It is amazing when we put our lives in the hands of the Divine, what lessons there are to learn.  Mine seem to keep coming with two more trips to hospitals in San Diego, CA and here in Alamosa, CO.  I am gratefully home without having to undergo any surgery but still with a very tender tummy.  My doctor and I feel that there is still some blockage so i am managing the pain by eating very small amounts of soft foods and liquids during only the daytime.  The goal is that either the mechanical blockage will undue itself with time or at least the scar tissue from the initial surgery will heal more making less intrusive surgery possible.

The bottom line however for me is moment to moment presence and surrender.  I am unlearning my very developed skill of multi tasking.  You know, eating as I work on the computer or talk on the phone; jumping from one activity to the next often leaving my lunch unfinished until after evening aarati; and so many other things.  I think I have driven Jonathan and Premanand nuts all of these years.  I can remember Premanand just telling me to sit down as I was about to jump up from the dinner table and get something for someone.  Yes, it is no small accident that this is all around my stomach and my digestion, since that is one of the places that I have put the least amount of consciousness over the years.

It is a beautiful practice to really pray over my food and thank it and ask it to nourish me.  Then to really chew each bite full and taste it and feel it go down being very aware of when I have had enough.  At the moment, it is usually about a cup full of food.  My stomach clearly cramps when I take too much alerting me to stop, breathe and thank my stomach for digesting this well and nourishing me.  If the phone rings during mealtime, I am learning not to answer it and my conversation is much more selective during this sacred time of eating.

I know that my stomach has also been the receptacle for my anxiety, fear and overachievement and so I have seen my whole life slowing down more and asking for help.  Of course, my weakness necessitates this at the moment and being gone for three months during two major celebrations has put many people in charge of all the duties.  All has run very smoothly and I am hoping to slowly enter back into the team in small ways and still remain conscious of each moment and every  step I take.  This is really where surrender comes in.  I have always believed that Mother and Baba have been totally in charge here but I am now experiencing it on a visceral level.  If I can not complete a task when I had anticipated, well there is always tomorrow, like this newsletter which is about a week later than normal.  I love you all deeply and thank you for all the support you have given me on my journey.  It is certainly a beautiful journey when I pay attention and listen.

Bhole Baba Ki Jai!

Ramloti

Ceremonies and Schedule

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 sponsors - Rosewood or Tulsi Mala

$108 sponsorship - Rudraksha Mala or Copper, silver, brass bracelet

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 made to HUA to: P.O. Box 9, Crestone, CO 81131.

We are continually grateful for all of your support of the Ashram.

The folks that attended the Shivaratri all-night chanting got to hear Vama Deva from Boulder lead kirtan with Premanand on dollak and Jeremy on harmonium.  The vibe was very harmonious and inspiring.  They will now lead kirtan at the temple on Saturday, April 21 at 7pm.  There is a suggested donation of $10 for the evening to help with travel expenses and as a donation to the temple as well.  Hope you can join us.  If you are coming from out of town, there are a few rooms left in the dormitory but call soon at 719-256-4108 or email us at info@babajiashram.org.  Since it is the new-moon that day, you may want to arrive early for the fire ceremony at 10am followed by a bhandara.

2012 Annual On-Line Auction Fundraiser - April 27 - May 6

This summer we invite you heartily to the International Guru Purnima Celebrations at Sada Shiva Dham, Loenen, Holland.  In this time with daily Paduka Puja, Aarti, Havan, etc. also the new temple and kirtan hall will be inaugurated.  The celebrations will be from 28th June, morning, up to 3th July, afternoon.  At this point Shri Muniraji is intending to attend since his health has improved greatly after his surgery.

More informations about this coming Guru Purnima you can find at our website www.babaji.nl and go to the English part, or contact us at ssd@babaji.nl.  We are looking forward to welcoming you and your family and friends. 

Several of us from the US intend to be there for this gala event.  If you would like to make a donation to the new temple and kirtan hall construction in Holland you can run it through the American Haidkahn Samaj for a tax deduction.  Email Richard at rcahall1@earthlink.net for more information.

Annual American Haidakhan Samaj Weekend - July 21-22

 

It is time to make your summer plans and we hope it will include a trip to the Ashram.  Late July is one of the most beautiful times of the year here in the Rockies of Colorado and at the nearly 9,000 foot altitude, relatively cool with very low humidity.  The weekend of the Annual American Samaj Meeting is held at a perfect time for this lovely weather and is always a special time together.  Coming together with other devotees is always inspiring and gives us a chance to share ideas about future projects in America.  Last year’s meeting helped generate Babaji and Divine Mother t-shirts being printed, tours around the United States and helped spawn several new havan kunds and regular aarati gatherings.  So you can see that the ideas that are generated are often spread throughout the country.  We are so grateful to the Samaj for all of the support for spreading Shri Babaji’s message around the country.  To read more about the Samaj or to become a member please go to www.BabajiSamaj.org

Come and join in the chanting, fire ceremonies, aaratis, satsangs and meeting.  There is still some room in the dorm but call soon at 719-256-4108 or email us at info@babajiashram.org.

