We had the honor of celebrating the New Year at the ashram on two different occasions since everyone in the community was unable to come on a given day. The traffic during New Year’s Eve in Delhi also makes it very difficult to drive around so we chose December 30 (Friday) and January 1 (Sunday) as the two most convenient days. During the months of mid-December through February, the sun feels pretty warm and pleasant in Delhi the entire day. Consequently, it was comfortable for people to enjoy the New Year ceremonies outdoors on our spacious third-floor terrace of the ashram.
About 20 people came each day. We began the service at 12:00 noon and concluded at 2:00 pm followed by a delicious lunch and Indian-style rice pudding as a dessert. One could feel the holiness of the occasion in the air and the almost tangible presence of the angels, masters, Lanello and Mother.
Before the service, we explained the ritual of writing letters to the Karmic Board. It was interesting to share the information about the members of the Karmic Board, especially the Great Divine Director who is so well known in India as Ganesha – the Lord of Good Fortune who provides prosperity, protection and success. He is the Lord of Beginnings and the remover of obstacles of both material and spiritual kinds.
We began the ceremony by playing an invocation from beloved Guru Ma followed by a brief introduction to beloved Chananda and the singing of his song, “Beloved Chananda.” We also sang to beloved El Morya, the Great Divine Director and the Great Karmic Board from the booklet we had prepared for the occasion.
The booklet also had a few decrees including the decree to the Karmic Board. Our past experience has shown that since English is not the first language in India, not everyone understands the meaning of the words and terminology used in our decrees and songs. So, it helps to explain their meaning sometimes line-by-line from the Indian perspective. We consecrated the Karmic Board letters at the end of the service and then burned them as the group chanted violet flame and Gayatri* mantras.
We sealed the service by forming a circle of oneness and saying a prayer to the Mighty I AM Presence and the masters to guide everyone gathered, as well as the people of India, in their personal and planetary endeavors during the coming year.
People seemed to be very happy and joyous as they were leaving. Thank you beloved angels, masters and Mother for your loving presence!
* Wikipedia defines Gayatri as the feminine form of a Sanskrit word for a song or a hymn having a Vedic meter of three padas, or lines, of eight syllables. In particular, it refers to the Gayatri Mantra and the Goddess Gayatri as that mantra personified. It is also known as the Savitri Mantra, dedicated to Savitr, the Sun deity, and is a highly revered mantra from the Rig Veda.