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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August 7, 2024

“Convocation was the usual—just a week in Heaven!”

That’s how one local devotee, just back from SRF Convocation in California, described her experience there.

Devotees who opted to join Greenfield’s local Convocation events, held this year at Laurel Ridge Community College in Middletown, also had positive things to say about their experiences.

One long-time devotee described the new venue as “perfect.”  “The building, the dining room, the chapel were great,” he wrote. “It was a precious week.”

Another local devotee shared her experiences at length and with great enthusiasm: “I can’t imagine any place that could have been better. It’s easy to find, easy to access, and had more than adequate parking. The auditorium was comfortable, including the chairs, the space between rows and between chairs… The facility also provides great outdoor access to patio seating and walking, weather permitting. In summary, last week was nothing short of wonderful. All the planning and work leading up to it was evident every day. I LOVED the facility and hope it will be used again.”

A devotee who attended from out of state echoed that enthusiasm: “In my view,” he wrote, “it was the best alternative to going to LA—intimate and surrounded by nature. And NOTHING can beat the nurturing lunch option. I hope you continue with the venue and program in the coming years.”

Of course, no matter how we attended this year’s Convocation—in California, at home in front of our computers, or in Middletown—we’re all still absorbing the sacred content. How wonderful that we can revisit the kirtans, meditations, and classes again and again in the coming weeks and months on the SRF Convocation YouTube channel.

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July 29, 2024

“Lord, Thou hast given this monk a large family.”

In this very last line of Autobiography of a Yogi  our revered Guru Paramahansa Yoganandaji envisioned each and every one of us as members of his beautiful, ever-expanding family.

Perhaps that’s why the annual Self-Realization Fellowship Convocation often feels like a family reunion. We have something so precious in common. When we gather together, all that light and love and inspiration is contagious.

Have you noticed how fast our family reunion is growing and changing?

Convocation at Greenfield

This year Greenfield Retreat Center celebrated Convocation 2024 at a new venue—at Laurel Ridge Community College in Middletown. And, yes, it was good, in so many ways:

It was well-attended. The chapel was set up to seat 48, and 49 devotees from 10 different states signed up. Not everyone was there every day; people came and went, some coming for just few days or just a few events. So there was space for everyone.

There were lots of new faces. Many of our local devotees made the trip to California. And, of course, many have day jobs and weren’t able to attend.

Attendees came from as far away as Texas and Connecticut. (And, included in the mix of attendees were devotees born in France, Ghana, Colombia, Brazil, and India.) The gathering attracted devotees who have been on the path for decades, as well as those who’ve found SRF just within the past year and have only just begun receiving lessons. So discussions around the tables at lunch were interesting indeed, filled with eager questions and stories and sharing. Family reunion stuff!

Nuns from Mother Center joined us. We offer special thanks and appreciation to Sister Vinita, Brahmacharini Ann and Ms. Rita Conrad.

Laurel Ridge Community College Makes Us Welcome

The chapel set-up was great. Devotees viewed classes and kirtans and meditations, some live-streamed, on a HUGE screen. And that happened with barely a hitch, as tech people at the college offered good support, assuring that all was functioning as it should.

Lunch—healthy, vegan, gluten-free--was brought in each day from Greenfield’s kitchen, prepared by nuns and devotees on work retreat. What could be better?

It was nice and cool inside. Almost every day, temperatures were in the high 90s. So we did energization exercises indoors,  led by nuns.

Hope and Light for the Future

We opened this story with a quote from Paramahansaji. Let’s close with another from Autobiography of a Yogi. It’s especially meaningful in the light of what Brother Chidananda had to say at his closing talk on Friday night (July 19th).

“Every saint who has penetrated to the core of Reality has testified that a divine universal plan exists and that it is beautiful and full of joy… The blessed role of Kriya Yoga in East and West has hardly more than just begun.”

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June 26, 2024

Convocation is coming soon. This year, it’s the third week in July. Of course, that means the opportunity to spend a week drinking one’s fill of light, love, fellowship, inspiration, and renewal.

As our revered president Brother Chidananda puts it, our annual SRF Convocation presents not only a “thorough overview” of Paramahansaji’s teachings, but is also “a living transmission of spiritual consciousness, and power, and blessings.”

If you’re attending Convocation in person in Los Angeles, you’ve likely already made your plans.  However, if you’re looking to participate locally, here’s a guide to help you make the most of what’s available.

Consider Your Options Carefully

Of course, you could remain at home and participate solely online. There’s a lot to be said for live-streaming events as they happen. It gives us the unique feeling of being a part of Master’s world-wide family.

OR… You could join local and regional devotees at special Greenfield Convocation events being held this year at Laurel Ridge Community College in Middletown, a new-to-us venue just a short (about 15 minutes) drive from Front Royal.