Annual Family Week and Children’s Camp - July 23-26

Family week runs from Monday, July 23 through Thursday, July 26 this year.  Arrival is on Sunday afternoon, departure can be Thursday afternoon or Friday.  The program works in some of the daily Ashram schedule with a workshop for children and a concurrent workshop for adults and free afternoons for families to make field trips together to the hot springs, sand dunes or horse back riding.  It is always a wonderful time together that children and families look forward to each year, some have been coming since the beginning of it over twelve years ago.  The schedule looks like this:

6am - Paduka Puja and chandan

6:30am - Sacred Fire Ceremony

7-8am - Aarati and chanting

8am - Breakfast

9am - Family Meeting

10am - 1pm - Children's Camp and Adult workshop or karma yoga

1pm - Lunch and clean up

2pm - Field trips organized by families to Hot Springs Swimming Pool, Horse back riding, park, hiking or Sand Dunes

6-7pm  Aarati

We already have most of our rooms booked so please call at 719-256-4108 or email us at info@babajiashram.org to reserve a room for you.  

The Divine Feminine Workshop with Sofia Diaz - July 23-26

The morning workshop running concurrently with the Children’s camp is led by Sofia Diaz and with the theme this year of the Divine Feminine.  it will include group processes, chanting, movement, stories, and introspective exploration.  Sofia is an intuitive, amazing and talented facilitator.  She was raised in a village in Mexico until she was 11 years old.  After moving with her family to the United States and finishing high school instead of following a course headed to a medical career, she followed her heart to India.  Here she studied South Indian Temple Dance in a surviving lineage of Deva Dasi (literally "God Servant") temple arts.  She also dedicated herself to Maha Yoga with an emphasis on all the modalities of hatha yoga.  After over 28 years of study, she is a lineage holder in Deva Dasi Sadir, popularly known as Bharata Natyam Dance and an internationally renowned facilitator of movement both within the physical, spiritual and mental realms of our bodily makeup.  It is a gift to the Divine Mother that she offers this time at the Ashram each year.  We are truly blessed.  The suggested donation for the workshop is $108 for members of the American Haidakhan Samaj and $135 for non members.  To find out more about the Samaj go to www.BabajiSamaj.org.

Karma Yoga & Ashram Projects

So much karma yoga at Navratri, cooking and taking care of all the ceremonies.we are so grateful.

Meanwhile, the carbon filters for the new water purification system have been installed in all of the buildings and we are hoping that the final part of the system will be installed just below the water reservoir this week or next.  This will mean that all of the water on the Ashram premises will be safe for drinking.  We wish to thank the devotee that donated the funds to bring this important project to completion.

We have also done repairs to the driveway bringing in four truckloads of road base and leveling and grad ing it.  It is a very smooth ride up at this point.  Because of the relatively steep grade of the driveway, we seem to need to do this repair every year.  You can help keep the driveway in good shape by always using your lowest gear coming up and keeping a steady, reasonable speed.  Thank you for your help.

Other Spring projects are putting in the garden, repairing fences and gates in the garden, continuing with erosion control with rock work on the land, fire mitigation and collecting fire wood.

Ramloti’s new hermitage now needs some planting around it to keep the sand from blowing into it, particularly during the Spring.  We are also looking at putting some low fences and more rock work on the slope to the south of the hermitage to help with the blowing sand as well.  If anyone out there has expertise or a willing hand, give us a call.

 

Ashram Emergency Medical Fund for Ramloti

As most of you know, she had to go to two more hospitals with complications after the surgery.  The one in Encinitas, CA has not yet determined her portion of the co-pay.  Her surgeon did agree to waive his fees however.  The hospital and doctor bills in Alamosa, CO will be partially covered by the CIPI program here in Colorado.  So there will still be more expenses to be met,  we will keep you informed of the results. 

If you would like to make a donation, you may make it to HUA notating it is for Ramloti’s medical expenses and it will receive a tax-deductible receipt.  You can send a check made out to HUA at P.O. Box 9, Crestone, CO 81131 or you can call us at 719-256-4108 with a credit card number. We want to thank you for all of your support, love and prayers.

Recent Events

Since I only had the good fortune of spending a few days at Spring Navratri this year, as the rest were spent in the hospital, I have asked others to write about it.  What I experienced was beautiful and harmoniously flowing and was so grateful to be at even some of the ceremonies.  Here are short blurbs from some of the others that were here all or most of the time.

Haidakhandeswari Mata Ki Jai!

