Here’s a film that has been making the rounds lately. It’s called "The Secret." The message of the movie is: thoughts become things. Well that is how the universe works. It is the most basic concept of meditation. In the movie, everyone from quantum physicists to philosophers state that everything is energy: Ek Ong Kar, we and God are one. Basically, if we think negative, critical thoughts, we attract negative manifestations in our lives and if we think positive, loving, creative thoughts, we manifest those things in our lives. What that means is that passionately fighting against something you dislike actually produces more of that very thing. For instance, why do people protest war instead of being pro peace? We have the power to choose what we wish to think about. It’s the most important power we have. What do you choose to think about? Take a look:
Author Archive for Guruka Singh
It’s definitely Winter… well in the Northern Hemisphere anyway… and this time of year is actually my favorite time of year. It is both very special and very potent. We are approaching the Winter Solstice - the darkest point of the solar year. The sacred energy of the Winter is the seed energy of the coming year. Under the snow, in the stillness of this time of deepest darkness, the seeds of the coming year lie waiting to germinate and awaken. Just as the Summer Solstice is the time of the most powerful male projective energy, Winter Solstice is the deepest time of the feminine power. That’s why this time of year is celebrated in so many cultures and traditions: Christmas, Diwali, Chanakuh, etc. The celebration of the return of the Light. Here in the northern latitudes, midwinter’s day has always been an important time for celebration throughout the ages. On the shortest day of the year, the sun is at its lowest and weakest point - the nadir from which the light then will grow stronger and brighter. This is the turning point of the year. The Romans called it Dies Natalis Invicti Solis, the Birthday of the Unconquered Sun. It is an opportunity for deep transformation. Within each of us new modes of perception and new ways of working together are opening up. It is a time for renewal and regeneration. In these times of so much change and transition, we need to move cautiously and be guided first by our negative mind so that we can listen deeply and be fully aware of all the forces at play. Then the positive mind can do its part, and through meditation, the neutral mind will function.
Some of us are blessed to gather and meditate together, but all of us, wherever we may be at this time, can do the following meditation which is effective for transition and for opening up hidden channels within ourselves.
- Place the left hand, palm flat, over the heart (hand is open and relaxed, fingers point towards the right shoulder)
- Place the right hand, palm flat, on the top of the head (dasam duar)
- Breathe slowly and deeply. Look down at the tip of the nose with the eyes nearly closed. Listen to the Raga Sadhana CD by Sangeet Kaur and Harjinder Singh.
(You can get this CD at SpiritVoyage.com)
…..Guruka Singh
Latest report from Guruka Singh in Chigwell, England at the Sikh Student Camp
"Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji ki Fateh!
Thursday at camp was an absolutely smashing day. It rained most of the day, a steady downpour that kept us all inside, so we had a full camp turban tying party! Lots of campers who had never tied dastar before got to experience the wonderful experience of Guru’s crown for the first time. We had some very creative turbans as well. Sodhi (that’s the jolly fellow in the photo with me) tied a green plaid pug with a dashing tail hanging down. But then again, he always cuts quite a figure poking and uplifting everyone with his sharp wit. Two Singhs tied a proper Nihung Dumalla on me (picture shown below). It took them nearly half an hour. I guess I have a somewhat slippery head ;-)
The day was filled with so many smiling faces! In the afternoon the sun broke through as we began the Nishan Sahib Seva. The school where the camp is held is in Chigwell, in the London suburbs. It’s the Guru Gobind Singh Khalsa School. In front of the main school building entrance is a beautiful Nishan Sahib, and we spent the afternoon yesterday lowering it, cleaning it and redressing it with a new orange cover (chola) and a new nishan (flag.) The entire camp participated over a period of several hours with continuous chanting and scores of Jaikaras (shouts of "Bole So Nihal!") Everyone got hoarse (but filled with joy) and after the footwashing the whole camp posed for a group snap.
The camp sevadar team is awesome! Not only do they plan and coordinate the camp, but they serve all day and night on every level taking care of everyone, guiding the day’s activities and taking care of camp security. That’s security team captain, Dala, and the camp security hound, "Tiger" (he’s the dog) in the photo below. Tiger is fed some milk and langer in the morning and perhaps a bit of cold pizza for lunch, so he’s a fairly hungry, grumpy Rottweiller come evening time and he’s ready to take a nice bite out of anyone who approaches our camp with bad intentions. The camp sevadars give all their time to the camp as seva - many taking over a week off from their jobs and family to serve the sadhsangat here.
