My Mataji (SatKirin Kaur) and friends (Pritpal Singh along with others) are going to be touring England playing kirtan at various Gurdwaras. If you are in the England area please do attend and meet them!
Schedule Friday 22nd Aug (9.00-13.00) - Sikh Student Camp [talk] Saturday 23rd August (19.30-20.30) - Park Avenue Road Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Southall [keertan] Sunday 24th August (12.00-12.45) - Havelock Road Singh Sabha Gurdwara, Southall [keertan] Sunday 24th August (19.15-20.15) - Shepherds Bush Gurdwara, London [keertan] Tuesday 26th August (14.00-15.00) - Gurdwara Nanaksar, Pleck, Walsall [youth seminar titled "living as a saint-soldier"] Tuesday 26th August (17.00-18.00) - Gurdwara Nanaksar, Pleck, Walsall [keertan] Tuesday 26th August (19.00-20.00) - Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Smethwick [keertan] Wednesday 27th August (19.00-20.00) - The Sikh Temple, Leeds [keertan] Friday 29th August (19.00-20.00) - Guru Arjan Gurdwara, Derby [keertan] Saturday 30th August (19.00-20.00) - Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Bedford [keertan] Sunday 31st August (11.00-12.00) - Hounslow Singh Sabha [keertan] Sunday 31st August (13.00-15.00) - Final Lunch, Meditation and Story Telling at the Sikh Missionary Society
Here is a video with my mataji Sat Kirin Kaur talking about the strength of women, how women can access their own power, and not follow the norms of society.
This past weekend we celebrated and remembered the life of SSS Harbhajan Singh Khalsa (aka: Yogi Bhajan). This birthday event has always been a joyous occasion and serves to bring many people together. It is especially a great event for inviting the local community to learn more about us as Sikhs. There are normally quite a few political figures and local citizens who have a chance to get to know us better.
This year the Langar hall was transformed into a beautiful gallery for the event. There were all kinds of pictures, art work, jewelry, stories, videos, magazines, etc. showing the history of Sikh Dharma in the west and the life of Yogi Bhajan.
The entry way to the gallery with the "introduction"
Earlier this summer a photographer friend named Fiona Aboud took some pictures of our family (in New York and in New Mexico). She is planning to create a book about Sikhs in North America and has been taking pictures in different places of Sikhs. You can see some of her photography and a few of the Sikh related pictures online at: http://www.fionaaboud.com ( Portfolios / Projects). During her visit to Espanola, New Mexico she took lots of pictures of the sangat, but there are a few of the pictures that were of my family that she sent me.
Today my daughter Charanjeet Kaur turned one year old! A few weeks ago she started walking and she is all over the place climbing on everything. It’s so much fun to play with her. It’s especially fun to see her interact with her beloved brother, Narayan. They chase each other and go into laughing fits. Her latest words are: "thocks" (socks), "Da" (Dog), "ta-too" (Thank You), "Momma", "bru-da" (brother), "thalu" (Our dog Kaloo).
Well Summer Solstice Sadhana Camp is over and like always it was an awesome experience! Me and my son Narayan, along with over 1500 people were at the camp. Narayan had so much fun and didn’t want to leave. He and his friends would roam wild most of the days having fun and enjoying the freedom. By the end of the day he would crash (sleep) hard and then do it all over again the next day. I had walky-talkies for the first few days to keep track up him, but then the batteries died. Oh well, so much for the high tech gadgets.
One thing which I think is cool about solstice is that everyone from all backgrounds, countries and status all come together to meditate and work on their self spiritually. Everyone takes part in the camp and has a karma seva, so everyone helps with something. Summer Solstice is not an easy "relax" camp at the beach. Everyone camps out in tents and has to deal with the harsh elements of New Mexico. The camp is up in the mountains at around 7,000 feet above sea level and the sun can be quite hot and intense. New Mexico is a dry climate so mixed with the summer heat and being outside in the elements all day for a week can be intense. You have to drink lots of water and electrolytes and stay out of the sun to keep cool. Getting up early in the morning for Sadhana and then many going to sleep late from all the night time fun and activities. By the end of the week one is ready for a vacation. hahaha!
When I was up at camp I remember thinking about how it is such an equalizer being there. Rich, poor, famous, unknown, etc all go through the same thing and have to deal with it all. There is no luxury suite for the unprivileged (unless you bring a maharaja tent with generator, fridge, bed, A/C… Hahaha) . Also because of the environment you have to dress a certain way in order to stay cool and comfortable. Everyone tends to just blend in. The person next to you could be a movie star millionaire and you wouldn’t know it. There are so many people it would be hard to know them all anyway!
In previous years I have taken a lot of pictures and videos, but this year I needed a break from it all so didn’t really capture much. Here are some of the pictures that I did take. The people in the sound booth recorded a bunch of the audio, so when I get the files I’ll post them too.
Many of you know today as Christmas (Dec. 25th), but for me today I celebrate the birth of my beloved mother Sat Kirin Kaur, who today has turned 60 years young. My mother has always been there for me and supported me through many challenges. So much of who I am is thanks to the love and devotion of my mother. Her love for the Guru I think made a deep impression on me very early on; probably even before I was born. I think these are the types of things that a child absorbs like osmosis. She was the Guru Granthi for our Gurdwara in Los Angeles and was always around the Guru and playing kirtan.
It’s no easy task being a parent and raising a child on a spiritual path (I know that now having my own children). So, on this day my love and prayers go out to my beautiful mother. Thank you Mata ji.
Narayan, me and Mataji earlier today after we went for a swimming (we are still in Florida)
Earlier in June my mother taught a workshop at the awesome Jaap Sahib Course which was held here in Espanola, New Mexico. Her workshop topic was to discuss and meditate on a part of Jaap Sahib which is called the "Mangala Charan". In preparation for the course she created a nice up-beat new Audio track (and then a CD) which is a meditation on the Mangala Charan From Jaap Sahib.
Some of you might know my mother Sat Kirin Kaur and her beautiful music. She plays classical Gurbani Kirtan very nicely, but in some of her recent CDs she has created a unique sound which fuses east and west. This style has had a wide appeal within the Spiritual/New Age/Yoga/Meditation class of music…which has allowed people from all faiths and religions to enjoy and meditate on Gurbani, which I think is awesome!
The energy of Jaap Sahib is very different from other banis that I have done. When I do Jaap Sahib I feel lots of Energy. It is a very powerfull bani that is hard for me to explain how it makes me feel when reciting. The audio that my mother put together I think is keeping in with this energy. When you hear the below audio clip you’ll of course notice that it is very rythmic and up-beat. The actual CD is 62 minutes long with 11 repititions. It is intended to be used for meditation and chanting with.
Another similiar CD that my mother put together is "Chatar Chakar Varti", also a mantra from Jaap Sahib, by Guru Gobind Singh ji. This track is originally from the CD album titled "Lightness of Being" but was changed a bit and extended to about 62 minutes long for use as a meditation.
You can hear a 2 minute clip from this CD by clicking one of the below links:
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