2015 Mexico, Central & South America News Archive 2015 Mexico, Central & South America News Archive

Table of Content

Shivratri letter to the Region

2 Febuary 2015

Dear Bapdada's Serviceable Instruments:

We are at the end of January, the avyakt month where we paid a lot of attention of creating the avyakt stage, and reinforcing our commitment to Amritvela.  We are also privileged to have the presence of our dearly beloved Dadi Janki with us in London.  Her classes given in London have not only transmitted the wonder of her amazing spiritual journey, but the wonder of her pure and clean intellect and her ever-flowing bhavna take us into the very depths of Baba's love leaves us in awe of who really Dadi is.

Now we are moving into the celebration of Shivratri and we are lucky to have been blessed with such love from Bapdada, the Dadi's, and the family.  I am sure that you are all preparing to celebrate this very auspicious festival with the will to reveal Shiv Baba.

As promised we have uploaded the Shivratri materials created in English on the following website:

http://onelink.brahmakumaris.org/shiv-jayanti

No log-in is required to access these materials. They are available to one and all.

The materials available are as below with name followed by a description:

  • In God's Heart Flyer Template - Customizable Flyer

  • In God's Heart Blessings Template (12Up) - Add your own blessing text to this template. There are 12 to a page.

  • In God's Heart Blessings Template (8Up) - Add your own blessing text to this template. There are 8 to a page.

  • In God's Heart Customizable Press Release - This Press Release is from Harmony House, but it can be customized to announce your local program.

  • Maha Shivratri: Ancient Festival Has Relevance Today - 500 word Article in pdf format by Sister Kiran

  • Shivratri: The Dawn Confluence of Light and Darkness - 1000 word Article in pdf format by Sister Kanishta Agarwal, PhD

  • 79th Shiv Jayanti Folio in Hindi p1, 79th Shiv Jayanti Folio in Hindi p2 - Colorful Hindi double-sided folio. Pages 1 and 2 are meant to be printed back-to-back.

I would like to wish you all a very, very happy Shiv Jayanti and as we celebrate Baba's birthday, we will also celebrate the newness that is being born in us every moment spent in Baba's remembrance.

With love in Baba's remembrance

Sister Mohini

 

Sister Mohini's Inspirations for Celebrating Shivratri

22 January 2015

 

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

 

2015 is the year of newness at many different levels. One of the ways in which newness can emerge is in the celebration of the various events that we observe. Newness emerges when we look for deeper significance in the observance of something meaningful; zeal and enthusiasm get generated bringing vigor and vitality into the celebration.

 

The 18 of January is special to all Brahma Kumaris and Kumars, as it touches in us the subtle efforts in embodying the angelic stage and in following the father's footsteps. It puts the focus on "mansa-seva," the subtle service that Brahma Baba is doing at present, and reminding us that this is the type of service that will have maximum impact on the world. The Amritology initiative renewed in us what is foundational to our constant remembrance of Baba. Also the special homework to experience the avyakt stage in the avaykt month is a practical way to stay connected to Baba in the subtle region.

 

Shivratri is coming up in the month of February and Baba is very clear and specific when He says " you have found the Father, the One who wins your heart, the One who grants salvation to all, the One who removes your sorrow and bestows happiness on you." The Being with ONE Initiative was very inspiring to many, many Brahmins around the world, and so Shivratri is the time to be lost in the love of the Ocean of Love and to share His introduction with our brothers and sisters who are thirsty for a drop of love from the Ocean.

 

We would like to share with you some of the ways we are planning to celebrate Shivratri in New York and the Tristate area. The motivation is to create a ripple effect in our zeal, enthusiasm in fulfilling Baba's hopes in us. Seeing that Shivratri falls close to the time of Valentine's Day, we have chosen the theme of "In God's Heart."

 

We are focusing on 4 specific areas:

 

A simple and beautiful card featuring "Feel in your heart, the gaze of God's Eye" is being printed. This card is intended to give an introduction to Baba in a ‘loving' and ‘personal' way, and goes beyond the celebration of Shivratri and can be used as a general hand-out on God.

 

Media-Outreach on the significance of Shivratri and importance of time -- this would include getting articles, particularly in the ethnic newspapers, internet outlets, BK center's Blog and Facebook pages and other forms of social media. Also public service announcements on radio that could offer thoughts for today, giving tips on how to connect to God and the benefits. Interviews on radio, tv, etc.