In the evening we had an special Keertan Darbar with Guest ragis like Amarjit Singh, who sings Keertan in classical Raag (there are 31 ragas in the Siri Guru Granth Sahib.) Midday Langer yesterday was delicious Saag dripping with butter, fresh hot roti and daal. Evening Langar was take away from "Rocky’s", a London institution known among the campers for it’s huge, yummy vegeburgers and chips (French fries.) The evening Keertan went on past 11 PM, so everyone was pretty tired, but this morning (Friday - the final day of camp) everyone was in Cherdi Kala as Navleen Kaur began her talk on Seva. She called me up to share the stage and sit with her. She’s the most lovely, inspiring, dedicated and divine sister - beloved of the Siri Singh Sahib and a great teacher as well. I’m sure she’ll visit Espanola soon to be with us in our Sangat there. I have met so many bright, open hearted, shining young Singhs and Singhinis here, and my heart is so full of love for everyone that it’ll be hard to leave camp tomorrow when we all pack up and depart. So to all my beloveds in Espanola, I’ll see you soon and I send you a proper Jaikara from Sikh Student Camp… Bole So Nihal! Saaaaaaaat Siri Akaaaaaal!!!!"
GMS Note: Below are some Gurbani MP3 audio clips from the evening Gurdwara this past Tuesday. The Kirtan is great and I particularly enjoyed the short "katha" that Guruka Singh did in two different shabads near the end of the audio. The photos below were taken by Ravinderpal Singh (Nishaan Seva) and Jasdeep Kaur (Ladies turban tying.)
Aad Gureh Nameh
Download
Jaag Saloonariay - with katha by Guruka Singh
Download
Mohi Na Bisaru - with katha by Guruka Singh
Download
Complete Audio from Evening in One File
My first dastaar!
Tying a turban
Love and Respect…
Guruka Singh wearing a Dhumalla Turban
Our youngest Singhini
Joking around
Dala and Tiger
In Meditation
Joyful Singhnis
Shouting the Jaikara - "Boleh So Nihal, Sat Siri Akal!"
Young Gurveer Singh blowing the conch.
Sodhi and Guruka Singh
Wearing her first dastaar ever…
Manmeet Kaur offers up a crisp
Sikh Student Camp Participants
Panj Piaray during Nishaan Seva
Lowering the Nishaan Sahib
Washing the Nishaan Pole
Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji ki Fateh!
Here it is the fourth day of Sikh Student Camp and everyone has settled in to a delightful comaderie. This sadh sangat here is full of love, grace, devotion, sport, awesome keertan and playful bantering. Ravinderpal Singh says this is the best Sikh Student Camp ever! After the violence perpetrated against the camp sevadars early Saturday, we went to get the hukum from Harimander Sahib for Saturday and it began:
Those who serve the True Guru, O Beloved, their companions are saved as well. No one blocks their way, O Beloved, and the Lord’s Ambrosial Nectar is on their tongue…" - Wahe Guru!
The day begins at 4:45am with a meditation I’ve been teaching in my meditation workshop - Sahaj Sukh Dyan, followed by Japji Sahib, Kundalini Yoga and morning Gurdwara, then breakfast langar. Every morning there’s a lecture followed by discussion groups where we discuss the questions raised in the lecture. This morning the Singh Twins led the workshop. They are incredibly inspiring, and beautiful as well. They wore identical lavender pantsuits and dupattas along with identical jewelry. In fact, they look and talk like one person in two bodies. How wonderful! We saw slides of their incredible artwork and heard the story of how they kept up in the face of many years of discrimination by the art and academic communities. Their art is beautiful, moving, personal as well as highly courageous and political.
After the discussion groups we have morning workshops. The groups rotate through the four workshops: Meditation (that’s the one I’m teaching), Gurudwara 101 (Gurdwara protocol and procedures), Art and Expression, and Music (keertan class.) Most of the Sikhs here have never meditated before and so are experiencing it for the first time. Today we had a panel discussion instead of morning workshops. Navleen Kaur, the Singh Twins along with the female Sikh Chaplain of the British Army and myself were the panel members. We took questions - no holds barred - and the campers asked great questions like, "If you’re not Amritdhari, can you still go to Sachkhand?", "How can I marry someone who is my brother since I call all the boys ‘Bhai Ji?" and "How do you think Sikhs will be integrated into society?" To the last one I replied, "We won’t! They will integrate with us!"
Above picture taken during one of our morning lectures. We have a different guest lecturer every day. On Monday it was Roop Singh. He was hilarious and had everyone in stiches with his candid stories of his life.
Next comes lunchtime langar. Today we had mung daal, rajma daal, rice, yoghurt and roti. Tomorrow is saag panir. Yum!
In the afternoon there are activities. Today was the football match - Camp Sevadars against Campers. The Sevadars won (hey, sevadars always win ;-) but that was payback because the campers won the Benchball match on Monday. Benchball seems like a more polite (read "British") version of Dodgeball.
Picture taken on Sunday afternoon during our group check-in on the huge playing field in front of the school. We are divided up into four groups of campers. During this check-in we were each talking about why we were here at SSC.
