Tag: Temple of Light

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A snowy Sunday

This was the perfect snowy Sunday…

It was barely raining when we left early in the morning to rehearse before service, but the predicted snow did arrive midway through the morning.

By the time service was actually underway, sitting in the Temple of Light felt a little like being in the middle of a snow globe!

But the snow had completely stopped by the time service ended and we were ready to drive home to a winter wonderland.

Then the weather had cleared up as the day ended, resulting in a beautiful cloudy sunset.

Altogether perfect.

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Choir of a hundred voices

Free photos of Christmas motif

Although there were only four of us in the Temple of Light this evening, we definitely felt united in singing with all the people (there were at least a hundred!) who joined us online.

In addition to Ananda Village residents and friends in Sacramento, we were joined by people in the states of New York, Ohio, Michigan, Maryland, Oregon, Maine, and Hawaii, as well as the country of Colombia.

This was different than our usual concerts because we wanted everyone online to feel they were active participants, so we had our friends Lisa and Dambara in the Temple with us. They helped so much by responding to the live chat and sharing people’s comments.

All in all, it was deeply inspiring and also a whole lot of fun.

P.S. Because the event was recorded (see the video below), you can join and sing along any time you wish. The lyrics to all the songs can found here.

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Come sing with us!

Free illustrations of Christmas concert

We were so looking forward to once again having full choir for our Christmas concert this year, but — for the third year in a row — health considerations have made singing together in a large group too risky.

The concert is tomorrow — Saturday, December 17 — at 5:00pm. In order to still share the spirit of Christ through music, our small singing group will be in the Temple of Light, performing the program our choir had been rehearsing since October. And we’re inviting everyone — choir members, Village residents, our global Ananda community, and friends and family everywhere — to sing along with us via the live broadcast.

Our hope is to feel that we are all singing together, energetically connected through the music, no matter where we are in the world. 

P.S. We’re hoping to make lyrics and some sheet music available. Of course, you’re also welcome to just enjoy the music. 😊

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Wonderful to be back

What a joy to be back in the Temple of Light singing and chanting once again!

My ultimate happy place, enjoying my favorite healing activity, with some of my favorite people.

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A breakthrough week

I had to wait until the end of the week to share this, because I didn’t want to jinx it!

For a number of years I’ve struggled with consistency in my meditation practices; spending six months focused on fitting cancer treatments into my schedule didn’t help.

But somehow the time had come — there must have been an inner shift of some sort — and this Monday I got up extra early, did my full energization exercises, then went to the Temple of Light to meditate.

Most importantly, I repeated those actions every single day this week, and it feels great.

I know this is my best way to prepare for the upcoming bone marrow transplant, so–

Yay me!

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Tonight – Oratorio, Christ Lives!

All the final details are in place.

Now it’s time to rest, relax, and focus on feeling and looking our best for tonight’s performance.

I can hardly wait.

Oh, yeah! The performance is from 7:00-8:30pm (PDT) in the Temple of Light at Ananda Village.

Here’s the link if you’d like to watch it online:  https://youtu.be/7RiSPCoTPfw

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It’s Oratorio time!

Swami Kriyananda singing for the Oratorio in Palo Alto (2008)

I’ve got to keep this short in order to get ready for our first Oratorio rehearsal in the Temple of Light since March of 2020!

Yep, we got the go-ahead to have an actual choir. True, it has to be a very small one of less than twenty singers, but we’re still thrilled. It’s been way too long since we did the Oratorio.

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Mission accomplished

We came, we sang, we felt the joy of channeling beautiful music.

Many friends, Expanding Light guests, and fellow Village residents came to listen and be uplifted by the vibrations of beautiful music.

We all rejoiced in the first full concert of live music in the Temple of Light since December 2019.

Personally, I’m now looking ahead to April 2022 for our first Oratorio in the Temple of Light.

It’s time.

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Choir returns to the Temple of Light

I managed to take a few pics of choir the other night.

On the one hand it felt quite low key and normal, but on the other hand it was our first time in the Temple as a choir in almost two years!

Definitely a moment worth capturing.

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Happy Earth Day!

This red bud tree pretty much took my breath away the other day. Especially together with the contrasting Japanese Maple, the green pine trees, and deep blue sky, all framing the beautiful Temple of Light.

I’m so grateful for the beauty of this patch of the planet that I get to call home!

Plus, Ramesha and I finally made another fun video, also in honor of Earth Day. Enjoy!