Tag: Ananda Village

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Yard sale time

We’re having our first Ananda Village yard sale since before the pandemic, and you can tell Village residents ( myself included) have been saving stuff up and are super happy to finally be able to let it all go!

The Village Office has already received so many items that they moved the donations cut-off from this coming Friday to today (Monday).

I managed to get my stuff down there just before the deadline, but then I couldn’t help browsing around to see if there was anything there that we “needed”.

It’s a bit of a paradox really. We go through our closets and drawers to find things to get rid of, but then we turn around and bring more stuff back home with us! As I said to my friend, Patricia, it’s like we get to practice non-attachment by giving stuff away, but then we practice — I’m not sure what; maybe expansion?!? — by collecting more.

The good news is that I took down two bags of clothes; a projector and screen; a rug; and three boxes of miscellaneous items, but I left with only one bag of goodies.

So, I didn’t do too bad.

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Tonight – Oratorio, Christ Lives!

All the final details are in place.

Now it’s time to rest, relax, and focus on feeling and looking our best for tonight’s performance.

I can hardly wait.

Oh, yeah! The performance is from 7:00-8:30pm (PDT) in the Temple of Light at Ananda Village.

Here’s the link if you’d like to watch it online:  https://youtu.be/7RiSPCoTPfw

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“Anticipation, anticipation…”

In just over an hour from now choir at Ananda Village will meet for the first time in twenty months! Twenty months — can you believe it?!?

Talk about anticipation….! Which got me thinking about the Carly Simon song. Do you remember it?

Anticipation, anticipation
Is makin’ me late
Is keepin’ me waitin’

The chorus is all I really recalled, and I realize now that I only ever knew the first two words even of the chorus! 😂

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A study in contrasts

While reading various journal entries and random notes uncovered during my recent “dig”, I started to realize the full extent to which my life has flip-flopped every decade or so.

In 1993 I had been living in San Francisco proper for almost twenty years, and in the San Francisco Bay Area for my whole life. Although there was much I loved about SF, the issues of noise, traffic, parking, and freeways were constant.

San Francisco

By 2003 I had basically turned my back on my orchestral and freelance flute career in order to move to Assisi as part of an Ananda singing group. Living in the rural Umbrian countryside was a complete revelation. It was quiet and peaceful, and — now that I wasn’t in the midst of millions of other people — I discovered that I could actually tune into my own energy.

Umbria (Italy)

But by 2013 I was living in Los Angeles, of all places! Well, Swamiji had asked so we went, determined to serve Ananda and Master with as much joy and willingness as we could muster. But in LA the issues of noise, traffic, parking, and freeways were magnified a thousand fold.

Los Angeles

And now, we’re getting close to 2023, and I’m grateful to be living at Ananda Village. It’s not quite as serene of an environment as Umbria, but it’s totally quiet and tranquil compared to SF or LA! Not to mention that it’s populated by a very high percentage of saintly souls.

Ananda Village (the view from our front door)

It has indeed been a study in contrasts, but every contrast taught me valuable lessons and ultimately ended up making me that much more grateful for where I am and what I have.

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Long time, no see!

At approximately 900 acres, Ananda Village is big and spread out enough that those of us who are self-isolating (because we’re in a high risk category due to age or health issues) can easily go days seeing only a bare handful of fellow residents. One definitely starts to miss running into friends at work or the market…or at choir rehearsal!

Which is why it was so incredibly sweet when ten choir members got together for our first ever Village Choir Zoom Chat this evening! We chatted and checked in and laughed (a lot) and shared ideas….and it was wonderful just to see all the smiles! Here are some pics to give you the idea…

Everybody!
Jeannie, our fearless leader.
Barbara
Ganesha
Kamala
Joan

Koral kept us particularly well entertained by “traveling” the world throughout the course of the meeting!

Koral at a castle in Europe
Koral in Italy
Koral at the Matterhorn

Somehow I missed getting photos of Bandhu and Ramu (oops!), but it sure was great to see you all! Hopefully more choir members can make it when we meet again next week. 💗

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A special Guru Day

Thursdays are Guru Day and today’s was extra special! A beautiful statue of Yogananda took up residence on the ridge overlooking Ananda Village. From this vantage point he will bless the community, the region, and all the world.

Moving the statue into place…

Yogananda’s feet are firmly grounded at the Village…

Applying the finishing touches…

Jai Guru!

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Om Namah Shivaya

Shivaratri is an annual event celebrating the Indian deity Shiva, the destroyer of delusion. It also happens that — twenty-two years ago — it was my very first experience at an Ananda center!

I believe Shivaratri is pretty much the most “Indian” event of the year for Ananda. At Ananda Palo Alto two decades ago, there was Indian storytelling; Indian costumes; Indian dance; someone dressed like Shiva and his consort, Parvati; Sanskrit chanting; Indian decorations; and hot chai to keep us awake all night (the traditional celebration lasts from 6pm to 6am). Definitely not the usual entry point for a brand new devotee!

Needless to say, I have fond memories of that first Shivaratri. It was all completely foreign to me — colorful and chaotic and somewhat wild — and I loved it. It was also my first taste of true devotion.

Tonight Shivaratri is being celebrated for the first time in our new Temple of Light at Ananda Village, and I was tempted to see if I could do it again. But I’ve worked so hard on establishing a healthier bedtime routine and didn’t want to risk it. So I’m honoring Shiva by reliving it in my memory instead.

Om Namah Shivaya!

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A Century of Spiritual Awakening

Inner Renewal Week is underway here at Ananda Village, focused on the centennial of Paramhansa Yogananda’s arrival in the West.

As usual Jyotish and Devi got the week underway with deeply inspiring talks that brought home to me just how much courage and commitment Yogananda needed to have in order to make the transition to life in America (not that I’ll ever really understand, of course!).

But boy oh boy am I glad he did!

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The magic of autumn light

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”
–Albert Camus

It’s been quite a while since we had rain, and it feels like we’re getting to admire the autumn foliage for much longer than usual. Now, I’m no scientist or botanist, and I know next to nothing about photosynthesis or chlorophyll. Which means I get to make up my own story about fall foliage and what it means (to me, at least). 🙂

It seems to me that the leaves absorb light throughout the spring and summer, then start losing it as they gradually diminish in the early fall and begin changing colors. But as the season continues, with the days growing shorter and winter drawing near, it’s as if nature gives us one last show…a final display of vibrant light and a sense of warmth. I’m sure you’ve experienced it: when you’re walking or driving along and you suddenly see a burst of light through the trees…and you realize it’s the fall foliage, glowing as if lit from within.

Sometimes I have to just stop and marvel at the incredible light emanating from the trees here at Ananda Village. They are so very, very beautiful! And I like the idea of each leaf going out in a burst of glory, as the spirit of the tree quietly turns within and prepares to enter the stillness of winter.

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Living for God

I really love this photo, which appeared on the Ananda Worldwide Facebook page the other day. For one thing, the photographer beautifully captured the deep devotion of these great souls, each of whom I happen to know and love.

It also strikes me as both sweet and powerful to realize just how much of the world is represented in this photo, as these individuals are from New Zealand, the United States, and India.

And that got me to thinking (not for the first time!) of just how international my spiritual family is! At Ananda Village alone we have members who are originally from Argentina, Canada, Colombia, England, Finland, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Laos, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. And that’s just off the top of my head, so I may have missed somebody.

But it’s not just that our community is filled with a wide diversity of people from so many points of the globe. It’s that all these people are dedicated to a spiritual lifestyle based on joy and harmony, consciously choosing a life lived for God. It’s amazing, really!