Tag: chanting

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An overall productive day

This morning we had a garden consultation, while sitting with our friends (landscaper and wife) on the patio enjoying coffee and treats.

I learned which plants need to go into the ground, which ones need fertilizing in the spring, how we could make our already beautiful view even better, and — yay! — I finally have the perfect location (and reason) to plant some jasmine.

This afternoon we took part in a lovely satsang at Chandi ashram house for the current crop of karma yogis.

Each person shared how they came onto the spiritual path, then we spent time chanting. It was quite the international group, as the karma yogis originally hail from Germany, Turkey, Russia, China, and India!

I came home in the early evening and — for the fourth day in a row — I practiced. It’s really quite remarkable, but I even downloaded a metronome app and used it as I did honest-to-goodness long tones.

I hardly recognize myself!

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Wonderful to be back

What a joy to be back in the Temple of Light singing and chanting once again!

My ultimate happy place, enjoying my favorite healing activity, with some of my favorite people.

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Feeling the blessings

Tonight was the conclusion of our second annual “AUM Guru Chant Vigil” and I’m feeling particularly grateful for it.

Why?

Well, Ramesha and I were already tuned in when the vigil started (immediately after the event celebrating Swami Kriyananda’s 74th discipleship anniversary), and I listened to “Aum Guru” from then until bedtime.

Upon waking, the first thing I became aware of was “Aum Guru”.

We turned back on the vigil as we got ready in the morning and continued listening to it throughout our eight hours in the AIM clinic (more hydration!).

In fact, whenever I started feeling a little fed up with lying on the hospital bed connected to tubes for hour after hour, I would tune back into the chanting and think of Master and Swamiji and the many, many blessings in my life and I wouldn’t feel fed up anymore.

So, I feel like this chant vigil really did help me during an important moment in time. And I hope it did the same for many others as well.

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Let nothing disturb you

I figure I can’t be the only person who needs this reminder right about now!

Pandemic, fires, smoke, protests. unemployment… all these things will pass, but God changes not. Thank goodness!

(lyrics and audio below; enjoy this encouraging chant)

Saint Teresa’s Admonition
(words adapted from St. Teresa of Avila’s Admonition)
Let nothing disturb you,
Nothing affright you,
All things will pass, but God changes not.
Patient endurance
Brings you to vict’ry.
Once you have God, you’ll want nothing more.
God alone! God alone!
God alone’s all we ever need.
God alone! God alone!
God alone’s all we ever need.

St Teresa’s Admonition, chant by Donald Walters (aka Swami Kriyananda)
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Doing our part

Ronja, my friend from way back in Assisi days, wrote this to me a few days ago:

Hi! So I think it’s time… Could you, as a talented musician, please share your favorite 20 seconds of Swami’s or Master’s music? I’m getting a little tired of Happy Birthday twice and Yankee Doodle isn’t really that uplifting either….😉🙃

To be honest it took a few moments for me to make the connection and realize she was looking for music to time her hand-washing by! But then I totally got it, because I had experienced the same frustration of wanting to sing something uplifting while washing my hands but not knowing how much of any particular song or chant would take up 20 seconds. I usually ended up counting “one thousand, two thousand, three thousand…” instead!

I’m happy to say that Ronja’s request was the catalyst for Ramesha and me to create this short (and hopefully fun) little video. We’ll be sharing it more widely via social media tomorrow, but I wanted to mention it in today’s blog post because…well, I feel pretty good about it! 💖