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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.

March, 2010

Dear Friends of the Ashram

It has been another full month here at the Ashram, Shri Babaji's Mahasamadhi was particularly poignant. Many people came for the long weekend as it was also Maha Shivratri. Lots of wonderful energy.

We continue to be blessed so graciously by Baba and the Divine Mother. Plenty of karma yogis, plenty of snow (but not too much!), generous donations, and lots of families and visitors. We are so grateful.

In the spirit of gratitude, we will be celebrating Spring Navratri this month from Monday, March 15 through Tuesday, March 23. This festival of the Divine Mother is such a wonderful opportunity to step out of the busyness of day to day life and focus on Mother and all that She gives to us. We hope to see you.

We are so excited that we will be building Shri Babaji's kutir (bedroom) this Spring. If the weather cooperates, we may even be able to begin this month. We will keep you posted on the progress and the plans for the inauguration. I had a dream in which Babaji came to me last night. I feel His presence ever closer and closer. I am so grateful we are finally building a room for Him.

In truth and love, Ramloti

March Fire Ceremonies and Schedule

Our fire ceremonies in March are on Monday, March 15 (new-moon) continuing through Tuesday, March 23 (nine days of Spring Navratri) and on Monday, March 29 (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 7am. Lunch is served at about 1pm. The Maha Lakshmi Shop is open every day from 9am 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.

The Divine Mother Festival, Spring Navratri is Monday, March 15 through Tuesday, March 23. This time, when we take most of nine days to say thank you and honor the Mother, is filled with special chants, pujas, readings, fire ceremonies, discourses, feasts, and aarati.

Everything begins at about 6:40am and continues until lunch. There is then a break for rest and karma yoga to prepare for the next day. Evening aarati and chanting is at 6pm.

This is truly such a magical time when our reality gets shifted to the larger picture of the cosmos resulting in a deeper understanding of who the Divine Mother is and the part She plays in all of creation. If you are not able to come to the Ashram, please consider reading about Her, singing to Her, repeating Her mantras, and meditating on Her during these nine days. You will be joining and feeling the combined energy of millions of others throughout the world who will be doing the same.

On Sunday, March 21, we will have our Honoring the Children Program after the fire ceremony. We will meet in the temple at about 11am for a little chanting, short story about the Divine Mother, and give the children gifts. If your child is under 10 years-old and would like to participate, please call the Ashram at 719-256-4108.

     
If you plan to come to the Ashram to stay overnight, please call for reservations. The dormitory is already quite full, particularly on the weekend, so call as soon as possible. The phone number is 719-256-4108 and our email is info@babajiashram.org. We have so much to be thankful for to the Divine Mother for all that She gives to us.

Anual Spring On-line Auction
April 11 -25

The Annual Spring on-line auction already has nearly 150 items on it as well as several sponsors. Go to www.biddingforgood.com/babajiashram if you would like to see what is there. The bidding will begin on Sunday, April 11 at 10:08am and will continue until Sunday, April 25 at 1:08am. Until then we invite you to consider what you might be willing to donate to help support the Ashram. There is a place on the site that you can upload your donation or you can just email us at ccleary@roperugs.com or call Cindy at 719-256-5007 with the information. Besides donating items or services, you also may consider being a Lakshmi, Saraswati, or Durga Sponsor for the auction. Another big help will be spreading the word to your friends.

Last year, through everyone's help, we were able to raise $12,000 resulting in a totally paid off kirtan hall loan. This year the funds raised will go to maintain and enhance this beautiful home of Shri Babaji and the Divine Mother. Our goal for 2010 is $15,111.

Some of the items are pictured below including many special items that were blessed in Haidakhan in bags that are made from Shri Babaji's kurtas (shirts), a stole made from the same kurta, and an amulet filled with sacred ash from Shri Babaji's own fire ceremonies. We also have another week vacation in the fabulous health resort in Thailand, a week in beautiful Treasure Island, Florida, and a Los Angeles Laker signed basketball and jersey. Please join in this fun way to support the Ashram. We will be sending out a special email auction announcement soon. Thank you.

Building a Room for Shri Baba

After many years, the time is ripe to build a kutir or room for Shri Babaji. Those that have been to Haidakhan will know this as the place where we receive chandan in the early morning. While Shri Babaji was still in physical form, we would go in at about 4am and He would be sitting on His bed. Each person would kneel down and Babaji, with all the softness of a mother, would take our heads in His hands and apply the chandan tenderly to our foreheads. These days, Mansing, who was Babaji's personal attendant, washes and applies chandan to the padukas each morning in the room. Following this, he applies it to the foreheads of the devotees.

The first $18,000 of this $25,000 project has been donated in memory of Yamini Agarwal. A fund was set up at the Ashram by her family at the time of her passing last October and $3,000 was collected. The Agarwal's were very grateful for all who contributed and wanted the fund used for the building of Shri Babaji's room. The family has contributed an additional $15,000 and so the building will begin as soon as the weather permits in March or April.

