December 19, 2024

We revere Lord Jesus. His image graces every SRF altar in temples, ashrams, and meditation centers all over the world. Our beloved Guru Paramahansa Yoganandaji’s 2-volume Second Coming of Christ devotes more than 1,000 pages to his life and teachings. Jesus’s picture also graces literally thousands upon thousands of devotees’ home altars.

And—this is really important—Jesus holds a special place in our hearts and minds. Every devotee knows that we strive to manifest the consciousness of Christ in our daily lives.

Christ, Sculpted in Bronze

With Christmas season upon us, it seems appropriate to give some attention to the other construction project currently underway at Greenfield—a sacred meditation garden that pays special homage to our beloved Jesus.

The focal point of this new garden is an original, bronze statue of Jesus Christ blessing a couple of children, also sculpted in bronze.

Created by nationally-renowned sculptor and stone carver Malcolm Harlow, this set of 3 statues was especially commissioned just for Greenfield. It’s one of a kind.

Harlow garnered national recognition as an artist in stone during his many years of work in the National Cathedral in Washington DC. You may well have seen another of his statues. He  sculpted the statue of a George Washington that stands in front of the George Washington Office Museum in Winchester, VA.

Heavy Statues, Heavy Lifting

It should come as no surprise that bronze statues weigh a LOT. Moving these three statues into place required heavy lifting, not to mention a good deal of preliminary work—picking just the right spot in the garden, constructing cement platforms that will permanently anchor the statues in their new home, and some seriously careful maneuvering of the forklift. Harlow was here at Greenfield for some of the action.

The work to create this new meditation garden is already well underway—designing, planning, seeking Master’s guidance in creating the beauty that is to come. So far, only spring bulbs have been planted.  But a good deal of work has already been done to facilitate access to the garden. If you stand behind the garage and look down the hill, you’ll see new gravel paths and a couple of beautiful new wooden bridges.

Feel free to walk down and take a look around.  Do realize, however, that the garden is still a work in progress.

Once benches, custom-tiled by one of our talented SRF members, are installed and plantings are in place and in bloom, this new garden promises to be a very special place for prayer and meditation under the open sky.

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November 26, 2024

Construction continues on our Greenfield Chapel. Last week, soggy weather slowed things down, and what did happen was mostly underground and almost invisible.

Workers applied waterproofing to the foundation and installed some of the underground plumbing. Next step after plumbing is inspected will be installing the ground floor slab, which will also need to be inspected.

Devotees will be happy to know that Greenfield has its very own inspector on the job!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Master’s Greenfield devotees have so much to be thankful for. May your Thanksgiving holiday be filled with light, love, and Divine Mother’s blessings.

Here is the latest construction video.

And here is a playlist of all construction videos.

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November 18, 2024

No movement at all for months, followed by rapid dramatic progress for several weeks… That’s an apt description of how our Greenfield Chapel construction project got underway.

Now what?

Construction is ongoing, dampened somewhat by a couple of soggy, rainy days. The foundation walls and the steel beams that support the main floor are now complete and in place.

Back to the Earth

A  few things need to take place before the concrete floor slab gets poured:

Plumbing. Pipes to drain away all the waste water from the building’s sinks and toilets will be installed next. That means that workers will be back—you guessed it—digging in the ground directly under the spot where the new chapel is already starting to take shape.

Inspection. Once the underground preparations are completed, these need to be inspected. Construction plans call for that to take just one day.

Tending to the Sacred. This, from Sister Brahmani: “Mother Center has given us some soil from sacred places – Babaji’s cave, Mother Center, Encinitas, Lake Shrine, and Hollywood Temple. We will sprinkle this into the foundation area before the slab is poured.”

After the slab is poured and inspected, all the action will again move above ground where we can more easily watch the progress as it unfolds.

With Thanksgiving holidays ahead of us, construction will slow somewhat. Please do remember that we have a LOT be thankful for as we sit down to our celebratory meals. After years of planning and eager anticipation, construction on our new Greenfield Chapel is well underway and still on target, if winter weather cooperates, to reach completion sometime in the Fall of 2025.