We’ve made that change for a couple reasons: The venue is more spacious and will allow for some expanded offerings. And the college made us feel welcomed. The college’s mission includes a commitment to “strengthen the educational. economic, and cultural life of our community. To support this mission, the college offer its facilities to outside groups for nominal fees.”

Why would/should you consider joining with other local devotees to experience Convocation? In fact, we’ve already moved well beyond local. We have devotees from 10 states signed up to attend. (One intrepid soul is coming in from Arizona.)

If you’ve ever been to Convocation in Los Angeles, you remember the powerful, life-altering vibrations created when thousands of devotees meditate and chant together. Also, it’s wonderful to meet in person with devotees from around the world.

Here, we can look forward to a mini-version of that devotee-to-devotee in-person contact, a smaller gathering of Master’s family, benefiting each other with our collective outpouring of devotion to God and Guru.

What’s Different This Year?

As in previous years, Greenfield Retreat Center will offer a full week of selected live-streamed Convocation classes, kirtans, and meditations on a large screen.

But that’s not all. You can also look forward to:

• Monastic-led events. SRF nuns will open and close each day with energization exercises and a brief meditation, Over the course of the week, Brahmacharini Ann will be joined by Sister Vinita and Ms. Rita Conrad., who will be flying out from the Mother Center to participate. (Our other three Greenfield nuns will be serving in California.)
• Vegetarian, gluten-free daily lunch option. If you want to take advantage of this new offering, you’ll find details when you register.
• Picnic and restaurant option. If you prefer to bring your own food, there are picnic tables available on the grounds. In addition, there are several local restaurants in Middletown that have vegetarian dishes on their menus.

How to Secure Your Place in Convocation

First of all, remember to register.  Please note that you must register separately for Convocation on the SRF website if you plan to watch livestreamed Convocation events in your home or on your mobile device, or view the online events at a later time.

Then, if you’re planning on coming to one or more days at Laurel Ridge Community College, you’ll need to register for those as well. You’ll find a link to registration and a full schedule of daily events at the top of our Greenfield home page.

It’s possible to register for Greenfield events right up to the morning of the events and even in person that same day. (You do need to register ahead of time to join us for lunches, however. Last day for lunch registrations is July 3.)

Finally, we need to note that this year’s Greenfield events being held at Laurel Ridge Community College are something of an experiment.  We hope to continue this event in future years and will be taking a close look at attendance and also listening carefully to devotees’ wants and needs as we look to the future.

 

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June 19, 2024

Still waiting… Just one little obstacle holds up the start of construction on the new Greenfield Chapel: Warren County approval of an engineer’s report on how water run-off from the new building will be handled.

Greenfield actually does a great job of handling its abundant supply of water and has done so for decades. So now is a logical time to take a close look at the great blessing of Greenfield’s water.

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Anyone who has ever spent even a little time exploring the sacred, peaceful environs of Greenfield has likely found that the silence, the serenity, the sounds of chirping birds, the flower gardens, and numerous meditation sites all feed the soul.

Then, there’s the water features—streams that amble through the woods, numerous bridges, two ponds, and even a waterfall. The trail around the ponds and over the dam is sheer delight.

In fact, some of the most recognizable features of the Greenfield Retreat property have to do with water. Ever wonder where all this water comes from? And where does it go?

The largest bodies of water are the two ponds, which we call upper pond and lower pond. They’re separated by a dam with a waterfall at its center.

In winter, water under the dam freezes over

Ponds Created Just for Their Beauty

lt may come as a surprise to know that the ponds were actually created decades ago, back in the 1950s, by a previous Greenfield owner, just to make the property more beautiful. The story, which comes down from early SRF devotees living nearby, is that Margaret Owens longed to have ponds and a waterfall added to the gardens in front of the house. And her husband had workers divert a nearby stream to make that happen. (As you’re likely aware, devotee Margaret Owens left her magnificent Greenfield estate to Self-Realization Fellowship in 1981.)

The two ponds are fed by a perennial stream that originates at the far southeast end of the property. That stream, shown as a solid blue line on the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) map below, is in turn fed by three intermittent streams, represented as blue-dashed lines, from even higher elevations on High Knob Mountain.

Although the perennial stream is not named on the USGS map, it is marked as “Dorsey’s Branch” on historical maps. Dr. H. Dorsey was one of the earliest pre-Civil War owners of Greenfield.

The two Greenfield ponds feature a flow-control dam. Water from Dorsey's Branch is diverted into the upper pond, and then returned to the main stream at the far end of the lower pond.

The water on the right side of the flow-control dam flows into the ponds,  and water on the left into the main stream. The flow into the ponds can be adjusted by a hand-controlled gate.

