Month: November 2019

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Shop Ananda success!

A huge THANK YOU to JLove Jackson, founder of Blissful Business Community and entrepreneur extraordinaire, for bringing our Shop Ananda tradition roaring back to life!

We have many wonderful businesses at Ananda Village, as well as individuals who create items of great beauty and practicality, and it was deeply satisfying to see a number of them displaying their wares as many potential buyers browsed the store!

This is by no means a professional video, but it should give you some idea of the high energy and sense of vibrant community that filled Master’s Marketplace this afternoon. Great fun was had by all!

Shop Ananda 2019

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Two commitments revisited

My blog writing time has slowly been shifting to later and later once again. So I just reviewed my post from October 20, in which I committed to either getting it written by 9:30 pm or else only writing enough to acknowledge that I don’t have time to write due to it being time to get ready for bed.

And as it’s almost 10:00 pm all I get to add is…good night!

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The glory of the skies

This is what the sky was doing outside our apartment at the end of this beautiful day. Just like the words of the Thanksgiving hymn we sang after dinner.

For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.
— Folliot S. Pierpoint

Thank you, God.
Amen.

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Weather whiplash

As one of my friends on Facebook put it, we went from high fire danger to snow pretty much overnight! I mean, yesterday I was still wearing sandals; it was hardly even cold during the day.

A week ago we were relieved that a potential planned power outage (due to a possible high wind event on a high fire risk day) wouldn’t start on Tuesday, so we didn’t have to miss a choir rehearsal.

But then what happens this week?!? We had to cancel choir due to a major snowstorm! As I write this the wind is howling and the temperature is frigid.

Here’s how things were looking earlier today; who knows how much more snow we’ll have by morning.

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Sri Yogananda

Recorded during Ananda Palo Alto’s morning meditation as part of a project Rambhakta is working on. It’s so devotional and sweet, I wanted to share. I love how it makes me feel like I’m sitting way in the back of the temple…diving deep into bliss.

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End of November

For whatever reason, it’s taken a lot longer than usual to fully grasp just how quickly Christmas is approaching. I think I usually begin to feel the urgency once Halloween is over. But whether due to the distraction of power outages or the seemingly never-ending beautiful weather, I got through most of November understanding intellectually that it was time to get crackin’, but not really feeling it.

But now, as we enter the final week of November, the sense of urgency has finally kicked in….and with a vengeance! Of course, it’s all good, but — yeah — no more time for dilly-dallying!

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Jyotish and Devi are home!

Jyotish and Devi, spiritual directors of Ananda Worldwide

Jyotish and Devi have been gone since August, traveling for close to four months in Italy and throughout India. Tomorrow they give Sunday service and I can already feel the joy level at Ananda Village rising in anticipation…. well, at least it is for me. 😊

It feels perfect that they’re back just in time for Thanksgiving, because I am so very, very grateful for both of them.

Thank you, Jyotish and Devi, for all you’ve done and for all you’re still doing in service to God and Gurus, as well as for your Ananda family throughout the world. I’m so honored to know you and to call you my friends.

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The hills are alive…!

Writing later than usual because this evening was dedicated to watching the Sound Of Music. We had discovered that one of our young friends had never seen it, which provided the perfect excuse.

Not that it takes much to make me want to watch this wonderful movie yet again! But it’s extra sweet experiencing it with a first-timer. 🙂

Here are a couple of pics…

A few of my fellow viewers (Arya, Jake, Ashtara, Catarina)
An amazing variety and quantity of popcorn
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Confused in a good way

I’m feeling sort of confused…but in a good way.

In fact, I’m reminded of something I read (or heard) years and years ago along the lines of “it’s good when you feel confused because that means you’re about to learn something new”.

Well, I’m in the process of new learning at this very moment. To tell the truth, it’s so new that — even though I can see the various components moving into place — I can’t yet express how they fit together with any coherency. I can feel it, but I can’t make sense of it yet.

But it’s exciting, because I feel poised on the brink of infinite possibilities and long-awaited, fundamental changes. So basically, I’m feeling both confused and hopeful. 🙂