Open House at the Farm

This past Saturday we had a fantastic Open House event up at Ananda Valley farm. This was a chance for us to open our doors and have hundreds of friends, neighbors, and community members come in an find out what our Farm and Ananda in general are all about. The welcome crew estimated that we had 400 visitors, not counting staff and volunteers, which makes it very possibly the largest event Ananda has ever put on that did not have Swami Kriyananda physically present. (He was definitely present in other ways, though, along with all our gurus!)

Guests got to tour the farm, enjoy a vegetarian cookout, practice yoga and meditation in the temple yurt, play children’s games, sing songs, get their faces painted, dance to live music, and visit with our flock of chickens. There was even a display of paintings by Galen Wolf, an artist who lived on the property for many years, including a painting of the farm itself in the 1930’s. The weather was gorgeous, spirits were high, and the energy was delighted and joyful.

Some comments from our visitors included:

• “Great to see your operation today. It is definitely one of the jewels of the coast!” 
• “Thank you so much, my kids, husband, and I are so excited!! We absolutely loved your open house and are considering volunteering on Saturdays with our boys.” 
• “I am so inspired here. I would like to come out with my easel and do some painting.”
• “We had so much fun! The kids don't even want to leave.” 
• “I am signing up for your CSA because I went on Yelp and you had the best reviews ever!”

You can find more photos of the whole day here. Jai Farm!

Farm Adventure Days

[guest post from Michael and Kasey]

Here are some photo highlights from our June Farm Adventure Days!

When you think of all the components God pulled together for a wonderful week it is truly amazing. The chicks arrived a day before the first day, and all the kids got to hold these brand new baby chicks about the size of a orange. The big chickens were great fun to feed and get the eggs from. The pond with salamanders or Sally’s as the kids called them were endless fun to catch and release along with the cute small frogs. We also enjoyed art projects, planting veggies, nature appreciation games, and a trip to the beach. It’s wonderful for kids to get unplugged and get out in the sunshine to explore and play.

We want to thank our wonderful teachers that led the week of adventure days. Our daughter Kelly was in another camp being a teen leader last week after doing the same at FAD. Her comment was that the other camp was not like an Ananda teacher experience — those Ananda teachers put a lot of thought and energy into really connecting with the kids.

There are more Farm Adventure Days coming up on July 20-24, and we expect them to sell out soon! We’re looking forward to this second session, especially when we get uplifting reports like this from parents:

“Our children loved the camp so much and were extremely candid while telling us about their day.... It was so wonderful to hear about all their experiences. When they went to bed in the evening, they were so exhausted, yet couldn’t wait for the morning and their next adventure. My son said, ‘Mom, I learned so much from camp, it taught me to connect with nature and feel calm inside.’ Priceless! This is one of the best camps ever. My two boys also said that they felt loved and cared for. Thank you so much for this great program!”

Enchanted Tea at the Farm

[Guest post by Karen B. Check out the Ananda Valley Farm website to keep up with the latest news from the farm!]

While yogis are no strangers to moments of delight, beauty and surprise, the Enchanted Tea fundraising event on the farm this past weekend may have set a new standard for experiencing such divine gifts amidst the clucking of nearby chickens, the insulating charm of greenhouse surroundings and the fresh, earthy scent of a recently enhanced straw floor.

The nearly 35 guests (and an equal number of volunteers) who attended enjoyed a lovely afternoon of tea, various courses of delicious handmade foods representing different countries, and the splendid musical entertainment of a talented vocal quartet.

While refinement was in the air, and a cadre of waiters was on hand to serve guests in sit-down fashion, the order of the day was the much-anticipated opportunity to offer support to our beloved farm, and the many projects that await funding in order to proceed.

What began as an inventory of 30 items in need of sponsorship, quickly transformed into a list reflective of the true generosity of spirit that has accompanied the Ananda Valley Farm from its inception.

Many projects were fully funded; among them a mobile chicken coop, equipment to expand seedling production, funding to expand the accommodations at Seva House, new fruit trees for the orchard, solar-powered valve controls for watering, landscaping and a wishing well for the Temple yurt, and even the addition of an espresso machine for the Seva House kitchen. And, lastly, the entire room erupted in cheers and applause at the announcement of the funding of the final item on the list: a horse.