After afternoon activities is Rehiras Sahib in the Durbar followed by evening Langar and then the ambrosial evening Diwan that goes from about 8:15 till 10:00 PM. The evening Diwan is magical! The keertan is sweet beyond words to express and the Darbar is lit by candlelight. Ravinderpal Singh and Gurcharan Kaur are the lead singers and their voices lift everyone up to heaven sitting at the Guru’s feet. Last night Ravinderpal Singh invited me to do the katha. It’s the first time I’ve ever done it. We did the camp theme shabd: "Jaag Saloonariay Boolay Gurbaani Ram" along with a beautiful heartfelt prayer by Bhagat Ravi Das, "Mohi Na Bisaru" that has a full stop in the refrain as if Bhagat Ji’s heart is caught in his throat. It’s so beautiful. I will try to upload the audio as soon as possible. You’ve got to hear it! After the keertan we were treated to a classical Raag on sitar by Raju Virdee. That was awesome. I was transported to the stringed instrument music of the Guru’s Darbar 300 years ago.
What I’m realizing is that these Punjabi kids learned all about Sikhi and Sikh history as kids, but most didn’t have a real deep experience of the Guru till recently, whilst we in the West had the direct experience first and then we learned about Sikhi. So we are walking through the same door from opposite directions. As I look around me here I see the same light in everyone’s eyes that I see in our Sadhsangat in Espanola. The Guru’s light is bright and everyone is filled with Cherdi Kala! Wahe Guru!
More Pictures, Audio and Video to Come in the Future!
Aardas in Darbar Sahib. Anyone can do aardas at the camp, and people who haven’t done it before are helped along so they feel confident. The camp participants are encouraged to be involved in the different Gurdwara ceremonies, and learn them in a way that may not not normally happen in Gurdwaras. Many of the youth felt very included and inspired because they had a great experience doing these things.
Above picture taken on Tuesday (yesterday) in the langar hall after the afternoon British Army exercises. Jag Raj Singh is an officer in the British Army and he brought along the army recruiters who put us through some fun problem solving exercises including a huge inflatable obstacle course that had everbody falling all over themselves.
Roop Singh doing the katha during Sunday evening’s kirtan at the evening diwan.
Morning Kundalini Yoga class
More of Guruka Singh’s adventures in England:
Sat Nam! Today was supposed to be a rest day, but the Guru had other things planned for me. Navleen Kaur mentioned that she was going to teach at the Southall Sri Guru Singh Sabha Children’s Sikhi Camp and invited me to come along, so we co-taught. There were about 300 kids at the camp, ages 6-16. We arrived during Gurdwara which was being held outside under a large tent. Lt. Jagraj Singh, who is a sevadar of Sikh Student Camp (yah, he’s the one in the cool camos), and Ravinderpal Singh did kirtan along with the kids rousing them to ever greater heights by having girls sing and then boys, encouraging them to sing louder with promises of pizza to come in the langar later one. This was the final day of a one week long camp and the kids had developed great comraderie in their sangat together. Then Navleen, Jagraj and I taught a class to the kids on the consciousness of Khalsa and how to deal with peer pressure in school. Navleen is a great teacher (well, that’s her profession ;-) and we gave the kids practical tips for keeping up.
After the class I met two scoutmasters from the Southall scouts group. They had just gotten off the plane from an expidition to Switzerland with the Scouts and we sat together and chatted during langar. (Langar was a kids dream: French Fries (they call ‘em ‘crisps’ here), baked beans and pizza.) Here in England they don’t have separate girl scouts and boy scouts, but the boys and girls are together. Apparently the girls protested that the boys got to do all the cool stuff and they wanted in. Good for them! The Scoutmasters gave me an honorary Scouts Expedition Scarf.
In the evening after kids camp about twenty of the Sikh Student Camp Sevadars came over to Ravinderpal’s house, where I’m staying, for Sukhmani Sahib paath and and langar. After the sweetest paath, I told stories about the Siri Singh Sahib, taught a short Kundalini Yoga class and led a meditation. Then it turned into a rollicking party with a fabulous langar cooked by Ravinderpal’s mum and fresh fruit, cakes and ice cream for desert. Everyone stayed up late laughing and chatting. I didn’t get to sleep till one in the morning, but awoke refreshed around five AM.
Today I’m off to Waterloo to teach an all-day workshop on Aquarian Relationships, then Sikh Student Camp begins tomorrow. Wahe Guru!
