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 | photo: Maria Gianas |
Dear Friends,
We want to begin by offering our prayers for the loss of life and innocence in Newtown, and to all who have been touched by this tragedy. We can only hope that this leads to an awakening in the consciousness of our country. This week we find ourselves about to reach the fabled 12/21/12. 2012 has certainly lived up to being a year of transformation. This has been an amazing year for inner change. I do believe that this day will be significant for those who are ready to experience a shift. Keep your senses on high alert to feel the positive impact you can receive on this day.
SRI KIRTAN is joining a wonderful collective of highly energized people this coming Solstice on 12-21-12. It is the World Peace Meditation Retreat at the Ashokan Center in Olivebridge. www.crystalclearmasterteachers.com Please consider coming together with us for a whole day of OM's and followed by a channeled session by Suzy Meszoly & SRI Kirtan in the evening.
SRI Kirtan will be heading to Georgia & Florida in Jan. 11-20. Check our website frequently for updates.
"Like" our page on Facebook to see all the action as it unfolds. Wishing you all a Genuinely Happy New Year. from our hearts to yours-with Love, Ishwari & Sruti Ram
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The Christmas Tree by Sruti Ram
This year I wanted to put up some lights on my tree outside my home. Much to my dismay, the tree had gotten much taller, I could not manage to hang the lights in my traditional way. So I decided to buy a cut tree and install it outside and put up my lights.
I started shopping around for a big tree that I could transport on my small car and then install it out in my field with some lights. As I shopped around, I found the large trees to be very expensive. I went to a few places and became discouraged, and started to drive back home.
I usually drive the back roads between Woodstock and Kingston. This time, I noticed an old man on a bicycle on the road in front of me. It was curious to me because he was dressed all in white: white pants, jacket and skull cap hat, all white. As I slowly passed him by I wanted a good look at this old guy, so I lowered my window on the passenger side and looked directly at him. OMG---it's Maharaji I yelled. He looked at me and shouted "BOY SCOUTS, BOY SCOUTS". As I passed him I gazed back again in the mirror with disbelief to have another look, and low and behold He was gone--not there--disappeared. I practically came to a stop and was blown away by the "darshan" or visitation I had just experienced. Why was he telling me about the boy scouts I pondered. Then it came to me that the boy scouts sell Christmas trees in Kingston. So I turned aback around and went there.
When I arrived there all the young volunteers seemed so happy and excited. I was then informed by a fellow customer, that they had been robbed of 60 trees the night before and that a local store, and nursery had just donated trees back to them so they could achieve their goal for the scouts. They had the perfect tree for me at a reasonable price. We put it on top of my car and off I went. My friend Kenji came over to help me with this really big tree and we got it up and secure. Every time I look at it I know it is a Christmas Gift to me from my beloved Guru and all the proceeds went to charity. A delightful experience that I wanted to share with you all. Come by and see Maharaji's Tree. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
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Since we last connected...
 | 500 people chanting on the Manhattan's Circle Line-Bhajan Boat NYC Oct 2012 photo:The Bhakti Beat |
 | Vermantra 2012 photo:The Bhakti Beat |
 | Ananda Ashram with Kim & Renee |
 | Vermantra chating with Gaura Vani photo:The Bhakti Beat |
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JOY TO THE WORLD by Sruti Ram
---------Jai Sri Hanuman---Jai Sita Ram---------
In the western tradition we celebrate the Birth Of Christ, indisputably one of the greatest Yogis ever incarnated. His universal message is to Love each other---to do unto others as we would like done unto us----to turn the other cheek in the face of adversity-----simple teachings but not easy. We have been so negatively affected by our cultural doctrines and worldly energies. In the Gita this time period is named the Kali Yuga. It has lived up to it's description in the Rig Veda, "a difficult time for all who exist." I shall not go into the litany of terrible occurrences of this past year. We are well aware of them. "The one who, leaving aside the command of the scriptures, does as he pleases; such a person neither attains pleasure in this life, nor is able to achieve the ultimate goal of human life." There is a remedy to all this energy that exhausts our reason and contemplation. It's the power of LOVE. Love and spiritual practice is declared in the Vedas as the protection for conscious beings during this Yuga. The smallest practice of loving compassion and devout spiritual intention is enough to neutralize the negativity that bombards us constantly. Singing the holy name as in Kirtan-MahaMantra,and in this season Christmas Carols, as in Joy to the World--Peace on Earth to men of good will, is in fact a brilliant action.. If we are aware of this knowledge we are involved in very good karma. It's the karma of Action---positive action. This is where the power of a dharmic collective resides. Together we can focus and create a Quantum Shift in our world. There is power in numbers. Let us consciously and deliberately come together and sing the praises of Divinity. Celebrate the divine energy that is our true essence. Together we can bring it forth and manifest a greater more powerful force than has ever been known. We are divine. We are able to create. We Can and Must recognize the illness and apply the cure.
A true and intelligent person can discover within themselves that dharmic activity, is superimposing on the Atman the activity performed by the body. The same person, our minds cleansed by the performance of 'correct action' prescribed in the scriptures, can eventually come to recognize that even in the midst of most intense activities, is the highest goal of human life.
It is our responsibility and delight to become One in a heart felt mission to change our world. Then truly we are expressing the message---JOY TO THE WORLD.
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SRI Kirtan P.O. BOX 63 Woodstock, New York 12498 www.srikirtan.com
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