Here is the latest construction video.

And here is a playlist of all construction videos.

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November 8, 2024

Foundation Nearing Completion

Suddenly, it’s there: Progress! After weeks of looking at earth being moved and holes being dug and cement being poured into holes, we’re now watching an actual building starting to take shape.

Over the past several days, work crews have laid the foundation walls--cinder blocks soon to be filled with cement and reinforced with rebar.

If you want to feel good about what’s going on at Greenfield, give thanks and take a moment to enjoy the latest construction video.

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October 29, 2024

Really Digging It

They’re at it again. Once again—after a pause that lasted almost three weeks—construction workers returned to Greenfield. Again, the air was rent with the sounds of heavy machinery leveling the ground, digging holes for the new chapel’s footings and foundation.

And (finally!) the actual substance of our new Greenfield Chapel was quite literally poured into all those carefully prepared holes. Click on this link to a time lapse video of all the action last week on the building site.

Why the pause? On October 4, the first day of actual construction, builders discovered a problem involving the alignment of drainage pipes and the chapel’s foundation. Adjusting the depth of the foundation required an engineer’s input and paperwork that needed Greenfield’s attention.

That’s all been taken care of. Let’s face it, if you’re going to find a problem, it’s a good thing to have it happen on day one and not further along in the construction process. (Fortunately, the required changes were not of the kind requiring county approval.)

 

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October 9, 2024

Together We Advance!

It’s happening! Finally!!!  Just before dawn on Friday, October 4th, construction actually began on our brand new Greenfield Chapel. October 4th just happens to be the feast day of St. Francis. Somehow that seems fitting.

All it took to get things underway was a couple of dry days in a row. Then, heavy equipment rumbled up the lane and workers started digging.

A Very Special Hole in the Ground

At this point they’re digging what looks like a basic hole in the ground. Don’t be fooled, however. This dig entails precisely engineered measurements, and it’s going to take several days.

Our chapel is being built on a hill. So of course that means workers will need to cut into the hill at just the right angle so the foundation and the floors above will be perfectly level. Eye-balling it won’t do; they’ll need the help of lasers and engineers to get that hole done just right.

Before the foundation gets  poured, workers are also digging deep holes for the footings. Footings (also called footers) are poured concrete structures, sometimes including rebar, that support the foundation itself, while the foundation supports the building above.

A whole lot of digging and measuring needs to take place before the foundation and footings are poured and actual components of the building itself make an appearance. We’ll keep you posted, every step of the way.  We have created a timelapse video of the work done on the first day, October 4, 2024, compressing eight hours into a two-minute video on YouTube. When you get there, read the text below the video for more details. Our plan is to have timelapse videos each week for the duration of the project.

Stay Tuned for Regular Updates

Bottom line: How long will it be before we get to meditate in our new chapel?

Builders envision completion as soon as September 2025. But that will depend on things like availability of machinery and work crews, not to mention the weather. Significant snow could slow things down significantly. And, of course, there are multiple inspections as each phase is completed. (Alas, we know from experience how long the approval process can take.)

In coming weeks, we aim to provide regular progress reports, along with lots of pictures.  In the meantime, life goes on  at Greenfield. As always, there’s a lot happening:

Regional Retreat Draws Devotees From Afar

The last weekend in September was a busy one for Greenfield: On the 26th, commemorative service for Lahiri Mahasaya’s mahasamadhi; from Sept. 27 to 29, a retreat that drew more than 70 devotees from 10 different states; then, on Sept. 30, a commemorative service for Lahiri Mahasaya’s birthday.

Now ask yourself: Do you think maybe the nuns who reside in the ashram at Greenfield and the many dedicated volunteers who serve at Greenfield were busy that weekend?

The answer, of course, is YES!

Serving Master’s Family

All of these events were held at the nearby 4-H Center. Let’s take just a moment to acknowledge and appreciate all the behind-the-scenes work (guru seva) that goes into preparing for and conducting multiple events over a five-day period.

