Hi Everyone,
It has been a wonderful and awe-inspiring week. I live out here on the West Coast and woke up Saturday morning feeling like something good was happening. It was the morning that Swamiji gave his heart-opening and soul stirring talk in Rome. I think everyone here at Ananda Village felt a calm sense of rightness in the ether. We all heard Swamiji was very happy with the evening and all the preparation. There have been several wonderful written accounts posted on this blog site. Hopefully you will see some of the amazing photos taken by Andrea Roach.

While things were awesome in Rome, over here the bloom cycle of the tulips, crabapple trees and cherry trees were incredible. Perhaps they were responding to all the great energy in the universe. What ever it was we were treated with spectacular show of color.

Crystal Hermitage was featured in our local paper and one Saturday the Crystal Hermitage staff hosted two-hundred visitors from the near-by towns. Eighty of those people stayed to eat lunch at The Expanding Light. It sounded like every one there had a good time, looking at gorgeous gardens and eating in a restful rejuvenating environment.

Scaffolding

The Expanding Light staff and saintly volunteers have recently been beautifying our lovely retreat center. The efforts started with a group of talented devotees led by our local Vastu expert Mandala Skillman.
I talked with Mandala one day and learned about the level of her committment in enhancing the vibrations of The Expanding Light.
For years we have mostly had off white walls: nothing wrong with it, but with Mandala skills she

Mandala takes a quick break to pose for my camera. She is the brains and heart behind The Expanding Light color improvements.

artfully picked colors that would be uplifting and calm and enhance the harmony of the inside colors with the outside view. She seemed to have a small army of dedicated souls that put up an amazing array of scaffolding and then caulked all the cracks, and painted

Test colors are painted on either side of the rock wall

the ceilings. The finished product is lovely! It is soothing and uplifting, warm and inviting. Well Done.

The colors here will harmonize with the colors outdoors and with the Guest Services building that you can see through the window

The Expanding Light Temple was also painted, it is beautiful and elegant. I hope to share with you soon a photo of that room. There have been several workdays at The Expanding Light, it will soon be iris season. I hear big rumors of work being done on the amphitheater. I will try to check in on that project.

Come Join Us!

This is a big year. One where we have already seen Swamiji’s beautiful talk in Rome reach out to so many. Other great events are still to come: Swamiji’s birthday at the beautiful Crystal Hermitage, Large public events in Palo Alto, smaller events in LA in July, Ananda’s 40th anniversary celebrations in August and the deeply moving celebration of Swamiji’s 60th year of discipleship. Whew, what a summer.

We should all be praying for each other and especially Swamiji. I pray that Swamiji continues to be in bliss, that he arrive and enjoy his stay in the US with great health and vitality. I pray that you all are happy, healthy, feel bliss and that I see you at one of these events.
Bless you all.

As I went back into the community center to pick up the last of my things after the concert, I could tangibly feel the beauty that the students created with their music. I stood for a moment in the now empty hall, and tried to imprint the feeling and vibration of this beautiful evening into my memory.

Last Friday night, Dec 7th, was our annual Living Wisdom School Christmas Concert, presenting the entire K-12 classes in an hour long program. I am so blessed to be working with such a talented group of young singers and instrumentalists. We have around 50 students, with a few hours each week to rehearse, and it is remarkable what these kids can do! We have the 21 high schoolers singing 4 part songs, including Handel’s Halleluiah Chorus this year, which is quite an undertaking! They rose to the challenge beautifully, and have learned to sing not only beautifully, but from a deeper place of inspiration than ever before.

Here is an excerpt from one of the pieces they did by themselves, without me conducting, entitled “Ave Verum Corpus” by Mozart. See if you can feel how beautifully they can present the music not only with sound, but with their feeling and channeling of inspiration.

There were many many singers who wanted to do solos, but of course there aren’t enough places to fit them all in! Here is “The Christmas Mystery,” written by Swami Kriyananda, featuring Balarama’s 2 – 3 grade class singing the first verse, a quartet of High School boys singing the second, and Sam, a second grader, beginning the fourth. (I’ve edited the recording for these highlights).

