old bones like to soak up the dryness and the daily bright sunlight. Before morning aarati I read some books on yoga and some Sanskrit, which is still sacred “diplococcoid” for me. However, I still persist. I love it so much! (I need translations, of course!) Then, I sit outside to witness the first sunlight lighting up the distant and snow capped mountains. Sometimes, the sunrise has the added bonus of the moon setting. Spectacular! I bundle up in warm clothing because of the snow that is always on the ground here!

Then, off to the temple for some japa before aarati. Aarati two times a day charges and purifies my energy body. The twice monthly fire ceremony is also a major highlight, bringing Babaji’s padhuka’s to the Dhuni and back with blowing of conch shells, ringing of bells, and sounding the damaru. Everyone joins in whole heartedly. How blessed are the local people and even the small school children, to be able to participate! Then there is karma yoga, an inspiring concept. This is the kind of yoga that will save the planet and your soul, so I suggest that everyone please join in where ever you may be!

If you have never been here before, I recommend you come and experience the spiritual practice and the blessings of walking the path of yoga. If you have visited before, I imagine you would like to come back some time soon. I am grateful to Bhole Babaji and all the people who have been inspired by Him to establish this beautiful ashram and to all the devotees doing this work elsewhere. Bhole Baba hi Jai! Love to all!

Meg: I came to the ashram not knowing what to expect. Within the first few days I came to uncover parts of myself that I had no idea were there, and had been hindering my heart from fully opening to it’s capacity. I credit the karma yoga practice for this new knowledge of my own “self”- and the ability to open my heart up more towards the divine love and energy. Crestone is the perfect place for this practice, as is, the community of the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram. After two weeks I feel like this is my family. I have a deep, deep admiration for the people I have met here and the amount I have learned. I know I will be traveling back here again to visit my friends of the ashram and Babaji; all of which will forever be part of me. Namaste.

Patrick: Many strange coincidences led me to this ashram. I had never really thought I would find myself in such a place. But through forces unseen and only vaguely understood here I am. Thus far it has been a very powerful yet subtle transformative experience. It would seem such an environment forces one to face themselves on a very deep level, as we in our modern lifestyles have such a resistance to hard work for a purpose beyond money. The egos want to maintain patterns of laziness and selfish indulgence are grooved deeply into our psyche. Such a lifestyle as the one here at the Ashram will provoke ones mental patterns of resistance to surface and allow for insight into who you are as an individual giving rise to transformation through awareness. This can really help to clarify the tricks of the ego, its methodology, so to speak. One can soon find oneself coming into a state of peace having let go of the game of attachment and seeing selfless service as a tool of purification and insight.

I myself have had some very profound awakenings into my own thought patterns of worry. Seeing how the mind is constantly “fishing” in the past and future dragging attention away from the present now that is. One can really begin to appreciate Babaji's method so simple yet profound for those with an open attitude. I will have to agree with Babaji, karma yoga is quit fitting for our time.

Dayna Larson: Before arriving at the Ashram in Crestone, I had plenty of time to wonder what my stay would be like. I saw myself hungry, tired, and anxious to be back in Boulder. I had no idea what sleeping accommodations would be. I wondered if there would be beds, cots, or just bare floors. And did we need to bring our own food, or was it all provided? What if they only served one thing and it was the one thing I didn’t like to eat? Other students had told me about their retreats: constant meditating, little eating, and little sleeping. One fellow student tried to ease my mind about it by saying; “They’ll probably give you a juice box or something so you don’t get too cranky.” All the stories were about how hard it was, but not how rewarding. So these thoughts occupied my mind on the five-hour drive to Crestone.

We finally arrived. A little nervous but surprisingly excited. The mountains at Crestone, speckled with retreat cabins and incredible views, didn’t seem like the worst place to spend two weeks. Then we got to meet the staff and check out our accommodations. After settling into the routine of aarati, breakfast, karma yoga, lunch, break, karma yoga, aarati, and dinner/quiet time, I realized I was less on retreat and more returning home. Ramloti, with all of her love, compassion, strength, and probably a lot of patience, opened what is her life and home to three giggly Naropa Grad students, who were a little unsure of what was expected of them. I don’t know if I can properly or articulately convey what my full experience has been here. As previously mentioned, it just felt like coming home. While that is a great feeling to have, the question for me that will remain unanswered until I return to Boulder is: Did the home I found exist only in Crestone or in myself?

Cecily Joy: I had no idea what I was getting myself into as we heading towards this little Ashram in Crestone. I was ready for a spiritual adventure and that exactly what I got. The first thing I learned was practice of karma yoga. I was shocked to find it was a simple practice of service with a goal of connection to the divine. I was even more shocked about the profound effect it would have on me. Who knew cooking and cleaning with a simple mantra in my heart would raise my spirits so intensely?

Yet, as much as the care-holders of this place would have you believe that the main practice is karma yoga, it was the bliss surrounding the land and the people that I will cherish the most. From the joyous chants to late night chats in the kitchen, it was the open hearts and hospitality of the people that aided my spiritual purification.

Every moment, every chore and every song here changed me a little. I can only hope that I take this newfound aliveness back with me to my daily life. Om Namah Shivaya.

Children, Visitors, and Families

Calendar for 2010

February 6 (noon) - Ramloti will lead chanting and satsang at 2840 Helnsdale Dr., Colorado Springs, CO 80920. Call Monica and Sumit at 719-533-1579 for more information.

February 12 - Maha Shivaratri - all night chanting to Lord Shiva, 10pm - 4am.

February 13 - New-moon fire ceremony at 10am followed by a meal.

February 20 - Bal Gokulam (children's program) 10am-noon followed by potluck lunch.

February 28 - Full-moon fire ceremony at 10am followed by a meal.

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 5 - Diwali, Festival of Lights. Fire ceremony at 10am. Chanting at 7pm.