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Please email me if you have any comments, thoughts, or experiences that I can quote and share here. You can even just suggest events or happenings that you think deserve a mention. Help share the joy with our extended Ananda family! All online donations support our efforts to keep these offerings free and available. Sunday, December 11, 2016 Christmas Concert The choir thanks everyone who came to enjoy our holiday concert last weekend, and who streamed from afar. There were about 100 people in the temple (wow!), not counting all the singers and musicians. And about 100 connections came in for the live stream throughout the concert. The musicians were in music-heaven, and we’re pretty sure the angels in charge of music were more than pulling their weight that day, too. Todd played flute for the concert, not long after he just started learning to play. A great lesson in the value of knowing how to practice. And Jasmin graced us with her gorgeous cello playing on a few pieces. In case you missed it, or want to re-enjoy it: Beautiful photos . The complete 2016 Christmas concert video (use a quality speaker or earbuds for the best sound). The audio MP3s . And direct links to each song in the long video, if you want to head to a particular spot: Lift Thine Eyes (Mendelssohn) Cloisters O Come O Come Emmanuel (with flute and cello) Looking for a Friend Hayl, Mary, ful of grace (15th C.) Mother of Wisdom To Mary There Came Hail Mary The Light That Was Christ God is Truth, God is Love He Shall Feed His Flock (Handel) Ave Maria (Biebl) Shepherds Awake! Three Wise Men (wonderful, all-new group of singers this year) The Christmas Mystery That Night When Christ Was Born The Christ Child’s Asleep O Jesulein Süss (Bach) Small ensemble set Ding Dong Merrily on High The Seven Rejoices of Mary Lullay My Liking (Holst) I Wonder as I Wander (Niles), arr. by Tandava The Angel Gabriel , arr. by Tandava Good King Wenceslas Choir closing pieces In Dulci Jubilo (Bach) Christ Has Come! African Noel , arr. by Andre J. Thomas (a total blast) Hallelujah Chorus (Handel) (a total blast x 2) 1 comments Categories: Holidays , Music , Videos Friday, July 29, 2016 Guru Day One person traveled from as far away as Seattle, and others came from Ananda Village for this sacred evening. The rest of us were fortunate enough to roll in from around the Bay Area, for what is widely felt to be one of the most unusual and sacred evenings of the year. It feels like a mini pilgrimage to India, with the added pleasure of clean air. A few passing trains and various other bits of noise evoked India as well, but gradually gave way to quiet. The community courtyard had gradually transformed over several days into exquisitely decorated shrines to the Masters, and Asha brought each Master’s life to a special focus, in story and exploration of each one's message to us today. (Look for Asha’s talks to be posted here soon.) Strength in the face of challenge; kindness in the face of hatred. Easy messages to hear; hard to practice. Ever inspiring to renew, especially against the backdrop of conflicts elsewhere today. We tried a new experiment this year, keeping all the musicians in one place, so there could be virtually no disturbance to the evening (of extra movement, cables, technology). It deepened the inwardness of the event. All of the beautiful photos are posted here . 0 comments Categories: Gurus , Misc Celebrations Friday, June 10, 2016 The Land of Golden Sunshine The Land of Golden Sunshine was a story Swami Kriyananda wrote when he was a young man, and then finally published 60 years later. He called it the most autobiographical thing he had ever written, and that’s even including The New Path, his literal autobiography. A group of Ananda actors, dancers, and singers, led by Marcel, recently performed this little gem—the first time it’s been done here in years. This new arrangement included many of Swamiji’s songs, woven seamlessly into the story. Our small dance troupe of Rita, Karen B., Suman, and Sneha also added original choreographies, both as angels and as storm lords. Detailed sets and intricate lighting work added the finishing touches to a beautiful and powerful production. Here’s a gallery of photos , plus a full video of the show : (And just for an extra bit of fun, here’s a video of the 1992 production of the same play!) 2 comments Categories: Theater , Videos Thursday, May 5, 2016 Open House at the Farm This past Saturday we had a fantastic Open House event up at Ananda Valley farm. This was a chance for us to open our doors and have hundreds of friends, neighbors, and community members come in an find out what our Farm and Ananda in general are all about. The welcome crew estimated that we had 400 visitors, not counting staff and volunteers, which makes it very possibly the largest event Ananda has ever put on that did not have Swami Kriyananda physically present. (He was definitely present in other ways, though, along with all our gurus!) Guests got to tour the farm , enjoy a vegetarian cookout , practice yoga and meditation in the temple yurt, play children’s games, sing songs , get their faces painted , dance to live music , and visit with our flock of chickens . There was even a display of paintings by Galen Wolf, an artist who lived on the property for many years, including a painting of the farm itself in the 1930’s. The weather was gorgeous, spirits were high, and the energy was delighted and joyful. Some comments from our visitors included: “Great to see your operation today. It is definitely one of the jewels of the coast!” “Thank you so much, my kids, husband, and I are so excited!! We absolutely loved your open house and are considering volunteering on Saturdays with our boys.” “I am so inspired here. I would like to come out with my easel and do some painting.” “We had so much fun! The kids don't even want to leave.” “I am signing up for your CSA because I went on Yelp and you had the best reviews ever!” You can find more photos of the whole day here . Jai Farm! 0 comments Categories: Ananda Valley Farm Thursday, March 24, 2016 Healing Waters: Bernadette of Lourdes This year’s Living Wisdom School play was their 23rd annual production, presenting the life of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. Bernadette was a poor, uneducated peasant girl, living in Lourdes in the 19th century. When only a teenage...