(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. 😊🎶
It’s been a day of phone calls, online searches, filling out forms, writing explanations, and making photocopies.
All in the interest of resolving whatever has been holding up my disability payments for the past two and a half months.
Sigh.
Doesn’t it feel as though the entire world switched to online everything from one day to the next?!? As music ministers, we’ve been creatively expanding our knowledge base and skill set in order to maintain our voluntary self-isolation while still providing music for Sunday service at Ananda Village.
Of course, orchestras and choirs all over the world are extremely motivated to experiment along these exact same lines. As one person put it, we’re hardwired to perform, to make music together. Even when we can’t be together.
The end result is that we’re seeing the supposed barriers of time and space dissolving right before our eyes. We may be physically separated, playing or singing our part at different moments in time, but the power and magnetism of the music are still palpably present. Why? Because, in actuality, there is no time or space. We’re all one, right now.
Here at the Village we have a ways to go in terms of technology and resources. But here’s an example of the infinite possibilities…
It’s wonderful to see how the challenges and uncertainties of this time are starting to be balanced out by outpourings of courage, generosity, creativity, and compassion.
Museums are offering virtual tours; opera companies are offering free HD web streaming; Ivy League colleges are offering free online courses.
Ananda communities and teaching centers around the world are offering everything online: Sunday services; how to meditate; live sadhanas; energization; and more.
It’s like everyone is asking, “What can I give? What can I do?”
Well, Ramesha and I are no exception! But after asking ourselves those questions for a few days we were still unclear as to the best way to offer what we have to give.
Then I happened to receive an email announcement from the singing phenomenon known as Choir! Choir! Choir! — announcing their Choir!ntine: EPIC Social Distan-Sing-Along! — and realized this is what we could offer to our community as well…the opportunity to gather as a global family and sing together. To experience the reality that our bodies might be separated but we’re always united in spirit!
Soooo…the first session of our Joyous Global Sing-Along starts tomorrow night (Tuesdays are when our Ananda Village choir usually rehearses) at 7:00 pm Pacific time via Facebook Live on our Ananda Music Facebook page.
We’re really looking forward to doing our part to balance the challenges and uncertainties of this time. Come join us! 🙂