by SS Kulwant Singh Khalsa, West Midlands, United Kingdom 2023 (First Quarter) Aasaa, Seventh House, Fifth Mehl: Meditate continually on the Name of the Lord within your heart. Thus you shall save all your companions and associates. ||1|| My Guru is always with me, near at hand. Meditating, meditating in remembrance on Him, I cherish Him forever. ||1||Pause|| Your actions seem so sweet to me. Nanak begs for the treasure of the Naam, the Name of the Lord. ||2||42||93|| ~ Guru Arjan Dev Ji – Siri Guru Granth Sahib Ji – Ang 394 In this Shabad, Guru Arjan, our fifth
Read More
Posts by Executive Assistant
Hukam: The Sweet Will of God
Holding On and Letting go
by SS Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Claremont, California 2023 (First Quarter) One time a very wise man and I were sitting close together, across from each other. In what seemed to me a sudden move, he placed his hand in a clenched fist near my face. Looking into my eyes, he said, “This is not a heart.” After what felt like a very long moment, he opened his hand—still near my face— and said, “And this is not a heart.” Then he slowly began to open and close his hand in a fist. He had my attention. As I looked at
Read More
Personal Reflections on Compassion
by SS Satwant Singh Khalsa, Leesburg, Virginia 2023 (First Quarter) Sat Nam, Though not a Sat Nam Rasayan expert, I have taken many classes in it and read up some as well. As best as I can explain it, you open a healing space—a sensitive space where you experience all your sensations simultaneously rather than focus at a particular place. Once you have stabilized that space you introduce the subject/client/patient. The introduction of that subject creates resistances or conflict within the healer. The healer then works to resolve the resistance WITHIN HIM OR HERSELF. As those resistances are resolved within
Read More
Minister News & Notes (2023 First Quarter)
Annual Sikh Dharma Minister credential renewal notices will be sent out at the end of February. Since this is a non-exam year, it is easy to maintain that current status by renewing now. This will enable you to continue to fully deliver your unique gifts and service as a Minister and afford you opportunities for your voice to be heard. Our electronic Minister Renewal System facilitates annual Minister credential renewals through a secure online portal. You can review and update your Minister record, submit your renewal letters, and securely pay your annual Minister fees. For those who are not current,
Read More
Secretary of Religion Column (2023 First Quarter)
Dear Ministers, Wahe Guru Ji ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji ki Fateh! We have been launched into the year 2023, ready or not. Indeed, we face many challenges in our Dharmic community. At the same time, the energy is changing. The other day I was reading an on-line astrological report by Philip Sedgwick (February, 3rd, Sky Scraping!) and was quite moved by something he shared: “Saturn dives into Pisces on March 7th. …Reset your humanity. Be concerned about the plight of others. Be concerned about the planet. Commit to every cause where you can expend a thorough increment of time
Read More
#87 – 2023 Newsletter (First Quarter)
The concept of Collective Efficacy posits that together we can make meaningful change in our community, whether or not we agree on everything. Working together, anything is possible. Our 2023 Ministry Newsletter series will feature this concept front and center. What we have collectively experienced in our international sangat mirrors the model of what occurs when an individual undergoes the disruption and dysregulation of a traumatic event. To address this, in the four issues of the newsletter we will share with our readers the progressive arc of the resolution of trauma. For our first issue of the new year, we
Read More
Dharma is Born of Compassion
by SS Awtar Kaur Khalsa, San Francisco, California 2022 (Fourth Quarter) Every day I feel the pain of division in the sangat. Every day I search for inspiration in Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Guru Nanak uses the image of a forge in the 38th Pauri of Japji, to remind me of the tools that can help me affirm our shared humanity. ਜਤੁ ਪਾਹਾਰਾ ਧੀਰਜੁ ਸੁਨਿਆਰੁ ॥ jat paahaaraa dheeraj suniaar || Let self-control be the furnace, and patience the goldsmith. ਅਹਰਣਿ ਮਤਿ ਵੇਦੁ ਹਥੀਆਰੁ ॥ aharan mat vedh hatheeaar || Let understanding be the anvil, and spiritual wisdom the tools.
Read More
Examining our own Projection during Challenging Times
by SS Sham Rang Singh Khalsa, Millis, Massachusetts 2022 (Fourth Quarter) My friend verbally attacks me in a meeting. I feel angry and defensive, but I keep my mouth shut. I sit and contemplate as the meeting proceeds. Who are we in this time of widely disparate beliefs? Where do we stand? And who even stands there? Parents, teachers and society train us to individuate and know who we are. We define and then project this refined story of self, even when it requires glossing over inconsistencies, some of which can be major. Some of us even train in
Read More
What is our Common Ground?
Introduction by SS Sangeet Kaur Khalsa: In the midst of the funeral and cremation service for a beloved Khalsa brother, my longtime dear friend Guru Meher Kaur and I sought out a quiet spot to sit and share our thoughts and emotions around this day. In marveling at the huge turnout, which included many who no longer attend Gurdwara or other Dharmic events, Guru Meher Kaur observed the irony that we can come together at the time of death, but why not life? She was feeling the need to write an article about this. I naturally seized the opportune moment
Read More
The Minister’s Role in Conflict Resolution
by SS Gurujodha Singh Khalsa, Coarsegold, California 2022 (Fourth Quarter) Conflict is a flower rising up out of the earth. Conflict is the resistance the mountain gives to the wind. Conflict, movement and change are all part of the same system. Resistance to conflict implies a resistance to change. And since change is the one constant in life on the earth plane, the resistance and avoidance of conflict is the avoidance of life itself. The role of a minister, a man or woman of Spirit or God is to bring change, love, and elevation to environments simply through his or
Read More
