Month: September 2021

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Keeping the inspiration flowing

We continue hearing from many people all over the world about how deeply inspired they were by the AUM Guru vigil and how much they appreciated having the mantra playing throughout the day.

So, we decided to create an audio compilation of the entire six hours worth of chanting!

(In case you’re wondering, the pre-recorded videos were repeated several times to keep “AUM Guru” going throughout the 24-hour chant vigil.)

The compilation includes all the recordings from Ananda devotees around the world, as well as the live chanting from the Temple of Light at Ananda Village, which started and ended the vigil. The six hours worth of chanting is divided into separate tracks, and who’s chanting for each section is listed by track.

We hope people will enjoy having “AUM Guru” playing in the background while they drive, while working, or anytime at all!

Click here for the audio compilation.

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A (long) walk down memory lane

Today turned out to be the moment for tackling multiple decades’ worth of accumulated photos. Quite the process!

What enabled me to finally get started on a task that has been haunting me for years, is the organizer thingy that a friend was giving away. To be honest, it was the fact that it was a rainbow of colors that first caught my interest. I really didn’t know exactly how I would make use of it.

But the description on the label said “large photo and craft keeper” and a light bulb went off in my brain.

It took a couple of more weeks before I found the time, but sure enough, having somewhere to put the hundreds of photos during the sorting process made a HUGE difference.

I ended up throwing away a full plastic bag’s worth of blurry landscape shots and people/places I no longer recognize. I even ended up with a bunch of photos that must have been taken by an old boyfriend who I completely lost touch with over twenty years ago; definitely time to let those go!

All in all, an exhausting but extremely productive project.

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Rain in September

What a blessing it is to receive even a miniscule amount of rain in September!

I’m loving the smell of moisture-filled air and enjoying hearing the pitter-patter of raindrops.

It’s so wonderful that I don’t even mind the fact that I just got the car washed today. 😂

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Aum Guru chant vigil: some final stats

Twenty-two separate groups and individuals contributed videos.

We had participants from elementary school age up to full retirement age (and beyond).😊

Participants represented Ananda in Camano Island, WA; Portland, OR; Ananda Village, Sacramento, and Monterey Bay, CA; Dallas, TX; Atlanta, GA; Assisi (Italy); New Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai (India); and Hamilton (New Zealand).

Over 5,000 people viewed the live broadcast during the 24 hour vigil.

There were hundreds of comments and prayer requests on the YouTube live broadcast (which unfortunately disappeared as soon as the broadcast ended 😕).

We’re busy collecting the testimonials that have poured in.

We ended up with a video containing a full six hours of “Aum Guru” chanting.

And, finally, we’re working on creating a sort of “Aum Guru keepsake album” with the six hours of audio separated into individual tracks, so people can listen again and again to their favorite chanters. 🙏

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Vacation thoughts

Santa Barbara

One’s approach to taking a vacation is different when you and your spouse hail from different continents.

Starting in 2004, at least 90% of our “vacations” have been international flights to visit family and friends. And of course, between the long flight and time spent trying to see everybody, those trips usually aren’t all that relaxing,

The other 10% of our vacations have been occasional jaunts, usually after an especially intense period of work or activity. Like the 3-4 nights in Ashland after the Oratorio one year.

The longest purely vacation time we’ve ever spent was 5 nights in Rimini (Italy) in 2005 — no commitments, no obligations, no people we had to see. Of course, it was super crowded but still relaxing.

Since we weren’t able to go to Europe again this year, we’ve known we needed to schedule in a real break of some sort, but week after week was passing by without us making any decisions. Until we realized that if we didn’t book something immediately the holiday season would be upon us and we would miss our window of opportunity!

So, I’m happy to report that after much searching, we found what looks like a lovely and surprisingly affordable spot in Santa Barbara, where we’ll spend 5 nights next month. And now that it’s booked we can’t wait to go!

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Still processing…

My Dad was a computer programmer and systems analyst all the time I was growing up, but I, personally, don’t know the first thing about computers and computing.

That said, this image of a circuit board matches my idea of a computer processing scads of information and provides me with an analogy of what I feel my brain and psyche are busy doing post-Aum Guru chant vigil.

That 24 hours of Aum Guru being chanted around the globe, by so many devotees, had a very significant impact on many people — including me!

And I’ve got to integrate the experience and sort it out in my mind and in my heart before I can put into words what it meant to me.

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Immense gratitude

Sunday service in the morning and a celebration of Swamiji’s spiritual anniversary in the evening, followed by 24 hours of global focus on the chant “Aum Guru”!

A triple whammy of spiritual power which has impacted every level of my being.

I’m filled to overflowing with love, joy, and immense gratitude.

Thank you, Master and Swamiji.

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It’s actually happening!

Have you ever had an idea…but it’s never been done before…and there’s not a lot of time to pull it together…and part of you wonders if it’s kind of crazy?!?

But then the time comes…and it actually happens…and people are touched and uplifted…and you feel the grace of God and Gurus pouring through…and you’re just so grateful to have played a part in something good.

So, first we chanted “Aum Guru” for 30 minutes at the end of a beautiful service in honor of Swami Kriyananda’s 73rd Discipleship Anniversary. I can’t even put into words how powerful it was for me.

And now, for the next 21 hours or so (the first 3 have already passed) you can click on the above video and hear pre-recorded chanting of “Aum Guru” by devotees from all around the world — West Coast, East Coast, Italy, India, New Zealand, and maybe more that I haven’t even heard about yet.

I’m just so thrilled that it’s really happening!

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Remembering…

…and honoring those who lost so much, as well as those who gave so much that day.

As intensely shocking as it all was from a distance of 3,000 miles away, I can’t even imagine the trauma experienced by those on the scene.

But I find comfort in the stories of people reaching out and helping strangers in a time of such tragedy. And I pray for the continued healing of this deep wound.