Author: Bhagavati (Sharon) Nani

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Celebrating Jyotish

“Jyotish” means “light” in Sanskrit and this photo certainly shows the light that is Nayaswami Jyotish!

Today we celebrated Nayaswami Jyotish’s 80th birthday with a glorious party in the lower gardens of Crystal Hermitage. Everything was glorious, from the garden setting to the weather to the decorations to the musical program to the cupcakes to the sea of joyful humanity gathered in his honor.

It truly couldn’t have been better.

So, how does one describe Nayaswami Jyotish? Well, he and his wife, Nayaswami Devi, are longtime devotees of Paramhansa Yogananda; Global Peace Ambassadors; Spiritual Directors of Ananda Worldwide; published authors; inspired speakers; incredible teachers; and beautiful role models of discipleship and how to live a life dedicated to God.

In addition, Jyotish is a gifted painter, and the designated spiritual successor to Swami Kriyananda, Ananda’s founder.

But I feel blessed and deeply privileged to know Jyotish and Devi as divine friends.

I’m tempted to ask how did I get so lucky, but I know it’s not luck. It’s very, very, very good karma.

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Enjoying the golden hour

It’s been a while since I sat outside and simply enjoyed the quiet.

Even better: this evening I also enjoyed the dinner time view — it went really well with pizza!

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Clear sailing and full speed ahead

After a turbulent, convoluted, multi-week process, it’s a relief to have actually arrived at a decision.

True, it’s not what I want to do, but I can feel that it’s the right thing to do. Which means I can once again get all my energy moving forward in one focused direction.

That’s my hope, at any rate.

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Which way to go?

For the past month or so we’ve been trying to plan what started out as a fairly straightforward trip.

I don’t know whether it’s something astrological or what, but lately each passing week has brought a new wrinkle or some other complication.

The dates keep changing. The form keeps changing. The advice keeps changing.

If it gets much more confusing, we might just have to stay home.

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A beautiful evening for a lovely rehearsal

Sunset afterglow at Crystal Hermitage as we were packing up after rehearsal

Tonight was our final choir rehearsal for this Saturday’s event celebrating Nayaswami Jyotish’s 80th birthday.

Two of the musical offerings we’ve prepared for Jyotish felt rather daunting to pull together in the limited time we had available after the conclusion of Spiritual Renewal Week. But tonight it was clear that both projects were absolutely the right thing to do, and they’re coming together beautifully.

In fact, thinking over the entire rehearsal, I’m feeling a whole lot of gratitude for the harmonious, team-oriented, collaborative way that our music ministry and the entire choir works together.

Sure, there are chaotic moments, but the overall feeling is one of uplifted and uplifting FUN.

What a joy it is to serve in this way.

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Remembering Mom with flowers

Today — July 31, 2023 — would have been my mother’s 89th birthday.

As I thought about her, I started remembering how much she loved her flowers — especially rhododendrons, gladiolus, and bottlebrush.

Happy heavenly birthday, Mom!

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Well, I tried

I knew exactly what I wanted to share this evening and had it all pretty much done…but then it basically self-destructed (in other words, all the photos decided to disappear).

So, I’m taking it as a sign that I’m supposed to go to bed and try again tomorrow.

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Il Grand Café al Porto

Cenacolo Fiorentino

My friend, Graziella, posted this photo on Facebook today and seeing it brought back beautiful memories of being at a luncheon there in honor of Swami Kriyananda.

The room is the Cenacolo Fiorentino (which translates as the “Florentine Supper Room”) on the upper floor of the Ristorante Grand Café Al Porto, located in the historic center of Lugano.

If I remember correctly, it was May (I’m not sure what year) and Swami Kriyananda was relaxing for a few days in Lugano. In honor of his upcoming birthday, the leader of the Lugano meditation group organized a boat tour of Lake Lugano followed by lunch at Al Porto — one of Swamiji’s favorite restaurants in Lugano.

It was a beautiful day, now a treasured memory.

A photo of the Cenacolo Fiorentino from the restaurant website
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Good news to report

Maybe writing yesterday’s blog post was therapeutic. Or maybe I just got fed up with constantly feeling behind.

Whatever the reason, the good news is that I spent a few satisfying hours this afternoon feeling focused and actually accomplishing a number of tasks.

Yay!