Dear Friends,
So I am experiencing the bliss of Ashram life and spiritual practice again but something is also quite different. It is as if everything has been slowed down in my life and I am seeing and feeling it in much greater depth. I can often feel the vibrations of the mantras through my whole body and know that all of our prayers and rituals are penetrating the whole cosmos. If I find myself rushing or pushing, I am much more capable of changing the tide with a deep breath or looking up at the beautiful surroundings that we live amidst. Things that used to bug me are so much less significant, I seem to float through most of the days.
We must have had at least 200 people come through the Ashram over the Memorial Day holidays last weekend. Normally, that is overwhelming to me. But this year it was actually quite enjoyable. For sure, part of it is that we had excellent help all weekend and I regularly took my naps when I was tired but I also felt different. Once again, the little things did not bother me, I mostly sat with the guests and visited with them, enjoying their presence and answering their questions about the Ashram and Babaji. All the little children were so sweet and the love and devotion of all of these visitors is inspiring to me.
I am thinking that spending so much time in hospitals and in pain has left quite an impression on my psyche. I find myself making better choices in how I spend my time. I am also deeply grateful for my body which is growing in health and strength again. I am also deeply grateful for all the loved ones in my life that were totally there for me during these last four months.
The recent deaths of several of my friends has also made me more keenly aware of the fragility of life and the importance of making every encounter deep and loving. Life is a great gift and opportunity and I treasure it deeply. I am grateful that each of you are in my life.
Bhole Baba Ki Jai!
Ramloti
Ceremonies and Schedule
The full-moon fire ceremony this month is on Monday, June 4 and the new-moon fire ceremony is on Tuesday, June 19. The fire ceremonies begin at 10am and are followed by a meal. Our evening aarati is at 6pm and morning aarati is at 7am with a paduka puja in Shri Babaji’s kutir each morning at 6:30am. Now that the weather is warm, we often have a daily small fire ceremony as well. Lunch is served at about 12:30pm and we invite you to join us. The Maha Lakshmi Shop is open every day from 10am until 5pm.
$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 you can 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.
International Guru Purnima Celebration in Holland, June 28 - July 3
This is an extra special occasion because the beautiful Holland Ashram will be inaugurating their new temple and kirtan hall which they are still working hard on to complete on time. 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 Haidakhan Samaj for a tax deduction. Email Richard at rcahall1@earthlink.net for more information.
For more information about the Guru Purnima celebration in Holland you can go to their website www.babaji.nl and go to the English part, or contact them at ssd@babaji.nl.
The devotees in Holland are looking forward to welcoming everyone for this gala event.
The full-moon in July is Guru Purnima, the day we honor our teacher or guru, and this year it falls on Tuesday, July 3. We will be honoring Shri Babaji that day and will begin in the kirtan hall at 9:15am with a Paduka Puja (washing of Babaji’s sandals that He wore). There will then be a procession out to the havan kund (fire pit) for the full-moon fire cereony at 10am. This will all be followed by a meal.
It is always a very sweet and inspiring day, so we invite you to attend. Bhole Baba Ki Jai!
Many of the Board members of the American Samaj who are pictured here are planning to attend the annual weekend meeting and are traveling from around the country. After three years of service, it is time for electing new Board members. Would you like to serve? We hope you can attend this time together when we share our achievements for the past year and make plans for the upcoming year. What Babaji activities would you like to see in your area? What would help your spiritual practice and sustenance? Come and be a part of these ideas, discussions and decisions. 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
It is coming to that special time of year when our families join together at the Ashram. This year we have several new families as well as our long-timers. Our annual 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 morning. 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 take field trips together to the hot springs, Sand Dunes National Park, or go hiking or horse back riding. It is always a wonderful time together that children and families look forward to each year, and some have been coming since the beginning of it over twelve years ago. The schedule looks like this:
6am - Paduka Puja and chandan (optional)
6:30am - Sacred Fire Ceremony (optional)
7-8am - Aarati and chanting (optional for children and adults staying back with sleeping children)
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
7pm - Dinner
The Children's Camp includes: circle time, karma yoga, story-time yoga, chanting, craft or other activities to help learn respectful communication skills, hiking and other fun activities. It will be led by Sarah and Amil Wood who have four boys of their own. Sarah runs kid's camps and classes based on the respectful parenting modality of Redirecting Children's Behavior. Amil (my son) has been raised on these same principals, as I have been teaching this for many years. He has taken the course and is a great and fun father that children love. They are traveling here with their four boys, ages 9 months to 7 years (we have a separate child care for children under 3) from Encinitas, CA. The Children's workshop is a gift from the Ashram, a special donor and The American Haidakhan Samaj to our children.
We already have all of our rooms booked in the dorm but we may be renting an additional house if needed. There is still room in the yurt, so please call at 719-256-4108 or email us at info@babajiashram.org to reserve a space for you.
The morning workshop running concurrently with the Children’s camp is led by world-renown facilitator, Sofia Diaz. The theme this year is: The Divine Mother as Nourishment. We will be exploring all the different forms that She demonstrates Her love through, which transcends all. Looking at the many faces of Her nourishment we will begin to feel the graciousness of Her light on a deeper level. We will also delve into Her direct transmission of love on an individual level that is always exactly as our souls and spirits need it in every single moment. To receive all of this, first and foremost, just takes noticing Her presence in our lives each second.
