Interview with SS Harbhajan Singh Khalsa, Chapel Hill, North Carolina 2023 (Fourth Quarter) In 2014, SS Harbhajan Singh Khalsa had a traumatic bicycle accident and almost died. After a long time away from Dharmic activities, he attended this September’s Khalsa Council meetings. As he shared his story during our small group check-in, I was compelled to invite him to be interviewed for this month’s newsletter. What follows is partially edited for clarity. But some is simply uniquely Harbhajan Singh at his frank, dry, funny, positive, courageous, spontaneous best! ~ SS Sangeet Kaur Khalsa, Articles Editor Sangeet: For our readers, could you
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Posts by Executive Assistant
Seeing the God in All
My View from Here
by SS Guru Sangat Kaur Khalsa, Great Falls, Virginia 2023 (Fourth Quarter) The Olive Branch report and the reports of abuse at the schools in India hit us like a bomb at a birthday party. Feelings have run the gamut from those of betrayal, to those of disbelief in the report, and loyalty to Siri Singh Sahib Ji as spiritual teacher in spite of the allegations, or revelations, according to some folks. Some love the teachings but not Siri Singh Sahib Ji. Some are totally done with 3HO or Sikh Dharma. Some want to change everything in the organization. Still
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Growing, Learning and Healing
by SS Dr. Haridass Kaur Khalsa, Los Angeles, California 2023 (Fourth Quarter) In this time and space, what do you value most in your Dharmic life? It has been a long three years with the pandemic and the upheaval in our community. I miss gathering with my Dharmic brothers and sisters, and I miss the joy of service. But what I value in this time and space is the opportunity to grow, learn, and heal, each on our own terms. Letting out all the emotions and taking time to acknowledge the hurts meant that we have had to talk about
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Contemplating Collective Efficacy
by SS Gurumeet Kaur Khalsa, Espanola, New Mexico 2023 (Fourth Quarter) Mere Pyare Sadh Sangat Ji, Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa, Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh! Our Sikh Ministry is sharing a powerful concept in this newsletter for our world sangat to contemplate—collective efficacy. We have all experienced fragmentation and discord in our sangat and among our dear friends and family. In this challenging environment, the concept of collective efficacy takes on profound significance. Living a dharmic lifestyle is often defined as a righteous and ethical path. But it is not merely a set of rules. Dharma is a technology
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Minister News & Notes (2023 Fourth Quarter)
SS Shiva Singh Khalsa will facilitate a Minister Gathering at the 2023 Winter Solstice Festival in Lake Wales, Florida! This will be the first in-person Minister gathering since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. It will be taking place on Sunday, December 17, 2023 from 2:15 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. in the Gurdwara/Palafito space. This gathering will be a space for Ministers to check in and share, followed by a group practice reciting the Slok of Japji Sahib. We hope all Ministers attending Winter Solstice will be able to participate in this beautiful opportunity to reconnect! Click here to learn
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Secretary of Religion Column (2023 Fourth Quarter)
Dear Ministers, As we move into the holiday season, my thoughts turn to two words—gratitude and grace. It seems that no matter what spiritual tradition one might follow, there is usually some kind of special celebration or acknowledgement that accompanies the season. For us, it’s winter solstice. Why do so many honor this time of year? Perhaps, in part, it provides an opportunity to pause, reflect, and appreciate what we do have, who we care about, and what’s important to us. There is so much darkness in the world now. The drums of war are beating so loudly. It is
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#90 – 2023 Newsletter (Fourth 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 features this concept front and center. This issue focuses on how Ministers can support fellow sangat members, both individually and collectively, during this time—in healing, rebuilding, and assessing what values remain meaningful at this juncture. “I am a sacrifice to my pure friends, the immaculate Saints. This body is attached to them, and we have shared our minds. We have shared our minds – how could I
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The 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago: a Deep Dive Into a Global Faith Community
by SS Shiva Singh Khalsa, Chicago, Illinois 2023 (Third Quarter) The 2023 Parliament of the World’s Religions was held August 14-18, 2023. This is the 4th Parliament we have attended. It is a week of presentations; plenaries by world-renowned faith and government luminaries; and most of all, amazing conversations with like-hearted people from every corner of the world. This is the 130th anniversary of the first Parliament in 1893, when the West got its first taste of non-Abrahamic faiths, held at the McCormick Lakeside Center in Chicago, USA. This week started with 1,000+ representatives of more than twenty diverse faith
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My Pregnancy Story
by SS Charansev Kaur Khalsa, Viña del Mar, Chile 2023 (Third Quarter) Wahe Guru Ji Ka Khalsa! Wahe Guru Ji Ki Fateh! The Ministry Newsletter Team invited me to write an article for the August 2023 issue. As a new mother, I have currently not been active in ministering to our community. Nevertheless the team kindly asked me to share my pregnancy story. This is my personal journey, in preparation for raising a child in the Dharma during these turbulent times. On January 1st, 2022, my husband, Agya Akal Singh, and I visited the mother ashram in Española, New Mexico.
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Supporting Sangat during Times of Challenge
Interview with SS Guru Sangat Singh Khalsa, Great Falls, Virginia This interview was conducted over the telephone by Guruamrit Kaur, Newsletter Editor, on August 25, 2023 2023 (Third Quarter) What are ways that we can support ourselves during times of challenge? For me, personally, Sadhana in the Amrit Vela is the whole deal. Including banis as well. These technologies of Banis, Simran and Sadhana. The technology is
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