Divine Mother Kirtan and Meditation

[Anandaprem shares the following note and photos.]

On Wednesday, May 10, Ananda’s new San Jose Meditation Group created a lovely evening of devotional chanting to Divine Mother, meditating on Her blessings and Her grace in our lives. The meditation room, highlighted by a devotional altar was bathed in serene candlelight and pictures of the divine.

Susan and Phil Hoffert have graciously opened their home for twice monthly meditations. The group meditates together the second and fourth Wednesday evening of the month beginning at 7:30 pm until 8:30 pm and ending with a short time of fellowship. This group is for new and old meditators alike. For more information, please email Susan at sjmedgroup@anandapaloalto.org.

Easter Sunday: Bunnies, Shrines, and Theater

On Sunday we had a full day of festivities to celebrate this joyfully holy day. Sunday service featured a special selection of extra music by the choir and soloists, which always helps to bring the story of the resurrection to life, as it were. After service, we had a quick "community portrait" photo shoot on the front steps of the church. What a big, happy family we make!

If your eyes happen to be closed in this photo, don't worry. We took several shots, and we have a volunteer who has valiantly offered to photoshop all the best versions together. Can true perfection be attained through technology? We shall see.

After service we moved to the community, where the weather was ideal for Easter brunch on the green. Many loving volunteer hours went into preparing and serving the excellent food (the soup alone I was ready to just eat all day). And, of course, the Easter Bunny herself made an appearance, delighting children of all ages. 

As we had so many people gathered at the community, it seemed an auspicious time to officially launch and dedicate a new community project: the creation of a shrine to Lahiri Mahasaya. A number of volunteers, including the current class of Sadhaka trainees, have been working on the plans for this and will start construction soon. We have a statue of him already, and a patch of ground has been cleared for a gazebo and some new landscaping. For the dedication ceremony, we brought the statue out on a table so we could sing to it an invocation, and shower it with rose petals and with our blessings and prayers. Keep watching that space for something beautiful!

And then, of course, what better way to round off a fun afternoon and stimulate the digestion of Easter Brunch than some good laughs from a P. G. Wodehouse play? An extra-large cast of 10 presented Uncle Fred Flits By, complete with Steven smoking an incense "cigar" and Craig taking on a second role as a parrot.

More photos of the day can be found here. Many thanks to everyone who made it so delightful, and Happy Easter to all!

Joy Singers of L.A. on Tour

[Karen shares the following note.]

Lauri and Bhagavati are both former Ananda Palo Alto buddies who, along with Peter and Ramesha, are now part of the new Ananda LA Joy Singers group. They performed for us on Sunday evening at Chela Bhavan, to a full house of friends and singers. A tough audience gave them rave reviews. They have an unusually lovely sound and a terrific blend.

They're planning to put together a CD, and you'll definitely want to get a copy. It will help them raise some money to get rolling, too. We'll keep you posted.

They are working on taking this music on the road, and welcome your ideas and contacts in Southern California where they can perform. Churches, schools, yoga centers, retreats -- if you have any contacts, please drop a note to Ramesha.

Members' Candlelight Tea

On Saturday, Ananda members and guests all gathered for our annual candlelight extravaganza, celebrating our joy in being together in this spiritual family.

This year, the gorgeous altar was mirrored by another incredible display at the opposite end of the temple. Surrounding us with the masters this way really transformed the space in a very special way. (See all the photos here, courtesy of Suman.)

Going far beyond mere "tea," food was seemingly trucked in by many culinarily talented volunteers. We had savories (saag paneer, samosas, mushroom empanadas, salads, and tables-ful more), sweets (the brownies alone came in 5 fancy varieties), and a chocolate fountain with a variety of dip-ables.

Enjoying the company, the dinner, and the chocolate fountain.

Ananda being the musical place it is, we did enjoy a song from the choir, but we also got the whole audience up on stage as well (nearly -- we did rather overflow). Split into six groups, we all sang each other Swamiji's 6-part song, "Channels." Very appropriately for a members' celebration, this song reminds us that we're all channels for God's grace in our own unique and important ways, and that it takes all of our parts to make a beautiful, harmonious whole.

For further entertainment, we played a game of "Guess Whose Mysterious Past." Groups of devotees sat on stage and the audience guessed which of them was described in each surprising, unusual, impressive, or even frightening story that David read to us. You may not have been aware that there are those among us who have rebuilt the engine of a motorcycle to drive it across the country, were olympic-level swimmers, or can sing like the reincarnation of Louis Armstrong.