Stay tuned for the many seva opportunities that will arise as these upgrades to the farm are purchased and become ready to install.

For now, we would like to express gratitude to all of those whose willing service contributed to an exquisite experience at the farm, and to God and Gurus for the abundant blessings that continue to grace the life of Ananda Valley Farm.

[You can find more photos of the event here!]

1st Annual Harvest Festival

A new milestone for Ananda Valley Farm: The first annual Harvest Festival! After so many joyful workdays over the last year, it was time to go up there and just play.

Our amazingly resourceful farm staff and volunteers filled the afternoon with activities, including face painting, boat racing, pumpkin racing, tug-of-war, egg toss, ultimate nerf, hay rides, sharing nature activities, a plant identification lesson, a hike, and probably more that elude the memory at the moment.

After a delicious dinner in the greenhouse, we headed out to the pond for a sunset arati. Everyone received a small, paper bowl “boat,” containing flowers, a candle, and a stick of incense. Then to the accompaniment of prayers, chants, and Aums, we launched them all out on to the water.

And for the grand finale to the day, we had the farm’s first contradance! Omprakash came down from Seattle to teach the dances and play fiddle. The rest of the band was made up of his old contradance buddies Karen and David (on fiddle and piano, respectively), and Tandava (playing banjo and fiddle). With lots of enthusiastic new contradancers (including a very young one) we turned Sahadev’s workshop into a surprisingly good dancehall.

If you weren’t able to join us, plan on it next year. This is just the start of a wonderful tradition. More photos of the day are here.

Happy Birthday, Ananda Valley Farm!

This past weekend, we celebrated our first year as farmers at our very own Ananda Valley Farm. A fun and farm-ful Saturday included a morning harvest, an afternoon class plus Q&A session with visiting Nayaswamis Pranaba and Parvati, and a gourmet dinner in the greenhouse. Check out some of the photos! (Now is that an impressive salad or what!? Guess where that came from....)

It’s really quite amazing how far we’ve come in just this first year. We’re already supplying bountiful weekly boxes of vegetables to a number of CSA subscribers, and we’re getting ready to plant our first commercial crops for next year. And take a look at some of these other dramatic changes:

Seva house kitchen...

Before/During and After

Seva House bedrooms...

Then and Now

And, of course, the chickens, who are almost ready to start laying eggs!

Then (well, just a few months ago) and Now

If you want to spend more time at the farm, come join us this Saturday for a wild plant walk, potluck dinner, and special Krishna kirtan!

A Day at the Farm with Jyotish and Devi

We were blessed this weekend to have Nayaswamis Jyotish and Devi, spiritual directors of Ananda Worldwide, visiting us in Palo Alto. In addition to enjoying Sunday Service with them, we took them on Saturday for their first visit to Ananda Valley Farm.

Lahari and her team masterfully transformed a seemingly ordinary greenhouse into an uplifted, uplifting temple, sattwic and calming, with beautiful plants everywhere, and no matter where the eye went there was an altar waiting to raise your consciousness. Divine Mother played Her part as well by providing us with an exquisite day — sunny skies, perfect temperature, little wind.

Jyotish and Devi were very moved by the beauty and peaceful vibration of the farm, and both gave talks that focused on the land. Devi remarked that “if I had two bodies, one of them would be right here.”

She went on to share that nearly every senior Ananda member had worked in the garden, under the tutelage of Haanel Cassidy. She was new to Ananda when she began working in the garden, and after years of college and mental busy-ness, it was the garden that brought her experiences of deep mental calmness and peace. Though she sometimes found at night, when meditating, that instead of seeing the spiritual eye, she saw endless rows of baby carrots (well-weeded, of course)!

Jyotish also spoke about how it is necessary to spiritual life to gradually slow our vibration, in order to experience the Divine (which is free of vibration, in its pure form). Living in the Silicon Valley is a little like living in your office — not something we want to be continuously immersed in! The farm offers a nearby respite from the faster vibration of urban life, where we can come to replenish and renew ourselves, and draw closer to Spirit.

