Excitement Continues at the Ashram

By Rev. Jaspal Soni

Excitement continues to be the order of the day at the ashram of the Chananda Cultural Society. Lately, the weather has been turning colder and days have become shorter. As a result, it gets darker earlier in the day as the sun sets around 5:30 pm. Winter in New Delhi is usually very short and typically lasts for up to six weeks—from the middle of December thru the end of January.

In December, we conducted two workshops in New Delhi—one on December 6 (Overcoming Negatives of Life by the Violet Agni: A Miracle Gift for You!) and the other on December 20 (How to Work with the Angels: Your Guides, Guardians and Friends). Both workshops were successful as several new and old seekers attended and asked interesting questions about the teachings of the ascended masters. We also sold pocket books, CDs, posters and wallet-size cards.

Yana Pasternak and Juan Cohen, two Keepers of the Flame from Canada, also attended the Angels Workshop. They had attended the Summit University in Darjeeling in September and had stayed in India for sightseeing. They stayed at the ashram for a couple of days. There is a good feeling of bonding of hearts whenever Keepers of the Flame visit the ashram.

We celebrated the Christmas at the residence of Mrs. Sigrun Srivastava and her daughter Coralie, local Keepers of the Flame, who live near the ashram. We have been going to their place for Christmas celebrations for the past four years. Like prior years, this time also they had invited their family and friends for a fun-filled evening. The Christmas tree was decorated beautifully. Everyone enjoyed singing Christmas carols especially the children. One could feel the presence of the Christmas Spirit. Then Santa brought gifts for everyone and, to top it all off, the home-cooked food prepared by their resident cook was an absolute delight!

Since the increase in traffic volume has become a nightmare for Delhi residents to travel, especially during Christmas and New Year events, we thought it would be a good idea to combine the two events and celebrate in this manner. We held a joint service combining the Christmas and New Year celebrations at the ashram on Sunday, December 27 between 2:00 pm and 5:00 pm. Several Keepers and new seekers participated in the decrees, writing letters to the Lords of Karma, listening to a video dictation excerpt from beloved Gautama Buddha given on New Year 1991 conference and partaking light refreshments.

As we arrive at the conclusion of Year 2015, we thank beloved Chananda and the sponsoring masters for having given us the opportunity to serve in India. We welcome the New Year with our grateful hearts and look forward to doing more to break the bread of the teachings with our brothers and sisters!

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