Previous Issues

Archives for 2021 - First Quarter

by SS Krishna Singh Khalsa, Espanola NM 2021 (First Quarter) There was a time when Greed Capitalism was stood upside down, on its head, in a very practical way during the dark, socially-conflicted times of the late 1960s and 1970s. This was when Yogi Bhajan and a group of dedicated men and women started a bootstrap business called Sunshine Brass Beds in Los Angeles. Just as Kabir spoke of the inevitability of “many hardships” on a spiritual path, we all had experienced many times of hardship trapped within a very unfriendly and indifferent world system. And yet we were also
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Celebrating 50 Years of Ministry

by MSS Krishna Kaur Khalsa, Los Angeles CA 2021 (First Quarter) My first experience with Sikh Dharma came in February 1971. I traveled with the Siri Singh Sahib on his very first return trip to India, after he had been living in the United States for two years. The overwhelm of the culture that many in our group experienced on that yatra actually felt good to me. Being in northern India [Punjab] was like being back in Senegal, Ghana, and Nigeria, West Africa, where I had spent a year on a personal quest to discover how I was supposed to
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A Humble Journey

by SS Mata Mandir Singh Khalsa, MT 2021 (First Quarter) “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”—Lao Tzu My spiritual journey began in Maine’s woods, where I grew up. I was the son of a farmer who taught me how to grow things and gave me a perspective on how other species—the trees, moss, insects, and the woods’ wild plants and animals—experience life on this planet earth. On the other hand, my mother encouraged me to study piano and later guitar. I have much gratitude for a childhood rich in learning and experience. Later as a hippy,
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Pioneers of Sikh Dharma/3HO

by SS Sarb Jit Kaur Khalsa, Ram Das Puri NM 2021 (First Quarter) Editor’s Note: When I invited Sarb Jit Kaur, one of the earliest pioneers in our Dharma, to tell her story, she initially declined, due to her responsibilities as the Aquarian Trainer Academy Administrator. Nevertheless, I cajoled her into being interviewed on Skype. She wondered what on earth she could talk about, but once she got started, there was no stopping her! This is the abbreviated version of her story. Stay tuned: She has resolved to write her memoirs once she has the leisure time that retirement will provide!—SS
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Path to Guru

by SS Siri Ved Kaur, Coarsegold CA 2021 (First Quarter) In early 1971, when Yogi Bhajan returned from the first India Yatra with 88 students, he brought back enough copies of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib (8-volume sets with English translation) for every ashram. Within a few weeks, we started a non-stop reading of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib at Guru Ram Das Ashram (GRDA) in West Hollywood. I showed up for my assigned reading time, knowing only that I was to cover my head, read aloud, and not stop reading for any reason. When I arrived, I saw another
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Anthems of Awakening

by MSS Guruka Singh Khalsa, Espanola NM 2021 (First Quarter) Reprinted with permission of the author from Our True Tales website. I guess you could classify me as an “old timer” in 3HO. I first began to discover who I really was in the 1960s. Like most of my generation in the West, I grew up singing the anthems of our time—the anthems of a new awakening consciousness. We were “Uncle John’s Band” (a reference to the old Grateful Dead song on “American Beauty”). Everyone knew the words and everyone knew the tune. We all joined the dance together. We
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Minister News and Notes (2021 First Quarter)

Congratulations and Wahe Guru to Sardarni Sahiba Hari Bhajan Kaur Khalsa of Espanola, NM, on her recent ordination as a Sikh Dharma International Minister. She was able to take her Minister vows virtually via Zoom at her home gurdwara surrounded by family and was also joined online by friends. The vows and Minister oath were administered by Secretary of Religion Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa on January 23, 2021. Attending the Guru, MSS Hari Dharam Kaur, Granthee of the Hacienda de Guru Ram Das Gurdwara, looked on with pride as her eldest daughter became an ordained Sikh Dharma Minister. SS Siri
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Secretary of Religion Column (First Quarter 2021)

This year 2021 marks the 50th anniversary of the Sikh Dharma International Ministry. It is true that 2020 impacted us on many fronts: the pandemic, politics, our Dharma, racial injustice, financial challenges, and much loss. We are still very much in the destabilization part of our grief. However, there is a powerful healing potential in reviewing and honoring our history. It is an essential part of the grief recovery process. It is our intent in this issue of our newsletter to reflect on our past for perspective, education, evaluation, understanding, and, hopefully, appreciation. Perhaps with a deeper understanding of the
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