Both of them encouraged us to keep our consciousness focused on the Divine as we moved about the property, now and always. It seems none of us could ever be on that land in the same way after their talks. We were all feeling blessed from the outset with this land but they added an element of grace and power to it all.

We then blessed the farm with the installation of a murti (similar to the one recently arrived at the temple). The sculpture of Paramhansa Yogananda was carried around the pond in a procession, accompanied by chanting, and touching all of the corners of the pond in a ceremony such as one might see in India. Once he was in his final place, rose petals and blessings were offered by all.

Then, back into the greenhouse for a beautifully laid out and really scrumptious farm lunch — a gourmet sandwich bar. The grand finale of the day was a reception line with Jyotish and Devi, so that everyone had the opportunity to meet them, share a few moments with them, and receive their blessing.

You can see many lovely photos here, and there’s also a short video that includes a slideshow and some footage of the procession.

More Updates from Ananda Valley Farm

We had another community workday up at Ananda Valley Farm this past Saturday, with about 30 folks coming to pitch in. Some of the notable accomplishments include transplanting 250 calla lilies and weeding in the hoop house, clearing a hiking path to the top of the ridge (with a beautiful view of the Pacific Ocean), designing and installing a much needed drainage ditch behind Seva House, measuring and installing metal fence posts around the orchard, and most important of all, preparing the orchard for planting. Check out this fun time-lapse video of the day's work:

And have you seen the new farm website yet? Give it a visit, see some more photos, and subscribe to the newsletter if you want to keep up-to-date on all the happenings there!

Farm Brainstorming

[Guest post courtesy of Trisha. See all the photos here.]

What do rotating seed banks, chickens, and Ananda-brand teas have in common? They were just some of the many ideas generated on Saturday at our Palo Alto temple when a group of over 50 devotees joined creative forces to brainstorm ideas for our new farm. Karen G. and Robert Z. creatively led the group into coming up with ideas in six major areas including: our vision for its use, how to market products, farming and what to grow, the buildings and equipment, security and a safe haven, and communication. Ideas were shared on what we would like to see happen on our farm, and every person that added an idea sparked more ideas from others. At the end of the day, presentations were given on the ones generated. There were too many to list here (they will be published soon), but some included raising bees for honey, sustainable farming and permaculture, having seasonal celebrations, sharing farm news on the web, what emergency supplies to have, and how to brand our name.

What we may lack in farm experience was made up in life experience and enthusiasm. Asha ended the day with beautiful words on how this farm has reconnected us to nature and to each other. How perfect our farm is, not just having everything we need it to, but also being so beautiful, and if we were all there camping out with no power but we had a harmonium with us, how much fun it would be.

We felt Divine Mother there on this most uplifting and inspiring day, moving her children along lovingly to help us get our farm going. At Ananda, when we are attuned to what is trying to happen, the possibilities are endless and as much creativity that had occurred on this day, the amount of joy coming out of our temple far exceeded even that.

Ananda Valley Farm Dedication

Saturday was a momentous day for Ananda in the Bay Area. Yes, we’d already bought ourselves a farm, through no small financial miracle. Yes, a number of us have already been spending a great deal of time there, even beyond the two recent community workdays. But Saturday was the day we officially gave it to God and our gurus. And Saturday was the day they gave it back to us with their blessings. And that makes all the difference.

Over a hundred people from around the Bay Area, and even from the  Village, gathered at our new farm on a gorgeously sunny afternoon. We assembled in one of the greenhouses, with a large altar set up along one wall, folding chairs brought in for everyone, a sound system, recording setup — the works.

David and Asha spoke, sharing the story of our farm up to the current moment, and we also heard from our official farm staff members Biraj, Lahari, and Warren. James, our realtor, shared how he’d felt Swamiji’s presence “whispering from the trees” to him, all throughout the process of buying the property. And we were honored to meet Caín, the foreman who has lived and worked on this land for 39 years, and is now taking on the new challenge of teaching us all how to be farmers. A potentially daunting task, but one he’s facing with admirably good humor.