 

Visiting the Hindu temples and distributing the cards, and perhaps the opportunity to give Baba's message.

 

A public event at Harmony House on Shivratri. Using creative talents and performing arts to develop an experiential evening that could serve to open people's hearts to receive Baba's love in a profound way. The theme of "In God's Heart" will be the core of the experience and Brother Anthony Strano's poetry from his book of the same name and Sister Sigrun's artwork will be threads weaving through the evening.

 

We plan to make available to you all the templates that we have created on or before February 2.

 

The places you can access them are: The Onelink Portal, The Being with ONE website. You can also request these templates by email by contacting Erik on newyork@brahmakumaris.org

 

With love in Bapdada's remembrance

Sister Mohini

 

 

News from UK Sister Maureen About Her Visit to Brazil,  December 10-18, 2014

20 January 2015

I am just returning from a wonderful week in Brazil. According to drama, Mohiniben could not go to Brazil because of her knee surgery and so within short notice arrangements were made for me to go.

The first stop was São Paulo where there is a beautiful house for Baba and also a building opposite for Publications and offices. The first service was offering Bhog to Baba for Sataguruwar and then mid-morning there was a gathering for about 25 IP/VIP contacts. The flat had its own garden and small fruit trees and from there you could see over a lot of the city which is very built up. São Paulo has more skyscrapers than New York! Brazil is also huge - twice the size of India!

In the evening there was a major public programme for about 500 people on the theme of 'How to live a worthwhile life'. It was held at a hall designed by a very famous architect with a spectacular ceiling. The programme began with a well known artist from a band playing solo piano. He began with a composition by Lennon-McCartney as he knew I was from Liverpool! There was the lecture and then Br Ken spoke and Sr Luciana gave a meditation. People were very touched.

On Friday we flew to Belo Horizonte and to the national retreat. It was quite a vision to walk into the hall to be greeted by 250 of Baba's children all holding candles. There was a wave of happiness in the hall. Actually there are about 750 BKs in Brazil - they are an amazing family and so many of them cannot travel to Madhuban. There was a welcome dance adapted from the Cirque de Soleil. The theme of the retreat was 'Renewal'. There were sessions on Renewing myself and Renewing my relationship with Baba. It was great to be with Ken and Luciana and learn from them. We took up a lot about using our divine intellect and maturity in BK life. Ken took everyone through a 'Spiritual Diagnosis' by asking what does the Father, Teacher and Satguru wish to create, sustain and 'destroy' in me. On Saturday evening there was entertainment with Baba's very talented band 'Viratupe' (from Virat Roop). On Sunday morning Sr Mohini spoke to us for 15 minutes from her hospital bed and we were all able to give our love and good wishes.

On Sunday afternoon we went to the Belo Horizinte retreat centre (the national retreat was in a hotel) which is absolutely in the countryside with a beautiful natural landscape. We blessed the land where they hope to build a hall for 150. The staying capacity of the retreat centre is about 50. On Sunday evening and Monday morning we had an open forum with the main instruments of Brazil - 35 co-ordinators from centres and sub-centres. We had the great fortune of Sr Jayanti speaking to us and then Dadi Janki came on the line!

On Monday afternoon we went to the main centre in the city of Belo Horizonte and in the evening there was a public event for about 500 people in a beautiful hall on a lake. The theme was 'The call of the time - the power of meditation for transformation'. Ken spoke on the call of the time and I spoke about the power of meditation. The atmosphere in the hall was very powerful.

On Tuesday morning there was a breakfast meeting for IP/VIPs on the theme of 'The seed of the future in the present'. We did a visualisation like we used to do in Global Co-operation for a Better World. There were interesting people there including a congressman from the state parliament and a congressman from the federal parliament and also a former Police Colonel, a woman, who now does voluntary work with juveniles in the criminal justice system.

We flew back to São Paulo and that evening there was a gathering for about 18 high powered media people who have all been involved in Images and Voices of Hope and many of whom have been to Madhuban. The theme was 'People as Bridges'. People really opened up and asked personal questions. They decided that they would all like to go to Madhuban as a group!

On Wednesday they were two media interviews, one with a business magazine and a live radio interview. Then it was off to the airport! Returning with lots of thanks to Baba for the opportunity.