(not necessarily in that order)
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. 😊🎶
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?
Yes, our new recording of Swami Kriyananda’s Christ Lives: An Oratorio was officially released today! You can find it HERE.
Equally thrilling was the return of Jyotish and Devi to Ananda Village, after more than three months (which felt like forever) in Italy, the Netherlands, and India.
The entire community met them as they arrived at the entrance to the Village late this morning. I had hoped to find a pic to share here, but it seems that nobody — not even one of our usual photo-happy folks — thought to pull out phone or camera.
On the one hand, I wish I had a photo. But on the other hand, I appreciate that we were all just in the moment, being with Jyotish and Devi, giving them our undivided attention.
The truth is that I specifically grabbed my phone when I got out of the car for exactly that reason. But I didn’t think of it once while we were all there.
Below is the next best thing — a photo of Jyotish and Devi just before they caught the flight home from Mumbai.
It definitely feels like we cast off our lines yesterday (with Sunday service and a thrilling concert rehearsal) and today finds us well underway on our SRW 2023 voyage.
Judging by this morning’s class with Jyotish and Devi; a wonderful lunch with friends from India; and an inspiring kirtan, it’s clear that we’re in for quite a journey!
I’m talking some serious overload!
This is pretty much how full I feel — mind, body, and spirit — after receiving four days of Inner Renewal Retreat inspiration (thanks to Jyotish, Devi, and today’s wonderful panel).
And…we now have two days of Kriyaban Retreat ahead of us — phew.
I love my life. 😊
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.
The blessing of divine friendship, indeed!
Jyotish and Devi have been on fire in their classes this Inner Renewal Week.
They express so much wisdom, love, and joy in their every word and action, it’s a thrill to be in the room with them.
And most wondrous of all, is being able to call such great souls our friends.
Despite the recent snow and today’s unsettled weather, Jyotish and Devi decided this morning to go ahead with their scheduled community satsang this evening.
They wanted to make it fun and festive and informal, so we volunteered to sing a couple of Christmas carols.
But because it was so last minute, our soprano couldn’t join us.
Then I forgot to put the words for “Joy to the World” in the binders that I quickly threw together.
So when the time came to sing it was rather — well, rough. Which was no big deal, as it was just “family” and rather spontaneous. But still…
Then Devi read her most recent blog post — beautiful and inspiring — and Jyotish read a story that had come to him in meditation — powerfully inspiring! Then they both added comments and insights that were deeply moving.
And then, Ramesha asked a question about how best to prepare for the upcoming 8-hour Christmas meditation, and as they both answered the inspiration went through the roof.
And I finally understood. The weather was uncertain enough that if we hadn’t volunteered to sing, we might very well have pooped out and stayed home.
In this instance, singing wasn’t the point. Rather it was the means of making sure we were exactly where we were supposed to be tonight.
We just finished a lovely Next Wave satsang with Jyotish and Devi.
The main topic of discussion was sharing how we’ve all weathered the challenges of these past two difficult years. The stories and insights were all very inspiring.
At some point Devi brought up the time a team of us spent in LA with Swamiji, and how he gave so much energy to the music there.
It reminded me of what a special time that was, despite a myriad of challenges and difficulties. And doesn’t that pretty much describe life itself?!?
Anyways, thinking about LA days made me want to share this photo. I have no idea what Ramesha was whispering in my ear, but I’m thankful somebody snapped the photo with Swamiji’s blessings in the background!
We were privileged to provide music for Jyotish and Devi tonight, as they launched their latest book, “Touch of Peace.”
Being a “virtual” book launch, there were just Jyotish and Devi, Dhyan and Shyama, and the four singers, all in the Online With Ananda studio. It was cozy!
Jyotish and Devi were their usual deeply inspiring selves.
Here’s the video if you want to enjoy the event for yourself.