No, I didn’t actually visit India this afternoon, but having lunch with Nayaswami Dhyana was the next best thing.
Dhyana has been one of my favorite Ananda teachers ever since I heard her give a downright thrilling Sunday service over New Year’s weekend way back in 1999. I’ve always loved her combination of deep wisdom, down-to-earth practicality, and delightful humor.
She’s been serving with Ananda India for over twenty years now (hard to believe!) and it’s always a joy to learn about the progress of the work there through her photos, videos, and stories.
Of course, I’m still waiting (im)patiently to see if all for myself. 😊
Nayaswamis Jyotish and Devi arriving in Pune, India
These great souls, Nayaswami Jyotish and Nayaswami Devi (who are also dear friends) have been traveling in Italy and India since early August.
It feels like forever since we’ve seen them but — thanks to the internet — tonight we’re listening to the beautiful talks they gave at an event in Pune.
And now I’m even more eager for their return to the Village in just a couple of weeks!
Today we got to visit with Jyotish and Devi poolside at Crystal Hermitage gardens, just a few days before they travel to Italy and then India for three and a half months.
We feel so honored to be able to call these great souls our friends. And our gratitude for their wisdom, clarity, humor, and love knows no bounds.
What an amazing new paradigm we’re experiencing when it comes to our Ananda events. The necessity for doing everything online is leading to expansive breakthroughs in so many ways!
Tonight we celebrated Yogananda’s Mahasamadhi a day early (from a USA perspective) in order to be able to collaborate with Ananda India in putting on the event. So monks from the India monastery started off with chanting; then Jaya, Jyotish, and Devi spoke from the Temple of Light at Ananda Village; and then it was back to India, with Dhyana closing the event with healing prayers.
But things weren’t over yet! Everyone was invited to a virtual “meet & greet” on Airmeet afterwards. It was great fun to see so many friends from India (Vineet, Varun, Priti, Hari, Rajesh, Priya, Lakshmi, Dhyana!), but it was equally a treat to greet devotees from here in America that we hadn’t seen in ages (Jeanne, Tarini, and even the Viscogliosi’s!).
This is definitely a beautiful aspect of technology.
Ramesha posted this photo last Sunday, in honor of the day — seventeen years ago! — when he asked me to marry him. I was focused on other things this past weekend, but it was such a sweet post (and so many people shared loving comments!) that I didn’t want to let it pass me by.
So, here goes yet another walk down memory lane…
As of the end of October we were officially “an item,” but spending time together wasn’t so easy, with me either serving at Ananda Assisi or touring with the Italy singers, while he worked in Lugano.
We managed to get together a couple of times in November, me taking the train to Lugano and him driving to where the singers were spending a weekend near Torino. This was also the month when Swami Kriyananda made the decision to move to India, which had us all in a certain amount of shock.
By this time, it was clear that I wouldn’t be joining Ramesha and other dear friends on the pilgrimage to India, so we had to accept the reality of spending our first Christmas and New Year’s apart. I made another train trip to Lugano in mid-December so we could celebrate our Christmas early; we were both pretty sad but did our best to look ahead to when I would travel north again to see him on his return.
He encountered flight delays, so I actually got to Lugano before he did and was able to welcome him home. My vacation time was only supposed to last two weeks, but was extended indefinitely due to the completely unexpected but quite serious legal drama being played out at the community in Assisi.
Though greatly concerned for our spiritual family, we couldn’t help feeling grateful for the opportunity — finally! — to spend a whole month together. In fact, as the weeks went by our relationship just got better in every way.
The singers had performances near Torino planned for Valentine’s weekend, so the plan was that Ramesha would drive me there, then I would go back to Assisi with the group.
I’ll never forget the Sunday before our planned departure. We had finished meditation, then enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. I was still in my comfortable but rather sloppy meditation T-shirt and leggings as we sat at the table talking; speaking of our hopes and dreams; and sharing deeply spiritual thoughts.
There was a sense of profound connection. Then Ramesha made a frustration kind of sound, said he’d be right back, returned with a little red box, and asked me to marry him. Just like that. He said his plan was to propose the following week on Valentine’s Day, but he just couldn’t wait.
It’s thrilling to see the dynamic “Next Wave” of Ananda gaining in strength and magnetism! Today I briefly participated in the Ananda Assisi and Ananda India events; tomorrow night is Ananda America’s turn!
The Next Wave group on WhatsApp is over 300 people, from all corners of the globe.
The event itself is on a platform called Airmeet, which I think is just about the best thing since sliced bread; yeah, it’s that cool! And it’s giving us soooo many ideas for the music. 😄
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.
Yes, so many people were here for the 50th that it was hard to get too sad when they all left, because they were mostly all leaving at once!
But twenty great souls stayed on to do the month-long Living Discipleship program, and Ramesha and I had the privilege of working with them several times over the course of the month… getting to know them better in the process.
Now the majority of them have left as well, with those who live at other Ananda communities in the States mostly hopping in their cars and taking off for home. It would have been nice to say a final good-bye, but since we’re more than likely to see them one or more times in the course of the year, it doesn’t feel too heart-wrenching.
It’s a completely different story with those who are returning to India. For one thing, there’s still a freshness to these divine friendships; a feeling of having finally reconnected with soul friends of many incarnations. Truly, it’s like brand new friendships with old, incredibly dear friends.
Then you add the fact that India is so far away and it definitely tugs at my heart strings. But at the same time I’m deeply aware of what a lovely dilemma this is: to have been blessed with yet more heart friends! I’m so grateful.
