Dear Friends,
We started writing this letter to you earlier today, when we took for granted that Clinton would win the election. Now we are in a different land and mindscape, and will all need to come to terms with what lies ahead and what we can do in a positive way to help. So, for the rest of the letter:
We hope that you are all doing well. Our health and energy continue to be strong, and we’re very grateful for all your support and prayers.
These past two weeks have been a break from a busy schedule of teaching and public activities. Fortunately there was a wonderful opportunity to go deeper into Master’s presence before a last big teaching tour starts in a few days. Here’s what’s been happening:
From Oct. 29 through Nov. 4 we were able to spend six days at Abbott Mount in the Almora area near Lohaghat. There is a beautiful old bungalow-style house with many bedrooms that has been made available for Ananda devotees to take retreats. From the garden there is a spectacular view of the Himalayas, especially the peaks of Nanda Devi and Trishul. The whole area is associated with Babaji and the Pandavas and feels very spiritually welcoming and uplifting.
We were able to have long meditations, sit quietly absorbing the beauty and power of the mountains, read the Autobiography, and go for long walks in the hills. It was deeply rejuvenating.
This occurred during the Diwali celebrations throughout India, where the setting off of firecrackers and air pollution in the Delhi area reach unimaginable levels. We were able to miss most of this, but it was still pretty bad by the time we returned.
After getting back to Gurgaon, there was a satsang with about thirty graduates in the NCR area from the Meditation Teacher Training, Ananda Yoga Teacher Training, and Master’s Healing Techniques Training. There is such a need to reach out to new areas in India and in native languages. These new teachers are greatly needed to spread Master’s work, and it felt like the “next wave” of Ananda’s teachers is moving forward.
On Monday morning we met with Pia, Dhyana, Manjunath (the director of the Paramhansa Yogananda Charitable Trust), and his staff. The work has grown so rapidly, with so many possibilities, that he needed to create a plan for what actually could be accomplished in 2017. We discussed this for several hours, and came up with a very good vision for the coming year.
On Friday we leave for Mumbai, where they’ve rented a big hall that seats five hundred for a lecture on Saturday evening. The visit will also include a Kriya Initiation on Sunday, and a morning satsang and lunch with core members on Monday.
Tuesday we fly to Bangalore to spend a week with Haridas and Roma doing various programs, culminating in a weekend retreat with about 140 people.
Then we’ll travel on to Pune for Thanksgiving, an Indian leaders retreat day, and the dedication of the new temple. Our last stop is Puri at the end of November and beginning of December, where we’ll have a pilgrimage/retreat with devotees from all of the centers in India.
It’s been a deeply blessed time in India, with wonderful connections with souls everywhere we’ve been. We’ll write more to you as we can.
Our hearts are united with yours in the love of our Masters. May they guide all souls forward into the light.
In God and Guru,
Jyotish and Devi