Our Sikh Dharma Minister Gatherings at Summer and Winter Solstices and the European Yoga Festival bring us together to connect, elevate and expand as Ministers. We consciously do not call them Minister meetings, even though we do convene.

To most of us, the word “meeting” implies going through an agenda and attending to business. The Sikh Dharma Minister Gatherings are intended as a collective experience, out of which comes a renewed relationship each Minister has with his or her own identity as a Minister. This Summer Solstice 2009 gathering was no exception.

After tuning in, Shanti Shanti Kaur, our Assistant Secretary of Religion, gave a brief explanation of the Narayan shabd. She said that it is chanted in times of transition to help us remember our origins and that it has the power to resurrect the Khalsa. In these times of personal and global transitions, sangats, and individuals chanting this shabd are manifesting clarity and bringing people together.

We were blessed with the musical presence of Cherdi Kala Jatha’s Sada Sat Simran Singh, along with Hargobind Singh on tablas. After chanting the Narayan shabd for 11 minutes, we broke into small groups to address the following three questions:

1) What (if any) concerns do you or your communities have regarding the administration of the Dharma?

2) What impact (if any) does the current structure of Sikh Dharma have on you, your sangat or students?

3) How do you see Sikh Dharma growing?

We followed the small group discussions with a whole group sharing.

Sada Sat Simran Singh then led us in 11 repetitions of the Triple Mantra followed by another 11 minutes of the Narayan shabd. I encouraged all of the Ministers to take this shabd back to their communities and chant it as much as possible.

I then acknowledged and honored SS Gurunam Singh and his team from Texas for their translation of the banis and Sikh Dharma teachings into Spanish. Gurunam Singh also shared with us that Sikh Dharma of Mexico has registered with the Mexican government as an official religion in Mexico! Wahe Guru!

It was a successful gathering of the Ministers who could attend. Please look for the announcement of these gatherings at Solstice and the European Yoga Festival and do your best to attend. Building a community of Ministers is essential for our future. May God ever bless you for your service.

Humbly,

SS Dr. Sat-Kaur Khalsa
Secretary of Religion

THE SECRETARY OF RELIGION

SS Dr. Sat Kaur Khalsa has served as Secretary of Religion since 1991 and was ordained as a Sikh Dharma Minister in 1975. As Secretary of Religion, Dr. Sat Kaur oversees and is ultimately responsible for the delivery of the functions of this Office. Dr. Sat Kaur is a long-time member of the International Khalsa Council and the Khalsa Council Executive Committee. She maintains a full-time psychotherapy private practice in Santa Monica, California and Santa Fe, New Mexico, counseling individuals, couples, and families to support their personal and spiritual growth. She is a certified Kundalini Yoga teacher, a facilitator of White Tantric Yoga®, and a published author.