To bless the land, everyone received an envelope containing small items to distribute or bury around the property as we roamed and chanted for half an hour. We had pictures of Swamiji and the Masters, small ziplocs of Ganges water, tiny stones from Babaji’s cave in the Himalayas, and packets of soil from Crystal Hermitage. Asha had kept a large container of the finely sifted Crystal Hermitage soil for a long time, ever since someone gave it to Swamiji many years ago, and had just been waiting to see what its ultimate purpose would be. This was perfect.

To end, we gathered in a central area for a fire ceremony, and then closed by singing “Channels,” Swamiji’s song of gratitude to Divine Mother and to Her presence as expressed through all the infinite, joyful variety of creation. And a song of opening ourselves, as well, to be Her channels. It was  beautifully uplifted occasion, and the feeling of the day was that Ananda Valley Farm had clearly and unmistakably been launched on its Divine mission. Appropriately, Asha commented that the day’s photos are the first we’ve had that truly do justice to the land.

Mother, we thank you,
Your joy shines in ev’rything!
Open these channels
That the world once more may sing.

Seva in Spades

Few people probably spend as much of their free time hard at work as Ananda folks do. But then, few people have nearly as much fun at it as we do, so it’s hardly surprising.

The Saturday before last, we had our second workday out at Ananda Valley Farm (photos here, including a few from the previous week, showing the walk up to the Babaji Grotto). We had pouring rain most of the time, which apparently comes along with our valley’s nifty little microclimate, and is the envy of the other farmers in the area. So we appreciated that and moved ourselves off to more indoor projects.

The bunkhouse team cleaned and spackled walls, in the first of many stages towards making it a more inviting habitation. We also had a lot of folks working in one of the greenhouses (where the sound of the rain on the roof was deafening). They got some more seeds planted, and transplanted all the calla lilies that were growing in the ground into pots. We set aside the very first one, to do something historical with at some point.

Then this past Saturday we had a workday at the church (and those photos are here). The much sunnier weather was a boon for all the landscaping work. Team Shiva had a big day, taking out giant pampas grasses and other overgrown or otherwise unneeded plants, but the green thumbs came along behind and made sure we left things looking nice.

The un-sunburned team cleaned and organized the flower pantry and the ministers’s room, including a closet full of vases and many drawers full of decorative cloths. We even polished the candlesticks and ironed the candles. (Apparently this is a thing they need. Who knew?)

So the next time you’re at the farm or the church, take a look around at some of the shiny new energy. And get in on the fun next time!

Farming, Hiking, and Discipling

Well, maybe you thought last month was busy, but this past weekend certainly gave it a run for the money. (Any aspiring writers out there who want to help me keep up with all this? Drop me a line.) Here are the highlights (click the links for photos)....

Swami Kriyananda’s 65th discipleship anniversary on Thursday evening was the first we’ve celebrated since he left his body, but as many have commented, in some ways he’s more with us now than before. We had a very sweet and simple ceremony, with short talks from several folks who don’t usually frequent the microphone, but who shared their thoughts on Swamiji and discipleship. Some chanting, meditation, and a community offering of flowers at the altar rounded off a quietly devotional evening.

On Saturday, a group of 27 enthusiastic hikers took a trip up to Tomales Point for a joyful 9-mile satsang by the sea. The day began in fog, but a meditation break took care of that, with eyes opening up to sunny skies by the end of it. There were many herds of elk around, mostly in “harem” formation for mating season, but with the notable exception of an all-male herd of brahmachari elk. Vidura led some Sharing Nature games, and Shanti provided gourmet sandwiches for lunch. (Chris hosted a delicious dinner at his home afterwards — we don’t let our yogis go hungry around here!) The highlight of the day was the final destination — the tip of Tomales Bay that offered a 360-degree view of endless blue.

Also on Saturday (that was a tough decision day), we had our first workday at the new Ananda Valley Farm. Forty volunteers spent the morning doing a lot of the early stages of work required to turn the property back into a functioning farm. We cleared out a huge dumpster’s worth of old, broken farm equipment, furniture, and other abandoned items from the barn and from the bunk house. We also got rid of a broken-down shed, started clearing a trail up the hill to the spring (and what may one day be a meditation spot), and we even got a few seeds started (that’s how you can tell it’s really a farm).

Fun weekend! If you’re ever bored, give us a holler. There’s a lot more where this all came from.