The auditorium was packed to capacity, and many felt the great blessings that these incredible kids shone forth through their music that night. My job is to keep them busy with the most inspired songs I can possibly find, and challenge them to feel as deeply as they can the Divine Presence within each one.

On Saturday, November 10th we had our third evening in the Ananda Concert Series, entitled Inner Awakenings. Held once again at the Crystal Hermitage Dome, we played and sang to a full house of long time devotees and newcomers alike, with music and interspersed guided meditations from Swami Kriyananda’s book, Awaken to Superconsciousness.

Melody, it has been said, symbolizes the aspiration of the heart, and words are thoughts crystalized - combining the two creates an incredibly powerful experience for a listener. In this program we tried to tune in to the vibration, the consciousness behind each guided meditation, and then chose music that fit that same feeling. If you’d like to listen for yourself to Swami Kriyananda reading two such meditations with music, I’d highly recommend the CD Meditations to Awaken Superconsciousness, available from Crystal Clarity Publishers. I will also be posting some of the audio from this concert very soon!

I’ve been doing a great deal of thinking about inspiration and the music, and the mystery of why music can affect us so deeply. Why can one piece inspire us, while another just leaves us flat? There aren’t any notes in music that are better than others, and after all, music is only a collection of sound waves. But is that truly all it is?

We are realizing that music is a vehicle for conveying states of inspiration, great or small. By consciously attuning ourselves to the inspiration of each song and consciously projecting that inspiration to the audience, we can create a very powerful experience to those that have ears and hearts to hear and feel. Here at Ananda, we are striving to become an example of musicians who perform with consciousness. Our singers here may not be on the same technical level as those in professional singing groups, but what we have to offer in the way of inspiration has truly changed people’s lives.

As the program progressed that evening, the audience went deeper and deeper into states of higher awareness. It was wonderful see faces in the audience filled with bliss! I’m hoping that the concert was not only a pleasing aural experience, but more importantly a direct experience of inspiration.

To listen to one of the guided meditations, click on the play button below:

At the conclusion we were faced with a very interesting problem: how do we honor those who would like to stay inward, while allowing others to share their appreciation? You can’t stop people from clapping, but perhaps as the cycles of time progress, we will find another way of sharing appreciation and thanks.

Our next performance will be Christ Lives: an Oratorio on Sunday evening, Dec 16th, at the Expanding Light Temple. Hope to see you there!

Last week I had the pleasure of being commissioned to photograph the Music Ministry staff: David Eby, Jeanne Tschantz and Romesha and Bhagavati Nani. They are the core of a very large group of people who love to sing here at Ananda.

I had the four them all to myself for over two hours as we took various photos that included single portraits, group portraits, and portraits of each of them with their instruments.

Our “studio” was the Crystal Hermitage dome; a place of beauty and deep spiritual vibrations. As a photographer, I am ever pleased with the wonderful light at Crystal Hermitage; inside and out.

The goal was to create photos the musicians could use in promotions for their concert series here at Ananda Village. (You can read about the most recent concert in David’s blog.)

The process of getting those photos was fun and inspiring. As a group they are beautifully harmonious and kind. If you have ever heard them play music you know how talented they are.

But beyond talent, they play with a purity of heart that helps one to feel the high consciousness that Swami Kriyananda must have felt putting the music to paper. Swamiji said these songs are not his but were given to him and we get to share in his gift and inspiration when we listen to them.

You can hear these wonderful musicians and the World Brotherhood Choir play at many community events including Sunday Service and at The Expanding Light during the many inspiring events held there. There are a number of CDs and MP3s that make the music accessible to everyone.

Life can be very challenging, in fact at times it feels like it can weigh you down. But I have found that the music I listen to makes a huge difference in how I feel about life and its challenges.

One of the easiest but very powerful things I can do for myself when experiencing life is listen to Swami’s music and try to live attuned to that higher vibration and inspiration that he brought to us through music.