We are also nourishing all beings in all directions and are unique
manifestations of Her grace. It is crucial during these times that we notice how much we nourish all around us by being and caring. As humanity, we have gotten away from noticing the nourishing that is happening all around us by countless beings.
Together we will be exploring the old saying of “Space, the Final Frontier” but from a new perspective. It is the space in our body when we do not have anything going on that is the Divine Mother in all of Her beauty and magnificence.
The workshop runs from 10am until 1pm and will include group processes, chanting, movement, stories, and introspective exploration. Sofia is a gifted and intuitive facilitator and 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 with partial scholarships available. To find out more about Sofia go to SofiaYoga.com. To find out more about the Samaj go to www.BabajiSamaj.org.
Karma Yoga & Ashram Projects
The water purification system seems to be running well with Premanand monitoring and maintaining it. He and Kenny Skoglund excavated around the housing for the system, installing insulation to help keep it from freezing this winter. We now will add flashing around it to keep the moisture from deteriorating the insulation. One of our loyal karma yogis, Darrell Laird, will be returning to the Ashram from New Zealand at the beginning of the month and hopefully he will take on this important project.
The green house is giving abundant produce and flowers and the garden is all planted and coming up well. More rock work continues to be done around the Ashram by Jonathan to prevent erosion and Ramloti has done some planting of Russian sage, potentilla and wild grasses around her hermitage. We have new signage on the road, wonderful Indian feasts have been prepared and the men’s earthship bathroom has had a facelift. The nearly daily small fire ceremony continues to take place, normally following the morning aarati.
The big karma in the Shop has been the building of a new website displaying most of the items in the shop. The new site is easy to use and extremely secure. We invite you all to take a look and even share it with your friends. Please go to www.babajiashram.org and pull down the store button on the upper left corner or go directly to http://mahalakshmishop.wazala.com/.
We are always so grateful for all that gets accomplished here at the Ashram when our generous souled karma yogis arrive to help.
Ashram Emergency Medical Fund for Ramloti
The incredible news is that the hospital in Encinitas, California has also awarded full support for Ramloti’s hospital bill. There are still a couple of bills for the secondary doctor and x-ray technicians in Encinitas that come to just over $1000. The bills in St. Louis and in Alamosa are all now completely paid thanks to all of your generosity.
If you would like to make a donation for these last two bills, 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. It has been deeply touching and gracious.
Recent Events
In Memory of Dyal Singh and Jaimie Rogers
At the full-moon fire ceremony last month we remembered both of their souls. Close to 100 people attended the ceremony and meal that followed. We pray for their peaceful journey into their next life and and for all their families.
Memorial Services for Carol Huffman and Gene Curtis
The On-Line Auction, Another Big Success!
It all seemed to be going a bit slow at first and with all the memorials for our dear friends at the Ashram, we put off the final day for a week. But the last day or two everyone began bidding and we raised close to $12,000. This is great news since we only had about half the number of items as last year. We paid the final $5,000 owed on the hermitage loan and the rest will go toward maintaining the Ashram so that each of you can visit here. Such projects as new covers for the sand filter and measuring weirs on the water system will begin soon. Thank you so very, very much to all of our donors, sponsors and bidders for making this year’s auction such a success and so much fun!
I am now am back on Samui for a couple of months while coaxing the leg into a smaller size for the prosthetic...things are progressing slowly...but steadily...
Just arrived a couple of days ago here, and glad to be out of Bangkok after two months there...very poor air quality...it has been raining here a bit and the air is sweet and moist.... and the birds sing their songs in the trees all around the house every morning.
In addition to exercise 2 times every day, and long walks on crutches I am working to reestablish a photography practice and hopefully a fine art studio....beauty has always been a first love...and I am so grateful for all the beautiful people in this life...
Hope you enjoy the enclosed photo - arriving back on Samui...it seems like one of the very first times this new equipment was used at Samui's privately owned, local airport...
My friend who was taking care of me in Bangkok has returned with me and is staying in the house with me to do all the things I can't...although she has returned to her job, so I am alone during the daytime...which is also a blessing, so I can get back to working on a photography project that I was working on before the "incident".
Exercise continues...the swelling of the leg continues to go down, especially after I researched and found a different method for bandaging the leg, which improved things noticeably. Hopefully, in the next 6-8 weeks I'll be going back to Bangkok for the first fitting of a prosthesis...really looking forward to being more mobile again!
Once again, thanks so much for everything, Ram Dass
Ram Dass’s email is jd@jdmarston.com if you would like to send him some prayers, love and any other support. May Baba’s blessings fill his life. Bhole Baba Ki Jai!
Children and Visitors to the Ashram
Calendar for 2012
June 28 - July 3 - Annual Guru Purnima Celebration in Holland.
July 3 - Guru Purnima - Paduka puja at 9:15am followed by a fire ceremony at 10am and a meal to follow.
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
Our new Shop website is up and is it ever easy to use with lots of new items! We invite you all to take a look and even spread the word to friends. Just go to to our Ashram website, www.BabajiAshram.org and pull down the store button in the upper left corner or go directly to http://mahalakshmishop.wazala.com/
You are also still welcome to call us and ask about all of the wonderful items in the Shop. You may call 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!
