Hari Om!
Sat Nam!
Dear Lord!
Holy Name!
When I call on the God within, I go home!
The last words, of the last
song, of the last sadhana on the last day of last year’s Winter Solstice
Sadahana say a lot.
Hari Om!
Sat Nam!
Dear Lord!
Holy Name!
When I call on the God
within, I go home!
That simple lyric, repeated
over and over again on the last day, during the last sadhana, in the last song, was the
last word of Winter Solstice 2008 and was truly perfect!
As we sat there in the semi
darkness of the pre dawn in Lake Wales there was the desire to stretch the time
out, not endlessly but exquisitely. Yes, it was time to go home. Not only in our
souls but also in the “real” world. Swaying (some dancing) all singing (one
juggling!) it seemed a mission and a preparation for a mission. The journey was
ahead but it was also behind us.
It was another Winter Solstice.
The weather was beautiful.
Even on the one day some might call “cold” it was pleasantly so. Walking into
the Sadhana tent that morning the place was populated not quite wall to wall
with sleeping bags and cozy yogis while the propane powered heaters whooshed
warm air all around.
Each day’s Sadhana
stretched from the Tantric style recitation of Jap-ji to the cozy warmth of
fresh karah prasaad plopped into our upstretched palms at the end of Gurdwara services.
There was Kundalini Yoga of
course,
and then live music for the Morning meditations. Pictured here is the jetha
for the Christmas morning Sadhana
(You can tell by the presence of a number of Elves!) was clearly different from
the other amrit vehlas we spent because it was the last we would experience as a
large group but it was also the same because the mantras still had the same
power lent to them by our combined voices and devotion.
But that last day was much
like the other days, only shorter. There was still the greeting of old friends;
the saying of goodbyes to new ones and the maintenance of the connection with
God and Guru.
Winter Solstices are much like Summer Solstices, ... only different,
smaller, cooler, cozier, compact and so forth. But there are many elements that
are the same: early morning sadhana; the meals; White Tantric; the Gurdwaras.
Some folks had their first turban, tied by a helpful member of
the Hospitality Karma Yoga Team. That is Hari Kartar K (above) of Kansas City being helped by Sat
Inder K, also of KC.
There were singers and
dancers as well. MSS Livtar Singh (below)
told a wonderful story about an early solstice when Yogi Bhajan inspired him to
write the words to “The Song of the Khalsa.”
The land where that early solstice
was held it seemed was rented from a farmer who asked that in return, some of
the participants would come and help with
farm tasks. As the “workers”
were transported off sitting on the flat bed of a stake sided truck, Yogi Bhajan
mentioned that one day, he thought, the American Khalsa might be hauled off in
trucks because of their faith.
Everyone takes from his or her
solstice experience something special. The Food Serving Karma Yoga Team for
example, was inspired one evening to dance while the rest of us ate diner. It
wasn’t exactly a “Nero fiddling while Rome burned,” moment because the joy of the many
different moments of the gathering moves us in many different ways.
There are the quiet
moments, just warming our bodies and hearts in the bright Florida sun after a
cool night spent in a damp and drafty tent or cabin. These are moments that are
simple, but very deep and valuable.
One older Solstice
attendee, for example, finally grokked
or grasped and understood the power of the Isht Sodhana Mantra as he
chanted it with a group of people who had never done it before. It was as if
the total openness of the new people “infected” him and gave him the ability to
see how the earth and the ethers are connected through humility. Humility he
hadn’t experienced until he saw it with the neophyte’s eyes.
We all enjoyed the delicious, hot drinks dispensed at evening’s end by
the Yogi Tea Karma Yoga Team. The crew (above) was dedicated, careful and skilled. So
much so, that the line for their handiwork seemed to stretch from one end of
camp to the other. There always seemed to be enough though, whether you
preferred your Yogi Tea with “Moo” for
milk or Soy. The same went for the tasty Golden Milk, Soy of “Moo” ? Sorry, no
foam!
