Archives for 2022 - Third Quarter

In Memoriam – SS Bir Singh Khalsa

April 18, 1946 – August 25, 2022 A Life Celebrated SS Bir Singh Khalsa was born April 18, 1946, in Chicago, IL, and died August 25, 2022, in Albuquerque, NM. He graduated from Brother Rice College in Davenport, Iowa. He taught 4th grade in Chicago for a few years after graduation. He discovered Kundalini Yoga in 1972 in Houston, TX, where he worked in the ashram restaurant business. From Houston he moved to Phoenix, AZ to study Kundalini Yoga with the teacher there and met and married his wife Bir Kaur in 1973. He and his wife moved to Kings
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In Memoriam – SS Jai Singh Khalsa

June 4, 1954 – August 15, 2022 by SS Gurujot Kaur Khalsa, Leesburg VA 2022 (Third Quarter) Jai Singh was a dear brother and friend, a true Sibling of Destiny. I had the wonderful privilege of working together with Jai Singh over the past 25 years. We both shared a deep love and commitment to our Dharmic path and community, and so we often found ourselves serving together. This is how I got to experience his deep spiritual devotion, his love of seva and his willingness to share his skills and talents, his brilliant mind and his sharp wit, and
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Finding Opportunity in Times of Crisis

by SS Har Tirath Kaur Khalsa, Luján, Argentina 2022 (Third Quarter) As I look at this world in crisis, I see it from the viewpoint of someone who lives in a country that is continually in crisis—Argentina. I would like to share this viewpoint with you. As a servant of God, I have learned through the years that challenges are full of opportunities, that changes are wonderful and necessary, and that every time we do not accept an ending, there is no possible beginning. I have learned that real strength is put to the test when structures break down and
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Overcoming Isolation through Seva and Sangat Engagement During COVID

by SS Guru Darshan Kaur Khalsa, Puebla, Mexico 2022 (Third Quarter) Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh! Sat Nam Dear Sangat, I’m happy to share with you my inspiration and love of the Guru and the teachings that have given me strength in these changing and challenging times. I enjoy sharing with you a little bit of my earthly human life. My motto is: Those who learn and work as a team multiply the benefits of what they teach individually and more easily fulfill their mission, understanding the power that we are ONE. How have I,
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How You Can Make a Difference in the World from Your Hometown: Women’s Global Forum

by SS Sat Tara Kaur Khalsa, Boulder CO 2022 (Third Quarter) Many years ago, I “accidentally” put together a consortium of international aid organizations. It started with a lunch date for two women whom I wanted to introduce to each other, and it eventually grew to over 100 members. We met monthly for about five years—to share an Indian buffet and to hear informative and inspiring presentations, do fundraisers, support each other, and connect as women both personally and professionally. It was really fun, deeply moving, and very easy to do. I’d like to tell you about it in case
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The Gift of Slowing Down and Going Within

by SS Guru Jivan Kaur, Melbourne Australia 2022 (Third Quarter) Sat Nam, dear brothers and sisters, We have all found the last two and a bit years—challenging, shall we say. The uncertainty, the fear; for some illness, for others the loss of income and so much more. Change is a certainty in life and how we meet those changes is what makes us who we are and how others see us. For me personally it was not too bad—once I got used to the lack of income and purpose that I had become accustomed too. I had been flying constantly
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Aadays Tisai Aadays: An Academic’s Experience of Guru’s Grace

by SS Atma Chanan Kaur Khalsa, Ph.D., Mendocino CA 2022 (Third Quarter) A month ago, as I was driving away from the Española ashram towards California, I reflected on having taken my recent Minister vows. After two difficult years of a global pandemic, the many challenges of worldwide polarizations, and all the soul-searching from the shared stories of the early years of our Dharma, I wondered if I had made a mistake. I felt disconnected from my own Western values and everything I had learned thus far. Had I been selfish in thinking I was responding to a soul calling,
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Minister News & Notes (2022 Third Quarter)

There is an SSSC election occurring this year, with 8 seats up for re-election. The Office of the Secretary of Religion is here to support all Ministers in getting current so that they can participate in the various aspects of the SSSC election. On May 25, 2022 the SSSC announced that the election timeline originally announced earlier this year has been delayed by 75 days. In order to vote in the election, and write letters of recommendation for Sangat members applying to join the electorate, all Ministers must be in good standing. This means that they must have completed their annual
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Secretary of Religion Column (2022 Third Quarter)

Dear Ministers, Recently I watched an interview between historian and demographer Neil Howe and Tony Robbins. The discussion centered around cycles in human history, with reference to the book The Fourth Turning: An American Prophecy, by Neil Howe and William Strauss. I felt like I got the CliffsNotes version of the authors’ key concept that these cycles are inevitable and predictable, and have shaped and impacted our lives for generations. Although the book was written in 1997, much of what was detailed in it has come to pass with startling accuracy. I was struck by how much of it could
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