Our situations or challenges may still be happening but inside there is a more light and a quiet sense of strength and joy.

I have “Ananda music” on my iPod and take it everywhere. I hope you enjoy the photos of these dear souls. And thanks to David, Jeanne, Bhagavati and Ramesha for a fun day!

This past weekend we presented our second concert in our Ananda Concert Series, entitled An Evening with St. Francis, presenting the life of the great saint with narration and music written by Swami Kriyananda.

The dome of the Crystal Hermitage was filled to capacity with close to 70 in the audience as we began our program. First, Bhagavati and Ramesha Nani and I played a set of pieces from Mediterranean Magic to set the Italian mood. Bhagavati, a wonderfully talented flutist, and Ramesha, her husband, equally talented in guitar and violin, are dear friends who have been here at the village for over the past year, assisting in all our musical endeavors. (What a joy it is to have kindred professional musicians that can also deeply appreciate Swami’s music!)

Following the instrumental set, we began the 55 minute program of the life of St. Francis, narrated by Ishaq Johnson, with instrumental interludes and a ten voice choir led by Jeannie Tschantz. With Ishaq’s beautifully attuned narration and Jeannie’s sensitive direction, we were able to invoke the spirit of the great saint. One could easily feel the purity of heart, the sweetness of love, and the unconditional spirit of living for God alone. Many in the audience were deeply moved.

Performing in the Crystal Hermitage is, in a way, like performing in a spiritual Carnegie Hall - the vibrations, the spiritual ambiance of the dome make it much easier to create and tap into the inspirition of the program, just as the acoustics of Carnegie Hall make it so enjoyable to listen.

Our concert series consists of seven programs throughout the year. Our first, I Came From Joy, was on September 22nd, and featured the children’s music of Swami Kriyananda. Our next concert is on Saturday, November 10th, and is entitled Heart Songs, Soul Songs. If you’d like more information, please contact our music office at 530-478-7687.

View The Life of St. Francis slideshow on Ananda’s website.

Music touches people on a deeper level than words alone. The music composed by Swami Kriyananda is written to change consciousness; the experience of listening to, playing, or singing such music goes beyond the sensory experience, into the soul.

Being part of the choir at the Ananda Center in Portland has become a vital part of my spiritual practice. I count on it to bring inspiration and understanding, just as my meditations do. Every song is an opportunity to tune into divine truth and then to share with others.

The choir is made up of people with a range of musical experience. Fortunately, the only requirement for joining is a desire to sing, so I get to spend time surrounded by many with natural talent and musical ability. We all enjoy the company and the inspiration that comes with practicing together, although our companionable chatter can push our choir director to the limits of patience. I’m filled with sweet gratitude as we drive home after practice and my daughter tells me she is happy we were able to go.

My daughter, Mary, is 10 years old and she has been singing these songs for years. What would it be like to be exposed to music that uplifts the soul, from such a young age? She has a musical ear and the memory of a youngster, so it takes very little for her to memorize words and melodies.

As Mary sings around the house, taps out tunes on her keyboard, and sings for hours with friends, I am glad she looked beyond her natural shyness to find the courage to join the choir a couple years ago. Now the joy I feel in the music is doubled as she stands up with me to perform.

Many people have told me that it was the music that drew them to Ananda, and brought them back for more. I know that some of my most blissful moments have been while singing the songs that express these universal teachings so beautifully.

I encourage you to listen to the music of Ananda with your children. It provides a wonderful opportunity to talk about spiritual teachings and to explore ideas together. Even the simplest children’s songs offer a deeper reality to share that is beyond words and notes.

As one song by J. Donald Walters (Swami Kriyananda) puts it:

Joy will come to anyone whose soul has learned to fly!
Sing when the sun shines, sing when the rain falls,
sing when the road seems strange,
In a tempest seize the lightning flash,
and ride the winds of change!

Find out more about Ananda music in the posts by David Eby.

Joy always, Lorna

I first came to Ananda Village in the fall of 1979 for a vacation. I had been practicing hatha yoga for about 6 years, and I really wanted to learn how to meditate.