Harbhajan Kaur and her
assistants did a wonderful job of filling in for Guru Singh’s wake up duty
though we sleepers might have thought the sound blurry like this picture it was
merely the depth to which we buried ourselves in our blanket and sleeping bags
that probably muffled their song.
“Rise up, rise up sweet
family dear, it’s time for the Lord and remembering his Love is here.”
Solstice, like any army (of
God) travels on its stomach. Without the dedicated workers of the kitchen many
of us would have had to resort to Taco Bell or Walmart’s food section but
without the balanced nutritious result. Here a pair of coveralled shaktis strain
the water out of the well cooked carrots into containers the Food Servers will
use to feed participants.
All was not White Tantric
and Solstice Soup however. An enterprising artist managed a fully realized
Christmas motif around her tent complete with a Christmas tree, ribbons, but
alas, no lights!
Solstice of course would not exist without the consistent seva of a variety
of skilled workers. Dharam S (above)
manned the sound board and made sure the White Tantric videos went smoothly,
that the musicians and the all important camp announcements could be heard.
There were many others of course, heading various Karma Yoga teams: Jot Singh
in the kitchen; Bhagwant Singh, grounds; Harbhajan Kaur activities (and wake-up);
Mata Mandir Singh Gurdwara; and many others.
The last evening of Winter Solstice was quite special. The special
dinner featured not only gourmet food but a nicely laid out place setting for each
diner. We were able to sit with friends, talk ove the past few days and our plans
for post-Solstice.
Working up an appetite for
a number of us meant a lively limbo contest to the music of some talented
drummers.
Best of all though was the shared
dining experience.
Whether you had long hair, or not, a turban or a simple head covering (or not) there was plenty to talk about and eat. Including pans of aromatic garlic bread, cookies made from raw ingredients, surprisingly tasty. That wasn’t the only raw food. There was stuffed cucumbers and a fine salad There was the 3HO standby of Mung Beans and Rice as well as sparkling juices (for a New Year’s toast). A job well done by Ravi Inder K and Sat Kartar S whose cooking tasks were made slightly easier by the last day decline in attendance to about half the original camp.
There was by the way, a very slight but very delicious variation made
in the regular Solstice diet. Instead of the usual quarter of a head of Iceberg
Lettuce, we were served a slaw like salad of lettuce, beets, carrots and a mild
non dairy dressing. It was a hit with all the people this writer spoke with.
There was one other new
twist at Winter Solstice 2008 – we had an evening of poetry reading (about an
hour, really) organized by your reporter. It was great to bring this hidden
talent among our sanghat. If you’ve never heard a spiritual “rap” come to
Summer Solstice and we’ll try to duplicate and enlarge our Poetry Slam at the
Yogi Tea Café there and then.
Karta Purkh of Kansas City
and Hari Ram of Montreal were two of the poetry readers. Others were Terry Weide,
also of Kansas City, Akhal Sahai Singh, Tej Preet Kaur and a number of others whose
names escape me for the moment. You haven't by the way heard real spiritual rap songs until you've heard them from yogis! We'll have another evening, hopefully at Summer Solstice.
Most of all, Solstice is about connections. Connecting with our inner divine
nature on the White Tantric lines, in sadhana, in gurdwara, during classes and
as we serve. And it’s also about connecting with new friends of our world wide
yoga community and knowing we have “old” friends who will be with us for life.
Solstice is about a lot of things. It is about all of the above
and all of the potentialities of our spiritual path. About how we can be better
Sikhs and yogis and teachers and how we can help others be better. It is about
changing to new directions and about reaffirming old ones. It is about
remembering why we first came to this complex path of Kundalini Yoga and
meditation and the simplicity of how it is done. Solstice is not just another
event in our lives; it is a renewing experience, a sharpening of our
perceptions and breakingthrough old patterns.
Solstice is about being within ourselves, before God and Guru and being there as part of a large community, expanding the view within and the view outside of us.
