Ashram Newsletter - March 2025

March 1, 2025 | Ramloti

Dear Friends,

As we step into early Springtime, we continue our daily prayers and ceremonies for everyone’s well-being and peace throughout the world. At the end of this month, we will celebrate Spring Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival, at which time we thank Mother for all that She provides for us on a moment-to-moment basis. This season always reminds me of birth, as the first sprouts begin to shoot up reminding me that there is new life rising out of the darkness and winter cold.

I am heading for Haidakhan tomorrow for a couple of weeks (so there will be no live streams for a while with limited internet). It does bring up many memories for me to go there. This one is particularly pertinent to the topic at hand. When I was in Haidakhan with Shri Babaji in 1981, He suddenly came up behind me when I was sitting in the garden and began to whisper my name in my right ear over and over again. “Ramloti, Ramloti, Ramloti, Ramloti….” This experience left me a little breathless and very exhilarated. I did not know until later the significance of this ritual, but my heart knew it was something profound.

What I have learned is that in India, after a child is born there is a very important ceremony called Namakaran. It is a traditional ceremony of naming the baby. The father whispers the name into the child's right ear, repeating it four times along with a prayer. This is said to create a bond between the child and the rest of the family, and is a highly auspicious occasion for child, parents, family, and relatives. It is believed that a proper name for the child is necessary as the child’s name determines the fate of the child. The priest offers puja to all the gods and to agni, the elements, and to the spirits of forefathers entreating them to bless and protect the child.

When I found out about this ceremony, I could relate to the idea of being a newborn child (with a recently shaved head) and being in the arms of my spiritual Father surrounded by my spiritual family. My name that He repeated, Ramloti, means: “a carrying vessel for Ram, which is a name of God”. Our Shastriji explained the meaning of the name to me when I was given it in 1981. He said it meant: “one who carries God in their heart at all times, when he or she is speaking, working, sleeping, praying”. I believe that hearing this name over and over again is almost like a mantra, it helps me try to live up to the meaning of it.

There is a verse in the aarati that we sing each day that says the following:

O Lord, Thou made me Thine own that day,
Now where have I gone astray? Make right what has gone wrong.
I surrender to you, O Lord of Haidakhan, supreme Guru of true name.
Thou art the one who removes our sorrows.

And although I have been blessed by this very sacred and precious ceremony done by my Lord Babaji, I do go astray, often several times a day. I need all the support and practices to keep me on track. I noticed at the end of the Namakaran ceremony the priest offers puja to all the gods and to agni, the fire. One of my strongest ceremonies that pulls me back to remembering the Divine is the daily fire ceremony. I am deeply grateful for this and for all the great teachers in my life and other practices such as aarati, japa, and puja, to help me remember the true reality of life.

In truth and love,
Ramloti for the Ashram

Upcoming Events

Friday, March 14 - Full Moon Fire Ceremony - 11am MT

Fire Ceremony followed by Chanting and Lunch.

Saturday, March 29 - Pitru Puja, New Moon Fire Ceremony - 11am MT

Pitru Puja and Fire Ceremony followed by Chanting and Lunch.

Sunday, March 30 through Monday, April 7 - Spring Navratri

Daily fire Ceremony at 11am followed by Discourses, Chanting, and lunch. We will send a detailed Navratri Update when I return from India later in the month.

Daily Events at the Ashram

We have daily Aarati and Chanting at 7am and 6pm, which last about an hour. We also have a daily Small Fire Ceremony when we do not have the larger one. Please call the Ashram at 719-256-4108 for exact timing for these. The daily fire ceremonies are live-streamed at Haidakhandi Universal Ashram Facebook Page. (They will not be while Ramloti is in India from March 3 through March 16.)

Recent Events

Babaji's Maha Samadhi

This is always a poignant and sweet day. As we were live streaming, there are not photos from it.

Ramloti’s Birthday and Fundraiser

Several people joined for lunch and plant-based cheesecake for a warm birthday party. The GoFundMe Fundraiser for the Ashram was a huge success, with many people using other modalities as well to join in the gifting to the Ashram. Thank you to all who participated with prayers, good wishes, and financial support. It was a very touching day.

Maha Shivaratri

A powerful evening honoring our Lord Shiva. About 40 people joined us at various times in the evening, families with little children and people having to work the next day left a bit early. The music and energy was wonderful. Here is one of the Lingam Puja segments live streamed throughout the night. https://youtu.be/iO_y4HwzKpA

A letter from a Shivaratri Participant – Laura from Boulder

How Many Ways to Say, I Love You? Milk, Yogurt, Honey, and Ghee
By: Laura Andrus

As I sit at home, writing in the rosy blush of dawn, I'm filled with a warm buzzing from celebrating Shivaratri at the Haidakhandi Universal Ashram earlier this week. Shiva songs and chants are still running on auto-play in the dashboard cassette player of my mind. Happy memories of joyful devotees gathering for this holy day bubble in my heart.

There are many facets to my life. The external structure is currently as a householder- a mother of two children with a job, nutritious meals to cook and dishes to wash, and a vibrant community of people to love and serve here in Boulder, CO. I visit Babaji's ashram in Crestone a few times a year as one who seeks to "refocus their thoughts and life, to find balance, inner peace and the courage to live actively in the 'normal,' 'real' world, while still retaining a focus on The Divine." (Excerpt from I Am Harmony by Radha Shyan, p 278). My visits to the ashram are cheerful, clarifying, and peace-bringing. This place imbues me with energy, strength and, above all, love. The giving of loving devotion to The Divine pours back into 'me' as love from The Divine. Perfect balanced recirculating love.

