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Greetings and Namaste!
Across the millennia this time of year, marked by
growing darkness and the return of Light in the
northern hemisphere, has been
celebrated by our familiar religious traditions as
well as ancient shamanic and other spiritual
traditions. It's a time for giving special attention to
the emergence,
the revelation of the Divine, in whatever form you
are drawn to, be it the birth of Christ, the miracle of
God's protective presence seen in lamps remaining lit,
the Buddha's enlightenment, the
solar return, and the list goes on and on.
It's also a time
to make a concerted effort to embody the Divine -
just as the Divine revealed Itself through these
physical manifestations - we do so through
generosity, compassion, patience and loving
kindness. We participate in the revelation of the
Divine by setting aside our small self and surrendering
to the Divine Presence within, allowing It to radiate
through our thoughts, actions and being. All religions
are united on this level and when we recognize our
unity we can celebrate together in peace.
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Rumi
One
Song
What is praised
is
One, so the praise is One, too, many jugs
being emptied into one huge basin.
All
religions, all this singing, is one
song.
The differences are just illusion
and vanity.
The sun's light looks a little
different on this wall than it does on that
wall, and a lot different on this other
one, but it's still one light.
We have
borrowed these clothes, these time and place
personalities, from a Light, and when we
praise, we're pouring them back
in.
Rumi,
13th Century Muslim Poet Saint Coleman
Barks,
trans. One-Handed Basket Weaving
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Programs and NEW WEBSITE!
December 06-February 07
December 10 - The Sacred Season -
Divine Emergence - One Day
Meditation Retreat - Reclaim
what is Holy in the
holiday season! Enjoy a day exploring the
stillness and peace of meditation and deepening
your connection with the Sacred within yourself,
your tradition and
others. 9am-4pm Fee: $120 includes light
lunch.
January
14, 2007 - Meditation for Health and
Wellbeing -
learn to meditate or deepen your meditation practice
by spending a day focused on the principles and
practices that make meditation effective and
enjoyable. This popular program includes a
powerpoint presentation on the amazing scientific
research on the many health benefits of
meditation. Makes a special holiday gift for
someone you truly care about! Who
doesn't want greater peace, health and contentment!
Great for new meditators and experienced
ones. 9am-4pm. Fee: $120, includes lunch.
February 23-25, 2007 - Mysteries of
the
Divine
Feminine and Kundalini Empowerment.
Friday
7pm
through Sun. afternoon, Anam Cara, Bedford, NY.
Includes lectures, guided
meditations, chanting and most importantly, the
sacred and ancient Kundalini empowerment. In
this retreat we will also explore the mysteries of Kali
and the wisdom She imparts for living in this
age.This is the last time it will be offered until the fall
of 2007. This retreat was specially created to
invoke the sublime power
Kundalini and to open the portals to the sacred
knowledge of our true nature at the heart of our
being. The retreat gives you the opportunity to
remain immersed in this sacred space of awakening
so you can explore and discover for yourself what
lies within. For thousands of years the yogic
sages have written about the great serpent power as
the key to treasury of wisdom within us. By the
grace of Kundalini the meditation that allows
you to directly experience this becomes accessible.
The link to find out more below will also
take you to sharings from others who have taken this
life-transforming retreat, some of whom have taken
it repeatedly, as it continues to support and deepen
the process of Kundalini unfolding in their
lives.
Pre-registration is
necessary for courses and
retreats.
NEW ANAM CARA WEB
SITE!!!
Part of our fifth anniversary
celebration
on October 24th was the unveiling of the new Anam Cara,
Inc. website. We're grateful for everyone's
hardwork and support that went into creating it.
There are free downloadable meditation instructions,
and MP3s of guided relaxation and meditation. Anam
Cara's mission is to make meditation available to
everyone and to thereby change the manner of
thinking that informs individual and group decisions.
Meditation grants greater and greater freedom to
those who pursue the practices. Please vist the new
site and pass it on to others!
We continue
to
offer the Meditation Group every Tuesday
evening
starting promptly at 7:30pm at our center at
SunRaven in Bedford, NY. All are welcome! Directions
are on the Anam Cara website. It you ever question
whether the group is being held on a particular
Tuesday evening there will always be a
message stating it is cancelled if it is on that
night on 914-234-4800.
Find out more....
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Anam Cara, Inc. is a 501 (C) 3, non-profit
educational organization dedicated to teaching
meditative practices. Our non-denominational
programs are open to all.
Thank you for
the many ways you have shown
support for Anam Cara, Inc. Your tax deductible
donations enable Anam Cara to put on free programs
and expand its work in sharing the practices of
meditation.
On October 24th we had a
wonderful community dinner and celebration of the
5th anniversary of the Anam Cara weekly meditation
group. Because of you the years of serving to
support people's meditation practices continue to
mount. Anam Cara means "friend of the soul" and
you've made it possible for us to continue fulfilling
our mission in that regard. As you will see from the
new website we are looking forward to meditation
programs next year from great teachers from a
variety of
traditions. I look forward to welcoming you
there.
With great respect and
love, I thank you all.
May all beings attain complete freedom from suffering and enjoy the steady wisdom from which compassion, patience and loving kindness perpetually flower!
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