New Year’s Eve in a Winter Wonderland
Service News: from Peace Village, New York - New Year 2010
The 160 souls celebrated New Year’s Retreat at the Peace Village in Haines Falls, New York, were triply lucky.
They had two celebrations and four full days in a winter wonderland, where it snowed the entire time, blanketing
the ground with fluffy, deep white carpeting, enabling each tree to glisten in royal splendor, and giving true
meaning to the words fresh air. In this cocoon of protection, the confluence of the old and new years took place.
The gathering, comprised mostly of BKs from the USA and Canada, ranged from 20- to 30-year veterans in gyan to new
BKs just 3 weeks old. It was easy to feel the warmth, love, closeness, and sense of belonging and unity from the
moment one arrived. The Peace Village niwasis – resident angels BK Dr. Kala, BK Sister Dorothy, and all the other
niwasis – ensured that everything anyone would desire at a retreat place is there in full measure. This is what makes
Peace Village the magnet it is.
While every scene could have been a season’s greeting card, some of the highlights included:
Sister Mohini, who shared jewel upon jewel of her deep churning, suggested we ask ourselves three questions as we
assess the self in our efforts to move forward. 1) What do I need to renounce? 2) What do I need to transform? 3)
What do I need to adopt/inculcate? During a bhog message on January 1, she relayed Baba’s message: Each child is
near and dear to Baba. He welcomed each one to the subtle region with a tilak of victory and a garland to celebrate
the victory. He told us whenever we need support, just hold His hand. He is there. When we need courage, take His
drishti. When we need to feel a sense of belonging, Baba’s both arms are open and He will embrace you in his arms.
Sister Gayatri shared three meanings of the word love, which she treasures from a class given by Dadi Janki.
In English, we have to suffice with one word for love. In Hindi, there are three words which capture love’s nuances.
Pyar is the dynamic of love, the chemistry, the feelings of the heart. Preet is the love connected to the intellect.
The fundamentals would be knowledge, and for the intellect to receive the knowledge requires love for the truth.
Sneh is the love that comes from God that transforms the soul. It’s the pure form of spiritual love, the seed form
stage. She said the three words and their associated feelings, when in alignment with our inner truth, connects us
to God and creates the experience of the cleanliness, purity, and depth of God’s love.
Sister Sharonah, National Coordinator of Israel and former coordinator of the Boston Center, was the New Year’s
“gift of a lift.” She shared her depth, wisdom, honesty and humor during 3-4 sessions with the group, including
an interview, a fireside chat, and a workshop focused on deepening our relationship with God. The workshop took
us on a journey into the yagya family album as we explored the precious photos of the yagya in the early days.
It made us feel as if we were there with sakar Baba and the original jewels.
Last August 2009, during the 10th anniversary of Peace Village, a beautiful hut was built on the front lawn.
It’s six times the size of Baba’s hut in Madhuban, but it’s shaped like Baba’s hut and seems to be the “Western
version” of Baba’s hut. When next you visit Peace Village, have a meditation in the Great Hall which overlooks
this hut. Open your third eye very wide, and don’t be surprised if you see a vision of Avyakt Brahma standing
straight and tall in front of the hut, cheerful face, royal demeanor, surveying the Peace Village property.
Happy 18th January 2010.