Summer Activities at the Ashram

by Rev. Jaspal Soni and Rev. Lois Drake

Every year in New Delhi during the five months from May through September, the weather gets very hot. The average temperature peaks to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, especially during the months of May and June. The monsoon rains arrive in July and add high humidity to the prevailing hot temperatures and make it even more unbearable.

Every year I leave the city—along with many others—to escape the high heat and humidity and to “recharge.” I head for my home in the USA in the State of Maryland to be with my family and also to basking in the light at the Inner Retreat while attending the summer class and Summit University in Montana. In my absence, Poonam Chugh (who serves as the administrative assistant) and Jaypreet Thukral (a KOF and volunteer helper) keep the doors of the ashram open by continuing to hold the decree sessions with the community members on Sunday mornings. By the grace of God, Jaypreet for the first time, will also be attending the summer conference, Summit University, and KLF Retreat at the Ranch. Unfortunately, Poonam was unable to obtain a visa even after three heroic tries.

Mini-Workshops Come to a Conclusion

We recently concluded our five, twice-a-week mini-workshops that were held on Sundays and Tuesdays. The last one was May 22 at the ashram. It was a God-Victorious experiment and an experience enjoyed by everyone who participated, including new seekers and old students. The topics included sharing the mysteries of the violet flame, how to invoke angels and ask the ascended masters for help. We also discussed the different components of the Chart of the Presence, and how to integrate all of these components in our decrees. We devoted the last two sessions to practicing decreeing effectively by first teaching the meaning of the words embedded in the decrees and then intoning them using the sacred techniques taught by the masters and our beloved Messengers. We plan to resume the mini-workshops later in the fall.

Summit University Preparations

Preparations have begun for hosting the two-day Summit University seminar, “Experience the Light Within Through the Blessings of Violet Agni” on October 13 and 14 at one of the most popular venues in New Delhi, the “India Habitat Center.” The focus will be on sharing the teachings about our energy centers including how to purify our chakras from negative behavior patterns and the resulting dense energies, and how expand the sacred fire within our chakras by the use of the violet flame.
This will be first time in India that we will be conducting the seminar mainly in the Hindi language. Earlier in 2013, we had offered the same seminar in New Delhi in English and had received a favorable response.

 

Chananda’s Children Project

Currently there is a great deal of excitement among Chananda’s Children living in the public park located across the ashram. Beginning May, we have begun an athletic program for the children with a trained gym professional who comes to the park twice a week in the mornings. He teaches fun games and exercises to the children for one hour. Some of the moms of the children also come and watch their children play and have fun. This is an addition to the education component that was started more than a year ago by Chananda Cultural Society. As part of our original program a teacher comes to the park five times a week to teach resident children the English and Hindi alphabets and basic arithmetic. Depending on how the children like this new addition, we will increase the frequency of gym exercises as well.

New Cook at the Ashram

We have hired a new cook, Geeta, at the ashram for the past two months. Our previous cook, Saraswati, who cooked food at the ashram for almost three years, could not continue because of her husband’s deteriorating health which required more of her attention. We are grateful for all of the service Saraswati provided and are grateful that we have found Geeta is also a very good cook and knows how to prepare Indian food to the taste of the host using less oil and more vegetables. Geeta is fast learner and is mastering the skills of making Western and Oriental delicacies.
Thank you for your prayers and loving support always. We wish you a very pleasant summer and look forward to seeing you in Montana!