Haidakhandi Universal Ashram Newsletter

Dear Friends,

We are in the midst of a glorious Fall Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival (for this reason this newsletter will be a bit shorter than normal). We are on the fifth day of festivities and hundreds of people have already participated. This is such a time of joy as we have an Ashram full of generous-hearted, devoted people who are giving so much service as well as sharing their tremendous love for the Mother. Yesterday afternoon as I saw everyone joyfully working hard to prepare food, prepare the havan kund, clean, run the shop, host new people and all the other things that keep this place going during festival time, I began to weep with love and amazement at Baba’s and Mother’s grace. The new kingdom of harmony that Babaji spoke of is here and all who come feel it. I am so grateful for this time to thank the Divine Mother for all of Her continuous blessings and love.

Here is another story of love. Lord Shiva, who is absolute consciousness, took form to dance with Parvati in this relative field of existence due to Her love and devotion. He holds the damaru in His right hand. With this He keeps a rhythm that moves the chaos of existence into a time frame that keeps all of creation in form and in balance. Because He is the eternal yogi, He got distracted into absolute consciousness and did not attend to keeping the precise rhythm needed to maintain satvic existence. All havoc ensued; there were droughts, famines, natural and man-made disasters. People searched for a solution from all the wise rishis and munis but they had no answers.

Parvati, however, being the original form of the feminine (devotion and love) is “life” and attends to all of its details. She saw that Lord Shiva’s rhythm was off and She tried to attract Him back to this relative conscious field. Unable to do this, Parvati simply took the damaru away from Him and beat it Herself to keep life going in balance. Parvati is always devotional and loving to Her husband, Shiva, so She showed no wrath. She just reflected in Her face that She took the damaru away to relief the suffering of humanity. And so She helped God’s love because even God becomes a devotee of a more inclusive love, which is always evolving. The great images of Shiva show His left half as female (Parvati) and His right half as male (Shiva). So through Her love and devotion, She became Shiva and He Her.

This story resonates so much with what is happening in our world today and also my deep feeling that combining Mother’s love with Shiva’s name and fire is so important. I think it is time for me to do another tour around the country. What has been coming to me is the theme of Lighting Our Hearts on Fire with the Love of the Divine Mother and the mantra, Om Namah Shivaya. The gatherings would possibly include: fire ceremonies and even instructions on performing simple ones; images, chants, meditations, devotional practices and discussions on the Divine Mother; and Om Namah Shivaya chanting marathons. If any or all of the above resonates with you and you wish to organize something in your area, please give me a call at

719-256-4108. Between Shri Muniraji’s adesh to get everyone chanting Om Namah Shivaya and my ever deepening experiences with the sacred fire and Mother’s love which I feel will guide us through this time of transition, I think it is time to put it out there and see what miracles happen. The easiest time for me to be away from the Ashram is January and February.

The Ashram recently purchased a projector so that we can give presentations. We used one of our computers with it at the wonderful program in Erie, CO last month since it was just a one-day program. The computer, however, has all of our bookkeeping on it, so we will need something else to take for two months. If anyone has it in their hearts to buy the Ashram a Mac Laptop, this would be perfect and also allow me to keep up with Ashram business and newsletters on the road.

I look forward to seeing many of you around the country again soon.

Bhole Baba Ki Jai!

Ramloti

Ceremonies and Schedule

The full-moon fire ceremony this month is on Tuesday, October 11 and the new-moon fire ceremony (also Diwali, the festival of lights, described below) is on Wednesday, October 26. The fire ceremonies begin at 10:08 am 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 6:40am. Lunch is served at about 12:30pm. 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 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.

Kirtan, Divine Mother Evening & Fire Ceremony in St. Louis MO. Saturday and Sunday, October 29 & 30

Due to the dedication of Sherry Summers and her deep desire to build a havan kund and perform ceremonies at her yoga studio, I w

ill be traveling to St. Louis for the weekend of October 29 and 30. She and several friends have already built the kund and I will inaugurate it on Sunday morning, Oct. 30 at 10:08am. The morning will include chanting, puja, chandan and a potluck.

Saturday evening, from 7pm until 9pm. we will have a Divine Mother evening. That gathering will include kirtan, stories of the Divine Mother, a short power-point-presentation and instruction on performing a simple puja to Ma.

Both gatherings will be held at 2231 Richert Place, St. Louis, MO 63143 but please email Sherry at sherryyogabliss@yahoo.com if you plan to attend because she may move the Saturday evening program to a larger studio if many respond.

Diwali - A Celebration of Lights and of Peace - Wednesday, Oct. 26

On Wednesday, October 26 we will be celebrating the victory of the Light over Darkness, which is what Diwali signifies. Dramatically portrayed by candles and Christmas lights all over the temple, earthship, and the Ashram grounds, this is a spectacular evening to come together. The day actually begins at 10am with the new-moon fire ceremony (at which we bless our checkbooks) and a special Lakshmi puja all followed by a meal. The rest of the day is spent setting up the candles and making dinner and lots of goodies to serve after the chanting.

