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,
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Posts by Executive Assistant
Minister News & Notes (2023 First Quarter)
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
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#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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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To Be Unaffected by Slander or Praise
by SS Shiv Charan Singh Khalsa, Quinta do Rajo, Portugal 2022 (Fourth Quarter) A personal note: I have spoken out and been damned. I have held my silence and been damned. Therefore, it is with some trepidation that I write this article. I am fully aware that we live in a time when misunderstandings are part of the deal right now. Nonetheless, Guru Teg Bahadur’s Bani inspires us to be “Unaffected by slander or praise.” The whole shabd describing the state of the Neutral Mind very well is on page 633 of the Siri Guru Granth Sahib. Whatever I write here
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We Are a Force for Good ~ We Must Preserve It!
by SS Sangeet Kaur Khalsa, Phoenix, Arizona 2022 (Fourth Quarter) As I completed our current Sikh Minister exam, this phrase came immediately to my mind. We (our community of Sikhs and Yogis) are a Force for Good in this World. We must preserve it. How do I know this? And how do we apply it in our lives as Sikhs and members of the Sikh Sangat? I have been a minister for almost 30 years, a lifelong counselor and a teacher. I am responsible for what I have and have not done. In my 83 years in this life I
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Minister News & Notes (2022 Fourth Quarter)
The Dying Into Life Journey is a practical yogic guide to life, death and transformation. The Dying Into Life Journey training has three Levels, all held on zoom. Level 1 is a 5+ month in-depth training to prepare one to greet their own death with ease and confidence and to help another going through their own transition. Level 2 is designed to give Level 1 graduates the tools to be an effective Death Doula. Level 3 is for graduates of Level 1 and 2 who want to go on to be Trainers in the DILJ program. The next Level 1
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