Greenfield was honored to host and house the two SRF and YSS monks who conducted the retreats and commemorative services—Brother Jitananda and Brahmachari Bhaskarananda.

Breakfasts and lunches provided for retreatants were prepared at Greenfield, delivered to the 4-H Center, and served by nuns who live at Greenfield, assisted by women on work retreat at Greenfield.

A team of volunteers—local devotees along with some who drove in from a distance to help out—set up the altar, arranged seating, managed parking, set up and took care of audio-visuals, handled registration, answered questions and generally met the needs of retreatants. Then, they cleaned up afterwards.

Sacred Silence, Precious Time

As always taking the time to mediate together and focus on deepening our understanding of Master’s teachings refreshes the spirit.  As Brother Jitananda said: “We retreat in order to advance.”

Here are two photos of the dig, plus if you missed it above, the link to the timelapse video:

Here is a selection of pictures taken during the retreat:

 

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October 2, 2024

What’s it like to participate in a work party at Greenfield?

One recent sunny Saturday morning found a woman on her knees in front of the ashram practicing the presence of God. She also happened to be pulling weeds.

Not too far away, a group of men was busy applying stain to a newly constructed wooden bridge. Other devotees were planting flowers, weeding, cleaning furniture, preparing food items for an upcoming retreat, ironing table clothes etc.

Tasks for All Levels

Obviously, joining a work party involves, well…work. And sometimes it’s hard work. Assigned tasks might include such things as picking up fallen tree branches and putting them through a wood chipper, hauling lawn furniture into the barn for winter storage, planting trees and flowers.

Actually, there are a wide variety of tasks available for every degree of skill and physical ability. You could find yourself polishing little brass items or doing needlework.

However, while we work for a couple of hours, our gathering is not just about the tasks at hand. Along with the labor, a work party at Greenfield comes with not-so-hidden benefits of guru seva and spending time with other members of Paramahansaji’s extended family.

Enjoying Spiritual Fellowship

Greenfield work parties always begin with a period of meditation. In a lot of ways that’s the highlight of the day.  A few dozen devotees gather outdoors behind the ashram. We sit in silence, punctuated by the sweet sound of bird song. The meditation was brief, but in that sacred atmosphere it feeds the soul.

Then we scatter to our assigned tasks. After a couple hours’ work, we gather again, this time on the front porch, for pizza, salad, dessert…and fellowship. (Remember, the “F” in SRF stands for “fellowship.”)

We take full advantage of this opportunity to spend time with friends and also to meet new people (potentially, new spiritual friends).

How to Join a Work Party

Greenfield hosts a couple of work parties every year, typically about a week before a scheduled retreat. Our most recent work party (Sept. 21) helped spruce up Greenfield’s grounds before the retreat that was held Sept. 27-29. That retreat will be the subject of our next Greenfield’s Journey entry.

Work parties are included in our online schedule. Remember, you need to sign up ahead of time if you want to join in the fun and fellowship. Then, just show up on time with willing spirit and get to work!

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September 25, 2024

At long last, construction of the Greenfield Chapel is underway. Almost…

Why “almost”? The good news—the really good news—is that final approval for construction to get underway came through. We’re talking about the long-awaited, eagerly-anticipated official thumbs up from the county. Finally!

Once that approval arrived, however, county government then required that work crews draw lines on the ground showing where exactly the building was going to go.

Then, those lines needed to be inspected and approved. And then requirements called for fences and dams to control water and silt be installed. That’s been done. And then… It rained.

New Beginnings

So any day now—and it may even be underway as you read this—we can expect heavy pieces of equipment, construction noise, and work crews to invade the sacred silence of Greenfield for months to come. And that, dear devotees, is a beautiful thing.

Our beautiful new Greenfield Chapel will soon provide a place for us to join together in love and devotion, to fill with our sacred vibrations that come from serving and meditating together—a place where we can receive and radiate blessings for each and for our surrounding community.

