Date: 09/26/2021
We are made up of Mind and Matter, of Subtle and Gross Energies. The Material Universe which we inhabit arises from the five elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether. When Mind rules Matter we win. When Matter triumphs over Mind, we lose. Peering through the looking-glass, when we turn things on their head and change Me to We, then we can change the equation of life on earth from a shrinking universe and a dystopian future to an ever more radiant cosmos. Vedic wisdom teaches us to cleanse our inner environment to reflect the purity of our outer environment. In this way, we can restore the balance of inner and outer nature, and achieve the Union of Shiva and Shakti, of Pure Consciousness and Material Energy.
Ramakrishna Paramahansa believed, ‘We are all One Consciousness.’ When we realize this, we can at last rein in the uncontrolled Mind and halt the despoilation of Nature to arrive at the summit of Being where the biosphere reflects our true Spirit. Then we will achieve the evolution of Humanity through the Cosmic Dance of Creation which will restore the Five Elements to their pristine state of beauty and joy.
Dr. Kansara is Author and Educator at FlashpointInteract.com, which seeks to empower High School students in the study of the Humanities, so they can rise to their full potential through the use of interactive content and methods. Her past experience includes being an editor in academic publishing at the Open University in England, one of the first educational institutions to pioneer long-distance teaching through interactive media; member of the BBC’s General Advisory Council; co-director of the Academy of Indian Dance, sponsored by the Greater London Council. Dr. Kansara is also Vice President of American Friends of SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies, London University). She also writes a blog at www.theyoganature.com. She holds a BA (Cantab) and PhD (SOAS, University of London).
Date: 10/03/2021
New Consciousness…knowing that the ‘I am’ we each feel inside is actually “I AM”… the Singular Universal Consciousness. Not just knowing it and believing it, but feeling it and living it. If humanity wishes to survive, we must learn to see each other ‘I’ to ‘I’.
For believers, atheists, and everyone in between. This session will include group meditation. No prior study or practice is necessary.
Anton Grosz has been a practitioner and teacher of Integral Yoga and New Consciousness for over 40 years. His focus is the experiential mode of this evolutionary way of being and the importance of its real time application for individuals, humanity, and the very future of our planet. He can be reached at www.rovingI.net.
Date: 10/10/2021
Date: 10/17/2021
The Gods and Goddesses have been part of the Hindu tradition right from the Vedas. As time progressed, more and more Gods and Goddesses were added to the tradition while there were some others who disappeared. These Gods and Goddesses who are considered as the various manifestations of One Divine (like a cabinet of ministers who have different functions assigned to them) have elaborate ways of getting worshipped by the Hindus through ceremonies called pujas. This talk will discuss the Hindu puja ceremony. There is a certain symbolism behind the puja ceremony, which the talk will elucidate among other things.
Sri Ramen Chakrabarti is a retired engineer. He was born in a Hindu Brahmin family and was initiated at the age of eight (via the thread ceremony) to the work of a Brahmin Priest, i.e., to perform Hindu ceremonies called pujas. Along with his studies to becoming an engineer, he learned the art of performing the Hindu pujas from his uncle and his friend’s father in Kolkata. In 1970, when he relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area, there was no Hindu Priest; so, he started helping the Bengali Community in performing various pujas, and from 1971 onwards the Durga Puja. Initially, the Puja was performed only at the fellowship but when the Hindu community swelled, larger spaces began to get rented. The Bengali community now has increased to a few thousands, and there are more than ten Durga Pujas that are celebrated in the Bay Area. However, he continues with the tradition of Durga Puja at CIF.
