(not necessarily in that order)
It’s extremely rare for us to be away from our spiritual home at Christmas.
First of all, because it’s such a powerfully meaningful time that we love being a part of.
But also because — duh! — it’s probably the busiest time of the year for church music directors!
At any rate, I felt inspired to take a few photos of the beautiful Christmas altar, holding this sacred place and our beloved spiritual family in our hearts as we travel.
Today Ramesha and I enjoyed an inspiring Zoom satsang with devotees from Ananda UK.
There were about twenty people in attendance and I was struck — not for the first time — at how we felt fully at home with everyone as soon as we came on the call.
Old friend or complete stranger, it simply doesn’t matter. We’re all members of this growing spiritual family and it’s thrilling to see the circle getting bigger and bigger!
Ramesha and I are truly grateful for the blessing of spending time with family and friends here in beautiful Lugano. At the same time, having lived in spiritual community for so many years, after a few weeks we find ourselves missing satsang with fellow devotees.
Last year there just happened to be an Ananda event that we were able to go to. This time we decided to be proactive and arranged to do a music workshop for the Ananda Ticino meditation group that meets regularly in Bellinzona.
What a joy it was!
First of all, we got to talk about music, consciousness, community, spiritual growth, etc. Then we got to simply enjoy singing with everyone. That was followed by time to answer questions and have some interesting discussion. And then we all went out for super delicious pizza.
The absolute best thing, however, was getting to know this new branch of our spiritual family. Even the ones we only met last night feel like longtime, dear friends already.
(P.S. I used the word “bliss” in the title because in Sanskrit the word “Ananda” means “joy” or “bliss!” So, “Swiss bliss” is my way of having fun describing an Ananda meditation group in Switzerland. 🥰)
We only had two days in LA — arriving Friday evening, spending all day Saturday at Yogananda Fest, then getting on the road back to Ananda Village directly from lunch after Sunday service at Ananda Los Angeles — but it was enough to feel truly reconnected with our SoCal spiritual family and even with Los Angeles itself.
It was great seeing longtime devotees from when we lived there from 2010-2013, but equally wonderful meeting so many recently arrived folks who immediately felt like soul friends.
Throughout the weekend I felt like I was sort of “checking off” certain key experiences — the iconic skyline at Hollywood and Vine as glimpsed from the freeway; scores of palm trees; the constant sound of traffic; a man dressed in a suit decorated with a peacock feather pattern; the (brief) appearance of a cockroach during Sunday service(!) — which, when taken altogether, added up to feeling LA in my mind and heart.
It was funny how I could even enjoy being in traffic, knowing that it was only for a couple of days!
I also had a nostalgic moment when I saw this sign inside the Ananda LA center, hanging above the door to the sanctuary. Someone (I don’t remember who) had made it for our first Ananda LA ashram in West Hollywood.
We couldn’t use it at the entrance to the house because, as it was a residential area, the zoning laws meant we couldn’t represent ourselves as an official “center.”
But it was a lovely sign, so we used it indoors. It’s lovely to see it still in use.
Saturday before last we learned that there was going to be an Ananda event here in Lugano. We knew that our Ananda friends Jayadev, Arudra, and Ruby would be there.
Well, tonight we attended that event and were thrilled to find a number of dear Ananda friends in attendance — starting with Peter, Aanadi, Triveni, Rita, and Monica; but including many new “old” friends that we were meeting for the first time.
It’s always a thrill for me to experience the joy of being with spiritual family no matter where I am in the world.
The morning was dedicated to spiritual family, at the annual Ananda Sevaka retreat.
A hybrid of in-person and online, I was deeply inspired by inspirational talks from Jyotish and Devi, as well as the creative energy generated in the Zoom breakout rooms that followed.
Then the afternoon was dedicated to human family, as my brother, his wife, and their daughter — who live in Southern California — arrived (together with my Dad) for their first visit to Ananda Village.
I toured them all around the property, then drove into town to have dinner with them before they headed back to Sacramento, where they’re visiting with other family members.
All in all, it was a fairly exhausting day, so I was happy to spend the evening relaxing and watching a show with Ramesha — my core, every day, all the time, love-of-my-life family. 😊
Spiritual Renewal Week is drawing to a close. One more class; a pre-recorded storytelling event with Murali; Sunday service; and we’re done!
So far I have to say that everything has been way more powerful that I expected! The classes, the music, even today’s Kriya ceremony. And what a joy to know that I’m sharing it all with my spiritual family all around the globe.