Winter Solstice Ministers’ Gathering
by SS Sangeet Kaur Khalsa and SS Hari Charn Kaur Khalsa
On Saturday, December 20, 2008, during the 3HO Winter Solstice Sadhana, seven ministers and interested students gathered for the annual Winter Solstice Ministers’ Gathering with the theme “Get Ready, Get Steady, Go.” We experienced the Meditation for Group Solidarity to build our unity as ministers and chanted the Narayan Shabd in honor of this year’s 25th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Akal Takhat.
This year is an opportune time to remember and revitalize the Narayan Shabd on the 6th of each month. If your community has a 6th of the month Gurudwara, please include it, if not play a version of the Narayan Shabd and meditate.
In a lecture in a 1987 Beads of Truth (Bead 19, Vol II), the Siri Singh Sahib spoke about the significance of the Narayan Shabd in relationship to the Akal Takhat. He explained that Guru Arjan composed this shabd to purify himself. “Those words made him stand to purify by the test of fire, and when he came out the other side, Guru was installed who could wear Miri and Piri and thus became Guru Hargobind. And it entitled him to install the Akal Takhat.”
The Siri Singh Sahib directed us to continue to play the Narayan Shabd each 6th of the month until the Akal Takhat is rebuilt. “People thought they could destroy it and they thought they could rebuild it. They could not destroy it because it lives in the heart of every Sikh, nor could they rebuild it. They tried. It is a big hole. You shall build it…You are building the akal Takhat. Each line of this shabd is brick. Each breath that goes with this shabd is the gold. And each voice created is the marble.
“Because it’s a great job, it can only be done by great people who have accepted the Guru in the face of everything…Guru Arjan has to sit again through the test of fire as Khalsa, and we shall chant this mantra which he chanted to purify himself and that is what this Narayan Shabad is, and when we’ll perfect it, Akal Takhat will appear by its own force. Men and material don’t matter.”
Request for Articles
Please send us your personal stories of “keep-up” as we explore the theme of Darkness to Light and chardi kalaa in our 2009 Minister’s e-newsletters. Also, we seek your tips for our Minister’s Toolkit. Feel free to share anything that helps to spread the light and lighten people’s loads (meditations, diets, inspirational thoughts, etc).
Send your submissions (100-300 words approximately) with a digital photo of yourself (if you have one) to Newsletter Editor SS Sarb Nam Kaur Khalsa at [email protected]. We want to hear from everyone this year!
For our May issue, please send us stories of how you and your sangats have remembered the sacrifice of the Akal Takhat on the 6th of each month during the past 25 years as we commemorate this day in history during 2009.
New Minister Vows Taken
SS Guruatma Kaur Khalsa, Houston, TX took her Sikh Dharma Minister vows on January 11, 2009. Welcome to our new Minister!
Minister Renewal 2009
Look for your 2009 Minister Renewal letters in the mail in February or by email if you requested it to be sent electronically. Please send your renewal letter and photos by March 10, 2009 to guarantee timely issuing of your new Minister ID card. This is not an exam year. For questions about renewal, contact [email protected]. New Payment Option! Pay your 2009 minister dues by Paypal directly to our Sikh Dharma Ministry account.