The evening events begin with aarati at 6pm followed by chants and songs of peace and light at 7pm. At 8pm, dinner is served in the candlelit earthship. We have invited several of the spiritual groups here in Crestone as well as some school groups to share songs with us that evening, it is always a magical and very profound night. Please join us if you can. Call us at 719-256-4108 if you would like to stay overnight in the dorm. If you are unable to join physically, you may want to light a special candle on your altar, sponsor the fire ceremony, the Lakshmi puja or the feast. Happy Diwali to all!

Fire Ceremony Workshop in Pasadena, CA - Saturday , Nov. 5

This will be a great opportunity for folks on the West coast (and other places too) to learn a small fire ceremony that they can then perform in their own home. The photos are from one that I conducted in Florida last January and it was a very profound and educational day. The workshop will begin promptly at 11am with a small fire ceremony and will run until 5pm. The location will be at: 3210 Lombardy Rd. Pasadena, CA 90017. The suggested donation for the workshop is $108 for Samaj members and $135 for non-Samaj members. Some partial scholarships are available. Donations will go to support the Ashram. For more information about the workshop or to reserve a space please call Randi Rubin at 951-808-1010. For directions to the event call Echo at 310-880-0259.

Fire Ceremony, Aarati & Lunch in Yorba Linda, CA - Sun., Nov. 6

After the fire ceremony workshop, I will be traveling to Yorba Linda for a fire ceremony, aarati, chandan, chanting and a big Indian feast on Sunday morning, November 6 at 10:08am. This will be at the home of long-time devotees, Chandresh and Jai Shri Trivedi, who met Shri Babaji in the early 80’s. We will also be joined by Nirmal and Indira Sharma who also have wonderful Babaji stories and have been doing a fire ceremony daily for years. This gathering should be extremely powerful and a great way to connect all of the devotees in the LA area for future fire ceremonies and gatherings. The address is 17352 Yorkshire Ave, Yorba Linda, CA. 92886. For more information, directions and to let them know how much food to prepare, please call Chandresh at 714-366-1836.

Hermitage and Other Karma Yoga Report

e hermitage is really a huge boon in my life particularly during these busy times like Navratri. As much as I love everyone, an hour of quiet in the afternoon and a peaceful nights sleep really adds to my well-being. I have such deep gratitude to each and everyone of you that helped in some way to make this possible. When I bring people to see the sweet and lovely space, tears always well up in my eyes with the realization that I actually live there. Thank you all again and again.

As mentioned last month, we had to take out a $15,000 short-term loan for the completion of the hermitage. We are pleased to say that through everyones’s generosity and fundraisers, we were able to pay off $5,000 of that loan already. We would like to pay off the rest as quickly as possible, so if you have ideas for fundraisers, please give us a call at 719-256-4108.

As I mentioned above, the karma yoga around the Ashram has been immense and is primarily around the preparations and running of Navratri. Once again, I can not tell you how deeply touched by the spirit, joy, love, devotion, intelligence and willingness to do anything of all those gathered here in this sacred home dedicated to Babaji and Haidakhandeshwari Ma. Some have been coming for years and some are brand new but I have fallen in love with all of them and will cry when they leave for sure. Here are a few photos of the crew.

We ask each of you to look into your hearts and see what this Ashram means to you and to please donate as you are able. You may go to our website and donate through PayPal (you can even set up a monthly tithe). You can also 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 your support, love and prayers.

Recent Events

Kirtan, Slides, Luncheon Fundraiser in Erie, CO

What a gathering of love and shakti at Bhuban Shrestha's residence last month. Over 80 people attended making it an event to remember. The preparations went on for days and the hospitality, food and chanting were sublime. We are so grateful to the family and to Ajay and Sabina Pradam for helping organize all of this. It was a great blessing for the Ashram.

Fall Navratri

As I mentioned above, Navratri is going full force and thus far, with four days left to go, it has been an incredibly blissful affair. Here are photos of the first five days of the Mother. I will put more photos in the next newsletter of the activities. I hope you can join us at least in spirit, the last four days. Jai Ma!

My New Grandson

I will be gone a fair amount the next couple of months as I will be helping with my new grandson. My son, Amil and his wife Sarah, just had their fourth baby boy, Ryan. I was blessed to be at his birth. Bhole Baba Ki Jai!

Calendar for 2011

September 27 - October 5 - Fall Navratri, the Divine Mother Festival.

October 26 - Diwali, Festival of Lights. Fire ceremony at 10am. Chanting at 7pm followed by a light supper.

October 29 - 30 - Fire Ceremony, kirtan, Divine Mother evening at 2231 Richert Place, St. Louis, MO 63143. Please email Sherry at sherryyogabliss@yahoo.com to RSVP.

November 5 - Fire Ceremony workshop at 3210 Lombardy Rd. Pasadena, CA 90017. For more information or to reserve a space please call Randi Rubin at 951-808-1010.

November 6 - Fire Ceremony, aarati, chanting and lunch at 17352 Yorkshire Ave, Yorba Linda, CA. 92886. For more information call Chandresh at 714-366-1836.

Maha Lakshmi Shop Report

The small three inch murti of Shiva and Parvati that I wrote about above is available in the Shop for $18. We have also gotten an amazing amount of new stock of t-shirts, lunghis, shawls, singing bowls and other items. None of these are reflected on line yet, however, since they just arrived before Navratri. Call for more information.

Although you can view most of the rest of our items on line at www.shop.babajiashram.org you may not be able to order them. If you come up with this problem, 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!

October, 2011