This Diwali gathering was the first official celebration of a “Hindu” holiday at the National Cathedral in Washington, DC. Gaura Vani & As Kindred Spirits led a Kirtan that was a magical gathering. Chanting in the Bethlehem Chapel with guest singer and yogi, Vrindavan Rao from Ottawa, Canada, the Diwali Kirtan brought together 150 people from across the spectrum of Washington, DC vibrant spiritual and interfaith community. This event was hosted by the organizer of the Sacred Circles event, Grace Ogden, along with W. Rukmini Walker (Gaura’s mom). The Bethlehem Chapel is a synchronistic place to host this groundbreaking event as it was the first completed chapel in the huge structure that is the National Cathedral and is considered the cornerstone of the building. It has therefore maintained it’s distinction as a groundbreaking place for worship and community.
“The Essential Kirtan and Yoga Workshop” was led by Raghunath, Gaura Vani, Keli Lalita and Balaram-chandra. It was a magical experience for all of us. About 20 people attended throughout the weekend and we were all uplifted and transformed by the deep mystical practices and divine friendships we developed. Thank you to all who took part.
If you were there, we’d love to hear from you to understand how this workshop affected your lives. You can contact us or simply post a comment below.
We feel the photos, MP3s and videos (coming soon) speak for themselves.
The VCU show on Oct. the 18th was great fun. Our good friend Gauri, a PHD student at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), invited us to perform as guests of the Yoga Education Student Orginization (YESO). The turnout was a little less then expected due to an unforseen student holiday that occured over the weekend, but all who were there danced and chanted their hearts out. Continue reading ‘Kirtan MP3s and Photos from VCU’
Saturday, we were welcomed at Baltimore Yoga Village for a spirited and interactive performance. Gaura brought his kids, who were eager to dance for everyone and Vrinda taught us all some fun Bharata Natyam steps. When the kirtan got going, all were equipped to move…with style!
Check out the pics and kirtan recordings from that night.
Our monthly Sacred Sounds program was great. The Kirtan was great as you’ll hear below and the discussion on “Spiritual Economics: Staying conscious during financial hardships” went well beyond the allotted time. The potluck dinner was also amazing.
The next Sacred Sounds program is at Gaura’s House on Saturday Nov. 1st starting at 6:00 pm. Make sure you are on our mailing list by dropping us an email here.
Welcoming the Sacred Feminine in a Celebration of Diwali
Diwali program 7:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Free and open to the public
The Hindu-Vaishnav harvest festival of Diwali celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil and marks the start of the New Year. Small twinkling earthen lamps called “divas” are lit to welcome the feminine divine presence of Laxmi and her blessings of wealth and prosperity in an invocation of happiness for the year to come. Come add your voice to this joyful candlelit celebration as we chant the names of God in the ancient Indian call-and-response group worship practice of “kirtan.” Canadian vocalist Vrindavan Rao joins singer and harmonium player Gaura Vani and the sacred world music group As Kindred Spirits to invite us into a musical meditation of dance, healing, and connection with the divine. Continue reading ‘Diwali at the National Cathedral’
This year’s Philadelphia Ratha Yatra was amazing. The weather was perfect and the mood was relaxed and festive. The organizers were on top of everything and the food was incredible. Have we used enough adjectives?
Our friends, The Mayapuris and Tribhangi, also came up from Alachua, FL so we all got to play on stage together.
We survived through Burning Man! Burning Man was, well, fun yet rough. We had some amazing kirtans and met some wonderful people. The last two days were full on dust storms which kept us from singing too much though. Enjoy these recordings of Visvambhar and Gaura Vani.
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