Mother Of Us All Our neighbor’s car door was badly scratched. The householder, a dentist, had sandpapered the damaged area on the driver-side door, but that had only served to highlight the need for the whole door to be repainted. The little boy I was at that time, normally inattentive to concerns about cars, couldn’t help but notice the big … Read More
The gratitude in me has been the engine that has moved everything. Even in complex situations, from an early age, I could sense a glimmer of light and felt inwardly grateful, at peace, in the face of situations such as those that the mind poses, deluding us that there are obstacles and not opportunities. I smiled inwardly at that sense … Read More
Since childhood I had been taught by my parents to say “thank you” whenever someone gave me a gift or had a kind word towards me. I had always felt that word resonating inside me as a light, humble sound, as if it was supposed to tiptoe in… By pronouncing it, it was as if something changed in me, I … Read More
Life in a Spiritual Community – Nayawami Shivani Narrates My first childhood ambition was to become a rabbi. Actually it was the scriptures that attracted me, and the sound of the sacred language. At the age of six I began to study Hebrew and very soon knew all the prayers by heart. But I was never called to recite in … Read More
For the community Christmas Eve party, Swamiji suggested we serve alcohol-free eggnog. I was in charge of the Retreat kitchen, but I didn’t know how to make eggnog, so he sent me a recipe (known as ”Swamiji’s recipe,” though he always said he got it from the bulletin board at a supermarket!). Before I came to Ananda, I was a … Read More
When someone asks about your earliest childhood memory, what comes to mind? For me, it was fear. Specifically, fear that I would be drafted into the army and killed in battle. I remember making myself sick in the back seat of the car, lost in an overwhelming sense of doom, while everyone else seemed perfectly fine, happily chatting away. Even … Read More
Not being an American myself, Thanksgiving Day means little to me, though giving thanks each day means a great deal. There’s not only much to be thankful for, but, actually, everything to be thankful for. In fact, giving thanks for benefits received is itself of benefit, and costs nothing. When the English author, Rudyard Kipling, was at the height of … Read More
Find something each day for which to give thanks, and thus form the habit of gratitude for all the good gifts the Father has bestowed upon us. Paramhansa Yogananda Being asked if I would like to write a blog on gratitude – my response was ‘what an absolute delight’! It’s one of my favourite subjects, and for good reason! It … Read More
Ananda means “bliss” and the first few times I came to Ananda, for short stays of seven or ten days, I immediately felt, as many do, the bliss of living in a spiritual community and in a truly blessed natural environment. In addition, there was all the joy –and apprehension— of discovering a new country, a new language and, not least, … Read More
One the most memorable times of living at Ananda Assisi was when the World Brotherhood Choir sang at the Vatican on Wednesday, March 8, 1989. After celebrating Paramhansa Yoganandaji’s Mahasamadhi on the previous day, community felt a deep blessing as we caravanned to Rome to share Master’s and Swami Kriyananda’s songs as a vibrational-offering for the Spiritual Unity of All … Read More