And last but not least... have you ever wondered what it would be like if Gilbert and Sullivan had been devotees on our path? Wonder no more, for the song has now been written and performed. (And Jeffrey was even quick enough with his iPhone to get a video of it.)

I Am the Very Model of a Yogananda Devotee

Inspiration and music by Gilbert and Sullivan. 

Lyrics by Graham Waldon.

I am the very model of a Yogananda devotee,

I've information blessed with far more levity than brevity,

I practice Kriya Yoga and I'm always sure to energize,

And when I do my asanas it never will offend your eyes.

I'm very well acquainted with the guidelines of Patanjali,

I know they'll help me re-a-lize my full potentiality,

My favorite place to travel is to islands in the BA-hamas,

Where it's a cinch to practice all the yamas and the niyamas!

I'm even-minded and I'm cheerful just as much as I can be,

Even when my karmic bombs insist on blowing up on me,

In fact it is my cup of tea to be all filled with levity,

I am the very model of a Yogananda devotee.

I'm a member of the sangha and I always tithe my 10 percent,

Even when I've no idea where all my other money went,

I volunteer my service and I always help my gurubhais,

I listen to the Pravers and I do the things that they advise.

And when it comes to eating, it is true I'm no barbarian,

My diet may be noted to be strictly vegetarian,

And when I have a free weekend I take a drive down to LA,

To go see Kriyananda and to hear the things he has to say.

In fact it's thanks to Swamiji that you can see me here today,

He models for us all the best discipleship in every way,

I know you will not disagree this fills our lives with levity,

He is the very model of a Yogananda devotee.

Cry from the Heart of the First Americans

This week hundreds of people enjoyed the Living Wisdom School's annual theater production, with a Native American theme this year. The play told the story of the great peacemaker Deganawidah and his follower Hiawatha, who together overcame a warring, revengeful culture to bring five tribes together into the Iroquois Confederacy of peace.

All of the school's children, from ages 5 to 14, were part of the play, all with multiple roles. It's always incredible to see how they rise to the occasion with such poise and magnetism well beyond what you'd expect from their years.

In addition to recitations of Native American poetry and proverbs, there was also flute and drum music, with enthusiastic dances by all the children. One dance illustrated the whole harvest cycle, beginning with older children sowing seeds, then being joined by younger children as the growing corn stalks, and even smaller ones as the bees.

Atatarho, the villain of the play, is tormented by demons, and his soul is sick of all the war and hatred between the tribes. In the end, Hiawatha, a great medicine man, is able to heal him and include him in the confederacy.

For more photos of the beautiful event, costumes and children, please watch the excellent slideshow Heather put together for us:

Update: In the humanitarian spirit of the great historical and spiritual figures that LWS honors every year in its plays, the school decided to donate a portion of its proceeds to a Japan relief fund. Between this and additional donations from the audience members, they sent about $1,000 to Japan. Thank you all!

The Joyful Arts at Ananda

Have you seen the new Joyful Arts at Ananda website? Swami Kriyananda has always wanted to do more to share the artistic side of Ananda as a way to reach out and convey to the rest of the world what we're all about. Jyotish recently passed this concept on to Rick and Peter Skillman, who turned it into a videography project which has rapidly blossomed and taken on a life of its own.

Over the course of only a few days, they recorded over 32 hours of video interviews with Swamiji and with various other Ananda members, on music, painting, theater, and more. There's also a "how I met Swami Kriyananda" section (see Asha's part here). These videos are gradually getting edited and posted to the website, so everyone can enjoy them.

Everything is (not surprisingly) very beautifully done, so have a look, enjoy the videos, share them with friends, and we'll all enjoy seeing how the project evolves!

Congratulations to the Newly-Re-Weds!

On Saturday evening we had a very special Wedding Vow Renewal Ceremony. Fifteen couples participated, at least one still short of their first anniversary, and some well into their third or fourth decades together. In a combined wedding ceremony they all rededicated themselves to each other and to God and Gurus.

Friends and family were invited to attend, and it was a truly delightful ceremony to watch. We spend a lot of time here at Ananda focusing inwardly on God, which is of course what we're here to do. But it was very sweet to take a little time to focus on some of the incredibly dear people and relationships we have around us. 

Participants were invited to bring photos from their original weddings, all of which were absolutely adorable. And of course, what would a wedding be without wedding cake? Ananda Palo Alto's very own Fig Tree Bakers turned out a two-tiered, gluten-free, lemon cake with buttercream frosting, and matching cupcakes, for a tasty and celebratory way to end the evening.

Congratulations and blessings to all the happy couples!