(not necessarily in that order)
Ramesha and I will spend five days this week in silence.
I won’t be checking emails and will take a (blessed!) break from the news, but will still write a short blog each day.
Hopefully I’ll be able to share some inspiration or insight gleaned from each day of seclusion.
There was a beautiful sunset as we headed home after tonight’s Indian banquet. A fitting conclusion, with the sun setting on what has been a glorious Spiritual Renewal Week.
Tomorrow is Sunday service and then the numerous guests head home and Village life returns to normal — though after so much inspiration I think it can’t help but be a higher level of normal!
For years now, Ramesha and I have wanted to travel to India to work with Ananda singers there, but issue after issue and obstacle after obstacle have repeatedly gotten in the way.
We do our best to connect when people come to visit Ananda Village, or via Zoom when in-person isn’t a possibility, but still it’s been a little frustrating.
However, in this moment I’m feeling completely heartened, encouraged, and inspired by the way this group of singers from Ananda India are taking ownership of the music and forging ahead with presenting it with enthusiasm, deep attunement, and JOY!
I found Bharat’s introductory remarks to be especially impressive.
It feels like a breakthrough moment for the music in India and for our worldwide music ministry.
As happens every year, it takes some time after the Oratorio to get caught up on things. So, though some friends sent me a beautiful e-card for Easter, I didn’t actually see it until almost a week later.
That ended up being kind of a blessing, because now that I wasn’t in the midst of so much busyness, I was able to really take in the inspiration. Also, the music used in the e-card is a hymn that I grew up with, which was used in such a sensitive and uplifted manner that it deeply touched me and opened up my heart.
I wanted to embed the e-card in order to share with you as a video, but it wasn’t possible on my blog platform. However, you can click here to view the card instead.
As it was an instrumental version of the hymn, I wanted to be reminded of how the lyrics went, so I did a quick Google search.
Well, I was delighted to discover that the hymn “All creatures of our God and King”, is an adaption of St. Francis of Assisi’s poem “Canticle of the Sun” — also known as “Canticle of the Creatures”. The words of the poem were translated to English by William Draper, who then paraphrased the poem and set it to music in the early 1900’s.
No wonder I’ve always loved it so much!
Here’s a beautiful choir rendition of the hymn, although they sing only four of the seven verses. Check out the lyrics below to see the verses about flowing water, mother earth, and gentle death. So powerful.
LYRICS:
Refrain
O praise Him! O praise Him!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
We just had our final run-through for tomorrow night’s Oratorio performance and all the pieces are officially in place and ready to go.
Choir, soloists, instrumentals. Sound, lights, song lists. Knowing who goes where and when — and what color they’re wearing. 😊🌈
A myriad of details, but tomorrow we’ll do our best to set them all aside and simply let the inspiration flow.
Ananda LA’s Yogananda Fest was tremendously successful on every level, filled with inspiration, creativity, service, and satsang.
We reconnected with old friends and met strangers who felt like we’d known them forever.
There’s more I could say but I’m too tired. And tomorrow is Sunday service, followed by the long drive home.
So…good night!
Yay! Inner Renewal Retreat 2024 starts tomorrow morning and goes through Thursday, February 22nd.
Featuring Jyotish and Devi, it’s one of the highlights of the year throughout the world of Ananda.
And for the first time ever, it’s being offered completely free of charge. So, check it out and register to attend online (that way you’ll have access to all the recordings even if you can’t make it in real time).
Of course, there’s music at the beginning of every class, so we’ll be there for sure. 😊🎶
All the staff of Ananda’s Outreach Ministries gathered for two mornings this week to share what our departments did in 2023 and what our intentions are for 2024.
It’s always a bit of a stress to pull the music ministry’s presentation together each year, as we barely recover from the holiday season and suddenly it’s “that time” again.
But I wouldn’t miss these meetings for the world, because I’m always so deeply inspired by everything that my friends and colleagues are doing to share the teachings and bring light to the world.
I absolutely LOVE my work. What a blessing.
Tonight’s celebration of Master’s birthday was perfect.
It was an incredibly beautiful altar; the choir songs and Jitendra’s chanting were filled with devotion.; the meditation was deep; and Jyotish and Devi gave inspiring talks.
What more could one wish for?
No matter how much I struggle to stick with my day-to-day routines (including meditation), I’m always grateful for the boost of bliss and inspiration I feel after a Kriya initiation!