We still have another $7,000 to raise toward this very important heart-center of the Ashram. It will be where Shri Babaji's padukas will reside each night and will be available for quiet meditation during the day. The building will be both passive solar and have solar heat in the floor. It will be simple, like the one in Haidakhan pictured above, with Shri Babaji's bed, a small altar, cupboards for his clothes and carpeted floor for meditation. It is just west of the temple with windows looking toward the south at the small havan kund and a window looking westward toward the magnificent sunset.

This feels like a very momentous step for the Ashram and if you feel in your heart to be one of the fortunate ones to be involved in building Shri Babaji's room, please donate as you are able. You may go to our website and donate a certain amount through Pay Pal. Click Here. You can also send a check to the Ashram at P.O. Box 9, Crestone, CO 81131 and designate it for the kutir or you can call us with a credit card number. We want to thank you in advance for you support of this project of love.

About 40 people gathered at the new home of Monica and Sumit Celly in early February to bless the house with chanting and puja. The energy seemed to resonate off the walls as voices were raised in chants to the various Gods and Goddesses. It is always a blessing for the Ashram to be part of these special occasions. It felt so good, the hosts have asked that we come each year to their home for a program.

The lovely lunch served after the chanting was enjoyed by all. It even included a birthday cake, celebrating their uncle's (also the tremendous drummer) birthday. The Ashram wishes to thank the Cellys for a wonderful program and pray for Mother and Baba's blessings upon them and their new home.

Maha Shivaratri

Another energetic and powerful night of Shiva was celebrated at the Ashram. About 50 people participated throughout the night with many staying until the last puja at 4am. We also had two new harmonium players, Vesper and Cindy adding to the wonderful chanting throughout the night. There were also several very inspired and talented drummers that accompanied the harmonium.

Several of the children were dancing through most of the night until they fell fast asleep on the temple floor. Two ten-year-old young men, Kailou and Therran, stayed up all night tending the altar, lighting incense, and helping with the pujas.

The next morning there were about 35 people, including many children, who attended the fire ceremony at 10am followed by a feast in honor of Lord Shiva. As usual, many hands contributed to the preparation, serving, and clean up, keeping Lord Shiva's home here in the Rockies a place of community and beauty.

Valentine's Day is a day of sharing love and indeed Babaji shared His love in physical form with us for 14 years. By stopping His heart on Valentine's Day in 1984, He showed us a different form of love helping us to experience His presence in a deeper way, beyond the physical. His love was very poignantly felt as we performed the paduka puja to the sandals that He wore and sang His aarati and other chants. Afterwards, we sat in the temple together sharing some very deep feelings of love, loss, and inner healing. It was a very profound time. That afternoon several of us met together and finalized the plans for Shri Babaji's kutir. What an auspicious day for the beginning of this project.

Bowling and Birthday

The bowling birthday party was great and many folks came from out-of-town to try their luck at the game and give wishes to the birthday girl. The party kept going into the evening at the Hot Springs for many. Some friends, that were unable to come to the bowling (due to school and such), joined in at the Hot Springs. It was really a special day.

Our next bowling outing will be on Tuesday, March 30 from 1pm until 3pm at the SLV Superbowl on 1020 2nd Ave. in Monte Vista. 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.

Bal Gokulam

A large group attended the last Bal Gokulam in February. Nineteen children and many adults gathered to learn more about Mother Saraswati, practice some yoga, chant and do puja.

It was also Jade Cleary's eighth birthday, so that added to the festivities. There was a huge array of food served as well as cake and ice cream to complete the event.

The Ashram is so grateful to Cindy Cleary and Vesper Gers who run the program each month. It is so meaningful to the families of the community and fun to see them all at the Ashram each time. Since there will be a children's program on the Sunday of Spring Navratri (March 21) there will be no Bal Gokulam this month. Read about the festivities under the Spring Navratri article.

Groups at the Ashram

We have many groups come to the Ashram to learn about more about our life here. We always enjoy interfacing with these different groups of young folks. Inevitably, we see some of them again, who come on their own for a deeper experience of Ashram life.

This last month there was a group of Americore volunteers from the homeless shelter in Alamosa that came for a talk, aarati, a tour, and breakfast. They were very enthusiastic and had lots of questions.

We also had a group of college students from Adams State College that Jonathan led on a tour of the grounds and explained the Ashram to them.

All the Ashram Children

A huge part of the Ashram are all the wonderful children that come here over the years. We love them so and they bring such aliveness and realness to us all.

Some Ashram children live far away, like Ramloti's grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

And then there's the Trivedi family, who lived for five months at the Ashram. At that time Premal and Kedar were in high-school and Brugesh was only in grammar school. They now live in Southern California and they are in college and in careers. They will always be Ashram children, however.

Last Month's Visitors

Despite lots of cold, snowy days this last month, we have had many visitors to the Ashram. We appreciate them all so much whether they stay a few hours, a night, a week, or a month. Please come and visit Mother and Baba's home in the Rockies.

Calendar for 2010

March 15 - 23 - Spring Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival.

March 29 - Full-moon fire ceremony at 10am followed by a meal.

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.