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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May 29, 2024

If you can’t wait to meditate in the new Greenfield Chapel, you’re certainly not alone. It still feels like a dream, offering tantalizing glimpses of something wonderful that’s about to happen.

Last week we took a look at virtual photographs of the chapel on site just behind the Greenfield Ashram. And we promised some information about the interior. Here it is. (See below.)

These diagrams and the accompanying information are exactly what was on display at a Greenfield retreat held at the 4-H Center last year. You’re looking at architectural drawings of the exterior of the chapel and also layouts of the interior rooms, including the all-important chapel itself.

A Note on the Building Schedule

Originally, the Greenfield Chapel was scheduled to open in the Spring of 2024. Obviously that is no longer the case.  Soon?  Yes. But not this spring.

Anyone who has ever worked with contractors knows that dates often change. They just do. Sticking to a well-planned schedule depends on things like building permits, multiple inspections, availability of work crews and equipment. Even the weather plays a role. (You don’t want to pave a driveway when it’s raining, for example.)

Envisioning the Future

One final positive note: The beautiful chapel about to take shape before our eyes in the coming months is just a hint of what’s to come in future years. We view this chapel as an interim building. We anticipate that Greenfield’s growth in the future may require building a larger facility.

The SRF Greenfield Chapel Building

The SRF Greenfield Chapel Building is specifically designed to blend in with the historic look of our existing buildings, using many of the same architectural features, such as a standing seam metal roof and white siding. The 4,000 square foot building is comprised of two levels:

• An upper level containing a 68 seat chapel, Sunday school room, bookroom, family room, meeting room, and office, along with a flower room, a foyer, and handicap-accessible restrooms.
• A walk-out lower level featuring a fellowship hall, warming kitchen, and handicap-accessible restrooms.

Above is the First or Upper Floor Plan

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Above is the Basement or Lower Floor Plan

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Entrances to the building are also handicap-accessible. Clerestory windows fill the chapel and foyer with natural light, and porches are featured on two sides of the building.

Audio-visual and Ethernet components are integrated throughout the building, with the fellowship hall wired for overflow seating for larger events. Video screens are included in the chapel and fellowship hall, as well as the family room.

The centerpiece of the chapel will be a beautiful altar built by SRF monks at Lake Shrine, in the same style as altars in use at Encinitas and other SRF facilities. On either side of the altar, specially carved wooden screens will be mounted on the two windows that flank the altar. The chapel will be carpeted, and special sound-dampening construction techniques have been used throughout the building.

Fundraising for this project is on-going, and donations toward our goal of furthering the work of Paramahansa Yogananda are most welcome. Please see the Donations page.

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May 22, 2024

Take a careful look at this picture. Right now, if you stand on the back porch of the Greenfield Ashram (the big house) and look directly out, you’re facing a grassy field bordered by woods. Brace yourself for a radical change, coming soon.

If all goes as planned, standing in that exact same spot on the back porch several months from now, you’ll be looking at the north side of our new Greenfield Chapel. The virtual photos in this article are an architect’s rendering of what the chapel will look like on site when it’s completed.

The image above shows what the building will look like as you approach from the driveway. Pause for just a moment to appreciate the simplicity, the way the colonial style building fits in with the landscape and the other buildings already on the grounds. We wanted the chapel to look like it has always been a part of Greenfield. We wanted it to be in harmony with its surroundings. We wanted the chapel to have the sacred, intimate feel of the former, much loved chapel.

That was the charge given to Yale-educated, Front Royal-based architect Frederick Andreae, and he really delivered.

A Virtual Visit to Our Sacred Space

It’s possible that you’ve already seen these virtual photographs. They’ve been on display at a couple of Greenfield events. Whether you’re seeing them for the first time or revisiting these images, let these pictures serve to herald a major step in the coming growth of Greenfield.

The other three pictures provide a glimpse of the new chapel from other vantage points around the building.

Above is the main entrance (west side) and south side.

Above is the south side and east side (back of building).

Above is another view from the back porch of the Greenfield Ashram, showing the east and north sides.

The chapel itself will seat 68 and the building includes additional rooms for social gatherings, a book room and offices. (In Part 2, coming soon, we’ll go into more detail about the interior features of the new building.)

How You Can Help

It needs to be said that a tremendous amount of work and visioning has gone into creating this chapel. Decades of dedication and volunteer effort preceded this major step. And a great deal of work lies ahead.

What can you do to help this Greenfield journey move forward?

• Offer your prayers. Pray for the safety and efficiency of the workers constructing the building.
• Bless the new chapel. As you’re likely aware, the vibrations from devotional services, prayer, and meditation create an ever-increasing sacred environment. Sending your good thoughts and blessings to that future chapel will help carry that process forward.
• Think about volunteering. Once the chapel is functioning, additional volunteer help will be very much needed and appreciated. (More to come on this topic in later Greenfield Journey entries.)
• Donate to the Greenfield Building fund. If you are able, your financial contributions are greatly appreciated. The on-going generosity of devotees helps spread the light of SRF. Please see the Donations page.

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May 15, 2024

The color of Greenfield? Green, of course. You drive into Greenfield thru a green-walled lane that opens onto green lawns dotted with colorful flower gardens. The environment—and the well-placed benches—induce calmness and invite meditation.

That’s why it was shocking to behold the recent construction chaos that turned the entranceway into a muddy, ditch-like miasma. Expect that to change, and soon. Just last week, work crews finished tamping down the newly contoured areas on each side of the driveway and planted grass.

With the newly planted grass covered with a protective layer of straw, the scene is still mostly brown. And way off to the left as you enter, there’s one area that looks like it’s been covered with cheap wall-to-wall carpet. The grass seed on that steep slope had to be embedded in fabric to prevent it from washing away in the rain.

In the coming days, the areas on either side of the entranceway will turn back into beautiful green lawn. And what looks like cheap carpet will thankfully disappear.

Paving Comes Next

The new guard-rails and curbs are now in place. However, work on the entranceway is not quite done. The first 30 to 40 feet of the entry lane still need to be paved. That’s to be done in two steps. Step One is scheduled for just a couple of weeks from now, weather permitting.

Final paving, however, will not be done until AFTER construction on the Greenfield Chapel is complete. There’s a really good reason to put off taking that final step: Building the chapel will entail a good deal of traffic up and down that lane. We anticipate regular delivery of building materials, work crews coming and going, not to mention all the heavy machinery needed to get the job done.

If you would like to contribute to the Greenfield Building Fund, go to the Donations page.

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