Refrigeration, Before Electricity

Dorsey’s Branch was important to the early residents of Greenfield. Long before the current ponds were created, stream flow was diverted into a totally different pond, known as the “ice pond.”  (Although the ice pond no longer exists,  you can still see the dried up field where it was located.)  Common practice in those days was to cut blocks of ice out of local ponds or lakes during the winter, and store them in an ice house or spring house, where they would stay frozen for most of the summer, providing essential refrigeration. (Ice cream, anyone?) The spring house behind the barn at Greenfield was probably used for this purpose.

This map shows some of Greenfield’s trail network, gardens, and buildings. The arrows point to the location of the ice pond and the spring house.

Not far from the site of the old ice pond, Dorsey’s Branch flows under one of the many Greenfield bridges.

From Greenfield to the Sea

Where does all the pond water go after it flows back into Dorsey’s Branch and leaves the Greenfield property? It flows through a culvert underneath John Marshall Highway, and continues for about 3/4 mile, where it slips into a larger stream, Manassas Run. Then after another 2 1/2 miles it flows into the Shenandoah River. After 40 more miles, the Shenandoah River joins with the Potomac River at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia, and then meanders past Washington DC and into the Chesapeake Bay.

From Greenfield to the Bay, our water makes a journey of about 200 miles. Thus, our little drop of Greenfield water merges into the vast ocean.

Here, for your enjoyment, is a video drone trip around the Greenfield ponds. Even if you’ve walked the trails a number of times, a fly-over puts a whole new perspective on things. (Just click on the link.)

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June 12, 2024

On Tuesday last week (June 4) workers and heavy machinery made yet another appearance at Greenfield. Once again, all the action was at the entranceway, but this time it was impossible for much of the day to either enter or leave the Greenfield grounds. Retreatants and monastics couldn’t drive out. Volunteers and visitors couldn’t drive in.

Finally, with the cooperation of good weather, the required entranceway paving got underway. For most of the day truckloads of fresh asphalt arrived from Strasburg and a team of workers poured and shoveled and smoothed….when they weren’t waiting for the next truckload to arrive.

Paving Done, For Now

The newly paved section of the entrance even dried out in sufficient time for the monthly 3-hour meditation to take place that evening. (Those attending were cautioned to drive slowly and carefully—no sharp turns or tire spinning—over the brand new pavement.)

That new pavement extends only a couple dozen feet in before yielding back into the beautiful lane that we’re all familiar with. This is only Step One of the paving process. Final paving (Step Two) will take place only after the chapel is built. In Step Two workers will repair any damage done to the entranceway pavement during the construction project and will then lay down a more permanent asphalt.

Progress Forward

So what’s good about the new pavement, besides the fact that it’s now a bit easier to enter Greenfield from the highway?

Remember, before construction on the new Greenfield Chapel  itself can get underway, two things needed to happen. One of those things was paving the entranceway. That just got checked off the list.

The last thing that needs to take place is for Warren County to approve an engineering report on how the water run-off from the new chapel will be handled. That report has been done. It’s in now in the hands of county officials. (Send them some light and love.)

It’s worth noting that every individual on the  work team doing the paving was collecting a salary for the day. And every truckload of asphalt comes with a cost. If you are able, please consider donating to Greenfield’s Building Fund.

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June 5, 2024

We held our first summer services this past Sunday at Bethel Community Center, (not counting the trial run we did earlier this spring.) We can safely say three things about this new venue:

1.   It’s somewhat inconvenient.
2.  It’s temporary.
3.  We are oh, so grateful to have it!

Located at 49 Kendrick Ford Road, the rented chapel space is a few minutes’ drive from the center of Front Royal, just northwest of the airport.  Our calendar entries for Sunday services have a "map" link to show you the location.

Historic Bethel

Bethel was once a little village. It had two churches back then. It still does. But at one point it also had its own post office, a store, and a public school. In fact, the community center where we’re meeting for the summer used to be Bethel’s school house.

The inconveniences of our new rented chapel space are really minor. The chairs are hard; bring a pillow. There’s no lobby, so you may have to sit outside for a brief time until the chapel opens at 10:15. There are only 2 bathrooms—one for men and one for women—each with just one stall.

BUT! Here’s the important part: While we’re waiting for our new Greenfield Chapel to be constructed, we have a safe, quiet, rural space to gather with Master’s family and meditate.

It’s not easy to locate such a venue. We had to leave our previous summer quarters when the Warren County Community Center started renting rooms to other clients on Sunday mornings. (Let’s just say it’s a challenge to go deep in mediation while folks in the room next door are raucously cheering for their favorite local sports teams.)

We are blessed to have this temporary chapel space just a few minutes’ drive out of town.

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