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Welcome to the December - January edition of the Self-Realization Fellowship eNewsletter. This month we share an inspiring Christmas meditation from Paramahansa Yogananda, along with Sri Daya Mata's last Christmas letter written before her passing on November 30, and a new section on our website where you can read about Daya Mata's remarkable life and work.
A beautiful memorial service for Sri Daya Mata was held on December 12, and we are happy to provide video coverage of the event.
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A Christmas Meditation From Paramahansa Yogananda |
All my thoughts are decorating the Christmas tree of meditation with the rare gifts of devotion, sealed with golden heart-prayers that Christ may come and receive my humble gifts.
I will mentally join in the worship in all mosques, churches, and temples; and perceive the birth of the universal Christ Consciousness as peace on the altar of all devotional hearts.
O Christ, may the birth of Thy love be felt in all hearts this Christmas and on all other days.
Prayers and Affirmations for the Christmas Season
O Christ, bless Thy children that they inwardly cooperate with Thy laws. Make us realize that Thou art the best shelter from harm.
Teach us, O Christ, to be devoted to our Father as Thou art.
After waiting for me through many incarnations, Christ is being born anew in me. All the boundaries of my little mind are broken that the Christ-child may wake on the lap of my consciousness.
Christ Consciousness in me is the shepherd to lead my restless thoughts to my home of divine peace.
O Lord! make my heart big enough to hold Thee, that it throb with the Christ Consciousness in everything. Then shall I enjoy the festivity of Thy birth in my mind, my soul, and in oneness with every pulsing atom.
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Sri Daya Mata Memorial Service Video - Now Available for Online Viewing |
 Thousands of members and friends of Self-Realization Fellowship/Yogoda Satsanga Society of India from all over the world joined the monks and nuns of SRF at a memorial service to honor the life of our beloved president and sanghamata, Sri Daya Mata, who left her body on November 30.
The memorial service took place at the Civic Auditorium, Pasadena, California, on December 12, 2010.
We are happy to share comprehensive, high-definition video coverage of the 2-1/2 hour event, for the inspiration of our friends around the world. And we hope you will enjoy and join in the many beautiful comments from around the world, which you can read on the video player page. View video
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A Christmas Message From Sri Daya Mata
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As we honor the birth of the Christ Consciousness in the form of the blessed Lord Jesus, may your heart be uplifted anew by the joy and hope so strongly felt during this sacred season. The coming of such great ones who purely reflect God's light strengthens our faith that we too can experience a rebirth from a matter-bound existence to the limitless nature of our soul. We behold in them our own infinite potential to expand our consciousness and manifest in our individual lives and our relationships with others God's goodness and love....
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| A Special Tribute to Sri Daya Mata | |
 We are pleased to offer a new section on our website paying tribute to the extraordinary life and work of Sri Daya Mata. The section includes a special message from the SRF Board of Directors, and a short biography of Sri Daya Mata's remarkable life.
From her early longings to know God at the age of 8, to her first encounter with Paramahansa Yogananda at 17, and ultimately the next 80 years as a monastic disciple dedicated to her Guru and his teachings, Sri Daya Mata's life was devoted to love, humility, and God.
The biography section, called "A Life of Love, Humility, and Devoted Service," features several short videos we wanted to share with you (including a heart-warming film of Daya Mataji giving Christmas greetings to SRF members and friends at a gathering some years ago. You will also find many tributes from notable persons around the world, and a number of other features in this new special section (be sure to check back in the coming weeks as new content is added). Finally, we hope you enjoy a selection of excerpts from the inspiring writings of Sri Daya Mata.
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2011 Schedules and Calendar of Events - Now Available |
Our 2011 Schedules are now available. Please see the following pages for your convenience:
Annual Calendar of Events
Please see our Calendar of Events page for a full listing of SRF activities taking place throughout the year.
Sunday Services
Sunday Services are offered at our temples and meditation centers around the world and include readings from Paramahansa Yogananda's writings, as well as periods of devotional chanting, silent meditation, and prayer. View schedule and list of inspirational topics.
Public Lecture Tours
Self-Realization Fellowship monks and nuns will be conducting programs on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda in designated cities through the world in 2011. For more information and program details, please see our 2011 Lecture Tour Schedule.
How-to-Live Retreat Programs
On many weekends throughout the year, SRF monks and nuns will be conducting How-to-Live Retreat programs. Join us at one of the beautiful Self-Realization Fellowship Retreats or ashram centers at Encinitas, Lake Shrine, or Hidden Valley to spend some time deepening your relationship with God and recharging body, mind, and spirit. See schedule.
For those in the eastern United States, retreat programs will be held at the SRF Greenfield Retreat in Front Royal, Virginia. |
We hope you enjoyed this edition of the Self-Realization Fellowship eNewsletter. Check your inbox each month for more inspiration and wisdom from the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda.
In divine friendship,
Self-Realization Fellowship
Copyright © 2010 Self-Realization Fellowship
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Christ is the joy felt in meditation. Christ is the perception realized in the deepest hours of silence. Clear away all the bars of material desire and let Christ into your heart. Open the portals of devotion and meditate until the Christ child is born within you.
− Paramahansa Yogananda
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Self-Realization
Magazine
Winter 2010
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