Sat Nam! Had a lovely flight from Houston to Gatwick. I slept all the way, arrived refreshed and spent Thursday gadding about Southall with Kiran and Ravinderpal. I got Ravinderpal’s enthusiastic tour of Southall Broadway (he seems to know everyone on Broadway even the jelebbi guy) followed by a visit to the Siri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara (it’s huge!) then off to Navleen Kaur’s house for a yummy lunch cooked by Navleen and her mum. We ate with several of the camp sevadars, Navleen’s husband, Har Kamal Singh, and her wonderful mum and dad. In the evening I taught a great Kundalini Yoga class at Pineapple Studios Covent Garden and got to bed around midnight.
Ravinderpal Singh’s lovely sister Indi Kaur is a singer and her new album was just released yesterday. Her first album (released last year) is called "Keep on Walking - Songs of Sikh Saints" and the new one is called "Imajind." It’s full of delightful upbeat tracks featuring Indi’s great vocals. You can hear a sample from two tracks from "Imagind" below. You can purchase Indi’s first album at www.mus1k.com and be sure to leave a comment telling them that you’d like them to carry her new CD as well.
This morning Navleen and I are teaching at a Sikh Children’s Camp run by the Siri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara (over 100 elementary school age kids) and then tomorrow is my all-day workshop on Aquarian Relationships. I’ll be moving to another sevadhar’s house Saturday evening and then on to Sikh Student Camp on Sunday.
This is Thursday evening at the Punjab restaurant with some of the Sikh Student Camp sevadars. I didn’t have time to eat anything since I was on my way to teach at Pineapple Studio, but I got to meet everyone. What a happy crew.
Seated around the table left to right: Ravinderpal Singh, Gurpreet Kaur (Kiwi), Har Kiren Kaur, Manmeet Kaur, Harminder Kaur, (?), Hardeep Singh, Me (Guruka Singh), Har Dyal Singh, Majinder Pal Kaur
It was the first snow today
It snowed heavily all around
The Heavens have put a white sheet
Around the Mother Earth
To make it a virgin
And none shall tread on it again.
Mother Earth can sit deep
Under this white cover
And be sane
The Heavens have come down
The Earth has become white
And shines like a star once again.
It has purified itself
It has purified itself
It has come in balance
Like Beloved’s heart
It gave up all its grief
And like a youthful virgin
It went under the sheet of release.
Now, for some time, no one
Shall walk over it again.
Though they have brought huge machines,
and are trying hard to tear the sheet of whiteness,
They are trying
They are dying
With the spell of cold
They are dying.
They can’t walk over it again.
The Heavens have covered it like a lover’s hand
And Earth has become Pure.
Saying God! God! God!
What a wonderful act of the Heavens
To cover the Mother Earth!
What a relief, though it is brief.
They shall not walk over it for a while.
Mother Earth has gone
Under the cover of the Heavens.
When Heaven blesses the soul,
Brightness covers it all.
The mortal feels the love,
The Soul feels the strength,
And cries God! God! God!
In God I dwell.
Like a star in the Heavens above.
Like Mother Earth under the cover…
Pure for a while,
Untouched and in Heavenly bliss
Enjoying the mellow sun of winter.
Though they call me a sage,
And love me from the heart,
And love me from all sides,
And feel my depth and breath of life,
Their radiance comes out like winter
Enjoying the white snow
Which has covered the Mother Earth.
And in the mountain, in the voice of the whispering winds,
I hear God! God! God!
By Yogi Bhajan
It’s Saturday evening as I write this and here in the northern hemisphere, it’s the heart of winter. The darkest time of the year… and my favorite time of the year. Sure summer is fun, being outdoors all the time with everyone, but this time of year is so sacred. It’s in the dark womb of winter that we plant the seeds of light that will soon be born and will blossom into the coming year and bear their fruit for everyone. That’s why the intentions we set now are so potent, and why meditating at this time of year can be an incredibly deep experience. I just came back from Amrit Singh and Siri Dyal Kaur’s house (right behind our house) where the Espanola sangat gathered to celebrate the return of an old soul. Today is the 120th day of her pregnancy, the time when the soul enters the womb. It is our tradition here to hold a ceremony for the mother to honor her and welcome in the soul of the child. Siri Dyal Kaur sat on a throne of piled up sheepskins surrounded by flowers and candles, and we all brought her presents and sang to her for an hour. We sang “Adi Shakti Namo Namo, Sarib Shakti Namo Namo, Pritam Bhagvati Namo Namo, Kundalini Mata Shakti Namo Namo” to honor her as the goddess she is and to welcome the arriving soul into her womb and into our sangat with love and protection. She prepared a wonderful feast of delicious vege soup, breadsticks and baked potatos and she made an incredible dessert of rich creamy home made ice cream filled with fresh berries and pineapple. Yum! This is her second child. Her and Amrit’s first, Ram Rattan Kaur, just turned two in October. She is a great soul and we love being her auntie and uncle Ji. Ram Rattan looked beautiful in her white dress and pukka turban and chuni. Her papa snapped this picture as she climbed into her mother’s arms during the chanting.
