Yes, it’s that time of year again: the Springtime at Ananda Tulip Festival is officially underway!
Visit the Crystal Hermitage Gardens website for information, then come and immerse yourself in beauty.
Tulips and more tulips
Celebrating 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.
A beautiful evening for a lovely 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.
Deepening my connection to Swamiji – 2
I’m not sure whether I mentioned it in a previous blog post, but one of my first big spiritual lessons after arriving at Ananda Palo Alto was that no one seemed particularly interested in the fact that I was a professional flutist.
For starters, there was already a woman in the community who played flute. And at my first meeting with Asha Praver — basically a “getting-to-know-you” chat — I described some of the musical activities I had offered at my previous church homes, including benefit concerts and the like. Her response? Pretty much no response. I mean, she might have said something like, “Oh, that’s interesting,” but I received no energy from her at all regarding my flute playing.
It took me back a bit, but it was also rather refreshing not being primarily identified as a flutist.
However, within a few months a friend in the community somehow learned more about my musical background and convinced me to give her a copy of my resume, which she then shared with the music people up at Ananda Village.
What I had no way of knowing was that they had been slowly working on a recording of Swami Kriyananda’s music using mostly synthesized sounds for the various instruments. They had a live harpist (the late Donnelle Page) and professional cellist, David Eby, had come to Ananda Portland a year or two before I arrived in Palo Alto. So, now they invited me to provide live flute to the album.
And that is how it came about that in late October 1999 I was blessed to come up to Ananda Village for a long weekend at Crystal Hermitage, recording “Secrets of Love” with music arranger, David Miller, and recording engineer, Agni Ferraro.
What a blessed experience it was! Crystal Hermitage was Swamiji’s home whenever he was in residence at the Village (although this was during the time that I still hadn’t met him because he was living in Italy). I got to stay in a small apartment at Crystal Hermitage, doing my Energization Exercises in the beautiful upper gardens and meditating in the dome.
Of course I spent hours and hours in the studio, with photos of Yogananda and Swami to keep me focused on the goal of allowing their vibration to flow through my playing. Although recording is always intense, there was also plenty of joy and laughter in working with my fellow devotees.
I was transported by the melodies I was playing, especially “Love Is the Aspiration toward Perfection” (click here to listen) and felt Swamiji close to me throughout the entire process. By the end, I understood that this was the raison d’être for all my years of training and experience as a flutist.
Thank you, God. 🙏
Happy birthday to me
It’s been a flower-filled birthday, with these beautiful bouquets delivered right to my door!
Ramesha and I took it easy today. We grabbed delicious salads to go from a nearby cafe, then ate them while sitting by the pool at Crystal Hermitage.
The evening has been spent reading (or listening to) my many birthday messages on Facebook, Messenger, text, email, and voicemail!
All in all, I’m feeling extremely blessed.
So many blessings on Swami’s birthday
I started the day by making it to the Temple of Light to meditate. I was a little behind schedule, but it was a beautiful meditation, so I’m not complaining!
Ramesha and I also meditated in the Moksha Mandir this afternoon. This is where Swamiji is buried; it has an amazingly powerful, beautiful, and expansive vibration.
Then we gathered as a community in the lower gardens at Crystal Hermitage and celebrated Swamiji’s birthday with choir and a small group, a joyful sing-along, brief talks by Jyotish and Devi, birthday cake, and lots of love and laughter.
It was an altogether lovely day!
Sharing the peace
Today was mostly a day off, so we took the opportunity for some downtime at Crystal Hermitage.
I thoroughly enjoyed just “sitting and being” for a while, and wanted to share some of the peace with you!
Today’s special treat
Although Crystal Hermitage and its gardens are closed due to the coronavirus, Ananda Village residents are allowed to visit — by reservation; two per hour; masked and gloved!
It was glorious to spend an hour immersed in the beauty and sunlight and fresh air. And as a bonus, we actually got to see and greet a few friends (from an appropriate social distance, of course)!
We don’t usually make it there so early in the season, so this was our first time witnessing the cherry blossoms in their full splendor. Although there are already lots of tulips, the wisteria and dogwood trees aren’t yet in full bloom. So we’ll definitely be making another appointment (or two…or three!) over the coming weeks.
Way to go, Ramesha!
Ramesha and Christian are busy working on Ramesha’s next CD. In fact, they’re just finishing their third full day in the studio and today I got to be part of the project, too (recording flute, background vocal, and clapping tracks). It was great to see and hear all the good work they’re accomplishing; I’m particularly proud of the way Ramesha is going gang-busters with this exciting new business of his!
In order to get three or four uninterrupted days they had to move back into the “original” recording studio underneath Crystal Hermitage. It felt a like homecoming for me, bringing back memories of the long weekend I spent recording Secrets of Love in October of 1999. Amazing to realize, but that was before I had even met Swami Kriyananda!
I love this photo of Ramesha from today. His joy and enthusiasm are palpable! It’s going to be a great CD. 🙂
Make Us Channels
This afternoon was the annual Christmas party for Ananda Sangha Worldwide, headquarters of all the various outreach ministries of Ananda. It’s a time for eating and laughter and visiting with divine friends in the beautiful and uplifting environment of Crystal Hermitage.
But this year something happened which I hope to be able to convey in writing, though words feel rather inadequate…
One of the most well-known and beloved songs in the Ananda Music repertory is Make Us Channels of Thy Peace, Swami Kriyananda’s a cappella setting of the Prayer of St Francis. Arranged in simple two-part harmony, it so beautifully expresses the spirit of selfless service that is the foundation of our path that it is frequently sung at Ananda gatherings and even during Sangha meetings.
So it wasn’t surprising that Make Us Channels was the song chosen to bring the party to a close. But as we sang it — after an hour and a half of eating and chatting and enjoying each others’ company — the room instantly went still and the energy went deep. And despite the fact that many members of the Sangha outreach ministries do not sing (not at all!) the sound, the pitch, the phrasing, everything was perfection.
Why? I believe it’s because we don’t just sing the words, “Lord most high our heav’nly father, All our lives we dedicate to Thee”, we live those words. And as we sing together with deep attunement and self-offering, it’s like our individual voices are transformed into something, well…angelic!
Of course, this is what we aspire to achieve with our actual choir. Yes, we develop our voices and improve our listening and learn the notes and the rhythms…but only in hopes of becoming such pure channels that — with deep attunement and self-offering — we will find ourselves transformed!
Make Us Channels of Thy Peace
Lord most high our heav’nly father,
All our lives we dedicate to Thee:
All our labors, all our joys and woes,
All our pleasure, all our melody.
Make us each a channel of Thy peace:
When in darkness, guide us from above;
Where there’s sorrow may we sow Thy joy;
Where there’s hatred may we share Thy love.