I had a great longing for “something more” in my life, and I knew I could find it within myself somehow. At the time I owned and operated a cabinet-making shop in Davis, California. I loved my work, but I was not happy.

I began attending Sunday Services at Ananda’s first colony outside of Ananda Village in Sacramento. At that time, the services were held in the “Garage Of Eternal Religion,” to paraphrase the Sanskrit term, Sanatan Dharma (Eternal Religion).

The garage was attached to a 3-bedroom house, which served as Ananda’s ashram (house for devotees). I moved there just before Christmas 1980, and lived in the ashram for the next 11 years.

During the mid-80’s I sold my business and started a software company. By 1990 I knew that God had other plans for me, so I moved to Ananda Village within a year. Right after coming to the Village, I began helping with the fledgling video department founded by Swami Kriyananda.

At that time we were videotaping 52 television shows with Swamiji for cable TV. He was speaking on a variety of spiritual subjects. It was amazing to watch him move from topic to topic, giving as many as six different talks in a row.

Swami Kriyananda shared with us his vision for the video department: to record his slide shows on video and broadcast his TV shows on satellite TV.

During his ceaseless travels around the world, Swamiji took thousands of photographs, which were compiled into slideshows. Each slideshow highlighted an aspect of the Divine found in Nature, human consciousness, or lives of saints.

The satellite TV idea looked like pie in the sky in the early 90’s. But then, in 2003-2004, Swamiji recorded 365 satellite TV shows, which now air to millions of souls in India.

The concept of putting Swamiji’s slide shows on video seemed like a nice idea, but hardly practical. I felt that such a product would never sell well, and a part of me dismissed the idea in favor of “more practical” yoga videos. Those would make money, I thought.

During that time, I happened to be in a car with Swamiji. We were discussing the slideshows on video concept. He knew I thought poorly of it, so he gave me a clue. He said, “The moving images on video take one outward, while still images in a slideshow take one inward.” I was beginning to understand his idea!

At about the same time, my friend Nirmala Schuppe was working with Swamiji’s photos. She suggested we put together a few slide shows on video, accompanied with music, as a present for Swami’s birthday. He loved the presentation!

I thank God to this day that Nirmala stirred me to action. Soon I was creating one slide show after another. You can watch them online: Hawaiian Magic, Different Worlds, The Autobiography of a Yogi, Saint Francis, The Land of Mystery, and others.

An interesting change happened within me during this process. I was becoming more attuned to Master (Paramhansa Yogananda) and to Swamiji. I soon realized that this was the point of the whole exercise. It got me out of my pragmatic head and attuned to higher guidance.

At Swamiji’s request, my wife Barbara and I made a trip to India in 2004. A gathering of 2 thousand souls was planned by Ananda in one of the largest auditoriums in New Delhi, The Siri Fort.

To convey the spirit and scope of Ananda, I was asked to prepare a DVD to be shown at the event. At first I thought to use video footage, but my intuition drew me to use still images instead. My previous “training” with Swamiji’s slideshows showed me how to create the DVD drawing on Master’s grace.

The DVD came out beautifully. It is called “Ananda Worldwide.” I really enjoyed watching something that Master had created through me. Thank you Swamiji, for always pointing me in the right direction.

It has been my joy to accompany Swami Kriyananda on his travels around the United States during the past 15 years, recording his talks on video.

Sometimes, people prefer to listen to Swamiji’s voice while driving or doing tasks around the home. I would like to encourage you to watch Swamiji on video, when you are not distracted by other tasks.

Watch his eyes especially. It can be a wonderful experience. To me, watching Swami on video comes close to being in his presence. Because of that, I had long ago decided to produce videos of Swamiji’s talks , even if no one will ever watch them!

[Editor’s note: Thousands of truth seekers watch Swami Kriyananda’s videos every month on Ananda’s website and Google Video.]

Listening or watching, one can experience the same sense of upliftment, love and joy that Swamiji projects. I know. I have felt it. And so have many, many others, through his talks on the web.