While we wait, there is something tangible that you can do: Please use the noise and disruption that come with a major construction project as a sacred reminder. Let every time you hear construction noise, or face a challenge driving in or out of Greenfield because of construction work, serve as a reminder to pray for the safety of the workers. Pray for the skill and efficiency of the work crews. And pray for all of those devotees who will visit Greenfield Chapel on onto the future.

Keeping You Posted

Greenfield’s Journey will endeavor in the months to come to keep you updated on progress in building the chapel, in both words and pictures. Lots of pictures!

In the meantime, life and work at Greenfield goes on. In coming months we’ll also keep you updated and informed about other happenings at Greenfield.

As always, we deeply appreciate your prayers and support. If you are able and would like to donate to Greenfield’s building fund, please click here.

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September 4, 2024

“Through the voice of silence and peace God tries to speak to all His children in response to their prayers… The Sustainer of the universe is knocking at the gate of your heart trying to walk in through the portals of silence and create within you a garden of happiness filled with roses of immortal qualities.” —Paramahansa Yogananda

Silence—sacred, soft, soothing—lies at the heart of meditation.

When we meditate alone, inner silence serves as a portal to ever deeper calmness and sweet peace.

The Power of Shared Silence

What happens when we meditate in silence with other devotees? We support and sustain each other’s efforts. That’s exactly the intention of going on retreat. Along with an opportunity to escape for a time the stress and routine of daily duties, even a brief retreat provides much needed time to refocus and renew our spiritual practice.

Take Greenfield’s recent one day silent retreat for women as an example. August 24 was a perfect summer day, sunny but not too hot. We started the day with energization outdoors.

Then we meditated for the rest of the morning, just a couple dozen women, with Sister Brahmani offering brief words of encouragement and inspiration from Paramahansaji’s teachings. We chanted. We meditated. We chanted. We mediated some more, diving ever deeper and sweeter.

There’s something about meditating with other devotees that helps each of us. Through our mutual exchange of vibrations, we reinforce each other’s efforts.

After meditation we enjoyed a brief pre-lunch break, an opportunity to spend private time on the beautiful rural grounds at the Front Royal 4-H Center. Several women headed out for a walk to get in some exercise. One woman spread a blanket on the lawn to do hatha yoga postures. Others pulled out their SRF Lessons and settled in for some study time.

After lunch we took in a film of the 50th Anniversary of the dedication of Lake Shrine in Los Angeles. That featured brief talks by six monastics who were direct disciples of our revered Gurudev.

The day closed with energization exercises and a brief meditation.

It was just one sweet day, but what a treat—a Greenfield retreat feels like a sacred gift to oneself.

Greenfield Offers Regular Retreats

Upcoming Greenfield retreats include:

Sept. 27-29 — A 3-day retreat for both men and women.

Oct. 11-13 — A 3-day kriyaban retreat for women. This retreat is already filled. However, it is still possible to get on the  waiting list.

For details about these retreats and general information about Greenfield retreats, please click on the retreat button at the top of this website.

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August 21, 2024

It’s easy to love St. Francis of Assisi.  Legend has it that even birds flocked to hear his sermons in praise of God. That’s why garden statues of this 13th century Italian saint often depict him with birds and other adoring forrest creatures eagerly seeking his attention.

It’s no secret that our revered Guru Paramahansa Yoganandaji had a special place in his heart for St. Francis. In many of his writings and talks he tells of sensing the presence of St. Francis, of communing with him, even seeing him in visions.

Just how deep was Guruji’s love for St. Francis?

Perhaps the best way to answer that question comes from our beloved SRF President Brother Chidanandaji. In his closing Convocation talk, given just a few short weeks ago, he went into some detail about Guruji’s very special relationship with this saint. Master, he said, even attributed his poem “God, God, God” to Saint Francis and referred to him as “one of my patron saints.”

To hear more of this amazing story, please listen to Brother Chidanandaji’s closing talk on Youtube. Even if you’ve heard it before, it’s worth listening to again and again.

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