Navratri Experiences

Anjani from New York:

Navaratri in Crestone for me was an extraordinary experience. After having spent the last three Spring Navratris in Haidakhan, I had no idea what to expect. Part of me was wondering if it would be a less powerful experience but boy was I proved wrong. The energy of Babaji and Ma is everywhere and in every moment here. From the profound devotion and dedication of the residents to the incredible love and close-knit sense of community that pervaded every moment of my time spent here.  It is with huge love and whole-hearted celebration of Babaji and Ma that I so hesitantly leave this wonderful place. I cannot wait to return and serve to the best of my abilities. We are so fortunate to have this ashram and its dedicated servants in the USA. I love Haidakhan and I love Haidiakhandi Universal Ashram. Bhole Baba Ki Jai! 

Devika from Florida:

This Navratri was a loving, peaceful and family type experience. I now feel like I have a new family to be a part of forever. Mother was so evident in our day-to-day worship and karma yoga. I will return to Crestone to be with my family again soon. Jai Ma!

Ramanand from Florida:

Coming from Florida to Crestone and the colder weather did not stop the warmth that I felt and the welcome I received from everyone, especially, Mother!  I was taken by Her presence and the energy that radiated from Her and all the other Divinities. We are all blessed. I did not know what to expect, since my only other Navaratri was two years ago at Haidiakhand in India, but was not disappointed at all. What a wonderful experience to be part of this family, and I look forward to our next trip here. Hope to see you here, too.   Thank You…Jai Ma!

We were not so many people living in the Ashram during this Navaratri but BABA´s and Mother´s blessings were incredibly sweet.... How often have we heard Baba´s teaching about performing Karma Yoga and that service to humanity is service to and worship of God?  And how often would we or are we tempted to indulge in our own laziness.

I felt very blessed to share this Navaratri with precious human beings around me, and to finally experience not only myself as an engine of doing Karma yoga but really every single person I met at the Universal Ashram did!  Even without big discussions things were just falling into place: one would load the washing machine, another one saw it was done and just hang the laundry; another one cooked for us, another pearl was just there to chop the vegetables. The bathrooms were perfectly cleaned as well as all the countless Puja plates prepared and washed after the yagya;  the Havan kund was painted-every day differently..and all with so much joy and simplicity!

The ease and flow reminded me of the gurgling stones being  taken by Gautama Ganges.

Although the average of sleep was about 2-4 hours the amount of my energy was just beautiful: enough to calm down the monkey mind and to still do what needed to be done. The inner silence I experienced yet the absolute presence in witnessing and participating has been a great gift for me.

Sharece from Denver:

Words alone cannot express the love that flows in Mother’s divine presence. It is by Her grace we were pulled together to create spirited connections which will last for life times to come. Truth, simplicity and love are truly the foundation of the souls who find their way to HUA. My heart sings with renewed joy and hope for the future…. Haidakhandeshvari Mata Ki Jai!

Lalita  from New York:

Navratri was a wonderful blessing from Baba and Ma – filled with blissful devotion, lessons learned, and the warm companionship of fellow bhaktas. Right now I must say a great blessing is that my mind is empty and silent! Jai Maha Maya ki jai!  

Children’s Day of Navratri and Lots of Visitors

Navratri would not be complete without honoring our children.  It is always a fun day with a beautiful discourse by Annie Pace.

Many of you remember the beautiful satsangs and stories told by long-time devotee, Ram Dass (JD Marston).  He lived in Haidakhan with Babaji for several years in the early 80‘s.  After helping in the early development of the Ashram here in Crestone and building his photography business, he moved to Thailand several years ago.  He recently had a terrible motorcycle accident there which has resulted in the amputation of his right leg below his knee.  He is recovering well in the hospital in Thailand but your prayers would be very helpful at this transitional time in his life.  His email is JD@jdphotograpy.com if you would like to send him some your prayers and love.  May Baba’s blessings fill his life.  Bhole Baba Ki Jai!

Calendar for 2012

April 21 -  Kirtan with Vama Deva and Premanand at 7pm.

April 27 - May 6 - Annual On-line Auction fundraiser for the Ashram.  Go to www.

June 28 - July 3 - Annual Guru Purnima Celebration in Holland.

July 3 - Guru Purnima

July 21 and 22 - Annual American Samaj Weekend with fire ceremonies, chanting, satsang and meeting.

July 23 - 26 - Ashram Annual Family Week with concurrent workshop with Sofia Diaz.

October 15 - 23 - Fall Navratri - Divine Mother Festival with daily fire ceremonies, pujas, discourses, reading, chanting and other  ceremonies.

November 13 - Diwali, Festival of Lights 

Maha Lakshmi Shop Report

As many of you may have noticed, we are having trouble with our Shop website.  We still have plenty of wonderful items in the Shop but now an email or phone call will have to be used unless you visit us in person.  We are hoping to get a new site set up but this will take some time and energy.  So just call us (every day from 10am until 5pm Mountain Time) at 719-256-4108 with your order, questions and a credit card number like in the olden days.  It is really nice to connect in this way, we love to talk to you.  We accept Visa, Mastercard or Discover.

The Shop is a major support of the Ashram, so we deeply appreciate your patronage.

Maha Lakshmi Mata Ki Jai!