Perhaps a way to share my memories of Shivaratri this year is through the metaphor of the materialities of the four pujas we make over the course of the bright night of Shivaratri:

1st Puja - Milk is offered for the blessing of purity and piousness

To me, it feels like this puja begins upon arrival at the ashram, located high in the Sangre de Cristo mountains with the bluebird sky above and the pure waters of Spanish Creek running alongside. Being high on a mountaintop has always given people a leg up towards divine revelations. While staying at the ashram, we live by the schedule Babaji set at his ashram in Haidakhan. Bathing morning and evening to cleanse and purify the body, and attending Aarati and performing karma yoga while chanting the name of God to purify the mind. Humility and the spirit of service emanate from those who live and reside at the ashram.

On the night of Shivaratri, exuberant singing was well established as the 1st puja began, each person pouring milk onto the Shiva lingam in his or her own time. This puja to me feels like the clear high sound of a bell ringing Babaji's teachings of Truth and Simplicity. The clarifying cleansing properties of milk being poured like the free and natural flow of nurturance of The Mother.

2nd Puja - Yogurt is offered for the blessing of prosperity and progeny

Before the 2nd puja, we took a short break where many of those present walked down to the earth ship for chai, snacks and socializing. This blessing of prosperity shows up in the ashram by there being enough - enough food, enough flowers, enough hands to get the work done, enough donations. It is a testament to Babaji's teaching of karma yoga just how much a community of helping hands and sharing what we have can achieve.

As we returned to the temple to offer the 2nd puja, I noted there were many families present, little children and young adults who grew up coming to the ashram. This community is certainly blessed with progeny. As we offered yogurt to the Shiva lingam, additional rounds of musicians and singers stepped forward to offer their gifts of music on the harmonium, drums, guitar, vocals as well as Native American flute and ukele! Their beautific faces lost in musical devotion is a dear image shining in my mind from this night.

3rd Puja - Honey is offered for the blessing of sweetness and sweet speech

This year instead of honey we offered sugar. It created a gorgeous visual confection as the sweet crysals mixed into the milk and yogurt upon the lingam! The sweetness of temperment and sweetness of speech can be observed in the caring way people speak to each other here. In karma yoga check-in meetings with staff and to visitors to the ashram, all are treated with grace. In the anteroom outside of the temple, there is a stone on one window sill. On it is carved 'see god in each other.' Yes, it is so.

An addtional sweet little moment to share - on the morning of Shivaratri, a small fire ceremony was held. Spring is coming right on time to these mountains. The air was fresh and warm, as was the sandy soil beneath our feet. Towards the end of the havan, I noticed an early spring bee land upon a white carnation near Babaji. The bee nestled into the flower seeking nectar, much as we all do in this place. When I mentioned the bee, Ramloti shared that her given name, Deborah, means 'little bee.' I took all of this to be a very good omen.

4th Puja - Ghee is offered for the blessing of victory

This time on earth asks us to exhibit Brave Love. The kind of love that is trained up in us by things like staying up til the wee hours dancing, singing, praying, moving past the thoughts of personal comfort. By surrendering joyously to the vast greatness of all that is, we become stronger and more loving.

As we completed our 4th and final puja offering of ghee, we closed with a song whose lyrics reminded us to bring all our goodness and service to all those we encounter in life. It will be love that wins the day, this day and all those to come.

In ending, my grateful bow to Shiva, Babaji, Divine Mother and all our Divine Family. I am pouring my heart's gratitude out to each and every one of you stary-eyed souls present this Shivaratri. It is a deep honor to know you.

Maha Lakshmi Shop

One of the ways that the Ashram is supported is through the sales at the Maha Lakshmi Shop.

We have some great products for you to look at.

OM Pendandt 108 Bead Mala - $108

Hand knotted 108 bead necklace mala with 8mm moonstone, Burma green jade, aquamarine, blue chalcedony, labradorite, and lapis with a brass and turquoise OM pendant.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/405445513963

7 1/2" Seated Aluminum Antique Finish Ganesh Murti Statue - $40

7 1/2" Seated Aluminum Antique Finish Ganesh Murti Statue (4 1/2" width at widest point).
https://www.ebay.com/itm/405490203843

The Maha Lakshmi Shop makes up a large part of the Ashram budget, and is open daily from 10am until 4pm. Thank you for your support.

Bhole Baba Ki Jai! Jai Ma!

Other Ways to Support the Ashram

First and foremost is to pray, pray, pray for all the disturbances amongst people and life all over the earth. This is a time of great challenge, and Babaji spoke over and over again about the power of prayer, the mantra, havan, puja, and seeing all as children of one Divine Mother Earth.

You may also support financially by going to …

Ashram Wishlist. The Ashram could really use some new chairs for its “Ashram Table”. After many years of use, they are patched in many places and ready to be replaced. We have found some very sturdy ones, which are on our Amazon Wishlist. If you feel moved to support us in this way, it would be great. Thank you for all you do for the Ashram.

Calendar of Events

Mar 29, Apr 27, May 26 New Moon Fire Ceremony
Mar 14, Apr 12, May 12 Full Moon Fire Ceremony
Mar 14 Holi
Mar 30 - Apr 7 Spring Navaratri
Apr 12 Hanuman Jayanti

Please go to our Calendar of Events page for all events.

Visitors to the Ashram

The month of February was a bit cold and some snow, so not as many visitors. Yet, still there were plenty and also I did fire ceremonies in Arizona and Colorado Springs, so some of those photos are included. We are blessed by everyone’s presence.

Karma Yoga

The work goes on all year round and we are grateful that there are so many willing hands to help. Babaji said that “Work is Worship”.